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Saints Row: The Third trailer is the best kind of poppycock
The Saints Row: The Third trailer posted above has a proper name: "Saints Syndication." However, based on the fact that it's a 108-second bullet train through the bad side of Craaaaaazytown, we think it would be more aptly titled "A Thousand Awesome Things that Are Totally Impossible."
Saints Row: The Third's 'Hyper Ordinary' pre-order pack is madness
If you figured Saints Row: The Third's pre-order bonus was going to be a real life "sex toy bat," don't feel bad ... so did we. Turns out the actual pre-order bonus is far tamer, but a whole lot crazier. The Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax "Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Pack" includes in-game items like Prof Genki's Super Ballistic Man-a-pult truck, Prof. Genki's "Octopuss" cannon that fires baby octopi, and Prof. Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit with Genki mask. Admit it, you still want the giant, purple, rubber phallus. The first 3,000 folks in North America who purchase the game through the THQ Online Store will receive the "Saints Row Season Pass" for free. The pass, "valued at more than $20," will grant access to three downloadable mission packs. The season pass is likely similar to those by Warner Bros. for Mortal Kombat and by Rockstar for LA Noire.
Saints Row: The Third dev walkthrough introduces faces to the pavement
Offended by the already released material for this holiday's Saints Row: The Third? Then you probably shouldn't take a walk through Steelport with Volition's Drew Holmes as he roughs up the populace, and in turn shows off the game's sandbox madness. The rest of you? Head past the break.
Saints Row: The Third suits up for stylish trailer
More stylish than ridiculous, the CG trailer for Saints Row: The Third has plenty of gunfire, but not enough beatings with giant, purple adult toys.
A-ha! Red Faction: Armageddon's 'Sketch Mode'
Take on Red Faction: Armageddon. Take bugs on using the game's "Sketch Mode," showcased in a recently released trailer featuring A-ha's trademark song. It's almost as good as a rainbow farting unicorn ... almost.
Saints Row: The Third galleries galore
Previously, we used an image of a "sex toy bat" to highlight the weirdness of Saint's Row: The Third. This time it's a woman in a bikini running away from an explosion. Love it or leave it, that's the game.
Ding-Dong: Saints Row: The Third screens are obscene, filthy fun
Saint's Row: The Third isn't going to tone down the series' trademark lunacy if Game Informer's screenshot gallery is any indication. Guns and explosions are present, but so is a "sex toy bat" (no word yet on the presence of a vibration setting). The screens also reveal SRTT's costume and character customization screens, locales, vehicles and characters. Check 'em out over at GameInformer.com.
Red Faction: Armageddon trailer shoots and scorches
It's not exactly clear what's going on in this Red Faction: Armageddon trailer, but there's a lot of shooting and buildings being destroyed. Just give the fans what they want.
Saints Row: The Third landing on 360, PS3 and PC in Holiday 2011
Open-world comedic crime caper news now, with THQ announcing Saints Row: The Third for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Developed by Volition Inc., The Third (video game in the popular franchise) sees you thriving as a celebrity in the persistently harassed town of Stillwater, now a haven for your gang's merchandise and infamy. Your popularity draws the ire and attention of "The Syndicate," a criminal organization with tendrils in different parts of the world, and ultimately propels you into a new city that hosts "the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen." Judging by the nine-way, airborne gunfight happening on Game Informer's April issue cover, said outlandish gameplay scenarios may be frowned upon by the TSA.
Volition's top changes between Red Faction: Guerrilla and Armageddon
During a recent presentation of Red Faction: Armageddon, we asked what the designers at Volition felt were the top five changes made from Guerrilla to the latest installment. Red Faction: Guerrilla stood out as one of our favorites in 2009, so we were interested to see if Volition would be covering up the same blemishes that we'd had in mind. You'll find the answers from RF:A's Lead Level Designer, Jameson Durall, after the break.
