Saboteur laying charges Dec. 8

EA's Pandemic Studios has been on a tepid run of late, having disappointed critics first with Mercenaries 2: World in Flames in August 2008 and then again with Lord of the Rings: Conquest early this year. With its latest effort, The Saboteur, being a centerpiece to EA's 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference last month, Pandemic Studios will soon have a chance to end its cold streak.

Today, EA and Pandemic announced that The Saboteur will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on December 8. Having been announced in March 2007, The Saboteur's final deadline marks the end of a protracted development cycle that saw EA purchase Pandemic, along with fellow VG Holding Corp. partner BioWare, for $860 million.

The Saboteur brings a stylish twist to the all-too-familiar World War II genre. Instead of the traditional linear structure of most WWII shooters, The Saboteur is an open-world action adventure game a la Mercenaries. Taking the role of Irish-racecar-driver-turned-resistance-fighter Sean Devlin, players are encouraged to wreak covert havoc upon the Third Reich in Nazi-occupied France.

For more on the stylish game, check out GameSpot's in-depth preview of The Saboteur from just before this year's E3.