Ubisoft’s Maxime Béland appeared on-camera recently to answer some fan questions. In the video, Béland confirmed that there will be a demo available for Splinter Cell: Conviction. What map will be featured in the demo? Well its a secret. When should we expect it? Secret.
If only they’d employed this same strategy when dealing with the actual game’s release date. Its difficult to even prove there’s been a delay when the release date is such a closely guarded secret.
Greetings! As the discussion continues this week on delays and whether they help or hurt the games we play, we bring you another stellar Member BattleCry. We’re seeing a lot of good points raised in the dialogue on this subject and many people are pointing out two situations; one where the delay helped and the other where not so much.
Coky14 checks in with not only two such examples, but also so insightful comments on how gamers perception affects their attitude about the delay as well as the psychological impact of a firm street date being broken vs a vague release window changing. Let’s turn things over to him…
Read the rest of this entry…
Today, Ubisoft announced that Splinter Cell Conviction will be receiving the Xbox 360 bundle treatment. The bundle includes a standard copy of the game, a black console with a 250 GB HD, and two black wireless controllers for a paltry $399.
The bundle will make its way onto retailer’s shelves the same day as the game, April 13th. Has anybody out there been waiting to get a 360 for the newest Splinter Cell installment? If so are you going to break for this stealthy bundle?
Archers nock and ready the firestorm, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish we discuss the recently announced (and temporarily 360 exclusive) Modern Warefare 2 DLC, Left 4 Dead 2’s ‘The Passing’ downloadable content, the plethora (yeah, we went there) of pre-order bonuses announced for Red Dead Redemption, and the announcement of Ghost Recon Future Soldier.
The Microsoft X10 conference in San Francisco provided gamers with a heaping pile of new media and details for some of the biggest titles coming out this year on 360. We, your humble Axe Lords, run down the list and pick the games we’ll be on the lookout for in 2010.
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to the Hughes Bros film adaptation of the anime classic Akira, 8 Bit Horse, a new web-shrine to all things pixel & sprite from Mommy’s Best Games’ creator Nathan Fouts, the new Chaos Will Rise trailer for God of War III, and the original Fallout.
Yesterday was rather busy thanks to Microsoft’s X10 event in San Fran and so, to recap, Major Nelson took to the web to deliver a synopsis of the 10 biggest announcements from the event. We’re recapping that recap in order to cap off a day full of headlines while including links to all of the new videos and screens for your convenience (which will be updated throughout the day so keep checking back!)…So, take a look at all of the updates below and consider yourself “in the know” (or “capped” if you prefer).
• The Halo Reach multiplayer beta will kick off on May 3. You will be able to access the beta via the Halo 3: ODST game disc.
NEW DEAD RISING 2 VIDS / SCREENS
• Dead Rising 2 will release in North America on Aug. 31, Japan on Sept. 2 and Europe on Sept. 3
• Dead Rising: CASE ZERO, an exclusive download only on Xbox LIVE, will launch prior to the full game and provide a playable prologue that bridges the story between the two titles.
• Alan Wake will launch May 18 in North America and May 21 in Europe. Players can pre-order the title to receive the Bright Falls Bonus Pack, which includes exclusive content like Avatar gear, an Xbox LIVE theme, and a “making of” video.
• Fable III will be available this holiday.
NEW LOST PLANET 2 VIDS / SCREENS
• Lost Planet 2 will launch in North America and Europe on May 18.
NEW SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION VIDS / SCREENS
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction will release at retailers starting April 13 in North America, April 16 in the United Kingdom, and April 28 in Japan.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
• The Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Bundle will release starting March 9 for $399, and include a 250GB Hard Drive, two Wireless Controllers, exclusive downloadable avatar items and a Standard Edition copy of the game.
• Perfect Dark, Scrap Metal and Game Room will launch this March as a part of the Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party.
• Toy Soldiers will kick off the Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party on March 3
I just checked my watch…It’s promo time!
God of War fans, tonight’s episode of GameTrailers TV is gonna do lots of things…Deliver new info and footage from Splinter Cell: Conviction, showcase the sweet looking MLB 10: The Show, promote world peace, and teach you how to make a nifty flashlight using just toothpicks and expired Pop-Tarts (not really), BUT THE THING IT WILL MOST BE REMEMBERED FOR???
