We know the President of the United States has some executive powers, but a new Saints Row 4 trailer takes that phrase to a whole new level of absurd, as this commander in chief kicks butt without taking names of some alien invaders.
Nothing says America like big guns, Uncle Sam, and a bald eagle that launches rockets out of its claws. The only thing missing from the new "Commander in Chief edition" just announced for Saints Row 4 is apple pie land mines and baseball grenades.
Saints Row 4 was arguably the biggest game in THQ's lineup--before it collapsed. Now in the hands of Deep Silver, Volition senior producer Jim Boon talks about how the transition has (and hasn't) affected development of the super-powered open-world sequel.
"It's fair to say there was a lot of distraction waiting to learn the results of the auction that was ultimately conducted to deal with THQ's bankruptcy," Boon said, saying that development on the game was "full speed ahead" during the transition. However, Boon says that the confusion was "short lived," with Deep Silver working "quickly" on the transition.
The Saints Row series is quickly turning into theater of the absurd. But could it make it into actual theaters? Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz says he's considering films for Koch's properties, which includes both Saints Row and Metro under Deep Silver.
Saints Row 4 is serving up another heaping helping of utter absurdity, as our own preview can testify. But the current stew of crazy has actually been watered down a bit from some of its original ideas.
I can pinpoint the exact moment during the hands-off presentation of Saints Row 4 that I felt utterly reassured. The prior game was an absolute gem, and I wanted to know that Volition hadn't lost that humorous spark. That point came when, speaking on the new alien enemies, the smattering of games press gathered at PAX East was told: "It's been fun coming up with a new enemy type that's capable of dealing with the president and all of his superpowers."
Saints Row: The Third was due to have an expansion pack titled Enter the Dominatrix. However, that expansion was canceled to fast-track development of Saints Row 4. With the game due to arrive in August, less than two years after the last game, some have wondered: will the next Saints Row game have enough content worthy of a numbered sequel?
Just in case you were curious about what Volition has been up to under new owners Deep Silver, today the publisher announced Saints Row 4. The game is coming to PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on August 20, and looks to ratchet up the series' unique brand of insanity.
In case you haven't noticed, it's usually pretty smart money-management to wait a year or so on new games. Take Saints Row: The Third, for example. Sure, you could have bought it new for sixty bucks at launch, but having held off on the gonzo-action game means that soon you'll be able to get the newly-announced "Full Package" instead.
If you have not yet experienced the out-and-out insanity that is Saints Row: The Third, pay attention. Steam is offering a free weekend of the game, along with a pretty hefty discount to grab the title if it wins you over with its wily charms. Which, if you have a sense of humor, it almost certainly will.
As THQ tries to get its house in order following a financial crisis, the publisher has announced that Volition's standalone expansion Saints Row: The Third - Enter the Dominatrix will be rolled into a "full-fledged" sequel due out in 2013. Bad news: no new Saints Row to play in September. Good news: full sequel next year, tentatively named 'The Next Great Sequel in the Saints Row Franchise.'
Update - Full June games line-up added.
At Sony's E3 press briefing today, the company announced plans to expand PlayStation Plus into a rotating selection of full retail games. The company has been offering discounts and 60-minute trials of full game downloads through Plus, but starting tomorrow it will be adding full games as free bonuses to boot.
THQ has had a rough year with layoffs, a lawsuit, a threatened delisting from NASDAQ and financial problems that have forced the company to limit its E3 presence to only a meeting room instead of a large display booth.
Among the cacophony of high-larious pranks this April Fool's Day, THQ teased another piece of content for Saints Row: The Third. Titled (ahem) "Enter the Dominatrix," the standalone expansion promised super powers, new weapons, and new recruits. Apparently THQ and Volition decided to make it happen for real, announcing it as a standalone expansion coming this fall.
THQ has been in some financial trouble, but it can thank a bombastic street gang for keeping its fourth-quarter earnings surprisingly positive. The company reported its fiscal results for the quarter ending March 31, 2012 today, and expects to report net sales between $160-170 million, above its outlook of $130-150 million. This is largely due to Saints Row: The Third.
"That looks like a hell of a lot of fun. It also looks like they got a bit of Crackdown in their ..."
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