Chris Plante at UGO noticed the similarities and I have to say, he's not off by much. Facial hair - especially to that depth - is very irregular in the United States armed forces. Unless you fly a helicopter for the U.S. Marines, then anything's serviceable. (To all the Devil Dogs, I am kidding, dammit.) Add in the eyeshades and, well ... about to get a letter, much?

Fun aside, it's a convenient coincidence that Medal of Honor's Afghanistan reboot evokes the image of a Special Forces soldier who notably served there. Just leave the Marlboro Man out of it, OK?

Meet the Real Life Hero Behind Medal of Honor in Afghanistan [UGO; composite image from UGO]

Luckily, Sion Lenton — Executive Producer at Codemasters on Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising — was a good sport and let "Professor Glasser" talk his ear off about real-life conflicts between Russia and Japan. You see, his game is loosely based on one of those conflicts with some, uh, minor tweaks.

In Dragon Rising, it's a few years into the future and China's economy is going down the tank. There's an island north of Japan called Skira (topographically based on real life Kiska Island). The island is contested territory between Russia and China because of its large oil reserves. Also, the US Army, acting on behalf of the Russians to "liberate" it from the Chinese.

I think my political science professor would flunk any of his students who couldn't name all of the things wrong with that premise. For one thing, Kiska Island is in Alaska – which is pretty far from any of the Kuril Islands north of Japan that are actually contested territory. For another, those islands are contested territory between Russia and Japan, not China – and I don't even think they have oil; they're just in a really sweet strategic spot. Also, China's economy is going lots of places these days – but none of them look like the tank. And the US acting on behalf of Russia against China? It wouldn't just have to be the future; it'd probably have to be a whole different planet.

Video Games | Operation Flashpoint: DR | Fog of War Featurette

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I related all of this to Lenton as a roundabout way of asking if Japanese forces would be included in the upcoming downloadable content that Codemasters is planning for Dragon Rising. In real life, the Japan Self-Defense Force couldn't do anything to Russia (or China) unless Japan really did own the islands and Russia (or China) really was moving in on them with armed forces. But, hey, if we're not worried about realism, why wouldn't you want to get Japan in the mix?

Lenton said Japan would deserve more attention than just DLC ("That would really be a whole separate game," he said). However, he was intrigued by the idea of an overarching security dilemma as motivation for stealth gameplay.

Bear with me – I got an A- on my thesis for this. A security dilemma is a situation in which two countries both want the same thing. One can sell out the other to get that thing, which sort of sucks, but usually doesn't lead to war. Or, they can both try to sell each other out to get what they want and that almost always leads to war. Or – what usually happens – they get stuck in a staring contest where neither of them doing anything and so neither of them gets what they want. But nobody goes to war.

This was my roundabout way of asking if there was stealth in the game. After all, if Russian forces claim to shoot down Chinese planes in Russian territory but can't prove it with physical evidence, it's be really hard to convince the whole world that declaring war on China is totally cool. So, it would sort of make sense to have stealth in the game, right?

Lenton seemed to like the idea, but sadly it's not actually part of Operation Flashpoint. That's not to say the developer was totally unaware of international relations. After all, Lenton explained, a lot of work went into figuring out how to explain why US forces were involved in the conflict (*cough* oil *cough*). And the basic message of the game – that war is scary – certainly is a nod toward realism.

But after our little chat, I wonder if Lenton or other war game developers will look into security dilemmas as a basis on which to build a war-torn future to play in. After all, sometimes real-life is scarier that the "what-ifs" video game developers imagine for us.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is out October 6.

The life-sized version of Ruin was created by Evan Brainard, founder of Windmere Design and veteran of the studio responsible for the T-Rex in Jurassic Park and the Terminator in Terminator 2.

If you go to PAX this year and ride Ruin, make sure to send us video.

The usual suspects line up in favor of the game, with Atomic Games' boss Peter Tamte and retired Marine Captain Read Omohundro explaining that the game is meant to inform in an interactive format, presenting a unique view on war in such a way that will help communicate that war is not a game.

Karen Meredith is a member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, a group made up of families of soldiers who died in Iraq. According to the NPR report, this group "succeeded in getting the Japanese game publisher Konami to pull its support from the game." Meredith appears to be the sole speaker against the game in the NPR report.

Meredith's son Lieutenant Ken Ballard was killed in Iraq, and her argument is that a game is no way to take on such a serious subject.

"Because it's a game; because there can be different enemies; because Ken did not get that opportunity to reset and start over in the battle where he was killed..."

Meredith finds herself more comfortable with movies and books based on the war, as opposed to video games, especially one that Konami initially marketed as an entertaining look at the horrors of war.

Developer Susana Ruiz, creator of the browser-based Darfur is Dying, touches on one of the key reasons why those outside of the game industry view a title like Six Days in Fallujah with such disdain.