Yeah, you see, there’s gonna be brand-new, world premiere, galactic exclusive footage from the game that you’ve never seen before (unless you used the Pop-Tarts and toothpicks to make a time machine…) and guess what…IT’S FREAKIN AWESOME!
More info, vid promo over on my GT Gamepad, so go check it out and be sure to watch tonight’s GTTV to see what everyone will be talking about this time tomorrow.
Ready the spears and mount the horses, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! This week, we take a look at the debut trailer for Fallout: New Vegas, cross our fingers in hope that Splinter Cell: Conviction does indeed have a firm release date, say a brief ‘I told you so’ to the news that Episodes From Liberty City is headed to both the PS3 and PC in March, and bemoan the announcement that Microsoft will soon discontinue the original Xbox Live service.
First up in the main course this week, we talk about the recently unveiled Apple iPad. While Apple is certainly presenting their new mobile device as a superior outlet for games, will gamers buy into the new multi-touch platform? Next up, with BioShock 2 and Dante’s Inferno set to release this week, we discuss the literary influence on these two unique games. Will the source material of these titles inspire gamers to delve into the novels from which they sprang, or will everyone be too distracted by the kickassery?
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and the hope it will be a return to form for the fleet-footed-franchise, Just Cause 2 and the hope that the actual gameplay lives up to the level of fun seen in the trailer, the recent BioShock 2 Special Edition Unboxing video and its tease for the forthcoming Über Edition, and Ninja Gaiden, one of the most epic, difficult, and influential titles on the NES.
A picture is worth a thousand words and if you’ve been reading up on the troubled path to release experienced by Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, well, the above picture is worth WAY MORE than that. Noticing a tweet on the front page of EpicBattleAxe.com this morning, Ubisoft stated that Splinter Cell: Conviction’s April 13, 2010 release date was “set in stone”, quite literally, and then went on to specify that “to be crystal clear, Splinter Cell Conviction will be out on April 13 (US), April 15 (Europe + Australia), April 16 (UK)”.
So folks, there ya have it…When a release date gets carved into a rock, you best believe there’s no turning back…
UPDATE: If you’ve watched the episode already and wanna get our response to the PS3 region lock thingy-ma-bob, please take a second to check out this post on EpicBattleAxe.com. Thx!
Prepare the second wave and loose the beserkers, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s Skirmish we try not laugh as Splinter Cell: Conviction is delayed again, contemplate non-HD streaming from Netflix on the Wii, revel around the rumor of a Tecmo Super Bowl remake, make the most of the news that Star Wars: The Old Republic is looking at a spring 2011 release window, and discuss the news that a new Zelda is on the way.
With our skepticism, facetiousness, and loathing of Project Natal firmly on the record we change gears this week. Since Microsoft has, thus far, failed to demonstrate how Natal could be not only workable, but even desirable as a controller for traditional games, we discuss some uses suggested by several forum members that may actually have merit for gamers.
Then, we take a look at some recent EBA Poll results and find out what gamers think about the recently released Army of Two: The 40th Day as well as the news that Splinter Cell: Conviction has been delayed once more.
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to the gang at ScrewAttack for their excellent parody of the Natal documentary screened at CES 2010, Out of this World and other under-the-radar classics, SCEE for region locking Demon’s Souls and refusing to sell it in all territories.
Sorry Splinter Cell fans, looks like you’re gonna have to hold out EVEN LONGER before you get your stealthy little fingers on the next installment of the franchise. Ubisoft today issued an update on its third fiscal quarter performance and annual targets and let’s just say things aren’t as peachy as they once were. The reports got a bunch of bullet points, data, positive spin on poor sales, etc., but here’s the tidbit that’s really important to Splinter Cell fans (and those of you looking forward to R.U.S.E.):
The postponed release dates for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction and R.U.S.E, which were previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2009-10, and will now be released in 2010-11. Splinter Cell Conviction is now expected to hit the stores in April 2010.
“Expected”. Damn, we just can’t get a solid release date on that game. Of course, we’ll keep you posted as more details emerge. For now, you can continue sneaking around the house in anticipation of Conviction’s eventual release…possibly in April.
Joystiq
