With Sam Fisher’s return fastly approaching, Ubisoft has released the second behind the scenes trailer for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction. In “Behind Closed Doors Part 2″ the developers of Splinter Cell Conviction give you an inside look at how the Israeli martial art Krav Maga and real-life firearm techniques inspired Conviction’s new gameplay. You’ll also learn about Sam’s newest toys such as EMP grenades and improvised gadgets and get a look at how the storyline will be taken in surprising new directions following the tragic events of Double Agent.

Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley’s posted the following thoughts about the game and announcement (along with the official press release itself) on his Destroyer Zooey LiveJournal:

Some of the gaming sites mentioned XBLA or PSN but they were apparently just guessing, because no platform has been announced yet.

You probably won’t hear much about this game for the next few months. The game is still in the very early stages (we only officially “did the deal” in the past few weeks and it’s maybe 3-4 weeks into development right now). It’s going to be very cool and I’ll be very involved. And there will be other exciting announcements as development rolls on.

The most important thing is that it’s being made by huge fans of the books and it’s a passion project for a lot of people (including me, obviously)! So just sit back and wait and every time they announce some information you’ll be like “OH MY GOD WOO”

Mal also tweeted the following: “can’t tell you anything about scott pilgrim game but it takes place on the moon, will have killer squad-based tactical combat”

Okay, it’s a day late and we’re very apologetic. Perhaps the editing schedule was a little ambitious with two back to back podcasts. This adjusts the schedule appropriately, but you’ll still get our PopCultureShock.com gaming podcast every Monday (except this time), only now in the evening. We’re making the shows a little shorter, but fuller, so check it out…

This week it’s all about Red Dead Redemption, Beyond Good & Evil 2, and if anybody cares about graphics anymore. Listen and chime in on our 1 (888) 817-5766 telephone number, and/or shoot an email over to PCS@popcultureshock.com

So you’re a Real Time Strategy (RTS) fan. Starcraft 2 is looming in the distance and Warhammer 40K Dawn of War 2 is waiting to eat your free time up as well. But what about how you’ll get your fix on your console? With Halo Wars just a few months away, you still have to ask the question: how well can an RTS be adapted to your standard console controller.

Anyone who has played an RTS on a console before has seen firsthand the intuitiveness a controller is lacking over your standard mouse and keyboard configuration. Many would even argue that a mouse and keyboard are the preferred method of control for FPS games as well. RTS titles here and there have tried to overcome this limitation in the past, streamlining the controls and simplifying things. Still a better solution may have been found by Ubisoft in Tom Clancy’s Endwar title.

Tom Clancy’s Endwar takes the idea of how to control a RTS on a console to the next level. With voice commands using your Xbox 360 or any Bluetooth (PS3) headset you can control every aspect of the game including unit actions and camera controls. To be honest this control mechanism performs quite well. Now this isn’t really new or groundbreaking technology. You may remember that Rainbow Six 3 on Xbox and PC allowed for voice command albeit fairly limited commands. The technology has however been refined here.

This is obvious from the get go when you begin the surprisingly useful and necessary tutorial. Commands are pretty much based off of four categories which are strung together into command phrases. It’s impressive just how comprehensive the selections of commands are. Sometimes it is necessary to raise your voice or annunciate your words to get a command to go through clearly but most of the time things work without a hitch the first time. The only downsides I found to voice control were that it seems to limit the amount of units one could effectively control and you’ll understand that after trying to remember exactly what unit is where when they aren’t on screen and you’re losing soldiers left and right. The other downside is looking like a complete moron shouting at your headset and screaming when your units tell you they can’t obey you.

Other than the new control scheme Tom Clancy’s Endwar proves to be a fairly traditional but solid RTS. The visuals are adequate if at times a bit drab but if realism was the goal that can be understood a little. Units move fluidly especially infantry, and weapons of mass destruction show off some impressive effects. The sound effects are nice but unfortunately rarely noticed when you’re yelling at your units and jumping around the map checking in on various skirmishes.

This brings me to a frustrating aspect of Tom Clancy’s Endwar for me: the camera. I often found the only good way to view the battlefield was by attaching my camera view to air units. Although the global view available from the command unit is quite useful, the ability to zoom out and see the whole battlefield from a top down view would have been nice.

There aren’t a whole lot of unit types either but this does at least allow the game to be balanced. There are three main factions, each with their own specialties and weaknesses; your standard RTS formula. Each unit type is effective against another and vulnerable to another. Engineers will take down air units, but fall victim to rifleman. You get the idea. Knowing what unit does what is the key to the game.

