As most people that follow the gaming industry are now no doubt aware, Toy Headquarters is no more. THQ, as most people knew them, spent most of their over 20 years in the game industry publishing mostly licensed games and kids games. However, over the past several years, THQ had made strong push towards putting out more high quality, core games, and in this respect they were mostly successful. If not for some tragic mismanagement, mostly involving the failed Udraw tablet, THQ could have been in for a strong run as a top publisher in the industry. Unfortunately that will never happen, but I can still look back at some of the best games THQ published, most of which came out during the current console generation.
10. MX vs. ATV Unleashed (Rainbow Studios, 2005)
I’ll be honest, I am not very familiar with the MX vs. ATV series. I don’t really know if other entries in the series are better or worse than MX vs. ATV Unleashed, but that is the one game in the series I’ve played, and I really liked it. The game is a fun off-road racer that features both dirt bikes and ATVs. THQ released many games in this series, but like I said, this is the entry I have personal experience with.
9. Stacking (Double Fine, 2011)
After releasing Brutal Legend in 2009, Double Fine shifted it’s focus to smaller downloadable games. Double Fine has released several of these smaller games in the time since to varying degrees of success. THQ wound up publishing two of Double Fine games, Costume Quest and Stacking, and of the two Stacking is the better game. You play as a Russian stacking doll and must puzzle your way through the game by going inside bigger dolls. The game has a fantastically well realized 1930′s style and the kind of charm Double Fine has become known for. Because Double Fine is an independent studio that works with many publishers, they will be unaffected THQ’s end.
8. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine (Relic Entertainment, 2011)
After having success with the Warhammer 40k license developing the well regarding Dawn of War RTS series, Relic Entertainment decided to try their hand at a third person action game with Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. Despite what many claimed before the game came out, this game was in fact not a Gears of War clone, but a fairly unique game that blended third person shooting and melee combat into a single enjoyable whole. The game really captured the weighty feeling of being a Space Marine, who are basically walking tanks. With this entertaining 40k experience, Relic once again showed the love and reverence they have for the Warhammer 40k universe.
7. Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games, 2007)
Acclaimed developer Chris Taylor marked his return to the RTS genre in 2007 with Supreme Commander. Serving as a sort of spiritual successor to his famous game Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander is a science fiction real time strategy game. It is a very large scale game, with a focus on huge battles involving hundreds of units at a time on enormous maps. A single match can take an absurd amount of time to complete, making this an RTS that requires much more of a dedicated commitment than some of the more casual friendly real time strategy games being released. Supreme Commander and its expansion were Gas Powered Games only collaboration with THQ, with the sequel being published by Square Enix, so they will continue unaffected by THQ’s downfall.
6. Metro 2033 (4A Games, 2010)
Most people would not expect a Ukrainian developed first person shooter based on a Russian novel to be very good, but they would be wrong. 4A games unique FPS doesn’t hide from what it is. It takes place in Russia, and doesn’t try at all to pander to western audiences. Some of the best parts of the game are the parts where the game slows down and you get to see something most fans of fiction are familiar with, people surviving in a post apocalyptic setting, but from a much different perspective than most of us are familiar with. It also helps that game had excellent visuals with an amazing atmosphere and solid gameplay. In the THQ asset auction, the rights to the Metro franchise were bought by Koch Media, whose games division Deep Silver will handle the publishing for the upcoming Metro: Last Light. 4A Games however, remains an independent developer.
It’s one of the most painful things I’ve had to write, but it’s now safe to say, THQ is no more. Yesterday, January 22nd, THQ hosted an auction where their biggest companies and franchises were bid on by a multitude of other publishers. We figured that we wouldn’t hear any details regarding where the studios would go for at least a week or two but that has not been the case. Today we learned not only what studio went where, but also the prices paid. Many thanks to DDInvesting for the financial figures.
Koch Media, parent company of Deep Silver, purchased arguably the biggest product in Volition and the Saints Row franchise – $22.3M. Along with that, they also purchased the Metro series which cost them $5.8M
Take-Two takes control of Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios’ Evolve after spending $11M.
Ubisoft purchased THQ Montreal and South Park: The Stick of Truth for a mere $2.5M
Sega now owns the Relic and Company of Heroes brand — $26M
Surprisingly, Crytek has bought the Homefront brand for only $500K
If you’re keeping score, that leave Vigil, developers of the Darksiders franchise, and Yukes/WWE License without a home. I’m shocked that Vigil went without a purchase, though I’m sure they’ll be working again here soon, they’re too good at what they do. Hopefully every person affected by this auction and THQ collapse will land back on their feet eventually.
