So Rainbow Six Vegas 2 was patched earlier this month with a slew of upgrades and gameplay changes, all of it free. Unfortunately, it also inserted a disc check — big problem for those who got the game via digital download.

The fix? I mean the official frickin' fix? The Register says an Ubisoft employee uploaded a fix to the company's support site that was actually a hack written by software pirates to defeat the disc-check. Yeah, Ruh-roh, Rubi. And presumably that guy has stepped in Ubi-doo, as the company removed the executable and is "thoroughly investigating the matter."

Some heads-up details that can just go into one post, rather than separate ones:

• There are two new OctoCamo patterns available for download on Metal Gear Solid 4. Laughing Camo raises your enemies' laugh emotion when they spot you; Raging Camo boosts enemies' rage emotion when they spot you. They're out as of now, reports Gaming Bits.

• The new Rainbow Six Vegas 2 patch is out and available for download. We tipped you to it last week. This download gives you a map-pack and a game patch with lots of tweaks to gameplay and achievements. It is entirely free also. Enjoy.

• Reader Max W. writes to say that the demo for Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy is out on the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace. "And it's awesome." I'm not in touch with Bash right now to verify, but there's another freebie to play if you're on that network. Gundam did wonders for 360's June sales, as we wrote earlier.

New OctoCamo Patterns Now Available [Gaming Bits]

Hi there! Um, so, Rainbow Six Vegas 2's nice. I mean, you know, like Diablo III's totally hot and all but Rainbow Six's Fan Pack has a super-great personality and is really kinda into you and maybe you could compliment it on its new maps? Cause like everyone here's hitting on Diablo III and she's not the only girl at the party. Just sayin'.

OK, so, Ubisoft about a couple days back sent out word on its forums about the DLC coming in the "early July" (not more specific, sorry) release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2's Fan Pack. There will be several new gameplay details and three maps. It's all free, and will all be available via Ubi's site, Xbox Live Marketplace, or Playstation Network depending on your flavor of platform.

Re: the maps (from Ubi's post).

There are three maps included in the free DLC: Murdertown – Dark, CQB Training – Dark and best of all the much-requested fan favourite Calypso Casino! The three map layouts have not been changed. The re-lit “Dark maps” have a very eerie atmosphere, and may require players to use night vision to spot enemies. Calypso Casino returns with updated lighting and textures. The three maps are playable in all Versus modes and Terrorist Hunt.

As for gameplay, there are new ranks, new A.C.E.S., some rebalancing of weapon characteristics, multiplayer tweaks, and a handy-dandy frag indicator to help you not get your ass blown off. The entire announcement is quoted after the jump, plus the video (hosted at Gametrailers) referenced in the announcement.

Amazon once again maps out an entire day of gaming deals, this time around giving the Xbox 360 fans a little bit of of the love they've been reserving for Nintendo gamers lately. Today kicks off with the Deal of the Day, which is the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year Edition for only $39.99, a damn fine price for those couple of guys who don't already own it.

Meanwhile the Gold Box deals have kicked off with Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for $29.99, which is going pretty fast, to be followed up with Scene-It at 10 Pacific, possibly Madden at 2, and possibly Frontlines: Fuel of War at 6.

The fact that Amazon keeps cranking these video game day deals out means that the gamer response has been overwhelming, so as long as we keep buying they'll keep discounting until we form a giant, writhing, perpetual sale engine, which sounds terribly sticky.

Amazon Deals Of The Day [Amazon - Thanks Ben!]

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 On PC Has Problems Of Its Own

Game Magazine Cover Was For Sale... Literally

Activision: Army Of Two, R6: Vegas 2 Fail

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the shit. This is the gist of Activision marketing director David Tyler's recent comments in UK trade mag MCV, where he called out recent EA and Ubisoft shooters for failing to catch the hearts of gamers around the world.

"We're pleased to have Call of Duty 4 leading the way in the FPS genre, with recent launches such as Army of Two and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 failing to inspire. Call of Duty 4 has been a phenomenal success for us and reflects Activision's commitment to creating truly ground-breaking games."

Activision: Vegas, Army of Two "failing to inspire" [CVG]

[Little old, yes, but largely unseen, so here it is] Sure, in both Rainbow Six Vegas games, the city's "overrun" with terrorists. Then you, along with your Rainbow Six buddies, bust in and kill them all. Most will see that as a triumph of good over evil. I don't. What if the poor terrorists weren't up to any funny business? All I see here are some crazy kids out to spend some dirty money, and everybody's dirty money's good in Vegas...
[Mega64, thanks Justin!]

Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Bugs And All, Ships 2 Million

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 On 360 Also A Bit Of A Mess

Get a Free Gun in Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Hushed Casket points out that people who purchased Rainbow Six Vegas 2 from Best Buy were given a code to unlock a free gun in the game. The thing is the code was printed on a sticker on the outside of the game. Better still it can be used by anyone who owns the game.

To unlock the gun go to the main menu of the game and do the following:

(Hold RB) Down, Down, Up, Up, X, B, X, B, Y, Up, Up, Y

This is almost as good as that free Comcast map.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Free Best Buy gun code [Hushed Casket]

With just a few days to go until its release, we are already getting some bonus content for Rainbow Six Vegas 2. GameInvasion is hosting a special "Comcast Event Map" that can be downloaded from their site as soon as the game hits your PS3 or 360. No word on exactly what the map will contain, but I have to admit, the title has me scratching my head. "Comcast Event Map" dredges up some strange thoughts involving dicey connections, rude customer service and an On-Demand system that only works about 40% of the time. Let's hope this map involves none of these.

You can get complete instructions on how to load up this special map her on the GameInvasion website.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 brings gamers back to Sin City to rescue it from the clutches of another group of terrorist who've decided to start blowing stuff up. This time around, the game spends more time developing the characters and gives players a chance to shoot through the campaign with a friend in co-op mode. Ubisoft Montreal doesn't try to tinker with the formula, instead looking to add to what was an already popular title.

Vegas 2 can, at times, dip into the monotonous and the AI is spotty, but overall the game delivers a fun experience.

Packed in with the retail version of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is this neat little surprise: A Sneak Preview disc for upcoming, voice-command, real-time strategy game EndWar.

My excitement was quickly deflated when I realized that while the disc does have some neat EndWar stuff, it doesn't include a demo. Dammit! You do get the announcement trailer, a GameTrailers special about the game called "the future of war" and an EndWar sneak peek preview, featuring the Frag Dolls.

Sucks about the demo, but it's free and still a neat idea.

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]

The Weapons Of Rainbow Six Vegas 2