"Game makers haven't quite demonstrated this willingness and accountability to serve as sort of arbitrators or commentators or interpreters of the human condition or of the cultural psyche around these very important moments in history"

It's something I touched on in my feature on the subject, earlier this year, and it's an issue that won't be overcome until the game industry actually produces a game that does just that.

Gamers Can Experience Battle Of Fallujah [NPR - Thanks Zonrith]

A note about genres: The list below may encompass a broader range than some gamers might expect. I'm using the action-adventure term liberally, including both those games that I believe will be driven by a story and those that will be driven by non-shooting action. That means role-playing games are listed alongside God-of-War-types. What unifies these games is a sense that they propel the player through an experience scripted by a development team. And they are not all about shooting.

Splinter Cell: Conviction - This game used to be about a bearded Sam Fisher elbowing his way through Washington D.C. Now? There's this trailer. (Xbox 360 only, unless someone says otherwise.)

Assassin's Creed 2 - A new assassin doing his work in Leonardo Da Vinci's Italy. Also recently trailered. (PS3, Xbox 360 and possibly the Wii, plus a new PSP game.)

Dante's Inferno - EA's accused God of War clone that adapts one of the oldest literary classics, the Divine Comedy. (PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

God of War III - Sony's accused Dante's Inferno clone (OK, not really) has growling protagonist Kratos fighting on the backs of titans in what mayl be the biggest PS3 exclusive of 2010. (PS3. Impressions here.)

Uncharted 2 - Some may think of the return of Nathan Drake as a shooter, but the depth of character and adventure of the first Uncharted makes this major holiday 2009 title from Naughty Dog a great fit for today's list. Unusual among the games listed here is that it is announced to have co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. (PS3, Impressions here.)

Heavy Rain - The latest hope for sophisticated storytelling in games, it's another dark, thriller mystery from the makers of Indigo Prophecy. (PS3. Gameplay footage here.)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Cartoon Link's on a train instead of a boat and possibly armed with a bow, a boomerang and some bombs? (Nintendo DS)

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Pushed back to late August, impressive in previews, features a Batman exceptional at both brawling and detective work. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here).

Final Fantasy 13 - Square-Enix's role-playing game. Perhaps you've heard of it? (PS3, Xbox 360)

Dissidia Final Fantasy - It's a Final Fantasy mash-up! (PSP, Import review here.

Dragon Age: Origins - BioWare's spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. (PC, PS3 Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Mass Effect 2 - BioWare's successor to Mass Effect. (PC, Xbox 360)

Spyborgs - Capcom's flashy co-op Wii brawler, with a special scan-the-screen-with-the-Wii-pointer gimmick. (Wii. Preview here.)

Brutal Legend - Tim Schafer and team take their video game comedy expertise to a heavy-metal-ized open world of guitar-swinging, headbanger-commanding, road-raging and demon-slaying. (PS2, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Square-Enix's first Disney-Final-Fantasy mash-up for the DS. (Nintendo DS, Trailer here.)

Alpha Protocol - Development studio Obsidian makes what might be too simply described as a spy-themed Mass Effect, but you get the idea. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Impressions from the last E3.)

Fallout: New Vegas - Perhaps Bethesda will have more to show at E3 of this Obsidian-developed Fallout 3 spin-off? (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, presumably.)

Ghostbusters - I probably should have put this in the shooters list. I forgot. (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP. Preview here.)

No More Heroes 2 - The only Nintendo Wii game with bathroom breaks, an unlicensed lightsaber and a sexy lady who speaks to you through your Remote's speaker is back with a sequel. (Wii)

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - Developer Vanillaware's latest, prettiest side-scrolling action title, from Ignition. (Wii. Gorgeous screenshots here.)

Mini Ninjas - From the makers of Hitman, a family-appropriate game about some cute ninjas. Really. (Wii)

Spore Hero - EA brings Spore to a home console, focusing on the creature stage and making it something of an action-RPG. (Wii)

The Saboteur - Pandemic's long-in-the-making World War II adventure starring a resistance fighter in occupied France who must defeat Nazis in a game world drained of color. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Bayonetta - Platinum Games puts a pioneer of Devil May Cry to work making an even more over-the-top action game, starring a woman who wears little more than eyeglasses and her very long hair. (PS3, Xbox 360.)

Nier Square-Enix's newly-revealed possible answer to the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. (PS3, Xbox 360)

Mafia 2 - Recently delayed to some time after Halloween, the decade-spanning and genuinely mature mobster drama still has promise to wow E3 with its Madmen-esque 1950s visual style. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - Lots of Marvel characters. Fighting. (PS3, Xbox 360 Wii, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS)

Pirates of the Caribbean - An action role-playing game from Propagana Games, the makers of the Turok re-make. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest - The creators of Battalion Wars make a kid-friendly re-telling of the Lord of the Rings Saga. (Wii, with PS2, PSP and DS versions too. Wii preview here.)