We knew it was coming, but we hoped so desperately that it wouldn’t.
Just a few hours ago, Nintendo unveiled its complete launch lineup that it had in store for the new and exciting WiiU console. They’ve got lots of games of many genres, and overall the lineup is looking great. They’ve got a lot of AAA titles from big companies on the list, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Mass Effect 3, Darksiders 2, and Batman: Arkham CityArmored Edition. The entire list of games available either on launch day or during the launch window (Nov. 18, 2012 to March 31, 2013) is available for your viewing pleasure in an orderly table below. To skip to a particular game, just click the title of the game.
Funky Barn is a cute cartoony farm simulation game that was previously published on the 3DS. As you can tell from the screenshot, the game is not some ordinary farming game. Shear your sheep by dropping them into the shearing machine and it will cannonball out; apparently, animals can be beamed up to a UFO. It’s a bit goofy, but still seems like it’d be decent fun, especially for the more casual and younger demographic.
___
NBA 2K13
Striving to improve upon the things that made NBA 2K12 great, NBA 2K13 will have an enhanced my player mode and completely new gameplay features; You will be able to “pit the best players in NBA history against the new dynasty of talent.”
___
007 Legends
Apparently in 007 Legends you start in the watery depths, you are James Bond- unconscious, unsure how you arrived where you are, just that you’re fighting with everything you’ve got to stay alive. You will then recall the epic moments from the past 50 years. The missions you play are reimagined from the most iconic film scenes from the movies up to half a century ago.
___
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
A hugely anticipated title by many Call of Duty fans, Black Ops 2 brings the proven COD shooter style of doing things to the table, except with some tweaks like updated graphics, new game modes, an updated perk system and some other interesting new stuff like weapons and an all new campaign.
___
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
Transformers Prime will be released exclusively for the WiiU, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS systems. It takes place alongside the events of the second season of the Transformers Prime cartoon series, involving the two sides battling over a meteor made of “Dark Energon”.
___
Wipeout 3
If you’re a fan of the Wipeout TV or video game series, you’ll be pleased to hear that Wipeout 3 is on the list of launch titles for the WiiU. It’ll be the Wipeout series of games with a few tweaks, along with updated graphics.
___
Skylanders Giants
The story behind Skylanders Giants is “Thousands of years ago, the Giants fought epic battles in Skylands but were banished to Earth. With a new threat looming, it’s time to bring them back to join forces with the Skylanders.” It sounds pretty awesome, and if it’s coming to the WiiU that probably means it’ll have updated graphics as well, and maybe even a few gameplay adjustments.
___
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013
In this first person shooter game, the player will go on hunting trips. There’s several modes, including “Quick Hunt”, “Action Zone” and “Career Mode”. There’s penalties for shooting non game animals, such as failing. There’s twelve exotic locations with twenty six animals to hunt, not bad.
___
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
This is a pro fishing tournament game, in which the player (obviously) participates in fishing tournaments. Just like the older Wii versions, this game will have full motion control as if there’s an actual fishing rod in your hands. There’s plenty of contests and game modes to choose from, as well as plenty of rods, boats, lures, etc so you can totally customize your experience.
___
Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate
Wanted to try Monster Hunter, but didn’t want to have to buy a PSVita? Well now you can! Coming exclusively to 3DS and WiiU systems, we will all finally be able to play the game that we’ve been craving for so long, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. A cool feature in this game is that the WiiU version can share save data with the Nintendo 3DS, meaning you can play it at home on the big screen and even play it while on the move using your handheld console. It’s even be fully Nintendo Network capable so you can play with friends if you wish.
___
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
The Rise of the Guardians Video Game is based on the film. It will allow the player to “lead the Guardians in their battle against Pitch.”
___
Ben 10: Omniverse
Based on the Ben 10: Omniverse cartoon series:
“Ben: 10 Omniverse, players will be immersed in exciting action-brawler gameplay featuring the new art style inspired from the show. Gamers will have the power to switch forms and battle as one of 13 playable alien heroes, including never-before-seen aliens like Bloxx and Gravattack, as they work with either Ben or Rook to defeat the evil plans of a fierce villain, intent on destroying the world.”
___
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
A game that’s more for the casual gaming demographic such as families, Family Party includes over 30 “unique party games” that will take advantage of the powerful WiiU hardware and new controller. They’ve even gotten a bit creative and included what they’re describing as 1 on 3 multiplayer challenges. This game targets the whole family, with its combination of card, arcade, and sports games.
