360 Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter gold

When the first Xbox 360 games were revealed last May, few generated as much excitement as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Sporting graphics that look far slicker than many of its next-generation siblings, the game takes the popular tactical combat series even further into the near future. Besides sporting the high-tech Integrated Warfighter System (IWS) heads-up interface, the game contains plenty of in-game equipment based on technology still being developed by the US military, such as the OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon). Gameplay-wise, the 360 GRAW will take full advantage of Xbox Live, allowing players to use coordinated multiplayer attacks via its integrated voice over IP functionality.

Now, nearly 10 months after it was first unveiled, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter has gone gold for the Xbox 360. Ubisoft confirmed today that the game has been sent to the factory and will ship worldwide on March 9--next Thursday. It will simultaneously ship on the current-generation Xbox in the US, but will come a week later in Europe.

However, today's news was not as good for PC gamers. Originally slated for a March 30 release, the Windows version of the game now won't arrive until May, the same month as the annual E3 gaming expo. According to a statement from Ubisoft, the delay will give "developers more time to put the finishing touches on the game and make it the best possible PC gaming experience."

[UPDATE] While Ubisoft was clear about game's release on three platforms, it was more hazy about its plans for another--the PlayStation 2. The console was unmentioned in an announcement sent to the US games press, and the PS2 logo has disappeared from the bottom of the official GRAW Web site--much like the GameCube logo did in December. However, a news update on the general Ghost Recon site says clearly that GRAW is due "March 30th on PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system." As of press time, reps for the publisher had not responded to requests for clarification on that edition of the game.

All versions of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter are set in the year 2013 in Mexico City, which has been taken over by rebels. The famed Ghosts, elite US commandos, must head into the metropolis to quash a rebellion and retake control. Gamers will lead their squad on missions to "save the president of the United States, recover stolen nuclear codes, and eliminate a vicious band of renegade soldiers hell-bent on unleashing catastrophe." More details on plot and gameplay can be found in GameSpot's extensive previous coverage of GRAW.