Though we and everyone else kinda saw it coming, publisher Ubisoft announced today that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is getting a sequel. It is scheduled to hit shelves in Spring 2007 for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and PSP.

The original was one of the first games to offer a truly next-gen experience, technically and graphically, so it will be quite a challenge for the developers to "wow" us all over again. At the moment, they're promising better AI, morphing light and shadows and shifting weather effects like rain that influence your strategic options.

Above: New features like the picture-in-picture window and the medical soldier can be seen in this Xbox 360 screen.

To be honest, we see these kinds of guarantees all the time. They're practically required in press releases, but we never really notice or care about them by the time we're playing the final product. We're much more intrigued by tangible gameplay additions like jetfighter air strikes, transportable cover, a squad communication tool that gives you full screen views of what your teammates are seeing, and a medical support unit that can heal any downed soldiers, including your character. That sure would have been nice in Rainbow Six Vegas...

For those that care about story in their explodey, rat-a-tat-tat shooter games (and more people probably should), GRAW 2 takes place in the near future and follows the first title's hero, Captain Scott Mitchell. He and his special operations group - the Ghosts - must now deal with a new threat of insurgency along the almost 2,000-mile US-Mexico border, one that will actually push onto American soil this time. That means new, more familiar battlegrounds, folks.

We'll have more information, and hopefully hands-on impressions, for you soon. For now, check out the Xbox 360's first screens here, or the GRAW 2  trailer by looking under the Movies tab above.

December 8, 2006