OTTAWA - "Gears of War." "Call of Duty." "Mortal Kombat." "Assassins Creed."
Those are among some 500 copies of popular video games that Canada's military ordered this week, many of them shoot-'em-ups for combat-loving gamers in uniform.
The list also includes distinctly unwarlike titles, such as "Guitar Hero 3," "The Beatles Rock Band," and "Tiger Woods 2011."
The unusual order appears in a federal government tender, with the competition closing Dec. 2.
The document says delivery is required "as soon as possible" to the Longue-Pointe Garrison in Montreal's east end, a supply depot for the armed forces in Eastern Canada.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian Forces in Ottawa was not immediately able to indicate why Wednesday's order was placed or how much the military has budgeted for them.
"It's a strange one," said Capt. Sandra Bourne.
Popular new games can typically cost $50 or more, so the order could be worth as much as $25,000.
The detailed list of requirements shows that "Gears of War," a third-person shooter game first released in 2006, is the most popular title at National Defence, with 93 copies on order.
The game features a fictional planet inhabited by humans that's under siege by the Locust Horde, which the troops of Delta Squad try to repel.
Also popular are two versions of "Call of Duty," with 82 copies on order. Many of the "Call of Duty" games are set in the Second World War and involve first-person or third-person shooters.
The list includes several versions of the popular "Rock Band" game, in which players mimic famous musicians singing and playing their songs on different instruments -- including two copies of the version featuring music by the peace-loving Beatles.
The musical list also features "Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock," with 36 copies on order.
Although the tender asks for games for several game-playing consoles, the vast majority are for the Xbox 360, a popular game system first introduced by Microsoft in 2005.
The only sport entry on the list is the Tiger Woods golf game, released this year by Electronic Arts.
Missing from the list is Electronic Arts' "Medal of Honor" video game, released in the fall, which allows players to adopt the role of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan who kill American troops.
The appearance of "Medal of Honor" drew the ire of Defence Minister Peter MacKay, who said it was "wrong to have anyone, children in particular, playing the role of the Taliban."
The Canadian military, on the other hand, has officially sanctioned another game, "Virtual Battle Space 2," as a key training tool.
Two dozen soldiers who deployed to Afghanistan last year were required to play the game in six exercises, some of which involved locating improvised explosive devices or IEDs.
"Soldiers' feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, citing improvements in convoy and (counter-IED) knowledge and communications, and increases in levels of confidence, team trust and performance under stress," said a report in September this year.
A 2010 report by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada said that "Call of Duty" for the Xbox 360 was the second-biggest-selling video game in Canada from July 2009 to June 2010, topped only by the "New Super Mario Brothers" for the Wii console.
The complete list in the Canadian Forces order: "Gears of War"(PC); "Rock Band 2" (Xbox 360); "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Xbox 360); "Guitar Hero 3" (Xbox 360); "Assassins Creed 2" (Xbox 360); "Call of Duty MW2" (Xbox 360); "Assassins Creed 2" (Xbox 360); "Grand Theft Auto 4" (Xbox 360); "Gears of War" (Xbox 360); "Mortal Kombat DC Universe" (Xbox 360); "Rock Band" (Xbox 360); "Tiger Woods 2011" (Xbox 360); "X-Men Origins" (Xbox 360); "Guitar Hero 3 Legends of Rock" (Xbox 360); "Fall Out 3" (Xbox 360); "Assassins Creed 2" (PS3); "Ghost Recon" (Xbox 360).