___
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
This is the sequel to the hit Disney game, Epic Mickey. It’s set some time after the original, the Mad Doctor has somehow returned! The Mad Doctor came back to Wasteland, claiming that he’s changed and that he wants to repair the damage he caused them. They agree to let him help, but then Wasteland starts being damaged even more than it was before. Suspicious that the Doctor isn’t holding up his end of the bargain, Mickey Mouse is contacted again, in Wasteland’s second time of need.
___
Mass Effect3
Need I even do an introduction for this one? Yes? Fine. Mass Effect 3 is an Action RPG developed by Bioware and published by Electronic Arts. It was originally developed for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, but now it’s headed straight for the catalyst of modern console gaming, the WiiU. There’s three campaign modes: Action, Story, and RPG mode. There’s loads of gun customization and skill point spending, making for quite the interesting combination of genres.
___
Madden NFL 13
Madden fans will be incredibly pleased to hear that Madden NFL 13 will be coming to Nintendo’s WiiU console. It’s an NFL football game based on the National Football League. Apparently, they’ve switched it up a bit this time, with updated graphics and changed gameplay mechanics and controls.
___
EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13
As you can see, if you’re looking to play some sports games you’re in luck, the WiiU has plenty in its launch lineup, oh lucky you. There’s been a lot of tweaks to the FIFA series since FIFA Soccer 12, such as their all new 1st touch control system, or the heavily enhanced artificial intelligence system they’ve created. You can earn, buy, sell and trade players in order to create the ultimate team. You can even compete with friends, due to the live challenges based on real soccer games system.
___
Trine 2™: Director’s Cut
Enjoyed Trine 2? Then you’ll love Trine 2: Director’s Cut. It’s quite the extension onto the original version of Trine 2, with WiiU exclusive content. It’s even going to make use of the WiiU’s special controller, adding a touch element to the puzzles and platforming you’ll find here. There’s also a new multiplayer game mode, called “Magic Mayhem”, which sounds quite interesting indeed. Whether or not you’ve played Trine 2 yet, the director’s cut will be worth picking up due to the new singleplayer and multiplayer content, as according to the developer Frozenbyte: ”
“The Director’s Cut edition will be the biggest, most fully realized version of the game yet”
___
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
A sequel to Bit.Trip Runner, Bit.Trip Runner 2 is an all new game in the series. With completely changed graphics and an all new art style, as well as various gameplay improvements, the second installment in this series appears to be a vast improvement over the first from what we’ve seen. The levels shown were designed in a more interesting way than in the first, with different, more exciting obstacles.
___
Zumba® Fitness Core
The Zumba Fitness core video game is a dancing workout game, with over 40 songs to choose from and over 20 dance styles that you can use to play, you won’t be bored and you’ll be getting some great exercise, at the same time!
___
Jett Tailfin
Jett Tailfin is a racing game, but instead of racing cars you race fish! It’s fairly simple, there’s a boost, powerups, etc, just like most racing games. Except, you’re underwater. Jett Tailfin was originally for Tegra 3 devices but is now coming to the WiiU and Nintendo 3DS.
___
TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 Wii U Edition
Fan of fighting games? Well then, you’ll love what Namco-Bandai has in store for you! Tekken Tag Tournament 2! Not only is it coming to WiiU, but it’ll be on the system with some… interesting additions. Some of these additions include Nintendo character costumes and special game modes (ex Player and enemies getting bigger and smaller due to mushrooms). The WiiU pumps out nice looking textures with a great, smooth framerate which is the perfect sort of thing that you want in a fighting game, a smooth 60fps framerate. Good job, Namco-Bandai.
___
TANK! TANK! TANK!
Yes, TANK! TANK! TANK! is every bit as insane of a game as it sounds, judging by the video I found. The tank you control is insane, the weapons you have are insane, the cartoony graphics style is insane, and the boss monster shown there is also insane. Since they’re clearly demonstrating a multiplayer aspect in the video, we can safely say that multiplayer will be a part of the game, which is fantastic. It looks like it’d be a ton of crazy fun to play with some friends, especially with those ridiculous weapons.
___
Nintendo Land
Nintendo Land looks like what you’d get if you mixed Animal Crossing with a theme park, a sort of laid back, more casual game as is typical of Nintendo, but still quite fun if you’re willing to look past the childish art style that makes the game look more appealing to the average family. It’ll have a bunch of areas, all modeled off of different Nintendo games, which sounds really neat in and of itself.
