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Volition prepping new Saints Row 2 DLC for April 16
New content is set to pull up alongside Saints Row 2, flashing gang signs and a new set of platinum rims. Developer Volition revealed that it is working on three new downloadable packs for the game, with the first, Ultor Exposed, set to arrive April 16 on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for 800 Microsoft Points or $10. Players expecting something comparable to last month's Lost and the Damned, however, will need to seek the comfort of fellow gangstas after learning that this initial pack adds just three new missions, a competitive co-op "metagame" and porn star Tera Patrick as a homie to watch your back. Some new vehicles, weapons and maps are also promised. Still, compared to last month's GTA IV update, this downloadable comes off as lacking, but at just a tenner at least you won't have to sell your real gold grills to play.
Pre-order Red Faction: Guerrilla, get a demo
A listing on GameStop.com has revealed that a demo for Red Faction: Guerrilla will arrive in April. The demo is being offered as a pre-order bonus for the game (seemingly a common practice these days), though THQ confirmed to VideoGamer that it will be available to the unwashed, non-pre-ordering masses eventually. Those who pre-order the game from GameStop will receive access to the demo from April 3 to April 23 and also an exclusive multiplayer map. According to GameStop, the persistent destruction of Red Faction: Guerrilla -- which we quite enjoyed at E3 last year -- will ship on June 9.[Via VideoGamer]%Gallery-19834%
Red Faction: Guerrilla trailer shows off tools of destruction
If you like weapons and exploding buildings, then you'll likely enjoy the latest trailer from Red Faction: Guerrilla. Either that, or you're an action hero. Unless your driver's license says Bruce Willis, however, then it's safe to bet you just like action, and don't find yourself as a regular participant in its chaos. The same cannot be said for folks on Mars, as action finds them on a daily basis. Don't believe us? Watch the trailer past the break, which depicts the everyday violence happening on the red planet. Here's what we've learned from said trailer: Quaid managed to start the reactor, but Kuato's rebellion hasn't won yet.%Gallery-19834%
Volition QA staff lost in THQ restructuring [update]
THQ's wild swings have finally brought the axe down on Red Faction and Saints Row creator Volition, reportedly culling the bulk of the Champaign, IL studio's QA staff out from the developer's ranks. Speaking with Kotaku, a THQ spokesperson confirmed that Volition lost 86 employees in the cut, including 47 temporary workers and 39 full-time staff. The numbers represent the lion's share of the QA department's 102 employees, with quality assurance duties now "primarily" falling to "THQ's centralized QA facilities, with a small staff remaining on-site in Champaign," according to a THQ statement. The layoffs are part of THQ's larger move to eliminate nearly a quarter of its jobs in an effort to cut costs and keep analyst bankruptcy predictions from coming true. Update: THQ's Julie MacMedan chimed in this afternoon to clear the air as well as any confusion regarding these layoffs, which according to the corporate communications VP only affected the publisher's QA facility in Champaign, IL and left Volition's "core development teams" untouched. "This will result in the eventual closure of the facility with a transfer of sixteen employees to Volition," wrote MacMedan in an email statement. "It will not result in any layoffs within the core development teams at Volition. Volition remains a key development studio within THQ and will continue to employ 236 staff." Confirming earlier information, she added: "The layoffs include 47 temporary employees who will not be having their service extended. Unfortunately, fluctuating headcount among the temporary staff is common based on when our games ship. In addition, 39 full-time staff will be laid off." In conclusion, and in a refreshing change of pace to these sorts of reductions, MacMedan wrote: "All laid off employees (both full-time and temporary) will be given at least sixty days' notice. We will do what we can to assist them in finding work in the community or elsewhere in THQ."
THQ reveals 'Significant Business Realignment'
No, it's not a new game title. It's the real-life struggle of THQ, which made word of internal studio closings and significant layoffs official today, as it reported losses of $115.3 million in its fiscal Q2. In total, five studios will be shuttered and 250 employees released (approximately 17 percent of the publisher's workforce), and the company will reduce its forecasted development spending by $100 million in the fiscal 2010 year. "THQ plans to focus on fewer, higher quality titles, and to align its organization and cost structure accordingly," outlines the quarterly financial report. "We will dominate the fighting category!" added CEO Brian Farrell during today's conference call, plugging upcoming WWE and UFC titles. As for those "higher quality titles," THQ has pushed Volition's Red Faction: Guerrilla into the first quarter of fiscal 2010 (April-June 2009) and Darksiders: Wrath of War into the second quarter (July-September 2009). Also absent in the short term, CFO Colin Slade will be taking an unspecified medical leave of absence. "I'm looking forward to returning to THQ as soon as possible," said Slade before retiring from the call.
