Good news. We have good news for fans of video game music. Today marks the start of the commercial release of video game music to over 20 top music outlets, and music from GRAW 2 is just the beginning.

3volution Productions LLC, a company that specializes in custom audio and video for video games and film, announced an exclusive three year digital license and distribution agreement with Navarre Corporation, a publisher and distributor of home entertainment, PC, and video game software (Navarre also handles DVD video and music).

Navarre will distribute 3volution's video game music. For example, today (March 6, 2007) is the commercial release of two songs from Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2). Navarre will distribute 3volution's remakes of "Gimme Danger" (a song originally written and recorded by Iggy Pop and the Stooges) to outlets like Apple iTunes, Music Match, Napster, emusic, Audio Lunchbox, Sony Connect, Verizon Wireless, and others. (By the way, "Gimme Danger nu Grungeopolis mix" features Frank Black, the front man of the Pixies.)

It's about time. 3volution is a noteworthy music company in the video game industry. It was founded by Platinum-selling musician and video game-fan Raymond Herrera (the drummer of Industrial metal band Fear Factory) and video game industry veteran Laddie Ervin. Some of their more famous games are Scarface, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown.

In addition to songs and remixes, 3volution also makes ambient sounds and voice-overs - so you might have already heard their work and have never known it! After all, not everybody pays attention to the music and sound effects of the games they play. But then again, a well-produced audio track isn't supposed to distract you away from the game.

The game. GRAW 2 will be released for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Windows / PC in North America on March 6, 2007 (that's today!) and in Europe on March 9 (that's this Friday!). The Sony PlayStation 3 will get its chance on June 2007. GRAW 2 comes to us from Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft Paris.

More music. Fans of video game music may also want to check out Tom Salta's work; he composed music for GRAW, GRAW 2, and Red Steel (Ubisoft's exclusive for the Nintendo Wii). His website lets you listen to his video game music for free.

With Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2's launch nearly banging at our doors, Ubisoft has released another treat. The GRAW 2's launch trailer hits just a few days before the release.

Of course, PS3 and PC fans of the Tom Clancy franchise would have to wait a little bit longer. But hey, it's all worth it. In the launch trailer, we see the team getting orders to do recon on the Mexican insurgence near the US border. As with the other Ghost Recon titles, GRAW 2 has the insane action with all the explosions and gunfight. We really can't expect them not to engage when they're being shot at, can we?

Are you ready? GRAW 2 is about to hit the shelves and it's bound to hit the ground running. We'll shut up now, so you can watch the launch trailer. Enjoy!

Buy: [Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for PS3]
Buy: [Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for Xbox 360]

So we've given the impressions on GRAW 2's multiplayer feature. And we're pretty sure you guys have checked out the demo that came out in the Xbox Live just a couple of days ago. But for those of you who haven't, then here's yet another chance for you to peek in all that patriotic terrorist-fighting action.

This vid right here shows you how to get it right in the Multiplayer Assault of GRAW. A lot of ducking, crawling, and application of stealth mode is obviously necessary for you to survive. A keen eyesight and efficient tactical skills are important as well. So get it good and flex those trigger fingers while you still can.

GRAW 2 comes out for the Xbox 360 on March 9, for the PC on March 30, and just a little later for the PS3.

One way to tell which games are the most in-demand is by the number of game goodies that make their way to the net. Whether they were scored officially or through mere leakage is not even put into question, because if the game is that hot, people will always find ways to get updates.

Like these multiplayer videos for GRAW 2 right here. The multiplayer demo for the Xbox360 version hasn't hit Marketplace yet, and the same goes for the PS3 version. Yet here we are, bringing back to QJ camp with us the Terrorist Hunting and Village Destruction multiplayer gameplay videos. Not that we're complaining or anything, it just reiterates the point that the more popular the game is, the more that it's almost always faster to get updates and sneak peeks.

So anyway, we won't bore you with the chitchat any longer. We both know what you guys came here for, right? So on that note, we'll leave ya with these multiplayer vids we found in GameTrailers. Enjoy!

Watch the Village Destruction multiplayer gameplay vid in the full article!

So you enjoyed GRAW and are waiting for GRAW2. You're either looking for more of the same or maybe some subtle changes that will dramatically change gameplay when it comes out. The game is shaping up to be a monster - it is everything GRAW was and some more. It's no big surprise that the development of the PC version will be independent of the console version. No cheap ports or compromises here.

So how does it play? It still focuses heavily on tactical combat, with the briefings and maps at the beginning of the level. After viewing that, you pick the members and set the waypoints for your squad (much like the first iteration of Rainbow Six Vegas, only without the headaches involved). Then once you're satisfied, you can commence executing the mission.

You can now issue orders to your men individually. In addition, there are two new modes of command, assault and recon. Assault assures that you're men engage any hostiles upon contact. Recon however is more subtle. Your men will be darting from cover to cover, avoiding firefights as much as possible. They will engage only if the hostiles fire, and when they do engage, they will try to be as quiet as possible (i.e. Switch to silenced weapons, etc.).

