:: Jazwares - MegaMan, StreetFighter, Mortal Kombat, Viewtiful Joe, Trigun, Link-N-Lite, US Army, Ani-Movie, Marvel, DreamSketcher, Project Kits For Kids ::

When is a recruitment tool not a recruitment tool? When the developers of America's
Army tell you it isn't. Call me a cynical bastard (you’re a cynical bastard -Ed.) but I've always had a difficult time believing that the U.S. military funded and released a first-person shooter to the general public totally out of the goodness of its purple heart. According to the game's associate producer/designer, Michael "Ace" Aubuchon, lots of people feel that way, but he insists that the game (available as a free download from www.americasarmy.com) hasn't been coded as an Ender's Game-style ecruitment tool tracking the stats of the best players and then sending recruiters to their houses. Nor is it meant to put a sugary glaze on the dangers of army life. If anything, Ace calls it "an informational tool"-no player is ever identified; stats aren't tabulated for military use; and according to PC Gamer readers who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Army, the gameplay is about as realistic as you're going to get while sitting at a desk. So, I believe Ace when he says that the developers aren't trying to make America's Army a recruitment tool. But the U.S. Army probably needs all the recruiting help it can get these days, which is why it's asked the developers to include a new program in America's Army's next major update, entitled Overmatch, set to be available in late July.

The program, called Real Heroes, allows AA players to “meet" soldiers who have
distinguished themselves in the line of duty. These soldiers will take the place of the drill sergeants you normally see in the game, and a Virtual Recruiting Station tab added to the menu will let you walk around a realistic representation of an Army recruiting office and view videos of the men's stories. At launch, the program will recognize four soldiers, with five more to be added in future updates.

One of the inaugural heroes will be Sgt. Tommy Rieman, an Assistant Team Leader in Echo, 51" Infantry Long Range Surveillance Company serving in Iraq, who was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for courage under fire during an ambush of his patrol unit on December 3, 2003. Not only will you see a presentation on Sgt. Rieman's personal bio. But you also see for yourself exactly what Long Range Surveillance infantry do. Another tab will let you learn about the Army's various ribbons and medals by clicking on the commendations on a paper doll cutout.

The Real Heroes program doesn't stop in-game. a line of action figures modeled on the heroes will be sold at retail each sculpted based on actual AD body scans of the soldiers (Don't say they're not wiling to give al for their country.)

You won't be able to play as the real heroes in combat. Nor will their decisive battles be playable missions. This isn't Kuma War-the real Army doesn't want to trivialize the men's accomplishments by turning them into a game. But Overmatch (named for way the military trains its troops to cope with overwhelming forces) will include a lot of new game content, such as a more dynamic user inter- face; a co-op level (l2 players vs. 20-30Alenemies'y.anewInstant Action mode that lets you sample higher-level missions without having to qualify for them first; four new training levels; a vehicle mounted with CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station and the Javelin Missile.

Even the cynical bastard in me felt cowed seeing the real Sgt. Rieman at this Year’s E3. Recruitment tool or informational tool, if America's Army tells me more about guys like him, then I’m a believer