New Jak and Daxter - Announced for the new PSP. (PSP)

Alan Wake - Ah, the mystery game of the Xbox 360. Moody adventure from the makers of Max Payne. Not seen publicly in a couple of years. Shall it return? (Xbox 360)

Dead Rising 2 - Supposedly not coming to E3 because of health concerns related to the H1N1 virus, it still seems like its zombies-in-casino-town angle will get shown at the big show via a trailer like this one. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360).

Trico - This would be the new game from Team Ico that had a somewhat odd trailer leak recently. (PS3)

Beyond Good and Evil 2 - Not slated for 2009, but this sequel to the cult hit action game starring heroine Jade and some animal friends may have a trailer at E3 that looks kinda like this.

Hideo Kojima's project - What a tease this guy is. Was he referring to that Metal Gear PSP game?

Some sort of Mario/Zelda/etc from Nintendo - Because Nintendo can't go two E3s in a row without a major single-player adventure for its hardcore fans, right?

OMISSIONS: Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony not included in this list (although I guess I just did) because development studio Rockstar is skipping E3. Any other games deserving of inclusion aren't here because I forgot them.

What's the trend here?

There isn't much of a trend here, except that action-adventure games continue to tend to be single-player. While almost every shooter gets support for multiple players, most of the games listed here are announced as being playable for just one.

You can also check out our E3 Racing Game Preview and our E3 Shooter Preview.

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?

To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console. And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Microsoft, your E3 2008 promises are being checked today — exhaustively.

Background: The Microsoft press briefing occurred on July 14 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This showcase lasted more than 90 minutes.

Big Money From Hardcore Games

Don Mattrick, Microsoft's senior vice president of interactive entertainment business (i.e. he's the Xbox boss), starts hyping Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable II and Gears of War 2: "Combined these games represent over a half a billion dollars in projected sales. And they will drive console demand in the coming year."

Verdict: Let's see. Gears sells two million in its first week, so that's about 120 million right there. Fallout 3 sells 4.7 million copies in less than a month, so that's about 282 million. We're over 400 million and we're not even at Fable or RE5, so we'll stop counting now. Good first prediction, Don Mattrick!

A Lengthy Fallout

Bethesda lead game designer Todd Howard demos Fallout 3 and says: "This is a huge game with over 100 hours of gameplay."

Verdict: Sure, that sounds about right, though the main content in the game could be finished in about 40 hours.

Fallout DLC TBD

Howard: "We're going to be doing substantial downloadable content for Fallout 3 and it will be exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows."

Verdict: True! All three DLC packs are now out for both platforms, and are not out on PS3.

Resident Evil 5 Release Date Confirmed?

Jun Takeuchi, producer of Resident Evil 5, says Resident Evil 5 "will be available in a simultaneous worldwide release in North America and Europe on Friday the 13, March 2009." (Screen showed March 12 2009 for Japan).

Verdict: Incorrect, sir! RE5 came out a week earlier than promised in Japan, on March 5.

Fable II Would Be Awesome

Peter Molyneux, creative director of Lionhead Studios, hyping Fable II: "You've never experienced anything like the dog in a game, but what I want to show you is the ability to play co-op over Xbox Live" [Verdict: OK, kind of hard to disagree]….The story will be great. [Verdict: That's subjective, Peter] … Your son grows. Your children will grow up with you [Verdict: Possibly misleading; those kids don't grow up]… Fable 2 will be out in October of this year [Verdict: Correct!]

Gears of War 2: For The World

Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games: "Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide November 7, exclusively on Xbox 360."

Verdict: True if you count the U.S. and Europe as the world; untrue if you consider Japan part of this planet.

Sony To Be Crushed

Mattrick: I'm so confident in our momentum and our bright future that I'm willing to declare here today that Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3.

Verdict: Too soon to say, but so far so good for Microsoft.

A New - sort of - Xbox 360 Coming Fall 2008

John Schappert, vice president of Xbox Live, software and services: "I'm excited to announce today that for the first time in history a consumer electronics device will be completely reinvented through software… When people around the world turn on the Xbox 360s this fall they will be greeted by an entire new interface, an entire new dashboard, creating a brand new Xbox through the magic of software."

Verdict: The New Xbox Experience did indeed go live in the fall, transforming the Xbox 360 from the inside out.

Avatars Will Be Great, Omnipresent

Brendan, last-name-less Rare software design engineer, describing the NXE's Avatars: "You'll see them in the dashboard when you turn on the system. [Verdict: True] You'll see them in your friends list. [Verdict: Yep] You're going to see them in games all over the place and you'll see avatars on websites. [Verdict: We're counting Uno Rush and a Kingdom Kieflings once apiece, ok? Seems that we've got Avatars in a little more than 10 games so far.]