___
New Super Mario Bros. U
The latest installment in the New Super Mario Bros series, this version is coming to the WiiU. What makes it special? Well for one, the fact that you can play through it with four people co-op seems pretty awesome, plus the tweaked enemies and the totally new levels as shown in the trailer seem absolutely fantastic.
___
NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge
It’s great to see Nintendo finally catering to the more hardcore section of the gaming audience, or shall we call this demographic the “less casual”? Anyway, as I was saying, it’s always good to see that Nintendo is finally acknowledging that a lot of gamers like this sort of thing, so they put this into the launch lineup. This sort of 3D beat-em-up type thing reminds me a bit of the combat system from Batman: Arkham Asylum, in a good way. The combat looks fun and smooth, the graphics look pretty decent and the dialogue is good enough to get a pass. What’s not to like?
___
SiNG PARTY
Like Karaoke? Well then, is this the game for you. SiNG PARTY is quite interesting as a karaoke title, because it actually goes ahead and makes use of the WiiU controller’s screen, the game uses it to display lyrics, which is a stroke of genius. It’ll make it a lot easier for the person singing while also freeing up lots and lots of screen real estate on the bigscreen. They’ve also made it so you compete with your friends/family, not with some AI which is rather nice as well.
___
LEGOCity: Undercover
As the lego video games are, LEGO City: Undercover is a bit more of a casual game than some of the rest in the lineup, but the gameplay actually looks really, really fun. Flying helicopters, being a in police chases, backflipping through the air from point A to point B, it just looks pretty awesome. Oh yeah, and did I mention that they actually created a special UI just for the WiiU controller?
___
Wii Fit U
Now, I’m usually not one who’s into these exercise type games, but I can tell that Wii Fit U does seem to do a great job at making this sort of exercise fun, with their awesome calorie burning minigames. One that looked especially useful was the sledding one, as it would be fun while burning A LOT of calories. And since you can still use the game even on the WiiU controller’s screen without the bigscreen, you can play the game while others are using your television. It’s quite convenient really.
___
Game & Wario
Game and Wario is one of those WarioWare games with tons of minigames packed inside. Not much is really known about this title yet, so your best bet is to watch the video and discern what you can from there. However, one thing that is for sure: This is definitely a spiritual successor to the WarioWare games.
___
Pikmin 3
Pikmin 3 is a crazy looking adventure/strategy game where you lead the Pikmin on some sort of adventure (they haven’t told us what sort just yet). Apparently Pikmin 3 will contain ALL OF the previous Pikmin types, as well as some new types. This game looks absolutely incredible. The beautiful looking world and creatures, coupled with the immense variety with gameplay is quite interesting. If I were you I’d keep my eye on this one, as it may very well be the most interesting game in the launch lineup.
___
The Wonderful 101
The Wonderful 101 is a really, really odd looking action game. I’m not really sure what genre you’d call it, other than action. Although it looks like it has some neat gameplay elements to it, some parts of it are also so ridiculous I hardly even believe that they’re in the trailer. Maybe I’m just not into this sort of game…. whatever sort it is?
___
Aliens: Colonial Marines
A hectic space shooter based on the Alien series of movies? I’ll take it. So far it’s looking pretty good, no glaring flaws from what I’ve seen, other than the fact that it may be a tad too dark in some areas, but I’m sure that’ll be ironed out before release.
___
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
This game looks sort of like Mario Kart, but with Sega characters instead of Nintendo ones. However, it actually seems to fill the role better than Mario Kart does, as its powerups look cooler, its graphics are at that of the WiiU, and there’s a lot more vehicle variations than there are in Mario Kart.
___
Nano Assault Neo
Nano Assault Neo is quite the stunning shooter, and now it’s coming to the WiiU. The graphics in it are pretty high quality, and the score shooter seems like it’d be a lot of fun to play as well. They’ve also gone and used the controller’s screen, which is fantastic to see.
___
WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Hyper
This game looks really, really neat and is definitely taking advantage of the WiiU’s upgraded hardware, the amount of enemies on the screen in a 3D world is virtually unheard of, and yet here they are, doing it on a NINTENDO console, of all places. Getting more and more skillful with the techniques to take down that many enemies would definitely be useful to you, as it appears that there’s quite a lot of them around you at all times.
