So, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is less than two weeks away. I'm stoked. It's the sequel to one of my favourite games this generation, and it looks set to improve on the first in many different ways. It also makes me angry. Really, really angry.

Although not directly related to Vegas 2, one thing that should be noted by any gamer who values journalistic integrity is EGM's then-editor-in-chief Dan Hsu's editorial in which he names Rainbow Six publisher Ubisoft as one of the companies that has blackballed his company. Ubisoft, specifically, were the only company to simply cut off contact with EGM and 1UP, not offering an explanation; this led to speculation that they were, to put it mildly, unimpressed with the review scores for Assassin's Creed, easily their biggest holiday '07 game.

And now, there's the pre-order bonuses. This is directly related. Pre-order Rainbow Six Vegas 2 at Gamestop or EB, and get an extra MLG (Major League Gaming) multiplayer map! Alternatively, pre-order at Best Buy and get an extra gun, confirmed to be the MTAR21, an assault rifle that's been in every even mildly recent iteration of Rainbox Six for the simple reason that it's one of the best all-round weapons in the game.

Want the MTAR and the MLG map? Might want to pre-order two copies, since there is no crossover.

Seriously, this shit has to STOP.

To be fair, it's as-yet unknown how the MLG map and the MTAR will be unlocked. There are many possibilities. Maybe there's simply a cheat code; the first Rainbow Six Vegas was unusual (at least on the achievement-dominated Xbox 360) for actually including a full bevy of cheat codes, albeit only for single-player, so there is a sort of precedent. Maybe it's a Live Marketplace code; these are very common in promotions on the 360, and then you face the possibility of them being actual downloadable content, or (as is more likely) simple unlock keys - those infamous 108KB downloads - to access the content which is on the game disc, and just inaccessible to John Q Customer. This makes sense with the MTAR, as it can allow those who have it and those who don't into the same multiplayer match.

To top it all off, Ubisoft is offering Vegas 2 in a Limited Collector's Edition as well. Now, I'm a sucker for these things; or at least, I was until I bought the LCE of Vegas 1. For an extra $10, I got absolutely the most worthless bonus DVD in the history of videogames, and a card slipcase. Oh, and slightly different artwork. Boy, did I feel retarded. I resolved to be more selective about my LCE buying in the future. But I digress. Vegas 2's LCE - again, $10 more than the standard edition - is coming with a bonus DVD and a poker chip keychain. And, uh, that's your lot. European gamers get a nice metal case as well, but American players apparently are just getting the usual retina-burning green plastic 360 case.

I'll say it again: seriously, this shit has to STOP.

Good LCEs are good. BioShock, Mass Effect, Halo 3, the list goes on and that's just from the latter half of last year. Pre-order bonuses don't need to be split across different companies and potentially splinter the player base. There are ways of doing these things and ways not to.

Please, someone tell Ubisoft how.