Avatars Will Have Lots of Clothes

Chris, last-name-less Rare producer: "Really, the number of clothes is ultimately going to be limitless. You can expect to see new clothes released in the same way you'd go into a shop and see summer fashion and the winter fashion, you're going to see the same thing here."

Verdict: True. New clothes keep getting issued for Avatars.

Prime Time Is Coming Soon

Schappert: "I'm going to take us to a new channel, Xbox Live Prime Time which we are unveiling today and rolling out this fall [Verdict: No, make that some forthcoming month in 2009]… This fall you'll be able to play along with all of Xbox Live either as the One, the One Hundred or one of the thousands that watch and play this huge prime time game. And the best part, you'll all be able to win real prizes… Instead of just checking to see what's on TV this fall you'll turn on your Xbox 360 to see what's on Live. [Verdict: Whoa, whoa, slow down there John. Xbox Live Prime Time still isn't live, nor is its launch game show, 1 Vs 100, which is, at least, now in beta.]

XBLA Games Coming

Schappert Announced Geometry Wars 2 for "next month"; Galaga Legions announced as 360 exclusive for "next month," Portal Still Alive coming in the fall "with brand new levels and achievements," coming to Xbox Live Arcade.

Verdict: All accurate predictions.

And South Park Too

Announcer in short promo for South Park Xbox Live Arcade game: "Coming exclusively in 2009…"

Verdict: No sign of it yet, but there is plenty more of 2009 to come to keep from the unnamed Announcer to be known as a Liar.

Community Games coming

Schappert: We will launch Xbox Live Community games this fall as part of the New Xbox Experience.

Verdict: True

Netflix 360 Will Be Big

Schappert: "Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets members who are also Netflix subscribers instantly watch more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes more than doubling our current content offering."

Verdict: Seemingly accurate, though we haven't counted to ensure that more than 10,000 movies and shows were added.

Netflix Watching Will Be Communal

Schappert: "I'm thrilled to announce that you can share your movies and tv shows with your Live party. We all can watch TV and movies together."

Verdict: Uh-uh. This was cut.

GTA DLC Will Be Huge Part Of 360 Fall '08 Line-Up

Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development (but at the time he was running the gaming part of Xbox: After hyping coming of Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Pro Evo, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, Need for Speed, which all came out, [Verdict: True], he said, "The release of the first downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV later this year promises to be another huge event for Xbox 360 and Xbox live." [Verdict: Ugh. We think he meant to say "February 2009," not "later this year."

Lots of 360 Games Coming

Kim: All told, by the end of 2008 more than 1000 games will be available for the Xbox 360.

Verdict: Too tired to count this one, but we are not encouraged by the fact that the ESRB as of today lists only 703 rated games for the 360. Was he counting Community Games?

Fun Games For Families Too

Kim announced Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Viva Pinata, BK XBLA, Scene It Box Office Smash, You're In the Movies — all of these games are coming this holiday exclusive for Xbox 360. Also from Kim: "You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Vision camera when it ships this holiday.

Verdict: Correct!

Guitar Hero World Tour Will Be Great, Launch New Rock Stars

Kai Huang, co-founder of Red Octane, out to hype Guitar Hero World Tour: "On disc we're going to ship with the greatest number of master tracks ever from some of the best bands of all time, more than 85 songs with tons more at launch and beyond [Verdict: True].. Our new music studio in Guitar Hero: World Tour is going to for the first time let people make and share music from around the world. This is going to revolutionize the way people create, share, discover and play new music. And with GH Tunes when that launches it's going to be the premiere online distribution platform from where a community of aspiring artists are going to become the next big rock stars." [Verdict: Kinda hard to verify, but we're going to say…not yet?]

And GH Will Have REM

Huang: "Guitar Hero World Tour owners will be able to download an REM track pack featuring three songs from their new album before anybody else."

Verdict: True

And Metallica

Huang: "Metallica is joining forces with guitar hero in a huge way… for the first time in music and vg history. Metallica's highly anticipated new album death magnetic is going to be offered as downloadable content in its entirety at the same time the album is released. First for Guitar Hero 3 in September and then again when Guitar Hero World Tour launches in the fall."

Verdict: Not only true, but proven to be an understatement with the recent launch of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Lips Will Be Fantastic

iNis founder Keiichi Yano, hyping the holiday launch of the Xbox 360 karaoke game Lips: "It's breaking new ground by being the first game that lets you sing from your own music collection. It's going to be great. Imagine plugging in your Zune or your iPod into your Xbox 360 and singing along to all of your favorite songs. [Verdict: True, though not without complaints from reviewers that not all iPods synced with the game] Lips is also going to be the first game ever to feature these wireless mics that light up with your music performance. And these guys are also motion-sensitive so I can do stuff like this (cymbal hit) even when I'm not singing. So it's going to be fun Lips will ship this holiday featuring best songs from many regions and genres inclusion rock hip hop country r and b, pop a lot of your favorite artists you guys love to sing to. [Verdict: The rest was spot-on.]