___
Darksiders II
Darksiders 2 is definitely my most anticipated game in this WiiU launch lineup, as their execution of how well they’ve ported the game from the weaker consoles to the more powerful wiiU is something that could make or break their port. For example, if all they’ve done is a barebones port, it’s probably not worthwhile picking up here, unless you haven’t played it yet. However, if they do something like update the textures or add a special UI for the screen on the controller, it’ll definitely be worth a try.
___
Wheel of Fortune
Just some shovelware, it’s the game Wheel of Fortune, based off of the TV series.
___
JEOPARDY!
Just some more shovelware, it’s the game Jeopardy, based off of the TV series.
___
Toki Tori 2
If you like platformers, then this is the game for you. It’s more of a casual platformer, but that’s also a good thing because kids will be able to play it without too much trouble and unnecessary obscenities. This game’s art style and gameplay are both pretty cute, and I think if you have children this would be a good game to add to the collection.
___
Assassin’s Creed III
Another one of those highly anticipated AAA titles that are in this freakin’ awesome launch lineup, Assassin’s Creed 3 is one of the few that are actually original, and not just ports of games from other systems. This game looks pretty sweet, I especially like how they’ve switched it up to the time period around the American Revolution, as I personally find that to be a pretty neat time in history, and the gameplay behind this game just looks sweet. Oh yeah, and the graphics aren’t half bad either.
___
Just Dance 4
Like dancing games? Well then, you’ll probably want to take a look at this video, as Just Dance 4 is definitely a game that you’ll want to play if you’re a fan of dancing. It also has standalone mode, so even if the TV is occupied you can still dance to your heart’s content.
___
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
Marvel Avengers is a superhero brawler. It features 2o different characters, ones such as Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. Players can use motion gameplay to execute some “explosive” attacks, and play with either friends or AI in many game modes.
___
Rabbids Land
Hm, as soon as I see a Rabbid it makes me nervous, they tend to be just slightly insane…. This installment looks even more hilarious and insane than the last, so definitely keep an eye out for this gem in the collection.
___
Sports Connection
Once again, if you like sports games, you’re in luck: Nintendo’s got a cornucopia of them that’ll be coming out during the WiiU launch period, so you will not be disappointed. This title in general seems to be fairly promising.
___
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013 is leading edge, it’ll help you set and achieve your weight loss goals in an engaging manner. Connect online with friends to compete, which will also provide some motivation to do well.
___
ZombiU
ZombiU is a WiiU exclusive Zombie shooter, as shown in this trailer. Other than that, fairly little information is available about the game so you’ll just have to take what you get from this trailer for now.
___
Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends looks like a pretty awesome platformer. I’m not really sure exactly what it’ll be like just yet, but from what we’ve seen in the trailer it’s looking pretty darn good. Especially some of the more unique gameplay when we’re getting closer to the end of the video, like where it temporarily switches from 2D platforming to a 3D view then when you’re done falling back to a 2D view again, it’s pretty neat and helps the immersion of the game.
___
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Another game that I’m really anticipating for the launch of the WiiU, Scribblenauts Unlimited. I’ve never actually played a Scribblenauts game before, but even just the idea of being able to create just about anything you can imagine, in order to solve the problems that are posed to you is just so awesome. I really hope that this game is as good as I think it’s going to be, because that would be quite a timesink I believe.
___
Game Party Champions
Game Party Champions is, as you can see, a relaxing “party” game that’s full of various minigames that you can play which hopefully will amuse you for a little while. It’s nothing incredible, the graphics are just alright and the gameplay is fine.
___
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
Liked Batman Arkham City and Arkham Asylum? I sure did. Well, what could be better than the games coming to WiiU, with additional content? This release is set to contain all of the content from other releases, a Battle Armoured tech mode and more. I believe it also has some updated graphics, which should make playing it on the WiiU a bit nicer than it is on other consoles.
___
In conclusion, the WiiU has a freakin’ awesome launch lineup, and I do sincerely hope that the games will do the console justice. Most of the games listed here are just great, and some of them are simply alright. I think that it will definitely be worthwhile to preorder a WiiU if that’s what you’re considering, because that way you’re not going to have to deal with shortages, brick and mortar stores being sold out, etc. Oh yeah, and because of the fact that the launch lineup is so massive and full of great games, you’ll have plenty of great stuff to play while you’re waiting for more to come out.
Ready to return to Moscow yet? Of course you are! while we’re all dissapointed to still be waiting for Metro Last Light, that’s no reason to not get excited over a good chunk of gameplay footage. The 13 minute clip can be found below and is from a pre-Alpha version of the game, showing off post apocalyptic Moscow and it’s inhabitants, from both above and below ground. So sit back, relax and don’t get too scared.