Online this is imperative, however sometimes this may not matter due to opponents having upgraded units. You begin the multiplayer Theatre of War by choosing a faction and army specialty (i.e. mobility or armor). Then you’re presented with conflicts your faction is currently involved in to maintain its territory that you may participate in, think Chrome Hounds minus the mechs. Single player campaign will prepare you for theatre of war but a word to the wise, pick a specialty and upgrade those units until you can’t anymore.

What Tom Clancy’s Endwar lacks in depth and flash, it makes up for in solid competitive game play. Tom Clancy’s Endwar is one of those titles that after a few hours there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to pose a challenge for someone with ten times the play time. Voice command is functional though not perfect, and the only thing that didn’t really live up to expectations in Tom Clancy’s Endwar for me was the story but let’s be honest here: Clancy probably has as much do with the stories for these newer titles as Gene Roddenberry does the new Star Trek. This one is a little bit tough to recommend during this holiday season with the plethora of new game releases. Definitely worth a look if you can put down Fallout 3.

Proposing to offer a more expansive and open world experience than most other first-person shooters on the market, Far Cry 2 may be one of the most under hyped games of this Fall. Not content with simply picking up from the last Far Cry game, Ubisoft Montreal has crafted this sequel with a complete change of direction. Far Cry 2 passes up the lush tropical island environment and instead places the action on the harsh and dangerous plains of Africa. And no, Jack Carver isn’t here either folks. Instead players will be placed in the boots of a malaria stricken mercenary out for vengeance against a mysterious conflict causing figure known as “The Jackal.”

Far Cry 2 promises to offer the players an expanded amount of the freedom and fun than the original game contained. The first game was a somewhat linear sandbox experience. Far Cry 2 looks to be a much more complete sandbox though. There will be warring African militant factions in the game that the players will interact with, both good and bad. Players can either choose a side and fight against the other side or cause even more tension between both sides via setups and sabotage to escalate the conflict. You’ll have to learn the enemy and exploit their weaknesses in order to survive. While the first Far Cry had a large environment to traverse, it just pales in comparison to the map of Far Cry 2. And the fact that this game is more sandbox than linear means gamers should be ready for plenty of exploration.

A major upgrade in the technology seen in previous Crytek games like Crysis and Far Cry will be on display in Far Cry 2. Real-time weather changes, day and night cycles, tree re-growth, water effects, and – perhaps the most exciting – the fire effects are all set to raise the bar on how first person shooters should look…and play.

That’s because these effects and features aren’t just cosmetic. They actually affect the gameplay in many ways. AI behavior changes at various cycles in the day. Weather effects bring things into play such as how the wind may blow the scenery around. It also introduces elements such as lightning. And yes, lightning strikes may cause fires. How the weather effects and other environmental effects interact with each other is interesting as well. The fire spreads like a real fire would and even the weather can be a factor in how and where it spreads.

There are many other features in-game that the dedicated development staff at Ubisoft Montreal are hoping will redefine how players think of the genre. Weapons, vehicles, and artificial intelligence are the other part of this package. Weapons based on real-life counterparts are nothing new to first person shooters. One of the twists here is that like real life, weapons will degrade, malfunction, jam, etc after over time. So players should not expect to get too attached to that one gun they love for the whole game. Vehicles in Far Cry 2 are also not immune to malfunctioning as players will need to stop and pop the hood of jeeps and other vehicles to make repairs.

The enemy A.I. will be the thing that makes or breaks the game. So far enemy A.I. on display has shown that it cooperates with other A.I. Shoot a soldier in the foot from a sniping perch and watch him cry for help until another nearby soldier comes to try and carry him to safety. We can only hope that the A.I. reacts equally as realistic when it sees a spreading fire approaching.

Far Cry 2 seems set to be a must-have first-person shooter for fans of the genre. All of the previously mentioned features are a breath of fresh air for this genre. Add in online multiplayer and an extensive map editor (Far Cry’s map editor is still regarded as one of the best around) and Far Cry 2 is seemingly very worthy of the same hype and attention that games like Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3 are getting. It’s a jungle out there, and Ubisoft Montreal delivers that jungle on October 22nd.

Far Cry 2 ships on October 21 and will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

In the distant future, massive urban development and pollution have critically damaged the planet. There is widespread fear that the end of the world is approaching. The League corporations, a military superpower, control the planet’s infrastructure and have forced most of the world’s population to live in huge aerial communities, called Cradles, to avoid the contamination. The ORCA, a rebel resistance still residing on the surface of the polluted planet, have amassed a formidable arsenal and are mobilizing to attack The League’s bases to put an end to their iron grip on the planet. As a mercenary armed with cutting-edge military robot technology, choose your side and defeat the other factions by harnessing the power of the deadliest and most gigantic weapons ever created by mankind.

Armored Core for Answer is due for release in September 2008.

We’ll have more details as it breaks.