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]

Let's make one thing clear: Splinter Cell: Conviction is more difficult than you think. When the game's "mark and execute" feature was revealed -- a feature that allows players to target and automatically take enemies out -- some players assumed the game would be a cakewalk. Beyond being one of the more difficult titles I personally had hands-on time with, Splinter Cell: Conviction leads the pack as one of the most impressive titles at TGS 2009.

Our meeting with Ubisoft began with producer Alexandre Parizeau walking us through a never-before-seen section of the game before handing us the controller. Taking place "about three-quarters of the way" through the final product, this is the first piece of the real game Ubisoft has ever shown. The E3 2009 demo was developed specifically to showcase Sam's new abilities, but doesn't appear as it did in the final game.

This mission's setting: Washington, DC. After living a life on the run, Sam is captured by Third Echelon and brought home. But now, it appears Sam is back on board with his former employers. Whether his return was made voluntarily, forcefully or due to a patriotic sense of duty is unclear. Parizeau and Co. want to keep a few things hidden in the shadows.

As Tokyo Game Show 2009 gets underway, Ubisoft has announced that it has settled on February 23, 2010 as the release date for Splinter Cell Conviction. The game was most recently rumored to be hitting that month after being delayed into the "March quarter" of next year.

Ubisoft followed up the news with a new trailer for the game, which you can watch in all its sneaky, violent and vengeful glory above.

During the live demo of Splinter Cell Conviction at PAX -- the same demo given at E3, incidentally -- Ubisoft creative director Max Beland revealed that Sam Fisher will indeed reacquire his trademark night vision goggles. A brief video showed the goggles in use, though Sam was still in civilian garb. The goggles enabled a black and white vision mode that allowed Sam to see through walls, with enemies glowing bright white.

No further details were revealed, but at least we can take some comfort in Emo Sam taking one more step toward the badass we all know and love.

As if the piece on CNN weren't enough, the Internet's own "Keyboard Cat" has just been given the Sam Fisher homeless militant makeover for a recent video advertising Splinter Cell Conviction's upcoming PAX appearance. Titled, "Play him off, Keyboard Sam," the video ... well, we've embedded it after the break. We refuse to spoil the hilarity for you. Enjoy.

The Penny Arcade Expo exhibitor list is in, and it's a hefty one with nearly 100 attendees scheduled to visit the Seattle gaming convention. Gamers can expect plenty of hands-on action with the hottest (and probably not so hot) games of the year, including a slew of panels and special demonstrations.

LucasArts will showcase the first stateside live demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic and sponsor a cantina for community members to meet various staff and developers. Although delayed until 2010, Splinter Cell: Conviction will also continue to be demoed for attendees, alongside Assassin's Creed 2. Plus, traditional PAX events return with another round of the indie game showcase (The PAX 10), parties to crash throughout Seattle's downtown core and two nights of music from the best in nerdcore -- a genre iTunes has yet to recognize. Fascists!

PAX 2009 hits Seattle from September 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. A list of exhibitors you'll spend hours lining up to see can be found after the break.

After teasing us with the carefully scripted Splinter Cell Conviction E3 demo -- for the umpteenth time -- lead designer Steve Masters commented on the game's current status as a "March quarter" release today at Ubisoft's "Holiday Preview" event (we'll be celebrating well into 2010, you know). Masters echoed CEO Yves Guillemot in saying, "really [the delay] was just a decision to allow us to polish up and really deliver the experience that the fans are looking for."

"Right now we're about to hit alpha -- literally this week," Masters confirmed. "So that means the levels are largely complete, and now it's just time to polish them up and get them looking really great, and playing really well." The current (and what better be final) iteration of the fifth Splinter Cell game has been in development for roughly eighteen months, according to Masters.

On the topic of platform exclusivity, the designer continued to tiptoe along Ubisoft's party line when it came to discussing the apparent arrangement with Microsoft. "I can't really go into the details there. All I can say is that we're really exploiting the full power of the Microsoft console here, and Microsoft has been tremendous in giving us a lot of support and really helping us to utilize the full power of the 360," Masters offered. "I don't think that we're ever gonna go to the PS3. But I can't confirm or deny it."

As for Project Natal and the future of the Splinter Cell franchise? "I would love to use Natal. I think there are a lot of very cool possibilities with that -- everything from doing outrageously interesting educational stuff to really-involving video games." Did he say, educational? Ah, so that's what exploring Milo is all about ... and here we thought it was just outrageous. "I've only had a very quick demo with [Natal]. I haven't had any serious, in-depth hands-on, but I know Ubisoft has been working with it."

Finally, Masters fielded our most pressing question ... Who would win in a fight: Sam Fisher or Jack Bauer? Masters emphatically declared Fisher the clear favorite given his superior sneaking abilities. But if the match-up was limited to a 24-hour time frame? "Bauer does have tremendous bowel control," Masters conceded. "I think that might be the tipping point in this battle."

Last week's San Diego Comic-Con was one crazy ride. The Joystiq representatives in attendance were trained in advanced interrogation tactics and managed to extract information on a variety of subjects. We've got an update from Peter Jackson himself on the Halo happenings, first footage of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and a new game mode for Uncharted 2! Friend, you missed one heck of a week.

But, that's okay! You can get caught up right here, right now. Simply head past the break for a complete summary of all the headlines.