Over at GamesIndustry International, former THQ executive Richard Browne has penned a piece castigating the practices of used video game retailers such as GameStop and indicting them for damaging the “the creativity and variety of games available to the consumer” and for “the death of single player gaming.”
Browne’s harangue comes a couple of weeks after Kotaku reported rumors that the PS4 will block owners from playing used games by locking titles to their PSN accounts. He condones such measures as a necessary “Nuclear Option” from Sony and Microsoft to combat the stagnation of new game sales and notes that several developments in modern gaming — including DLC and the ubiquity of multiplayer modes — are the direct result of publishers attempting to stop the “churn” created by used game sales.
“The real cost of used games has been the destruction of the mid-tier publisher and the elimination of many an independent development studio who in the past conducted work in that space. With next generation budgets leaping yet again only the ‘mini-publishers’ – such as Epic, Insomniac, Bungie – can possibly survive externally to an actual publisher. Beneficial to the customer? No,” he wrote.
Browne isn’t the only industry voice speaking out against used games – Frontier Developments founder David Braben was interviewed by Gamasutra last month and made similar comments, saying, “The real problem when you think about it brutally… [is] pre-owned has really killed core games…. I know publishers who have stopped games in development because most shops won’t reorder stock after initial release, because they rely on the churn from the resales.”
It’s worth noting, however, that digital distribution continues to grow in popularity, and many gamers opt for preloading games on Steam the night before a release instead of waiting in line at a retailer. It’s quickly becoming a matter of when, not if, future consoles lack media drives, and we could be only years away from used games being relics of the past.
THQ confirmed over the weekend that a new South Park title is currently in the works and will be developed by Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic 2).
The title, which is said to have RPG elements to it, will be an open world based game where players take control of a silent protagonist who’s main goal is to protect the town of South Park from villains like Satan and most likely Barbra Streisand. According to developers, hundreds of characters from the South Park universe will be making an appearance throughout your journey.
Combat wise, the game will be primarily turn based fighting, where players must time their attacks right to effectively hurt the enemy. Also noted is that South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker wrote the entire script and dialogue for the game. According to them, the game will be more so a satire of traditional RPG games, poking fun of how epic and ridiculous they can be.
According to THQ, the game will be released in the later half of 2012 with the title being available on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. More details are outlined in this month’s issue of Game Informer, which hit stands last week.
When it first arrived on the scene, Saints Row drew a lot of comparisons from players to Grand Theft Auto, but as the series has moved on, Saints Row has managed to segregate itself more and more from these comparisons. Now, the third installment in the series takes the term “outrageous” and drags it into a dark room before beating it with a giant purple sex toy, just for kicks. Check out what everyone has had to say about the action packed madness so far below.
“It feels like the developers had fun, and they wanted you to feel it too. And I promise, you will” – 4.5./5 – Joystiq
“Missions vary wildly, and they’re almost all bombastic, popcorn-movie affairs” – 9/10 – GameInformer
“Remains one of gaming’s best, most enjoyable and most ludicrous playgrounds”- 4/5 – The Telegraph
“Wildly imaginative and frequently entertaining” – 7/10 – CVG
“Screw reality – ridiculous overblown madness like this is exactly why video games are so great” – 9/10 – OXM UK
“There were some issues to be found here and there, but most of these unscripted bits of broken action make the game better and funnier” – 9/10 – Atmoic Gamer
“People find sex and violence entertaining. Saints Row: The Third gives the people what they want” – 8.5/10 – IGN
“With the holiday calendar chock full of titles, Saints Row: The Third stands out as a holiday retreat” – 8.5/10 – GamePlanet
“The fact that it refuses to take itself at all seriously for even a microsecond elevates it way beyond its predecessors” – 4/5 – The Guardian
“Fantastic missions, outrageous weapons, and awesome vehicles make the open-world mayhem of Saints Row: The Third an absolute blast” – 8.5/10 – GameSpot
“An outrageous, outlandish game that refuses to relent with the humour, the satire and the dildos” – 9/10 – Inc Gamers
“An interesting story, varied and over-the-top gameplay, and entertaining weapons helps drive the sandbox genre to new heights” – 9/10 – PSU
“There’s very little in this title that wont satisfy most gamers” – 9/10 – GamingUnion.net
”Its surprisingly clever and thoughtful design ensures that it succeeds” – 8/10 – Video Gamer
“Specifically designed for annihilation junkies, those who can embrace the idea of an infantile playground of seemingly infinite obliterative pleasures” – 4/5 – GiantBomb
“Sometimes after playing I feel like I should go take a shower” – 4/5 – GamePro
“Outrageous and immature, and while it lacks both subtlety and sophistication, it certainly has no shortage of sparkle” – 4/5 – Digital Spy
“Saints Row: The Third’s commitment to unrestricted, ridiculous fun is unflinching, and the product is a city full of glorious slapstick debauchery” – 83/100 – PC Gamer
“A game worthy of your time and appreciation” – 84/100 – X360A
“After playing, you may be asking yourself, GTA-who?” – 8.9 Gaming Irresponsibly
What do you think? Has everyone got it wrong? Does the game go too far? Or is beating people with a four foot dildo, then blowing up their car easily the best way to spend the day? Let us know in the comments.