Lips Will Be REALLY Fantastic

Kim: Lips is definitely going to be the gotta-have-it gift for this holiday for everyone.

Verdict: Oh, come on. Lips might have been fantastic, but he didn't really mean that, did he?

Rock Band Sort of Exclusive

Kim: Rock Band 2 will premiere exclusively on Xbox 360 this September.

Verdict: True, since he meant it would be a timed exclusive.

Rock Band 2 Will Have Rose, Dylan, ACDC

Alex Rigopulos, co-founder, Harmonix, discussing Rock Band 2, said, there would be 84 songs on the disc, every single one of them a master recording. He said Axl Rose's Shackler's Revenge will premiere in RB2, as would Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue and ACDC. And, he said, "the soundtrack will also include 20 bonus tracks available for download in the fall."

Verdict: All accurate.

Rock Band 2 Will Also Have Fine Print

Rigopulos: "We've made all of the downloadable tracks from the original game forward-compatible into Rock Band 2.. furthermore, if you own the original Rock Band you'll be able to export almost all of those tracks into the Rock Band 2 game as well. So no need for disc-swapping… by the end of this year I'm happy to announce there will be over 500 songs available for play in Rock Band 2.

Verdict: True, just note that he said "almost."

Square-Enix Will Have Three RPGs For Xbox 360

Yoichi Wada, president of Square-Enix: dropped some release dates for Infinite Undiscovery — September 2, in NA, 9/5 in Europe, 9/11 in Japan and Asia — Star Ocean for the spring, and Last Remnant for November 11 with a TBD for it coming to Games For Windows.

Verdict : Wada nailed it.

Make That Four

Wada: "An Xbox 360 version of final fantasy xiii , the latest in the final fantasy series, that has more than 85 milion units shipped worldwide, is planned for release. We believe that releasing an xbox 360 version for Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide a game to even more fans in the two regions in North America and Europe."

Verdict: No reason to think this won't happen.

Note: No mention was made during the press conference of 2008 games Too Human, Braid or Dead Space, despite the latter two becoming two of the most acclaimed games on Xbox 360 in 2008.

To Sum Up.... Microsoft did a decent job predicting things, but whiffed big on Rockstar and 1 vs 100. We weren't promised any full games that we didn't get. And most of the hype for upcoming games' features was fair. Plus, they did the awesome thing of predicting that they would conquer Sony, which should be fun to follow in the future. For the sheer number of future-looking statements and overall accuracy, we're giving them a B.

Next Victim: Nintendo

[PIC]

Six Days In Fallujah, which was announced and then abandoned by its publisher last month, was a game both hyped by its developer for its potential to be a game-documentary and scrutinized by game critics who questioned some of its Gears of War influences. To the public it became a flashpoint, a warning of video games perhaps going too far.

Is a game like Six Days in Fallujah even necessary? Coming out in favor, obviously, is Fallujah developer Atomic Games' President Peter Tamte. "Our point is that videogames are interactive, and they're the medium of choice for an entire generation," he told Kotaku this week. "Therefore, we should use this medium to deal with relevant issues while they're still relevant."

What obstacles are keeping the industry from tackling the sensitive subject of real-world warfare? And what divides the experts?

The Question of Fun

"It's not a great start that the Creative Director at Atomic Games is on the one hand talking about trying to "present the horrors of war" and on the other hand make 'entertainment'". - Dan Rosenthal, Iraqi War Veteran

When approaching a game that realistically depicts a modern combat situation, one criticism that often arises is the subject of fun. Can a realistic military shooter be fun? According to Ian Bogost, that's the wrong question to ask. "We use the word fun as a placeholder, when we don't even really know what we mean when we look for some sort of enjoyment in a serious experience," he said. Fun and entertainment aren't mutually exclusive, especially when it comes to entertainment based on real-world military conflicts.

As Bogost explains, fun isn't the key word in this situation. "It may not be possible to make a realistic war game that is fun - war is not fun - but it is possible to create an experience that is informative, appealing, and startling in a positive way."

Bogost cites the example of Blackhawk Down, the film adaptation of Mark Bowden's novel about military forces attempting to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid during the Battle of Mogadishu. It isn't the sort of movie you walk away from feeling good or happy, but it was a positively engaging experience for many film-goers. It wasn't fun, but it was fulfilling and by extension, entertaining.

Handling Sensitive Material

Retired U.S. Army Colonel John Antal is an author and a game developer, but he also spent 30 years of his life serving in the U.S. Army. From his unique perspective as a game industry insider who has led Soldiers from the level of a platoon to a regiment, Antal has his doubts that the industry could handle such a sensitive subject with the reverence it requires.