THQ: Saint's Row for 3DS was already being made for Xbox Live Arcade
The Nintendo 3DS game list has a lot of predictable titles on it, but seeing Saint's Row on there was somewhat of a surprise. But it was a natural fit, as THQ VP Danny Bilson recently said. Not only was Nintendo enthusiastic about putting mature content on its new system, but "the interesting thing about the game is we were already making it. We were already making it as our Xbox Live game and in 3D also. It's designed for 3D already." Wait, an Xbox Live title? The Saint's Row 3 universe is full of surprises -- THQ is planning a whole fleet of games to launch together, and among those is a downloadable XBL game that will unlock content in the full game (and vice versa). The 3DS will share content as well -- "all of our extension properties," says Bilson, "all connect and unlock things in each other." Looks like the game's "new direction" is actually split a few different ways. All of these games are still due out sometime after March of next year.
Red Faction: Armageddon officially announced, co-op modes confirmed
THQ officially announced Red Faction: Armageddon this morning, following its TV trailer premiere last week. The latest red planet revolution will start March 2011 and will be experiencable (yes, that's a legitimeticle English word) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Beyond the single-player campaign, RF: Armageddon will also feature "multiplayer co-operative modes." We're sure to learn more about Red Faction: Armageddon from THQ at E3 2010 next week. Stay tuned.
Hot dog, check out these Saints Row 2 Avatar items
Look, we can sit here and tell you about the flashy pimp duds and other Saints Row 2 Avatar items available on Xbox Live Marketplace right now, but we just can't get beyond the inclusion of the pictured hot dog suit. Even at 400 ($5), we're tempted. Not only is it a great way to support one of the delicious staples of the American diet, but it also means you don't have to play Saints Row 2, go the Mall area and pick one up from the "Let's Pretend" store just to satiate your hot dog dress wear needs. Hooray for cutting corners with cash!
Red Faction: Guerrilla dev post-mortem: to embrace true open-world freedom 'you need to stop caring'
In a lengthy post-mortem on Gamasutra, design director James Hague breaks down how his team at Volition developed Red Faction: Guerrilla's many, many missions while working with an enormous, open world where pretty much everything can be destroyed. Beyond the seemingly minor decisions (order of actions within a mission, for instance) being problematic, the sheer enormity of RFG's terraformed Mars and its fully destructible environment drove the game's developer to deliver on the promise of freedom not just between missions, but during them as well. This, as you might imagine, caused quite a bit of a hitch, resulting in the eventual boiling down of some mission objectives to their most basic elements. "To truly fit into the open world model, missions have to provide the same sense of freedom that the world itself provides. And to make that work takes a change of mindset. It means letting go of being a control freak and instead embracing the chaos that's inherent in open world design," Hague says. For him, game design is often a struggle for how to control the player, and thusly, the player's experience. In the case of RFG, though, he exclaims the team had to "stop caring" about said control. "You can't control what the player experiences every moment. That's not a failure; it's what comes with letting the player do what he wants." Hague goes into far more detail over four pages of individual mission dissection, so if you're a fan of the game like we are, we'd suggest checking out the whole piece -- it may not be as rewarding as destroying a tower and watching it fall on scrambling soldiers, but then what is?
Red Faction: Guerrilla dev diary explains terms of victory
Don't you just hate it when you boot up a game tape and have absolutely no idea how to solve it? Unfortunately, not all titles possess the straightforward, explanatory moniker of You Have To Burn The Rope, leaving players to their own devices to figure out how to conquer them. Thankfully, a recent developer diary from the folks at Volition (posted after the jump) reveals the most expedient route to the closing credits of their upcoming shooter, Red Faction: Guerrilla. The diary explains the basic goal of the game -- players will be tasked with clearing out the presence of the totalitarian Earth Defense Force from six sectors of a Martian mining settlement. There are plenty of ways to do so, though apparently, asking them really nicely to leave isn't one of them. Check out the video after the break for more details and gameplay footage.
