We've got some delightful news to fans of Ubisoft's war games (this includes Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell and EndWar). Over at the publisher's official website, a new Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter teaser has been released for all the world to see. Find out more on the teaser in the full article.

Here's a little something for the guys still looking for a good PlayStation 3 deal. Best Buy Canada has recently announced that they will be selling their 40 GB PS3 bundles along with free copies of GRAW2 and Rainbow Six Vegas. Details regarding this promo are available in the full article.

It's not often that this blogger gets blown away by a mere trailer, but the video for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on the PlayStation 3 did just that. Gamers who haven't heard of Ubisoft's GRAW2 will undoubtedly want to take a look at this as it really shows off what the game is all about.

While you're watching the video, you'll notice how well it was made. The animations of the characters look absolutely amazing and the music in the background goes very well with all the action. As we mentioned in the title, fans of huge explosions won't be disappointed.

We won't be keeping you much longer, go watch the video and immerse yourself in the glory that is GRAW2. If you plan on picking this game up, it should already be out in stores now.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) by Ubisoft for the Sony PlayStation 3 was first released on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the PC. It has sold millions of copies in the two platforms, all the while thrilling fans across the planet during the course of its run. The PS3 version is all set to go in a matter of hours and we've got hold of its Japanese trailer to keep you chilled out while you wait. Have a peek:

Is it us or does everything look a bit over the top with a Japanese voice in the background? In any case, the video game looks as impressive as ever in this clip. You can see all the realistic and tactical action that made Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 the big hit that it is today and we won't have it any other way.

Set in the quick aftermath of GRAW's events, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 pits you in diverse locales in the U.S.-Mexico border where a conflict between American forces and Hispanic extremists has erupted. Your job is to neutralize the threat and bring order to the region by using dexterity and strategy to get the drop on the bad guys. Japanese FPS fans armed with PS3s will soon find out if they have what it takes to make it through this mission.

We're hoping you guys saved up enough money for this week's releases. There's quite a lot of eye-catchers hitting the shelves and every single major platform out there - PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, and DS - has at least one good title to offer.

Those who were able to try out the demo of BioShock can finally dive into the full game. Don't forget to take your daily dose of plasmids when you're there. Meanwhile, GRAW 2 will roll out for the PS3 and PSP as well. Tactical shooting has never been this orgasmic.

Handheld gamers get a heavy dose of RPG treatment with the release of Jeanne d'Arc and Dragoneer's Aria for the PSP. Whether you want to go for turn-based or SRPG, we'd still suggest you get both. DS owners get some bite-sized fun with more Brain Age 2 training and Turn It Around - another "mini-game collection" title that'll surely get heads spinning.

Let's get ready for the plunge! On Shelves This Week include...

BioShock. Take a dive into the not-so-dead underwater city of Rapture as you FPS your way through the horror of Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Hone your skill on controlling the destructive powers of the plasmids to fight for your survival.

• Xbox 360, PC - August 21, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB M (Mature 17+)
• 2K Boston/Australia and 2K Games

Jeanne d'Arc. Another RPG heading to Sony's handheld platform, but this time in the form of a tactical RPG. The game is a historical-fiction retelling of the times of Joan of Arc. And because we know Milla Jovovich reincarnated the said heroine on the silver screen, this title will probably also have some of us awake at night seeing holy visions.

• PSP - August 21, 2007
• US$ 29.99
  
• ESRB T (Teen)
  
• Level-5 and Sony Computer Entertainment

More titles behind the Full Article link below!

* Originally posted at 06:34 AM, August 20, 2007

 

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is about to be released for the PS3 on August 21, and we can't help but be excited to find out how the game will look like on Sony's shiny black console.

To help appease Ghost Recon fans' curiosity, Ubisoft Paris' Lead AI Engineer Olivier Didelot talked with Kotaku about the challenges that were presented in developing a game for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 simultaneously.

Didelot clarified that GRAW 2 for the PS3 is not a port of the Xbox 360 version, because the game for both platforms were developed side-by-side with Ubisoft Paris and Red Storm studios working on the Xbox 360 version, and Ubisoft Paris and Shanghai developing the game on the PS3.

Since PS3 hardware is different and required them to come up with ways to tackle game development, GRAW 2 for the PS3 is actually an original development. Furthermore, the differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 prompted Ubisoft in making sure that the GRAW engine will enable cross platforming.