"There is a vital and very important role for video games and interactive entertainment in recording historic events," Antal admits, "But when you are talking about headlines - real situations involving real people - you really have to treat the subject with great reverence or it will fail. There are few interactive entertainment companies that even come close to being able to handle that properly."

The current war is perhaps more sensitive and politicized that any previous conflict. Every day, critical information of tactical importance is being transmitted. Horrifying images of soldiers wounded and killed in action began to circulate within days of the conflict starting. Antal compares this to World War II, where the first images of a dead U.S. soldier didn't appear until very late in the war. Just because we have easier access to information than ever before doesn't necessarily mean we should use it.

As for Atomic Games admittedly working with Iraqi insurgents on the development of Six Days in Fallujah? The former Army colonel was quite clear on his opinion of that matter.

"If you're working with the enemy, that's called treason. The jihadist killing our people today would love to get a larger audience to perpetrate their hate. If you think that reporters and filmmakers and interactive entertainment developers are not part of this world and their actions have no consequences, then you're wrong. There will be no virtual world in a real world run by the Taliban."

The Problem of Public Perception

If the distinction between fun and entertainment confuses the games industry, one can only imagine what it does to the general public, a large portion of which still see video games as light entertainment. Take the reaction of former Colonel Tim Collins, a decorated Iraqi war veteran who spoke up during the early days following the announcement of Six Days in Fallujah:

"It's much too soon to start making video games about a war that's still going on, and an extremely flippant response to one of the most important events in modern history. It's particularly insensitive given what happened in Fallujah, and I will certainly oppose the release of this game."

In a time where movies, documentaries, and books pertaining to the war have already been release, often to critical acclaim, the news of a video game covering those same subjects is referred to as "flippant" and "insensitive".

According to Bogost, reactions like this are part of an ongoing media literacy problem. People are just not willing to accept the fact that video games, like any other entertainment medium, are capable of handling a serious subject with the respect it deserves. Based off of media coverage of a game which only tangible assets were a handful of screenshots and a short video clip, a large portion of society was ready to dismiss Six Days in Fallujah.

Conflicting statements between publisher Konami and developer Atomic Games certainly didn't help the matter. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Atomic President Peter Tamte is quoted saying, "For us, games are not just toys", while in the same article Konami states that "At the end of the day, it's just a game."

"We have to insist that there's not a subject that's off limits and there aren't things that we can't do," Bogost said. "We can do it more or less effectively, but there is no sensibility that we have to account for."

Some might say that's dangerous thinking, including John Antal. "Every author, every filmmaker, every interactive entertainment developer creating a product is responsible for what it does and its after effects. Aristotle wouldn't agree with that."

Extreme statements aside, Bogost has hopes that the situation is slowly changing, citing a most unexpected catalyst - Nintendo's Wii Fit. Not only does the peripheral attract a whole new audience to the gaming market, it also affects them on a deeply personal level. The key to changing public perception lies in letting people know that games can be about much more than simply sitting on the couch, shooting at aliens. As silly as it may seem to "hardcore" gamers, Wii Fit does just that. It's ironic to think that Nintendo's focus on a wider audience

The Final Fate of Six Days In Fallujah

As for Six Days in Fallujah, developer Atomic Games remains quiet on the subject of finding a new publishers, instructing those interested to "stay tuned" for further developments. While some remain firmly opposed to the project, others believe it's a game that needs to see to see release, as Ian Bogost puts it, "if only to be another example of how to do things well or poorly."

Back in March, rumors flew about a new batch of downloadable content for Gears of Wars 2 called Dark Corners, but Epic denied that such DLC existed. Turns out that they were absolutely correct. Dark Corners is not just DLC. It's a new map pack being included in the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection, available exclusively at retail worldwide on July 28th. The collection includes all of the Gears 2 DLC to date, along with Dark Fronts, a collection of seven new multiplayer maps which you can find detailed below and a new single player chapter titled "Road to Ruin".

In order to make the pack worthwhile to those who've already downloaded the majority of the Gears 2 DLC, the package also contains an introduction from Cliff Bleszinski for "Road to Ruin", a collectible poster, a strategy guide, and a custom Xbox Live theme.

And the price? $19.99, £14.99, or €19.99, depending on who you're paying for the privilege of taking the package home. A great value for those who've yet to download map one for the game, though things get a bit sketchy the more you've already purchased.

The Dark Corners DLC will also be available for download via Xbox Live on July 28th for 1600 Microsoft points, which is also $20. Extras aside, is $20 too much for seven new maps and a single-player chapter? Perhaps the map descriptions will help you decide.

