I know some of you have heard me prattle on about this before, but for those that haven't, long before I blogged about video games (I don't think we called it "blog" back then) I played site admin and content manager for a buddy's fansite devoted to Ghost Recon. The website has been established a while (over a decade), has been mentioned in a few gaming magazines and even gets the occasional hook up or kick back from Ubisoft. Over the years the site has soldiered on, but obviously the community comes and goes depending on the success and interest in the latest Ghost Recon game. There are still some regulars that have been there from the beginning...and my support is now pretty much limited to being the social networking manager. But this role coupled with my love of the Ghost Recon franchise (and Rainbow Six for that matter) keeps me interested in any news pertaining to Ghost Recon. And finally, after years of waiting and wondering, it looks like Ghost Recon Future Soldier is getting closer to actually releasing.

The February 2012 issue of Game Informer has a two page article on Future Soldier. A few other sites are reporting they've played the demo and are posting their feedback. There has been some movement regarding the release of the game, and after three or four delays, movement is a good thing.

Seeing Future Soldier get some attention reminds me of a blog I posted a while ago at a different website. I think a few of you saw it...maybe. Most probably did not. I know it's just a small feature of Ghost Recon Future Soldier...but I'm not going to lie, it is a feature I'm interested in checking out.

I've edited the original blog slightly to make it fit present day (it was originally posted during E3).

Gunsmith for Ghost Recon Future Soldier - High Tech Gear or Gimmick

Gunsmith offers endless possibilities but is that necessarily a good thing?

As a huge fan of the Ghost Recon franchise, I was most interested in Ubisoft's presentation of Ghost Recon Future Soldier; specifically the "Gunsmith" feature. The Gunsmith feature takes advantage of the hands free and voice capability of Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360 and allows the player to cycle through a massive armory of weapons with a seemingly endless supply of customization options.

"52 weapons, each with 10 categories and 49 unlockable customizations per category."

Watching the demonstration, the viewer is treated to roughly two and a half minutes of some high tech footage that is more reminiscent of a science fiction movie (it definitely has a Minority Report quality to it) than a weapon selection screen for a First Person Shooter (FPS). With a simple wave of your hand and flick of the wrist, you're able to cycle through and select various components ranging from Side Rail, Barrel, Magazine, Muzzle, Optics, Paint, Gas System, Stock, Under Barrel and Trigger Group options. According to the presentation, there are over 20 million unique weapon configurations that can be selected. The presentation continues demonstrating the robustness of the Gunsmith feature by showing an exploded view of the weapon as well as each of the components that can be added. Apparently every weapon and practically ever feature of the weapon is customizable.

If using hand motions to accomplish this feat wasn't impressive enough, it also works on voice commands. The host of the presentation demonstrates the power of the voice command feature by saying, "Optimize for Close Combat" and in a flash is presented with an assault rifle sporting a collapsible stock and close quarter optics; a perfect weapon for "close combat". Next, the host asks for a weapon optimized for range and is given an assault rifle outfitted with a high power scope. Apparently you can even ask for a random weapon and the utility will arbitrarily pick a weapon for your use. The crowd was fairly animated with this feature and vocalized their approval each time it was demonstrated. I admit it was pretty cool.

After the weapons were configured the presentation speaker jumped to the shooting range to show off his new toy and demonstrate the Kinect in action. With varying hand motions, the host showed how to aim, shoot, reload and zoom. My first impression was one of bewilderment. This was a high tech capability like never seen before.

So, after I watched the video several times through, my initial excitement and bewilderment turned to hesitation and doubt.

First of all, the degree of customization - 20 million unique options, are you kidding me?

I am somewhat of a firearm enthusiast in real life and can't fathom the desire to have that much freedom and choice in a video game. Make no mistake about it; I think the Gunsmith feature is very impressive, I just don't know how efficient or functional it will be. The feature seems a bit much. Realistically, as long as a game offers a handful of my favorite weapons with a few different configurations, that is more than adequate for me. Do I really want 49 different color choices for my Glock or ACR? No, I don't think so. Not me.

My next concern was the actual hands free controls demonstrated by the Kinect. The Kinect is an amazing piece of technology, but honestly, the motions used in the demonstration were ridiculous looking. They may or may not catch on, but I can't imagine myself playing a game like Ghost Recon Future Soldier and using this control scheme. It seems somewhat cumbersome and unresponsive when compared to a standard controller, but perhaps that is due to the quality and length of the video demonstration.

In the end, as much as I was blown away by the demonstration and recognize the "wow" factor associated with this capability, I think the sensationalism will wear off fairly quickly. I appreciate what the developers have accomplished with the Gunsmith feature and only hope they have provided the same level of innovation with the actual components of gameplay.

The Dictionary.com website defines a gimmick as "an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, especially one designed to attract attention or increase appeal."

Yes, the Gunsmith feature of Ghost Recon Future Soldier is a gimmick. It is indeed a novel device and certainly attracts attention. I can't wait to try it out, even if it is only for a few minutes. Oh, but a glorious few minutes that will be. I wonder if I can get my Glock in hot pink.