Saints Row 2 rollin' up on PC in Jan. 2009
Saints Row 2 developer Volition has confirmed on the game's forums that the well-received gangsta epic will make its way to PC on Jan. 6, 2009. The PC version of the game was originally expected to release with the console versions, but after that didn't happen, several retailers listed the game with a 2009 release date, which is confirmed to be the case now. The company explains the reason for the delay is that the PC version is a port from the consoles, which is being done by an external company and requires more time. Volition reassures that it is fully involved in this external port and that all the little differences between consoles and PCs is what's taking the extra time. [Via Big Download]
Saints Row 3 already in development, 'new direction' planned
Saints Row 2 Associate Producer Dan Sutton reveals that Volition is already at work on another sequel in the urban sandbox series. Speaking with Play.tm, Sutton states that the recently released SR2 ties up loose ends from the original game and that SR3 will go in a "new direction." Considering that Saints Row 2 stands apart from Grand Theft Auto IV in how over-the-top it is, we certainly hope Saints Row's new direction isn't about toning down the series.
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."
Watch naked ladies streaking in Saint's Row II ... or don't
If a recently uploaded video (which you can find after the break) is any indication, you'll be taking on the task of "female streaking" in Saint's Row II, which is sure to make all of our lives very annoying for weeks to come, or as soon as the mainstream media sees it. It's not really SFW, even though the lady business has been blurred out, giving the appearance that a giant Barbie doll became sentient and horrifically confused. But before you hop over the break to bask in utterly non-erotic semi-nudity, we'd ask you to reconsider. You're better than that, right? We're honestly a little embarrassed we brought it up. You wouldn't want your mom, girlfriend or, heck, even your friends who've seen actual boobs before to catch you watching something like that, would you? Why don't you just scroll down to the next post, dignity intact? Or, to put it more simply ... "Don't look, Ethel!" [Via ToaRG]
Saint's Row 2 shows us the mayhem!
Every time we're sent a tip about a new clip from Saint's Row 2 the same thought crosses our mind, "Does it include Uncle Gary?" Unfortunately this clip doesn't but it somehow manages to be entertaining. Watch as, whoever is playing, poorly aims his or her way through causing the most destruction in The Row. Saint's Row 2 is just around the corner, who has it on their "DO WANT" list?
Low-brow lowdown: Saints Row 2 multiplayer
click to pimp-size THQ is hoping to differentiate Saints Row 2 from other Grand Theft Auto clones. By that we mean it's not so much a clone of Rockstar's crime epic, but rather what might be born unto the world if it had a lapse in judgment and accidentally knocked up the Jerry Springer Show (which turned out to be half-Jackass, according to DNA results).Our first impressions bore this out, and we were left permanently convinced of the fact once porn starlet Terra Patrick and certifiable loon, Gary Busey, were brought on to, er, entice folks to play the game. We were enticed to check out its multiplayer features, which, as opposed to the in-your-face presentation of the "main" game, seemed to do the best job of really seeming substantively different. %Gallery-32757%
Create-an-achievement, Red Faction style!
Feeling creative? The team at Volition have recently announced a community contest to name the final multiplayer achievement for the upcoming shooter, Red Faction: Guerrilla. Asking players to think outside the box instead of the standard "Kill X amount of bad dudes," the top five entries selected by the developers will receive prizes. Top prize will see their suggestion added to the game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, receive a copy of the Collector's Edition and another unnamed surprise.Red Faction: Guerrilla is the third title in the established franchise which began on PC in 2001 but marks the first time the series has shifted to a third-person perspective. Recently, an exclusive Xbox 360 multiplayer beta ended for Red Faction: Guerrilla garnering mixed reactions from testers.
