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On Major Nelson's weekly podcast -- with a host left laughing and teary-eyed due to the Xbox head's dental-related lisp -- Aaron Greenberg did some NPD boasting before ruminating on the first half of 2010. After pointing out Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Alan Wake, he confirmed Crackdown 2 as part of Microsoft's list of "triple-A, exclusive" titles heading to the Xbox 360 during "the first half of the year."

"Those are just the exclusives, that doesn't include Final Fantasy ... there's no way we had a first half of the year like that last year," Greenberg added. The back end of the upcoming year is no slouch either in his eyes, with Halo Reach and Fable 3 said to be on schedule for launch in the Fall. Considering the first Crackdown's February release date, we're hoping for a similarly timed release of the sequel (just in time for its third birthday!). We've followed up with Greenberg and will update this post if we hear more.

The chatter surrounding the multiplayer aspect of Splinter Cell: Conviction began late last month, culminating in yesterday's release of the co-op teaser trailer on Xbox Live. Well, I can one-up the trailer. I've actually played the mode.

Everything you may have heard is true: The main co-op mode (either online or local / split-screen play, with a human partner or A.I.) is a prequel to the events of the game and doesn't star series staple Sam Fisher. Instead, the estimated 5- to 6-hour campaign focuses on two wetworks operatives -- one American, one Russian -- who must work together to recover stolen nuclear warheads before they're sold on the black market.

The game will also feature co-op play in what are being called "deniable ops" -- more conventional intrusion missions and the like -- as well as a player-vs-player-vs-CPU "duel" mode. What I played was part of the the prequel campaign: an admittedly brief but eye-opening mission set in Moscow's fortified metro system. You can watch a walkthrough video of the section I played above. Read on after the break for my thoughts.

A new trailer for Splinter Cell Conviction has landed on Xbox Live, giving us the first official reveal of the rumored co-op mode. The game will feature an entire co-op campaign, which will serve as a prequel to the single-player story of Sam Fisher taking on his old organization, Third Echelon. The co-op campaign stars two special agents, an American Third Echelon agent named Archer and a Russian Voron agent named Kestrel. From what we can glean from the trailer, the two agents are paired up to stop a "rogue element within the Russian military" who has acquired "advanced warheads" to sell on the black market.

They do this by sneaking, killing hapless guards and blowing things up. In short, it looks like a lot of fun. Download the trailer yourself -- using the handy link below -- and expect some fresh impressions of the game right here on Joystiq very, very soon.

Shortcut: Add the Splinter Cell Conviction co-op trailer to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]

Click with conviction to see larger images Paying more for a fancier version of Splinter Cell: Conviction is no longer an exclusively North American privilege. Ubisoft just announced a Collector's Edition of the stealth sequel for "all" European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Pacific territories -- and it comes with different stuff than the North American version!

The rest of the world's Collector's Edition will include the usual steel-book case and soundtrack, and also the distinguished-looking Sam Fisher statue seen above, frozen forever in the act of almost stepping on his night vision goggles. The pack also includes in-game bonuses like an Infiltration Mode, a special "Shadow Armor" skin, and "early access" to the SC300, SR2 and MP5 weapons.

Head into our gallery to see images of both the Xbox 360 and PC sets.

Update: See the new weapons and the other bonuses in a video after the break.

We've got another two months to go before the release of Splinter Cell Conviction. That's plenty of time, it would seem, for Ubisoft to tease us relentlessly with more information and gameplay snippets, as evidenced by the latest trailer. It's filled with a mess of information for returning Splinter Cell fans, and capped off by the realization that, "For the first time, you'll feel what it's like to be one of those NPCs hunted by a Splinter Cell." And yes, that prospect looks just as terrifying as it sounds.

As you might imagine, it's kind of hard to believe the words coming out of someone's mouth when a gold wrestling championship belt is gleaming in our eyes, which is why we're not sure what to believe coming from the mysterious "Adam" regarding a possible Splinter Cell Conviction demo coming this January. Seen with the Hip-Hop Gamer in a video after the break, Adam -- a gentleman who Ubisoft wouldn't confirm to us is an actual employee -- seemingly announces the existence of an upcoming Conviction demo.

When asked by the eccentric interviewer about the possibility, Adam responds, "It's coming out in January, and then the actual game: February 23rd." We asked Ubisoft for verification of Adam's words, and were told by a rep, "I cannot confirm a demo at this time." So, anyone know Adam?

According to a recent post on CVG, the publishing partner of PC Zone magazine, the next issue of the latter will drop some knowledge on us regarding Splinter Cell: Conviction's multiplayer modes. CVG reports that the last issue of PC Zone teases an article on Conviction, claiming the piece will feature "hands-on, co-op reveal and a brand new mode."

If the game truly does have co-operative play, then we're kinda bummed about the aesthetic changes the title has undergone over the past year. Can you imagine: Secret two-man hobo operations to blow up a whole park's worth of hot dog stands? Party game of the year.