The seven new multiplayer maps in the "Gears of War 2: Dark Corners" Game Add-on are:

* Allfathers Garden: Honor the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders in this explosive map, where powerful weapons catalyze fast and furious action at this COG landmark.
* Memorial: Set near the Eternal Flame, which pays tribute to the fallen soldiers on the battlefield, a hard-fought battle ensues at the Tomb of Unknowns. Putting their flank formation and evasive skills to the test, players will fight to control the Boomshot.
* Sanctuary: Once a peaceful ground for reflection and remembrance, all that remains of the Sanctuary is the chill of death. Feast your eyes on the arsenal of weapons available as you make your way through the tight paths and blind corners of the Locust-damaged temple corridors.
* War Machine: In the abandoned train station that once served as a hub for travel, players will need to master the Longshot, Mulcher and Boomshot weapons to advance the fight while evading fire from the platforms above.
* Highway: Take the fight deep into the Locust Hollow in the complex passages of this underground highway system brimming with enemy vermin. Stick together, separate the enemy and have an exit strategy ready or it'll be a one-way trip.
* Way Station: Sitting in limbo between death and "processing" are Locust way stations filled with fallen COG soldiers. Tread lightly and practice patience as it's better to sacrifice firepower for stealth while navigating this minefield of hidden grenades.
* Nowhere: Set in the middle of what was once a destination for weary desert travellers, the land is now barren and devoid of life. Pick off your enemies with the Longshot sniper rifle and make your way to the stairwell with a well-fortified team during this intense firefight.

We actually did invite Gears developer Cliff Bleszinski, but his handlers said he was too busy. But Jaffe certainly wasn't some sort of alternate or sub, as the head of his relatively new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play and the lead designer of God of War for the Playstation 2, Jaffe knows his stuff. He also surprised quite a few people recently when he called Gears of War 2 not only the best game of the year, but the best looking console game he's ever played.

Jaffe solidifies his position as one of Kotaku's favorite developers in this podcast where he discusses what he likes about Gears, how God of War 3 will compare and his take on the Playstation 3's successes and failures in 2008.

Despite being exclusive to Sony, Jaffe even talked about his interest in developing a Wii title.

The famously outspoken developer also talks about the ups and downs of blogging on his own site and how he too missed prom. We almost even got him to spill some beans on his next big project for the Playstation 3, but it sounds like we're going to have to wait for an update on his blog for that.

Watch Video Podcast - Gears of War 2 on your iPod or Zune!
Right click and save link as to download.
Subscribe to our Kotaku Video podcast on iTunes and the Zune Marketplace.

Don't forget to check out our other Holiday podcasts:
A Very Special Kotaku Holiday Podcast
Media Molecule Talks LittleBigPlanet Moderation, New Pitches and How The Found Out About That Recall
Resistance 2 Podcast: Multiplayer Tweaks Coming
Call of Duty: World at War: Balancing Historic Realism With Fun
Castle Crashers with Major Nelson
Chet Faliszek Talks Left 4 Dead's Future
Home Could Remain in Beta Indefinitely

The flash game has the player controlling the Israelis, portrayed as a powerful and resourceful group overreacting to Palestinian Qassam rockets, which ineffectually swoop in the air, barely ever hitting a target. The goal of the game is to build missile silos, barracks, headquarters, and airports, using them to attack the Gaza Strip in order to kill the most Palestinians in 3 minutes. You start off with 10,000 Sheqel to spend, but can call out for aid at regular intervals to receive more cash. Bonus points are awarded for hitting police stations and hospitals. The whole affair is made even more ridiculous by the music in the background - The Carpenters' "Close To You".

I know it's supposed to be a political statement, but the whole thing leaves me feeling a bit ill. How about you folks?

Raid Gaza Flash Game [Newgrounds]

Trophies, points and Unlockable Achievements are all well and good, but if you have really made an impression in a game world, wouldn't it be nice to have some proper recognition? What's a Chaos Warrior gotta do to get some respect around here?

Warhammer Online aims to address this issue by erecting statues of highly-ranked players on each of its shard world servers. It may not be as permanent as actual stone, but it should last until the next client upgrade at least - which is immortality of a sort.

WAR Adding Statues to Immortalize Players [Wired]

I hate gold sellers/spammers. No, that’s not strong enough, let me try again. I HATE GOLD SELLERS WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING. Ah, that’s better. Now, why do I hate them you may ask? I hate them for a number of reasons, most of which have been detailed in various interviews I’ve done over the years. And now that they have taken their obnoxiousness to new levels with gold service spamming, I HATE GOLD SPAMMERS EVEN MORE NOW THAN EVER BEFORE.

Remember: Mark Jacobs does not like gold farmers. So what are he and his crew doing about them?

Since WAR launched we have been banning these jerks like crazy. As of Saturday Night, we had banned about 400 of them. My CSRs have a zero tolerance policy. We don’t wait and let them stay in the game and ban them en-masse, my guys ban their useless, time-consuming butts right away. We have a strike team whose sole job it is to get these guys off our servers as quickly as possible.

Zero tolerance, strike teams...these guys aren't banning because it's their job, they're banning because they love it.

