Aside from the rather intriguing gameplay features I discussed during my Games Convention preview, one of the most interesting aspects of Ubisoft's upcoming jet fighter Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. is the amount of attention paid to landscapes. Well that intricate detail is all thanks to GeoEye and their IKONOS - the world's first commercial Earth imaging satellite.

Check out the gallery below for some in-game images, along with photographs taken by IKONOS itself. It's an amazing amount of effort to render something you'll spend the entire game avoiding getting too close to.

Ubisoft's new Tom Clancy air combat title is looking damn good. I got a chance to sit in on a demonstration of Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. - High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron – earlier today at the Games Convention at Leipzig, and what I saw was a very exciting title that could finally give the arcade jet fighter crowd a much better reason to dust off their flight sticks than another load of downloadable pink airplanes courtesy of Ace Combat 6.

That's not saying that H.A.W.X. Won't have its fair share of DLC, as the presenter at the session indeed mentioned that the game, which is already set to ship with more than 50 aircraft painstakingly rendered down to the cockpit, will be getting even more aircraft in the way of downloadable jets down the line. I asked if they would be getting pink ones, but no one seemed to get the reference.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Delayed

How quickly "Fall 2008" becomes "Q1 2009." Ubisoft is the next up to confess it's shunted a title out of its fall lineup into next year, after we reported a similar delay for Namco-Bandai's Afro Samurai.

This time, it's Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, according to CVG, which sails right past Fall 2008 to land anywhere between January and March of next year. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway has been bumped forward a bit to September as well, presumably to fill in the gap.

Last week's MLG San Diego was notable for its debut of the Cold Storage map for Halo 3. It also gave people a look at a "very early test phase" version of Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., the arcade flight combat sim forthcoming from Ubisoft by the end of the year. The game was a demo playable by anyone in attendance. A reader who was there said the Ubi rep didn't care if anyone took pictures, so he did, and he gave them to us. The full size pics are after the jump. Our reader also took notes of what was said and sent back a report.

HAWX Gets Glowy amBX SupportX

The PC version of the upcoming arcade air combat sim Tom Clancy's HAWX will support Philips' PC ambient technology, the company announced today.

The amBX gaming peripheral includes RGB LED lights that can create 16 million colors, variable speed desktop fans capable of up to 5,000 RPM and a wrist rumble strip. Philips says that the device will be used to create "all kinds of spectacular air combat lighting, air movement and rumble effects."

The HAWX support announcement also notes that the peripheral is getting a price drop with the starter kit now selling for about $150, the extension kit selling for $80, the premium kit for $280 and the pro kit for $230. All of them sound too pricey for something that's going to throw rainbows up on my ceiling and blow wind in my face, but each to his or her own.

EndWar Private Beta Invites Going Out

According to several Kotakuites who decidedly broke the NDA by sending in tips, the invites for the private beta test of Tom Clancy's EndWar are now going out to those lucky enough to secure a spot. Here is a sample of the acceptance letter, with names changed to protect the guilty.

Hello, NDA Ignoring Bastard

We're pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in the Tom Clancy's EndWar Private Beta.
You now have access to the full EndWar Beta website at www.endwarbeta.com and can begin posting on the forums.

Your username is: NDABREAKER2008

Don't forget to check out the "how to play" section for helpful information on getting started. The EndWar Beta will be ready for you soon and once it's available for download we'll be sure to let you know.

I am going to start using NDABreaker2008 as my handle every time I sign up for a beta test, just to see if anyone ever lets me in. Congrats to those who got in! We promise not to say anything to Ubisoft unless they offer us candy. Hit the jump for exciting screens from the beta instructions!

Ubi Demoer: HAWX Will Respond to Voice Command

Eurogamer reports back from Ubidays 08 that a demonstrator let slip word that voice commands will be able to order around your fellow fighter pilots in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

"Demonstrator Andrei Costin spilled the beans at the recent UbiDays event in Paris, but avoided elaborating on exactly how it will all work; we expect it will be a blend of EndWar and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter," writes Eurogamer.

EndWar Launches Private Beta

Ubisoft's voice-command real-time strategy game EndWay is getting a private beta this summer. A site set up for those invited into the beta says that it will take place for three weeks in June and July and only be in English.

The three gig download will feature three maps for 1v1 and 2v2 matches, but no offline play.

I hope they launch a public beta as well. As with most new ideas, the concept of voice-command mixing with real-time strategy isn't easy to wrap your head around without trying it first hand.

As I mentioned in my preview of the game earlier this year, it seems to work quite well and despite the reduced unit types, I think there's enough depth in the game to keep things interesting.

EndWar [Via Joystiq]

It feels like Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. is Ubisoft’s attempt at bringing a more, dare I say it, casual gamer into the historically hardcore flight sim fanbase.

But despite having modes for missile-lock and bomb drops that are akin to flying with training wheels, the game seems to still provide the technical controls that have always drawn fans of arcade flight sims to air combat games.

Ubisoft Announces Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Ubisoft Starts With GRAW Teasing

I got a chance to sneak over to Ubisoft's San Francisco office during the Game Developers Conference and sit down with Michael de Plater, creative director Tom Clancy's EndWar, to talk about the upcoming voice-command strategy game. Better still, I also got a chance to actually play it—and what I saw impressed me.

De Plater said that part of the impetus for the game was the fact that, as real-time strategies have evolved, the genre has left a lot of people behind. People like my dad, even people, in some cases, like me. People, basically, who aren't interested in dealing with a Zerg rush five minutes into the game and instead want to play something a bit closer to, say, a detailed and realistic game of chess.

"One of the things we hear a lot of us is 'I used to love real time strategies, but it's gotten too complex'," he said. "So we decided to make a tactical game, slow the pace down. We call this game strategy at the speed of thought."

Ubisoft Considering Tom Clancy MMO

Ubisoft Acquires Tom Clancy Name

Ubisoft has announced today that they have acquired the intellectual property rights to the name Tom Clancy. This acquisition will include video games, related books and movies and merchandise.

Sounds like someone is ready to slap the good ole' Tom Clancy name on everything in sight. I wonder where we will see it end up? Tom Clancy's Assassin's Creed 2, Tom Clancy's Kane and Lynch 2, Tom Clancy's Enchanted Arms 2 all sound like fine titles to me plus think of all the extra money that name alone will rake in!

You can check out the full press release after the jump

Grab your flack jackets, here are three new Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. The sequel will feature a different squad from the prequel. The game's set off the Strip in the neighboring desert slums. It'll feature new weapons and the ability to sprint. Yay for sprinting!

Six Vegas 2 [CVG]

Achievements: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

We received a tip that the list of achievements for the new Rainbow Six game have made it into the wild. My favorite after a quick perusal of the list is "Haute Couture," given for creating your own custom camouflage.

I'm ashamed to admit that the game that I've come closest to getting all achievements is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix followed closely by Shrek the Third. Sad but true.

Xbox 360 Achievements

Endwar Riflemen Profiled