This then allowed Ubisoft to develop the basic features of the game and optimized it according to the demands of the specific version they're dealing with. Didelot did not expound on each consoles' difference, but he explained:

For an engineer, the two platforms are critically different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, we feel that there's a real difference in the philosophy behind it. The very primary differences, in the way the processors are designed & combined or the way the memory is handled make them very different challenges for engineers.

Despite the differences however, the AI code is exactly the same for both consoles. Didelot said that the differences lie in how the AI code is handled by the hardware. If there were any discrepancies between the two versions, he assured that it will be invisible to the players.

GRAW 2 for both systems will have teammate's AI use voice feedback to help players out in locating enemies, while enemy AI will present considerable challenges by making full use of the terrain in attacking.

That certainly was a handful of useful information, straight from Ubisoft's Lead AI Engineer himself. For PS3 fans waiting for the game, why not check out the PS3 demo? Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2's PS3 release is just around the corner, but it won't hurt to experience the game in advance.

Sony PS3 and PSP owners who've been waiting for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable) have something to be happy about, because Ubisoft recently announced that the title has gone gold for both Sony platforms.

Grabbing Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PS3 bags you more than just new maps, weapons, and female operatives - the SIXAXIS will also play a major role in creating an entirely new tactical fragging experience. What we've got in the videos below are brief introductions to new features involving Sony's motion sensing gizmo.

To start it off, you can now aim your scopes by utilizing SIXAXIS for the perfect shot. UAV and MULE drones can also be driven using the controller. It seems like Captain Mitchell will be more agile this time around, since a quick snap of the SIXAXIS can make him roll out of trouble.

Expect to see both versions on shelves this August 21. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will also be available for the Xbox 360 and the PC. Check out the first video below:

Watch the rest of the videos are in the Full Article.

Buy: [Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 (PS3)]

Developing games is not harder for the PlayStation 3 compared to the Xbox 360 according to Yann Le Tensorer in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

He has the credentials to back up his statement considering he is the co-founder of Ubisoft's Tiwak studio as well as the co-creator of the Yeti engine which was used for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and the up-and-coming Beowulf.

Le Tensorer justified the statements of other developers who said that it was harder to develop on the PS3 by saying that the console is still in the early phase of its life cycle. As more and more studios learn how to harness the power of the unit, we can assume that better and more high-quality game will be coming out.

Ubisoft International Brand Manager Adrian Lacey cited God of War as a prime example of fine development. He said, " If you take the PS2 for example, when God of War come out people saw it was tremendous. But it wasn't until the end of the PS2 cycle that we've seen the machine being pushed to its fullest."

The future looks bright for the PS3 as long as developers keep that mindset and persevere to learn the ins-and-outs of the next -gen consoles. Hopefully, we'll be seeing better games in the future.

Residents over in Europe may want to check their PlayStation 3s later, as we pick up word of new PlayStation Network updates for the day. SCEE has just announced that a new demo for Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (which is also on the Xbox 360, PC, and PSP) will be available for download this afternoon.

Also to look out for are new trailers for Factor 5's Lair, and Juice Games' Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights.

GRAW2 for the PS3 is expected to launch this month, while Lair and Juiced 2 are expected to land in Europe come Q3 2007 (according to IGN). The downloads should be viewable when you log in your PS3 - just make sure to have the disk space necessary to enjoy the new goodies.

  

Ubisoft has announced that Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PlayStation 3 has been delayed to August 31. This news came a day before Ubisoft's announcement in Paris of the video game offerings being set for the next few months.

While no reason was given for the delay, some people have conjectured that it could be because of the new features that Ubisoft added in the game. Being a GRAW fan, this news isn't very disheartening as long as the guys at Ubisoft release a game which lives up to the high standards that they have set in their previous games. So what's new in this iteration of GRAW 2?

Features of the GRAW 2 version for the PS3:

• SIXAXIS controls for character movement
• A whopping 14 New Maps
• Two new adversarial maps which can handle up to 16 players
• New weapons and character customization options
• An optimizing re-spawn system
• More Co-op Modes in the form of Evasion and Exfiltration, both modes have six missions each.
• New female operatives

Fans of the game will have to wait a bit more to get their hands on the game. Hopefully, the wait will be worth it. Be sure to keep checking back here for more updates on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.