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Stand fast, Soldier. We proudly present the most anticipated war games of the next 12 months, and salute the best games of the past.

Sun Tzu once said, "It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on." A statement of truth on so many levels, this piece of wisdom can now be applied to the virtual war that we play on our gaming systems. We give you a look at the most anticipated games of war to come out, as well as honor past heroes that made the genre what it is today.

And to give you a visual reminder of the rigors of battle, we proudly present three of Games.Net's favorite war-oriented videos:
The most kickass FPS Guns
Battlefield 2 Tournament footage
Call of Duty 2 Attack of the Factoids

Now ten hut, Grunt. Let's look ahead and give me all you got.

God of War II
Conflict: Plight of the Greek Gods
Battlezone: PS2
Deployment: 2007
"Game of the Year" franchise God of War is back for a new installment, but new director Corey Barlow doesn't want people to think of it as a sequel. Expect God of War 2 to be as intense as the first, and even though it isn't making it to PS3 (at least, that we know of), it looks like it will give gamers a hell of a good time.

Medal of Honor: Airborne
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PS3, Xbox 360
Deployment: Fall 2006
The next Medal of Honor's story will be around a group of WWII paratroopers, similar to the soldiers in "Band of Brothers." You're part of the famed 82nd Airborne Division, specializing in airdrops behind enemy lines throughout Europe. In fact, you'll start each mission with a fully interactive airdrop, and how you fight the mission is determined on where you land.

Call of Duty 3
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PS3, PC
Deployment: 2007
This venerable WWII series is promised to continue its reign of superior first-person shooting with new gameplay features in its third installment. You'll now be able to control vehicles, as well as choose to be a specific character class such as an all-healing medic or a heavy-hitting assault grunt. The new Battle Action view focuses on daring and adrenaline-pumping moments to give the game a much more rich and cinematic feel. As if it wasn't enough with the bullets flying and your soldiers yelling at you!

Destroy All Humans! 2
Conflict: 1960's Earthling Eradication
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox
Deployment: Fall 2006
Crypto returns to take on the world of free love, the Cold War, and other 1960's clichs, causing destruction around the world with an upgraded arsenal of weapons and enhanced mental abilities to battle a variety of enemies from secret agents and giant creatures, to Soviet Forces and alien warriors.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Conflict: Modern day Venezuela
Battlezone: PS3, Xbox 360
Deployment: TBD
Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is the sequel to their blockbuster action game. World in Flames includes new vehicles, weapons, and an even larger world--Venezuela--for you to wreak havoc in.

Battlefield 2142
Conflict: Europe versus Asia on future Earth
Battlezone: PC
Deployment: November
It's the dawn of a new ice age and you're in a fight for life, literally. What's not cover by ice is being fought over by two military superpowers, the European Union and the Pan Asian Coalition. Choose a side, and then arm yourself with the latest hi-tech assault rifles, cloaking devices, lethal vehicles. Up to 64 players can drop into the action online and play either on the frontlines as part of a squad or take the lead as commander to direct strategic assaults.

Prey
Conflict: Survival of the Earthlings
Battlezone: Xbox 360, PC
Deployment: July
Prey tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation going nowhere. His life changes when an otherworldly crisis forces him to awaken spiritual powers from his long-forgotten birthright. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and eventually his planet. Prey is serious, dark story, based on authentic Cherokee mythology. Themes of sacrifice, love and responsibility are explored and the story dives into emotional territory not yet explored by similar games.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Conflict: Humans against Violent Aliens
Battlezone: PC
Deployment: September
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is an online, action-packed shooter based in the world of the Quake series in which the armies of Earth are battling a strong alien race known as the Strogg.

Gears of War
Conflict: Another Planetary Problem
Battlezone: Xbox 360
Deployment: Fall 2006
Gears of War takes place on a distant planet where mankind has come under attack by a mysterious subterranean race. After years of bloody combat, the planet has seemingly been thrown into ruins; cities lay destroyed, and humans have been scattered and forced to live and fight for their lives. You play a soldier in the human resistance and with the help of your close friend and ally, combat the vile creatures hell-bent on taking over your world.

