If you enjoyed the previous co-op campaign DLC for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, you probably won't want to miss this. Ubisoft has revealed the second installment to the co-op campaign with new maps and achievements. Details and map screenshots on GRAW 2's new co-op DLC in the full article.

For those whose interest in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 has declined, here's something that may get you to pick it up from your stack of games again: Ubisoft has released a new downloadable content package for the Xbox 360 that will give the game an all new co-op campaign as well as nine additional maps. Check out the full article for details.

Here's a developer diary video for upcoming Xbox 360 video game America's Army: True Soldiers. The title is being developed by Red Storm Entertainment using the Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 game engine. It will be published by Ubisoft and is scheduled to hit retail stores in a couple of days.

Being a tactical shooter focused on multiplayer campaign, it is only proper for America's Army: True Soldiers to sport real strategy and tactics being employed by the United States. Watch the video clip at the full article to know what Red Storm thinks about this.

 

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.

Here's another Xbox Live activity update coming from the battlefield, courtesy of everyone's favorite Major, Major Nelson, and it's for the action-filled week of 8/6. We get you all the facts, figures and statistics of the Xbox community's online hijinks as far as what games we're all playing is concerned.

For the Xbox 360, it's the same as last update: Gears of War takes the top spot, followed by none other than Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and Guitar Hero II. For the top Arcade titles, it's Track and Field in the lead, with Spyglass Board Games and Bomberman Live close behind. And in the Original Xbox Live category, Master Chief's still going strong as Halo 2 reigns king of the hill once more, Battlefield 2: MC placing second and Star Wars: Battlefront 2, third.

Noteworthy update here is the fact that even though it's still unreleased, Puzzle Fighter HD has reached the top ten spots of Arcade titles. While this may seem strange, a reason for it could be that many users are buying the picture packs already available for it. Also, the Stranglehold Demo's rising up the ranks, netting the fifth spot for Xbox 360. Sweet.

Updates as we get them. In the meantime, here's the complete list for your viewing pleasure.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Gears of War
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
3. Guitar Hero II
4. Forza Motorsport 2
5. STRANGLEHOLD DEMO
6. Call Of Duty 3
7. Oblivion
8. NCAA 08
9. Bomberman LIVE
10. GRAW 2

The complete list after the jump!

It's always nice to find out what your fellow gamers are playing the most over at Xbox Live, and courtesy of Major Nelson, we give you the opportunity to do exactly that in this week's chart of Live Activity for the week of 7/30. Let's take a gander at the top spots before working our way down the other contenders, shall we?

For Microsoft's next-gen console, we have Gears of War taking the Number 1 spot this week, with other greats such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and Guitar Hero II following closely behind. For top Xbox Live Arcade titles - the full versions, mind you - Bomberman Live is at the top of the heap, Spyglass Board Games as second and Halo's grandpappy, Marathon: Durandal coming up in third. And finally, for Original Xbox Live games, Halo 2 rules supreme over classics like Battlefield 2 and Star Wars: Battlefront 2.

One thing to note here is that Halo 2 is still going strong - understatement of the year, perhaps, as the short-lived Halo 3 Beta test really got armchair Spartans back into a Covenant-wasting mood, as well as get some quality time with its predecessor Marathon: Durandal. Certainly good news that the popularity of a contemporary game gives attention to titles almost forgotten by time.

In any case, here's the complete list, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Gears of War
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
3. Guitar Hero II
4. Forza Motorsport 2
5. Call Of Duty 3
6. Bomberman LIVE
7. Oblivion
8. NCAA 08
9. GRAW 2
10. Saints Row

The complete list after the jump!

Lucky ghost-wannabes who got a taste of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 know that the game is beyond just the pretty physics or nostalgia factor. For the doubtful, a couple of guys, Grin CEO Bo Andersson and Lead Mission Designer/Lead Artist Rickard Johansson, from GRAW 2's dev team sat down to answer a few questions from the fans.

As usual, squad tactics will be the major focus of the game. Even so, the PC version aims to deliver an authentic FPS experience. CrossCom 2.0 is leagues better than the previous version. You can now issue orders much smoother, and command your support team around with a few button touches. Tactical map will offer more details to open up a plethora of new strategic choices.

If you haven't tried demo yet, now is a good time. Meanwhile, watch the video for yourself to get more info.

We've got a trailer of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter Throwback Pack for the PC, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360. As the developers promised, the game lives to the franchise's tactical FPS tradition with a hodgepodge of past and current maps in store.

Such maps as Bonfires (Ghost Recon 2 DLC), Desert Gulch (GRAW), Fishing Village (GRAW), and many more are available to add more replay value and to invoke nostalgia among fans. The old maps look a little better than they did before with the advances in 3D modeling and that can only spell out more fun for all you soldiers out there.

The GRAW 2 Throwback Pack is now available for you. If you don't have it yet, this video should help you decide. Chances are you'll shell more cash out.

More maps have dropped on the Xbox Live Marketplace today. This time it's the Throwback pack for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.

The Throwback map pack contains seven maps pulled from Ghost Recon 2, Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike and the original Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. These maps have been completely redone, remastered and HD-fied for use in GRAW 2. People who have played them before will definitely recognize the layout, but the graphics are reportedly more kickass than ever before.

The Throwback map pack is available for 800 Microsoft Points. Here's a list of the maps:

• Bonfires (Ghost Recon 2 DLC)
• Desert Gulch (GRAW)
• Fishing Village (GRAW)
• Jungle Mines (GRAW - Chapter 2 DLC)
• Mountain Base (Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike)
• Mountain Falls (Ghost Recon 2)
• Peninsula (Ghost Recon 2)

Major Nelson has also announced that those who have experienced any matchmaking issues in GRAW 2 -- specifically in searching for games -- should be all set now. Microsoft and Ubisoft have apparently identified and resolved the problem.

Checking out Major Nelson's blog, we got our hands on the Xbox Live Activity for the week of April 30. And yes, you guessed it, Gears of War is still on top and with the release of the "Hidden Front" Map Pack, we bet that it will continue to lord over the charts until a certain beta for a certain game is released, perhaps?

Over at the arcade titles category, Zen Studios' Pinball FX gets the top spot. After hitting the Xbox Live Arcade last April 25, it's rise to the top is a bit surprising and fast. Anyhow, here's the full list of the top Live titles for the week of April 30.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Gears of War
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
3. Pinball FX
4. Guitar Hero II
5. Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars Demo
6. Call Of Duty 3
7. GRAW 2
8. Crackdown
9. 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
10. Oblivion

Top Arcade Titles

1. Pinball FX
2. 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
3. Catan
4. TMNT 1989 Arcade
5. Worms
6. Castlevania: SOTN
7. UNO
8. Eets: Chowdown
9. Boom Boom Rocket
10. Centipede & Millipede