McCain and Obama join forces for Saints Row 2 trailer
Things have been fairly aggressive between the two presidential nominees as of late, perhaps largely due to a certain comment involving a farm animal and mouth-based cosmetics. That's why we were so glad to see them squash the beef in a recent Saints Row 2 advertisement (posted after the break), combining forces to wreak havoc across Stilwater (much to the chagrin of their respective campaign staffs, we imagine). We're also glad to see that the character customization in THQ and Volition's crime-riddled sandbox is so versatile. We've already begun planning our own presidential nominee superteams for when the game comes out -- we've always wondered what Roosevelt and Dewey would look like in a gang war.
Obama and McCain team up in Saints Row 2
No, not really. Let's just get that out of the way. That said, there are obvious facsimiles of the two major United States presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, featured in this co-op trailer for Saints Row 2. For the record, there are also cops and robbers, rednecks and tree huggers, and let's not forget pirates and ninjas. Silly pairings aside, the video serves to highlight the drop in / drop out online co-op, which can be carried through the entire single player campaign. Anyone with a copy of Crackdown knows that open world destruction is more fun with a friend. Cooperative open world destruction complete with crazily customizable characters? That's even better.Strangely absent from the video: pimps teaming up with whores.
Presidential candidate lookalikes spotted in Saints Row 2 trailer
This latest Saints Row 2 trailer is suppose to highlight their co-op gameplay mechanics, but who's going to notice that when you have the most awesome combination of McCain and Obama lookalikes walking side-by-side together with a firearm in their hand? We like it better when Saints Row 2 takes the amusing route, rather than trying to take that other sandbox title head-on. The game is coming out October 14th. We don't wanna spoil too much for you, so take a gander at the trailer, after the jump:[Via MaxConsole]
Huzzah! Gary Busey's back in Saints Row 2 vids
Is there anyone as delightfully insane as Gary Busey? We submit that there is not. Mr. Busey has returned for another round of Saints Row 2 videos, and we're pleased to report that they are as crazy as the last batch. The video above begins, quite eloquently we think, with the words "Let's be honest, who hasn't wanted to kill someone with a garden gnome." Who indeed, Uncle Gary, who indeed.Find two more videos (one of them is NSFW, by the way) after the break.
Gary Busey promotes Saints Row 2, teaches valuable life lessons
Were you recently diagnosed with a severe case of sanity? We've got your physician-approved prescription posted after the break -- a triple dose of advertisements for Saints Row 2, with commentary provided by esteemed Shakespearian thespian, Gary Busey. We highly doubt that Busey was provided with a script in these videos -- when the Silver Bullet star asks, "Who hasn't wanted to kill someone with a garden gnome," he's probably not reading from a script. His addled mind ponders that very question two or three times a day. If you're confident you can look into the heart of lunacy and come out unaffected, check the ads out after the jump. Even if you don't care about the game, we're sure you'll enjoy trying to pinpoint the moment Busey stops promoting the game, and starts having honest-to-god Vietnam flashbacks (video NSFW).
Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition shipping in gun box
THQ has revealed to Europe the Saint's Row 2 Collector's Edition bundle, which appears to come with the game, some posters, a 1GB USB stick in the shape of a bullet and some kind of ... gun. Eurogamer explains that "the box is shaped like a gun," but we can't tell from the picture above if the gun comes out of its casing, or if it's molded to the box. The publisher also tells the site this special edition is only for Xbox 360. We're not exactly sure about the SR2 Collector's Edition for North America, so we'll have to wait and see if THQ announces this same bundle for the region. Sadly, nothing involving porn star and "special producer" Tera Patrick will be included in the box. The boys and girls of Saints Row 2 are expected to shoot up the streets of Stilwater in October.
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 Guerrilla beta drops
Not too long ago Fileplanet announced that the Xbox 360 beta for Red Faction: Guerrilla was being offered exclusively to paid subscribers and we ignored it. Who wants to pay for a beta, anyway ... except for everyone who initially bought Crackdown, that is. Today we finally want to talk about the Red Faction: Guerrilla beta because it is now available for anyone who signs up for a free account and completes a short registration questionnaire on Fileplanet.Download the 652MB beta today and let us know what you think![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