All in all, an awesome effort by Ubisoft although we're going to have to wait for the release to actually push the envelope. Still, it's shaping up to be one of the most awesome games we've ever seen.

More screenshots at the full article!

After giving you a peek of the multiplayer vids, the dev diary, and trying your hand on the game's Xbox Live demo, we now bring you some screenshots of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC. Seeing these screens, we could only hope that Ubisoft stands by their word that this game will be appearing on store shelves as planned, we won't bear to report another delay for this one.

Anyhow, here are the 15 screens of the game. Hopefully the game arrives as expected on Q2 2007 (U.S.) and June 30 (Europe) for the Xbox 360 and the PC version. The PS3 version, on the other hand, is listed to conquer store shelves on June for the U.S. and June 30 for Europe.

Buy: [Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for PS3]
Buy: [Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for Xbox 360]

More screens after the jump!

  

We're all geared up for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) and Ubisoft has heard our prayers. Just a week or so after setting a release date for the Xbox 360 version, they've just announced that the PC version will grace the shelves on March 30.

GRAW 2's PC version gets an upgrade from dev GRIN as improvements were made to the engine, the tactical map, HUD and order system, and the usually frustrating team mate AI. New team strategies and ground support in the form of a M.U.L.E. (No, not the animal), un-manned ground drone. This version was specially "tailored" for the PC, giving smoother graphics and beautiful effects.

The PC's storyline is no different from the console versions. Civil war breaks out in Mexico and starts a chain of events that drive Mexican rebels to US' gates. And of course, they send the Ghosts in to take care of the problem... in 72 hours.

Why are you still standing there? Move it, soldier!

Listen to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2's Associate Producer talk to GameTrailers, and you get the feeling Ubisoft NEVER rests on its laurels. Let's begin on his tour as to why the world of GRAW 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is going to be bigger and better.

One: The devs are going to bring the city more to life, by making it more destructible. Uh... yes. Okay, what they really mean is that because Mexico City felt a tad too "dead" in the first GRAW, they're trying to spruce things up in the sequel by adding stuff like dynamic smoke and fires, and little details like flying birds. More eye candy to up the plausibility, make the place really look like a war zone.

Two: Better AI. Enemies become more intuitive. Teammates become more helpful, especially when they say there are x number of bandits to the compass direction, that sort of report. RoE Recon mode also becomes more useful, as your team will NOT fire on the enemy unless fired upon - or are ordered to.

Finally: better gear. Ubisoft cleaned up the HUD, made it less cluttered, and gives the player the option to switch to full-screen mode for "a better look". The Ghosts get more weapons, new gear, and the Mule UGV (unmanned ground vehicle), which is a remote-controlled ammo box on wheels. Oh, and you can also use it as mobile cover, too (although in real life, when people are trying to kill you, would you want to duck right behind a box full of things that blow up? Hopefully the Mule is bullet-proof, but what about RPGs?).

Remember the really short teaser of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Ubisoft released, and that they promised the full trailer sometime around now? Well, they've kept their promise, and below, courtesy of GameTrailers, is the full-length trailer for GRAW 2.

When you slap Tom Clancy's name onto a game's box, you know what to expect: high-tech, high adrenaline, high tension. From the start we've known Ghost Recon to deliver - and improve with each installment - on all these, and by the looks of it, the sequel gets off to the promising start the original GRAW left off at its own end. Of course this isn't gameplay video (let alone a demo), so final judgment will be reserved for until later.

But then, the Ubisoft-Red Storm Tom Clancy series has always been a dependable franchise. Think about it: the high tech, things blowing up, you behind the wheel - er, the Cross-Com? If they ever did a Ghost Recon-Rainbow Six-Splinter Cell crossover (story-wise and in terms of continuity, very not likely, but just imagining), is there a game box that could contain that much firepower? (Toss in a defecting submarine and we have ourselves a little party!)

Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America, once said that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and "set the standard for what we know as the next-generation gaming experience." Now, the sequel is looking towards taking the original's success to all new heights.

The year is 2014 and Mexico has been thrown into full-scale civil war by rising conflict between Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces. Under the command of Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghosts are once again called upon to face an imminent threat to the United States. This time, the stakes are higher than ever, and the fate of two countries now lies in the hands of the Ghosts as they fend off an attack on U.S. soil.

Building off of the events in the first game, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 once again places players in control of the U.S. military’s elite fighting unit, the Ghosts. Utilizing cutting-edge weaponry and technology, players must battle on both sides of the border to neutralize the escalating rebel threat.

With features including changing climate, improved AI, an advanced Cross-Com system, air strikes from jet fighters, new weapons and a new soldier class, the Medic, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is one game that's sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

For a little sneak peek at what to expect in the game, check out the screenshots below.

More screenshots after the jump!