saints-row posts

In this trailer, somebody gets punched in the balls. Truly we have reached the pinnacle of ball-punching technology.

Download Saint's Row: The Third 'Gameplay' Trailer
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THQ's Saints Row open world crime action game franchise is officially getting a third installment. Indeed the title of the Volition-developed game is Saints Row The Third. The game will be released for the PC and other platforms "this holiday season."

Game Informer's print magazine will have the first concrete details on the game in its latest print issue which should show up on newstands later this month. Details are scarce at the moment but we do know that Saints Row The Third takes place in an all new city where the Third Street Saints gang have to deal with a new global criminal organization called The Syndicate (we know; not that original of a name).

THQ's Volition development team stays very busy. The team is already working on two projects; the third person shooter Red Faction Armageddon and Saints Row 3, the next game in its popular open world action series. Now it looks like Volition is branching out into an all new game franchise.

According to a new job listing on Volition's web site the developer is looking to hire a Design Director for "for a new action role-playing game." The listing adds that Volition is "collaborating with a high-powered creative talent in the entertainment industry to develop this original, unannounced franchise." Hmmm ... could this have something to do with the rumored signing of film director Guillermo del Toro for a game development project by THQ?

Volition has been at it for a while now. Created from the ashes of Parallax Software, the folks behind Descent, they have had a rather convoluted history, going everywhere from space combat sims to open-world gang games. However, no game series has defined them quite as much as the Red Faction series. Despite all of their fooling about with other genres, it is this series which has established a sort of miniature continuity for them. With the latest entry having been on consoles for a while and being released to PC soon, it's a good time to take a look back on the first two games and just how much they are reflected in Volition's work. This is not a review of any kind, but rather a retrospective on the life of an extraordinary series.

Earlier this week we reported that online retailers like Gamestop and Amazon.com had pushed back the release of the PC version of Saints Row 2 to early January 2009. While the game's publisher THQ never got back in touch with us when we asked about the open world action game's release date for the PC, a new post on the game's official message boards does now confirm the delay for the PC port.

The message board posts now states the game will ship on Jan. 5, 2009 and that the delay was because, ".. we wanted to make the highest quality game across all platforms." Apparently Saints Row 2's console developer Volition is not in charge of the PC port but, "The PC version is still being produced and tested at Volition with support from the design and programming teams as needed." The port will have everything the console versions had but there's no word on if the PC port will have extra content or support for downloadable content.

A few weeks ago we reported that Saints Row 2, the open world action game from developer Volition and publisher THQ, was going to miss being released side-by-side with the console versions. Now it appears that the game might miss a PC release for 2008 entirely.

Pre-order listings for the game on Gamestop, Amazon.com and Wal-Mart all now show a Jan. 5, 2009 release date for the PC version. These retail dates are, of course, always suspect and we have contacted THQ's PR rep for clarification. THQ has said little about the PC game's release ever since we officially confirmed with them that a PC port was indeed in the works. Hopefully the PC version will be released before the already revealed Saints Row 3 comes out.

The newest Saints Row 2 trailer introduces the Sons of Samedi Gang - another rival gang competing against the Saints for power. The Sons of Samedi, led by a violent and sociopathic figure, have the stranglehold on the drug market in Stillwater. In come the Saints to undermine their power.

Download the Saints Row 2 Sons of Samedi Gang HD Trailer (39 MB)