Drake To Star In 'Gears Of War 3'; Grammy-Nominated Rapper To Play Alien-Battling Soldier In Microsoft's Popular Shooter Franchise

In the world of video games, a little star power always helps. Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios are apparently pushing that celebrity angle for "Gears of War 3," as they've tapped Drake, the Grammy-nominated artist behind the current hit "Find Your Love," to play one of the game's main characters, Jace Stratton.

"When Epic came to me with the role, I couldn't pass it up," the actor-turned-rapper said in a press release. "They've created an amazing character in Jace, and I'm looking forward to my tour in Delta Squad."

Jace Stratton only appeared briefly in "Gears of War 2," and in that game the character was voiced by Nolan North. But the character has played a much more prominent role in the "Gears of War" comic book series. Stratton is one of the four playable characters in "Gears of War 3," which comes out in 2011, so Drake will get plenty of screen time.

Epic Games executive producer Rod Fergusson said in the release that timing was everything when it came to deciding that Drake, whose debut album "Thank Me Later" comes out Tuesday, was right for the part. "[Drake's EP] 'So Far Gone' had just been released, and Drake's combination of heart and grit was just what we were looking for. Rather than search for somebody who sounded like him, it was clear that we should approach him directly ... fortunately he turned out to be a huge fan."

"Gears of War 3" completes the story of Marcus Fenix and his battle against the Locust on the planet of Sera. For the first time in the franchise, the game will support four-player cooperative play throughout the main campaign, in addition to a range of new multiplayer modes and features.

MTV News will get its first hands-on with the game during E3 next week, so be sure to check out MTV Multiplayer, which will also have all the latest gaming news and impressions from the show floor.

Source: MTV