A banning we will go, a banning we will go. Heave ho off the servers yo, a banning we will go! [OGAANM, via Gamasutra]

MMOs aren’t like other games. They’re closer to a lifestyle choice, for a lot of people defining how their spare time is spent, how their lives are lived. So if you criticise the game, you criticise the player. God knows there are plenty of non-MMO games that people treat as though they’re bound to their very souls - witness the pile-on for Eurogamer’s MGS4 review, or even the outrage about various RPS writers being down on Stalker: Clear Sky - but it’s even worse with MMOs. Telling a WAR player that his game is similar to WoW is like telling a goth that he’s emo. No-one wants to be told they’re not unique and interesting, to be dismissed as a stereotype they’re not.

WAR is not WoW. But it is a lot like it in a number of crucial ways, and for one essential reason: money. I suspect Mythic and EA aren’t too concerned about the comparison themselves - they might disagree with the sweeping generalisation, but if they didn’t want to be compared they would have gone for an entirely different interface and art approach. Saying WAR is like WoW is not the same as saying it’s a bad or a lazy game, but unfortunately there are guys who do intentionally make the comparison unfavourably, and that’s perhaps understandably made a lot of WAR fans very touchy.

Personally, I'm fascinated by the fan communities generated by MMOs, popular ones and not — not being much of an MMO player, I find 'people watching' to be more entertaining than the game in a lot of cases. I don't have the patience to wade through the original comment thread, but I'm pretty sure I could rattle off the general reaction with little prompting. Meer's thoughts, however, are deserving of a read.

A Dirty Word [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

No RTS game will ever be able to represent politics in lifelike detail. These games are, after all, simplifications of reality. Still, RTS game developers could add a tremendous amount of strategic depth by building politics into their games. Players could be released from micro-managing society and the battlefield, they could be exposed to enemies both within and outside their societies, and they could be given more strategic options than attrition.

It's an interesting little essay if you're into the RTS genre - a little innovation is never a bad thing, since even the most beloved of genres will get a little stale after years and years of more of the same - though I have to wonder how many players would be truly interested in big changes.

The Future Of The Real-Time Strategy Game [Gamasutra]

"What they really appreciate over there is the true comforts of home," Blackman Brady said. "The stress relief and the escapism involved in these games, we really think could be beneficial."

While currently just a small-town operation, Fun For Our Troops has the potential to get pretty huge, especially considering how generous the gaming community is as a whole. They are currently accepting donations of money, gift cards, and games released in 2005 or later.

No matter how you feel about the war itself, the troops in the Middle East are there doing a job for their country that not many other people would do. Check out the organization's web site to see how you can contribute to the overseas, under fire gaming community. Hang onto your copies of COD 4 though. Think they've got that covered.

Wii bit of fun for troops [Bucks County Courier Times via Game Politics]

But you get two great games, Games for Windows support and all the bonus material from the original Empire at War Collector's Edition for the low, low, low price of $29.99. Now that's savings.

Product Page

Q: Will there be an 'Army Creator' feature where you can create your own faction with your own units in-game, define bonuses etc?

Q&A with David Polfeldt [massgate]

Anti-war veterans protest at Black Expo [STLtoday via Game Politics]

"This is information fans have been asking for so we are incredibly excited to unveil the last two armies in WAR," said Jeff Hickman, Senior Producer for EA Mythic. "We have a lot of art and information to reveal and we could not think of a better venue than Games Convention to share these details with the growing Warhammer community."

Warhammer® Online: Age Of ReckoningTM To Invade Games Convention In Leipzig

EA Mythic's Highly-Anticipated MMORPG to be Showcased in the GOA Booth

Featuring the Long-Awaited Unveiling of the Elves

EA Mythic's highly-anticipated massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ (WAR), will be playable in the GOA booth at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany on August 22-26. A press conference featuring Senior Producer, Jeff Hickman, and Creative Director, Paul Barnett, will be held in the booth on Wednesday, August 22 from 11am-12pm to reveal exclusive first details about High Elves and Dark Elves, the final two armies in WAR.

"This is information fans have been asking for so we are incredibly excited to unveil the last two armies in WAR," said Jeff Hickman, Senior Producer for EA Mythic. "We have a lot of art and information to reveal and we could not think of a better venue than Games Convention to share these details with the growing Warhammer community."

In addition, Games Convention attendees will be able to experience Warhammer Online's innovative Realm versus Realm™ gameplay, new Greenskin and Dwarven starting zones, and never-before-seen content and features. The game's new lighting system will also be on full display giving the world a dramatic new look. The GOA booth will be located in Hall 3, Booth A20.

Based on Games Workshop's epic and longstanding tabletop fantasy war game, WAR features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm® (RvR) gameplay that immerses players in a world of perpetual conflict. In Europe, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will be published by GOA (online games department of France Telecom), the European publisher of EA Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot, and is scheduled for release in early 2008.