Mobile Ops: One Year War
Conflict: Future World Full of Mechs
Battlezone: Xbox 360
Deployment: Winter 2006
Yoshiyuki Tomino's Mobile Suit Gundam universe makes its debut on the Xbox 360. Contrary to the Sony Gundam titles, Mobile Ops: One Year War allows you to assume the role of a nameless faceless grunt during the 0079 Universal Century One Year War. You'll be able to play as either a Federation or Zeon foot soldier in a variety of classes, such as infantry, medic, snipers, or anti-armor, and employ a number of class specific weapons and skills, similar to the hit PC game Battlefield.

Let us not forget the legendary heroes that built the war-game genre. Here are the stand-out past-Silver Star honorees that deserve special recognition.

Medal of Honor
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PSX
Medal of Honor arguably revived the World War II action genre in the "modern" console age. The FPS action still holds up fairly well, although the near brain-dead German troopers become more laughable with age. Medal of Honor is a classic.

Call of Duty
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PC
A jaw-dropping evolution of WWII shooters, Call of Duty is a riveting, must-play experience. World War II first-person shooters were starting to wear out their welcome, but the electrifying Call of Duty shows how revitalizing an infusion of fresh blood can be. Developed by a crew who splintered off from the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault team, this game packs the power to astonish with its next-level A.I., absorbing mission design, and mesmerizing presentation.

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox, PC
Realistic and fun to boot, Brothers in Arms rewrites the rules of first-person warfare. Forget what you know about World War II: the bulletproof supersoldier single-handedly storming Nazi bunkers; the first-aid kit on every fallen foe, as if band-aids and aspirin were enough to shake off the pain of being shot; the mounted MGs that trigger Purple Heart lust in whole platoons when touched. This isn't that John Wayne shoot-em-up.

Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Conflict: World War II
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox, PC
Secret Weapons Over Normandy takes WWII in a fresh new direction with riveting air combat. With the spectacular Secret Weapons Over Normandy, the creators of the renowned X-Wing series prove that the skies of World War II can deliver gameplay as compelling as the era's popular first-person shooters.

Destroy All Humans!
Conflict: 1950's Earthling Eradication
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox
Every once in a while there comes a game that truly defines creativity. Destroy All Humans is indeed one such game; it has all the right elements to make it a smart, intuitive, and hilarious experience of which all other adventures should take note.

Battlefield Vietnam
Conflict: Vietnam War
Battlezone: PC
Not only does Battlefield Vietnam improve on its acclaimed predecessor, but it also sets a lofty new standard for online PC warfare. Battlefield 1942 blew away jaded PC gamers with its realistic World War II arsenal, authentic combat scenarios, and hard-boiled online gameplay. Against all odds, Battlefield Vietnam successfully rejuvenates this battle-hardened formula to create one of the best PC shooter in ages.

Full Spectrum Warrior
Conflict: Modern-day Middle East Urban Warfare
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox, PC
Without a doubt, this game shows that originality in gaming is very much alive and kicking, even if it is wrapped inside a sensitive subject. If you want a true military experience without going through boot camp, Full Spectrum Warrior is it.

America's Army
Conflict: Today's U.S. Army Against the World
Battlezone: PC
America's Army remains one of the top team-based first-person shooters to play online. As a complete tie-in with the U.S. Army, the game literally puts in the virtual army boots to become an elite fighting solider. You can download the game for free, and work your way up the ranks to become a member of the Special Forces. America's Army prides itself as being reflective of real Army life, especially when it comes to working together as a team.

Mercenaries
Conflict: Near-future Korea
Battlezone: PS2, Xbox
Sure, Mercenaries features a lot of familiar elements that you've seen in other games, but the action has certainly been repackaged in a creative way to bring gamers a unique gameplay experience. Don't hesitate to hire Mercenaries for some government-sanctioned fun--just don't ask which government.

Halo
Conflict: Tomorrow's War with Aliens
Battlezone: Xbox, PC
Master Chief takes on an armada of aliens with nothing but a metric ton of weaponry and a smarmy A.I. sidekick embedded in his head. This multi-kajillion seller is known for its great multiplayer and is widely accepted as the best console shooter at the time it was released.

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