Joystiq has confirmed that the blurry video and NeoGAF forum member's claims of a Splinter Cell Conviction demo voucher shipping inside Xbox 360 versions of Assassin's Creed II were nothing more than an enticing balloon full of hot air. As the picture you see above reveals, copies of ACII sold by GameStop included a Splinter Cell Conviction leaflet meant to solicit pre-orders of Ubisoft's next big game, while a similar leaflet (included in our Amazon.com copy) contains a URL and code ("CONV1C71ON") for ... ringtones and wallpapers? Yes, sad, but true. Looks like we got our hopes up for nothing, folks.

[Thanks Eric!]

Look, Sam Fisher is a master of espionage, so it's entirely believable the man could sneak his way into the packaging of Assassin's Creed II this week. Heck, now that his daughter is gone, he's thrown the rulebook out the window and part of his new anything-goes persona could very well be to synergize like he's never done before. Thus, this rumor that all copies of Assassin's Creed II on Xbox 360 will come with a download voucher for a Splinter Cell: Conviction demo.

One user over at NeoGAF claims a copy of Assassin's Creed II on Xbox 360 came with said insert, while further evidence from HipHopGamer shows what appears to be the alleged insert (it's since been removed from the original video; but Kouppa-Network Live still has it up). Logic points to the demo being the same portion of gameplay we checked out back at E3, though there's no evidence to verify that.

We've contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update this post when we hear back.

[Thanks, tmacairjordan87]

Source - NeoGAF post
Source - HHG video with insert reveal removed
Source - Pulled video showing insert

Imagine this: you're playing one of Splinter Cell Conviction's many "choose your own torture" sequences, as described by Ubisoft's Jeffrey Dickstein. As you're slamming a terrorist's face into a urinal, you might ask yourself, "is this the new Degree deodorant I should buy?" (Seriously, these are his words.)

This is actually the pitch Ubisoft delivered at Microsoft Advertising's Gaming Upfront presentation in New York this evening. In-game advertising is rapidly growing, but has typically been relegated to sports and racing games. Splinter Cell Conviction breaks convention by being neither. Expect both static and video ads to appear throughout the environment -- including during the game's lengthy torture sequences. Perhaps they should take it one step further: Sam Fisher should grab a Coca-Cola bottle, smash it, and use the broken glass to kill a guy. Talk about refreshing!

In addition, Ubisoft showed potential advertisers the "heat maps" they created whilst developing the game. These maps highlight likely places players will go while playing. Advertisers will be able to place their ads in high-density areas, in order to ensure maximum exposure to their brands while in the game world. Considering Splinter Cell is a stealth game, don't be too surprised to see ads inside of the conveniently accessible (not to mention remarkably roomy!) air ducts.

"We had to find a martial art that fits the characters and the situations he would find himself in," animation director Gilles Monteil tells us in this new dev diary for Splinter Cell Conviction. "We needed something very quick, efficient and brutal -- something without any rules. That's why we chose Krav Maga."

"Krav Maga is not a big flashy martial art," game designer Steve Masters adds, which may explain its relative obscurity. Turning to Wikipedia, we discover it has its origins in street fighting and literally means "close combat" in Hebrew, and that the Israeli Defense Force and Special Forces use the martial art to this day. Apparently, stabbing someone in the hand is kosher in a form that has "no rules."

This four-and-a-half-minute walkthrough preview of Badass: The Game (a.k.a. Splinter Cell Conviction) is not for the faint of heart. "We really wanted to bring out Sam's brutality," observes an unseen narrator, as the rogue agent stabs a terrorist in the hand in a torture scene that would make Jack Bauer feel at home.

Certainly, Amnesty International wouldn't approve of these tactics -- but we're a rather depraved bunch here at Joystiq HQ. It's pretty clear Splinter Cell Conviction is one of our most anticipated games targeted for the crowded Q1 season next year.

Australians with a burnin' love for Sam Fisher will be glad to hear that Splinter Cell Conviction has a Collector's Edition with bonus content coming next February when the game ships in their country. According to the product's listing on JB HiFi, $119 AUD ($104.42 USD) nets you a "Sam Fisher figurine" and "other exclusive content."

Though GameStop Australia doesn't have the listing and picture you see above, it does share the same pre-order bonus detailed by JB HiFi. For plunking down your dollars early, you'll receive extras ranging from a "scratch card to unlock unique in-game content" to a download code for Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Both Australian listings also say the Chaos Theory download will come from "Xbox Live Arcade," though that could simply be poor phrasing for the "Games on Demand" offering.

We contacted Ubisoft Montreal who told us the company has "no official announcement" for North America at this time (our question about Chaos Theory was unanswered as of publishing). We'll assuredly find out more soon, as the game's February 2010 release date isn't so far away.

[Via Destructoid]