Kuma\War whittles down "Stories from the Front" pool

Kuma Reality Games has opened voting for its "Stories from the Front" contest. The contest, copromoted with Maxim magazine, asked soldiers and their families and friends to contribute stories from their actual experiences in the battlefield. The winner's story will become an upcoming mission for Kuma\War, Kuma's first-person shooter that bases its gameplay on real war events. The winner, which will be decided by an online vote, will also receive a digital video camera, a lifetime subscription to Kuma\War, and will be featured with three friends as characters in the re-creation of the winning story.

The eligible entries have been slimmed to four finalists: Beneath the Saddam Mosque tells the story of a rescue team searching for a kidnapped woman in the tunnels beneath a mujahedeen-controled mosque; Baghdad Cowboy details an ambush on enemies to rescue a troubled Fallujah convoy; Vietnam Ambush sees a platoon crippled by land mines repel a Viet Cong attack; and Saddam City Shocker centers around a squad that fights its way across a bridge into Saddam City. Readers can vote on the stories by going to Kuma's Web site.

Kuma\War uses real scenarios as foundations for its missions. The game is subscription based, providing users with new missions each month for $9.99. A retail version that includes several past missions is also available for $19.99. Kuma\War is rated "M" for Mature.