Splinter Cell Conviction street date: Feb. 23, 2010

One of my top picks for E3 2009, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, will be released on February 23, 2010 in North America exclusively for the Xbox 360 and PC. An investigation into his daughter’s death leads former agent Sam Fisher to discover he’s been betrayed by his former employer, the Third Echelon. This naturally causes him to become a bit unhinged and unpredictable. Think the Bourne conspiracy but with more coolness and violence. Now a renegade, Fisher finds himself in a race against time to stop a deadly terrorist plot that threatens millions.

Combining new gameplay features with a no-holds barred style of action and a gritty storyline, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction looks like the coolest Splinter Cell game since the first game on the Xbox. For more information about Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, visit www.splintercell.com.

Ubisoft Opening Studio in Toronto

Ubisoft, developer of the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell franchises, announced today that the Government of Ontario will be investing a large sum of money, CA$263 million, over the next ten years to help bring the large developer to Toronto. CEO of Ubisoft Montreal (and now Toronto) Yannis Mallat announced today - along with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello – that within the next few years, the software company will be setting up a new shop in Ontario. This move is hoped to be beneficial to both parties by tapping into the massive film-making industry for Ubisoft and creating hundreds of jobs for the people of Ontario.

This studio will mark the fourth development house opened by Ubisoft in Canada, which employs over 2,300 people across the country. In other news, Tom Clancy just bought a new house.

New Xbox Experience Added to 360 Discs

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly four months since Microsoft first launched the New Xbox Experience. Of course, not everyone who’s got a 360 has got it set up online, meaning that there’s a whole lot of people out there still cuddling up with the blades of the “Old” Xbox Experience. Well, Microsoft can’t have any of that. After all, if you’re going to show off the new hotness the NXE, you don’t want people running around with the old and busted of the original Xbox dashboard.

To that end, it looks like Microsoft is taking a cue from Sony’s PSP games, including the latest update as a mandatory install on upcoming games. This week alone, fans of Tom Clancy’s HAWX and MLB 2k9 who hadn’t yet installed the NXE update were greeted not with shots of fighter jets or juiced up baseball players. Instead, all they got was a grey screen with a message asking them to install the required update included on the disc.

These are just the first two games to come with the NXE update included on the disc, but they won’t be the last. The plan is for Microsoft to have publishers include the update on most, if not all, future releases for the 360. So, if you’re a fan of the “old school” 360 dashboard, it looks like your days are numbered.

Ubisoft Reports Record Q2 Results

Today Ubisoft reported financial results for the first fiscal quarter that ended on June 30, 2008. Ubisoft’s first quarter sales were up 25.8 percent, compared with the €134 million ($209.32 million) recorded for the same period of a year ago.

The company attributed first quarter profits to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Assassin’s Creed and Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. The Games For Everyone brands including the Petz, Imagine and My Coach series also played a big part, representing 33 percent of sales versus 11 percent in the first quarter of 2007-08. Titles launched in the first quarter of 2008-09, included Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for PC, Haze, and My Weight Loss Coach which got off to a promising start, according to Ubisoft.

Ubisoft is raising its guidance for full-year 2008-09 sales to approximately €1.02 billion ($1.59 billion) from the previously-announced €1 billion ($1.56 billion) as a result of several factors including favorable market conditions for the video games industry, Ubisoft’s solid first-quarter sales performance (particularly by the Games For Everyone range), and the positive reception given to the games presented at E3. The Group is maintaining its target for current income before stock options to represent at least 12 percent of sales.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Fan Map Pack Details

Ubisoft plans to release the Fan Pack later this month for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace and its official web site. The Fan Pack is a collection of goodies for Vegas 2 that includes three new multiplayer maps, a new High Stakes setting, the ability to attain new ranks and A.C.E.S. and weapon balancing.

The three new MP maps include two re-lit maps and a fan favorite from Rainbow Six Vegas. These maps are Calypso Casino - a fan favorite from Rainbow Six Vegas supporting all game modes including co-op terrorist hunt; Murdertown ? Dark: a dark, close-quarters action map; and CQB Training ? another map set at nighttime. The pack also includes new ranks beyond the rank of Elite and A.C.E.S. extended to 100 for each of these three categories: Marksman, CQB and Assault (each A.C.E.S. level earned contains a substantial XP reward).

Players can also use a new High Stakes setting. High Stakes affects key settings including Limited HUD (no radar, enemies not visible on tactical map, or Grenade indicator is disabled), Health System (health regeneration is disabled or altered post-process effects of being in a critical health state), Take Cover (camera view has changed so that players must be exposed in order to see around a corner), Weapons & Gadgets (aim assistance is completely disabled, bullet spread is increased when not zoomed in and less ammunition), Kill Camera is always disabled, and friendly fire is always enabled.

The pack also offers some other little bells, whistles and fixes including weapons and gadget balancing; lots of new host toggles (voice chat, random respawns) and much more.

For more information visit www.rainbowsixgame.com.