Following rumors that Splinter Cell: Conviction had been pushed back for a major redesign, Ubisoft has commented on the matter, dismissing said rumor with two words - “pure speculation”.

The rumor originates from a report in Xbox World 360 magazine that claimed the game wasn’t groundbreaking enough and was already outdated by Assassin’s Creed, hence the redesign.

Conviction has Sam Fisher stripped of his gadgets, instead relying on old-school techniques such as crowd blending and the like. More information is expected from the upcoming Ubidays event.

The fifth and latest installment of popular Tom Clancy series Splinter Cell: Conviction will see the foray of Groove Addicts bring their brand of orchestral-electronic fusion to the game alongside composers Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen.

“It’s the most definitive music I have heard to date for the series. I would go so far to call it ‘classic Splinter Cell,’ ” says Simon Pressey, Ubisoft Montreal’s Technical & Artistic Director of Audio.

Conviction is the latest in the series, having players go through a tough time as Sam is betrayed by his agency. The game will be out on PC and Xbox 360 this November.

It’s no surprise, but confirmation has to be had: Sam Fisher is double-ing it on the PS3 early next year. Ubisoft has confirmed that Splinter Cell: Double Agent will be released for the aforementioned console, and will make use of the console’s motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller in some way; it will also feature additional multiplayer content as well.

Already available for the PS2, Gamecube, Wii, PC, Xbox and Xbox 360, Double Agent will be available on PS3 in March 2007.

This year’s X06 saw a couple of big announcements from Microsoft. Very big announcements. Let’s check them out:

• Peter Jackson, who is currently associated with the upcoming Halo movie, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh and Microsoft Game Studios have teamed up to create two new games exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The first series will be a collaborative with Bungie to co-create the next game in the Halo universe, while the second series will be a completely new IP. Additionally, they have also partnered up to form Wingnut Interactive, the studio which will dedicate itself to bringing these series’ to the next-gen console.

• Besides the Wingnut Halo game, Ensemble Studios is working on Halo Wars, a new real-time strategy game based on the legendary universe. Before you cry foul, keep in mind that these guys are behind the Age of Empires franchise, which has been a solid series so far. The game is entirely exclusive to Xbox 360.

  For more information, check out the game’s website which hosts a cinematic trailer, as well as these screen grabs from the trailer.

• Hoping to make a dent in Sony’s future, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will receive two exclusive downloadable, “epic” episodes via Xbox Live, each with many hours of entirely new gameplay. These episodes will be available just months after the game’s release next year.

  Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will ship at the same time in October 2007.

• In a move that is very uncharacteristic of Ubisoft, the publisher confirmed that the next Splinter Cell title after Double Agent will be a console-exclusive on Xbox 360. It will also be released on PC for those without the console.

• Yes, BioShock is also exclusive to the console. It’s on PC as well.

• Banjo-Kazooie is back, courtesy of Rare! Another exclusive to Xbox 360, the title will feature the much beloved characters, who, according to the press release, will thankfully retain their “sharp wit and hilarious sense of humor.”

• Another exclusive: Marvel Universe Online. In development at Cryptic Studios, the game will also be released for Windows Vista.

• Everyone saw this coming, but not this soon: Project Gotham Racing 4. The game was unveiled at the show, though it is not expected until late next year, or 2008.

• id Software’s DOOM and Codemasters’ Sensible World of Soccer are now available on Xbox Live Arcade.

• And finally, the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player will be released in North America, UK, France and Germany this November. It will retail for $200 in North America and €200/£130 in U.K., France and Germany. The player will also come with a copy of King Kong on HD-DVD and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

Having already announced that it will release seven games for the Wii at the console’s launch, Ubisoft has announced that Splinter Cell: Double Agent will also be available for the launch of the console, increasing the total to eight. However, the game won’t be available strictly at launch; it will be released this Christmas season. Here’s a bit:

Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. But he’s never faced an enemy like this before. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. As you infiltrate a terrorist organisation in its American headquarters, you must carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many criminals and you’ll blow your cover. Hesitate too long and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.

• Dual objectives to fulfill: NSA government agents and terrorists will each want you to accomplish opposing tasks at the same time.
  
• Discover the tension of being a double agent: Use actual tactics employed by today’s real-life double agents to sabotage the terrorists’ plans.
  
• Explore a branching storyline with multiple endings: Your choices have an impact on how the story and gameplay unfolds.
  
• A world of international espionage: Missions from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to the heart of the U.S. Experience extreme situations: underwater or in a sandstorm, hiding behind the dust or smoke - and even skydiving.
  
• New authentic gadgets: Master the latest weapons and gadgets used by NSA government agents in addition to black-market terrorist weapons.

Ubisoft sent out word that composers Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco have been hired to do the official main theme for Splinter Cell 4: Double Agent. The two have also scored all of the cinematics for the game.

“We created a gritty electronica feel with cinematic orchestra to push the emotional side of the game to a new level,” said Sascha Dikiciyan, adding that the compositions match the narrative in the game.

Both Dikiciyan and Velasco have garnered critical acclaim for their “elegant string arrangement, dramatic orchestral score, hard-hitting rock tracks, or raw electronic beats.” In addition to Splinter Cell 4, the two have worked on such titles as Dark Messiah, Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run and Hellgate: London. Beyond gaming, they have worked in advertising and feature films.

This forum thread on the Ubisoft forums states that Splinter Cell: Double Agent will hit PC and Xbox 360 on October 19. It also offers word that there will be a Xbox 360 multiplayer demo and that the PC will get a demo containing both single and multiplayer modes. No official release dates for the demos were given, but the author did comment that these public trials “won’t be showing up sooner than a month before launch.”

Ubisoft has pushed back the release of three of its big titles: Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic and the PC edition of Resident Evil 4. The publisher revealed this through its financial statements, stating that Sam Fisher’s next adventure, previously scheduled for September, can be experienced by gamers late October.

Those looking for the action title in the M&M universe will also have to wait till October; as for Resident Evil 4, no release date was provided and an official representative couldn’t say why the game is in limbo.

Some next-gen screenshots from Splinter Cell: Double Agent:

The Xbox 360 backwards compatibility team has churned out another update that focuses on revising previous additions rather than adding compatibility to more. That’s not to say some titles weren’t added: Black, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Pro Evolution Soccer 5 are now playable on the next-gen console. The following list of games has received updates, focusing on making them more compatible with the new console:

• Darkwatch
  
• Fable
  
• Fable: The Lost Chapters
  
• Forza Motorsport
  
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  
• Half-Life 2
  
• kill.switch
  
• Ninja Gaiden
  
• Ninja Gaiden Black
  
• SSX 3
  
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
  
• World Series Baseball 2K3