At the GameFly Fall Preview Event in Los Angeles, Gaming Irresponsibly had the pleasure of going a few rounds with WWE ’12, THQ and Yuke’s Media Creations newest title. After playing around with the demo, we were left with a lackluster experience, and the brief experience we did have left a lot to be desired. The game felt a little clunky and the gameplay was slow and lacked the speed and excitement of live WWE wrestling. Let’s take you through our experience with WWE ’12.
While standing in line. waiting to take a crack at WWE ’12, we watched a great battle that featured the Undertaker. When the match started, we couldn’t help but notice how slow everything went. We figured that it must be the way the players were moving the characters, and didn’t utilize the full landscape of the controls to make fast, exciting movements. Well, we were wrong, cause from the moment our match started, the game was painfully slow.
We began by starting a cage match with one of the few selectable characters that were available on the demo. The actual game will hold a host of stars from both today, and of the past, including The Rock as a pre-order bonus. For our first match, we chose a fan favorite with Rey Mysterio and our opponent chose Alberto del Rio. When the match started, we were greeted with a bevy of unique and personalized entrances, complete with rituals, music and video. The crowds cheered as both fighters entered the ring. The ambiance was great and you felt like a part of the arena as light bulbs flashed and fans screamed. That was about the best the demo had to offer however, because what came next was a slow paced battle between dudes fumbling with controls.
The grappling system seemed easy enough, but when confronted with an attacking enemy, the reaction time of characters seemed to be a little slow to be quick and competitive. Even when running around, the characters seemed to move at a tired pace, and as the match went on, they got even slower due to fatigue and injury. By the end of the match our Rey Mysterio was moving at a snails pace, whilst holding his ribs. It was a matter of time before we were finished and pinned like a rag doll. The game has a ton of improvements to make for it to be as electrifying and exciting as the WWE used to be. We also came across a small glitch while playing that slowed the game down a bit, and made the animations shaky and jumpy. We all know that demos have their bugs, that is why we test them, so we feel confident that any issues arising from that will be handled swiftly by the mega publisher THQ.
It wasn’t all bad though. The arena’s came to life with the amazing entrances, and good graphics, and the sheer amount of characters to choose from is a great reason for fans of the series, or of wrestling, to get pumped about WWE ’12. There are roughly 66 characters to choose from, between current stars, past favorites and Divas. The grappling system was fun and innovative and the different type of matches could increase the longevity for this title. Not to mention the possibility of DLC adding more characters, more modes or venues and such. The game has huge potential, but with the speed being as slow as it was on the demo, we don’t see how this game could catapult itself into the upper echelon of sports/entertainment games.
Overall, we had some fun with the WWE ’12 demo, but not enough to get all too excited about this release. Maybe with some more hands on time, and with more modes and characters, we may be swayed otherwise, but the controls and the speed killed it for us at the GameFly Fall Preview Event.
-Error reading from ESRB datastream- Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.
For this review, I just wanted to say that it’s not often that I get to sit down and experience what the industry has to offer in terms of third-person shooters. They’re surprisingly scarce, and as Gears of War still holds the crown, a lot of the promising development work is being left in the dark.
Red Faction has been around for a while. Originally released on the Playstation 2, it’s seen many a sequel, staying just underneath the radar for great action titles. Their latest installment, Red Faction: Armageddon, assumes the chronology of the previous titles and continues the Bradburian tragedy of Mars’s downfall.
