U.S. Army Announces America's Army 3

This afternoon the U.S. Army announced that the third installment of its FPS franchise is heading to the PC sometime this year.

Six years ago, the U.S Army launched the America's Army franchise, aimed to not only deliver an authentic and entertaining Army experience to gamers, but to use its PC games to entice and recruit hopeful soldiers. Grabbing wannabe soldiers by the eyeballs through a first-person perspective, players quickly discovered what it was like to virtually endure training and career advancement experienced by Army soldiers in the real world.

Now the U.S. Army stands poised and ready to announce its third installment in the America's Army series. This time around, the Army utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 technology, currently used in many first-person games on the PC as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. However, the Army states that the third installment will be easier to play, easier to install and easier to download.

“In AA3 we've taken all of the best features in AA2, incorporated feedback from the AA community and added the latest technology to develop a high-tech game that can be customized by the player to create a much more detailed interactive experience,” said Michael Bode, executive producer of the America's Army game. “One of our key design philosophies is to make the game easily accessible to a new player, while at the same time keeping a deeper layer of complexity for the more advanced players to discover and take advantage of.”

The Army placed a lot of emphasis on realism, claiming that the development team worked closely with "Subject Matter Experts" to ensure that everything is as realistic as possible, from training exercises to weapon detail. According to the Army, Epic's Unreal Engine 3 brings it all to life, sporting realistic environments, animations, lighting effects, and team-based experiences.

Different aspects of the Army come into play in the third installment, including Army Values, Warrior Ethos, career opportunities, and the lifestyles of soldiers while off duty and on duty. The FPS will also have RPG elements, allowing the player's persistent character to "level up" so to speak, taking cues from other military-based games including Battlefield: Bad Company and more. Although bound by rules of engagement, players gain experience playing team-based multiplayer sessions and rising up the ranks.

"In the game, as in the Army, accomplishing missions requires teamwork and adherence to the seven Army Core Values," states the Army in a recent press release. "In the game, a player's actions and demonstrated Army values will have consequences that are integral to success in gameplay and will affect a player's career progression."

Initially, the gameplay focuses on an Infantry Soldier (11B), allowing players to choose a base class of Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Designated Marksman and Grenadier. As players gain experience, they pick up a "specialty," first as a Combat Medic and then additional specialty classes (aka Cross Train) that will be announced later on.

Look for America's Army 3 to appear on the official website this summer.