Metareview: Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Fo' rizzle, there be nothin' really wrong with Saints Row 2. Actually, it's quite amusing to read through the reviews of THQ's great holiday hope. The critics pretty much say that SR2 is great fun, but doesn't push the sandbox genre forward. With GTA's realistic turn in its fourth installment, SR2 is apparently a nice over-the-top alternative for fans of the genre. Not that it ever claimed to be anything else. EuroGamer (90/100): "Saints Row 2 is one of the most ridiculous and enjoyable games of the year. Some will dismiss it as GTA's "gangsta" offshoot, but they're missing the point; with its immense scope, fun physics and focus on entertainment over realism or grit, Saints Row is what GTA would have become if Rockstar North had followed Vice City to its pimpin' conclusion." IGN (82/100): "Saints Row 2 isn't a GTA killer, but it's a GTA alternative. Players who enjoyed the action-packed moments of GTA will have an absolute blast with Saints Row 2. It's tough not to hate on the slightly lacking production values, but when you see the rest of the game it actually makes a bit more sense. The technical shortcomings are the only truly bad part of Saints Row 2, but the core gameplay experience is extremely enjoyable." Gamespot (80/100): "Saints Row 2 may not offer a sizable leap in the sandbox genre, but that doesn't diminish its fun. From beginning to end, this is one of the most fun urban chaos games out there. The controls are so tight and the combat so satisfying, you'll frequently find yourself getting distracted from the campaign as you cause terror all over the city. With great cooperative integration, tons of unique activities, and a super cool zombie mode, Saints Row 2 will keep you happily creating havoc for a long time." Gaming Nexus (78/100):"After all's said and done, there's no singular powerful experience for you to store away in your Gaming's Greatest Moments memory bank. And so, in that respect, Saints Row 2 aims to be nothing more or less than a popcorn flick, and succeeds winningly as nothing more or less than a popcorn flick."
Video: Meet the Ronin gang from Saints Row 2
A new trailer has been released showcasing one of the new gangs in Saints Row 2, the Ronin. Hailing from the Far East, the Ronin have a penchant for flashy jackets and swords. Honestly, if people can walk around in broad daylight with swords on their backs, we'd say that the game's city of Stillwater is in bad shape. It looks like the Saints have their work cut out for them as well if all the action in the trailer is any indication. Check out the trailer after the break (NSFW thanks to some language and some pretty nasty violence).
Red Faction: Guerilla multiplayer beta video dump
We love jet packs. Let's get that out of the way right now. We can't get enough of the things, whether they be on 1930s superheroes, cargo pilots, or in this case, hilariously named online multiplayer combatants. GameTrailers recently hit the motherlode of gameplay videos from Red Faction: Guerilla -- in addition to the jetpackery you see above, there's four more videos posted after the break. We like what we see -- the action looks frantic, the destructible environments look fun, and the jet packs are... well, jet packs. Need we say more?
Don't trip dawg, Saints Row 2 be comin' 2 PC
THQ has confirmed to Big Download that ghetto fabulous Saints Row 2 will be poppin' caps on PC. Originally announced for Xbox 360 and PS3, the game doesn't have an official release date yet for com-pu-ters, but Gamestop lists it with the same launch date as the console version. Saints Row 2 probably plays a significant role in THQ's financial stability, so it's not surprising to hear that the title will try to pick up cheddar from whatever platform it can find it on. THQ recently fired 200 employees and reported a $35 million loss in its last fiscal year. We'll holla back with an update if the publisher gives a release date soon. %Gallery-19838%
It's the Saints Row circle of life
Xboxyde has a new video of Saints Row showcasing the games day/night cycle and weather system. Watch the sky change in fast motion like and old timey movie! The storm effects and lighting are pretty impressive, as are the rosy sunsets. Saints Row is looking more and more like a pretty decent game, no?