Darius Mason is the smart-talking, Mr. Fixit tasked with saving the miners and settlers of Mars. The prologue details the destruction of an atmospheric generator at the hands of a group of cultists. Mason of course is tasked with eliminating the head cultist, but instead is tricked and the atmospheric generator goes boom. Darius then leaves the military group, Red Faction, and becomes a sassy jaded excavator.
The main body of the storyline takes place when these cultists trick him yet again (Seriously? Aren’t you supposed to gain wisdom through experience?) and unleash the Plague, a massive swarm of bugs that moves its way through the chasms and caverns of Mars. My goodness, are there bugs. There are so many bugs. While the linearly-designed levels were always amusing, the sheer amount of carnage you had to squash your way through began to get tiresome.
Behold the Nano Forge.
Fortunately, there are quite a few abilities and weapons to keep things varied. You’re also equipped with a portable AI, Sam, who comes with a Nano Forge. What is a Nano Forge, you ask? It basically reconstructs atoms. Yes, the implications of this are staggeringly vast—any non-organic object destroyed can be reconstructed with a press of a mouse button. With RPG-like leveling elements throughout the game, enabled through the collection of scrap metal, you can upgrade your Nano Forge abilities to give the game some serious flair. The other weapons can be equally absurd, but still impressive—late game I was provided with a Singularity Gun. With it, I could fire a small black hole at my enemies. I’m not even going to ask how it didn’t suck in everything around it for light years–THQ gets mad props for creating weaponry that defies all the natural laws of physics. However, the beauty of the game though doesn’t lie in these portable WMDs you’re provided. It lies within the Maul: Darius’s gigantic mining hammer. I’ll explain why in a bit.
The standard level has you face at least fifteen swarms of bugs. While the enemies are not particularly challenging, you can’t just shoot randomly and run all over the place. A good portion of the time you are anchored to one particular spot, trying to shoot down the bugs that are jumping wall to wall. I need to be clear here. The bugs are blindingly fast when they jump. It’s a good way to waste ammo if you try to tag one that’s moving through the air. Eventually, you get fed up. Unless you have the patience of an enlightened Buddhist Monk, you will get fed up with it. It’s just a reality. While anchored, there’s probably a good chance that you will die as well. So what do you do? You hoist the hammer.
Some of the most beautiful and eye-moistening moments of the game were when I could use both Maul and Nano Forge to destructive and creative strengths. The Maul is absurdly over-powered, killing anything it touches with one hit. The Nano Forge, on the other hand, can repair cover, or even throw a shield of cover around you. It was the most satisfying feeling in the world to take out each of the support structures from a building with my Maul, reflecting fire with my Nano Forge shielding, and have the building collapse in a chaotic heap of rubble, crushing my enemies from the inside.
The game clocks in at just over nine hours on normal difficulty, and I spent almost all of it smashing away. I’m sure that this isn’t how the developers intended it to be played, but…it was just that much cooler that way. Don’t get me wrong, I relied on the assault rifle and other weapons when I needed to be more strategic about my approach, but the Maul was my buddy through-and-through.
Bastards are everywhere.
The game even occasionally takes the time to place Mason in an outfitted mech or crawler of sorts, allowing you to rampage through pretty much anything in your path. It’s a fun, lighthearted way to play exterminator for the sculpted landscapes of Mars. This is important, because the landscapes have the tendency to get a little dull. I mean, logically…you play this game on the surface of Mars. You’re going to see lots of red, and lots of brown. So I suppose, in a sense, the graphics and visuals are true to their Muse. Cut scenes and in-game graphics are soundly rendered, but they’re by no means awe-inspiring.
I digress. Graphically, the game runs satisfactorily. In terms of audio, it’s by no means award-winning, but the monsters sound scary enough, and the insect noises are sufficiently gurgly and squelchy. The voice acting had a good sense of personality to it, but perhaps it stood at odds with the serious nature of the game. There were too many one liners for my taste.
The saddest part of this game was that the multiplayer was limited. The game includes an Infestation mode, which is essentially a four-player survival game type. It’s practical considering the overall style of play, so I can’t say anything too negatively about it. Volition Inc clearly decided it would be a single player experience, and I commend them for that. There are not many games out there that still rely on storytelling as a selling point. For what it’s worth, though, they showed some amazing innovations for the TPS genre. The idea of the Nano Forge, while perhaps contextually exaggerated, has the potential to be a game changer for years to come. I for one am glad that Volition and THQ showed the initiative on this one.
For a solid gameplay experience, with some amusing and fascinating variety added in, I give Red Faction: Armageddon an 8.7/10.
