Rock the Vote

It be Friday, and like clockwork Epic Games Store has revealed the next titles that it will be offering up to all of its users gratis in the coming week �This time around it's looking like you'll need a real appetite for destruction, with the arrival of Deep Silver's Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Daedalic's Wildcat Gun Machine.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1CvOVmc-KY

Released in 2020, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is the ultimate edition of Volition's over-the-top 2013 open-world crime sim. Essentially the very peak of Saints Row's 'no rules' design philosophies, the fourth mainline edition of the increasingly eccentric franchise took the chaos to the point where it could go no further. Now essentially the rulers of the United States, the player controls protagonist The Boss (n??ow President) as they defend the Earth �essentially their own gang territory �from the ruthless intergalactic menace known as The Zin.

Re-Elected includes the initial release of Saints Row IV, alongside all previous expansion packs and additional DLC content. Given that the franchise had reached something of a dead-end with this release, Saints Row was rebooted earlier this year with the more down-to-earth, "Gen-Z-oriented" Saints Row, which launched to an incredibly divisive recep?tion from both critics and fans.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO3Zzna0DX0

Developed by Australian indie outfit Chunkybox Games, Wildcat Gun Machine is a frenetic twin-stick shooter that launch?ed in May of this year. Combining dungeon crawling-action with the challenge of a bullet-hell shmup, players guide a gun-toting badass as they barrel their way through a plethora of grim chambers, taking down battalions of enemies and grossly des??igned boss characters.

Wildcat Gun Machine offers up 40 unique weapons, from standard rifles and explosive launchers to laser guns and even mighty mech units, as well as a variety of skill-based power-ups to throw a little more favor into our hero's hands. Since its release, WGM has received a mixed reception from players, who enjoy the aesthetics and the cha?llenge offered, but have also criticized the lack of both any form of?? narrative and a compelling gameplay "hook".

Saints Row IV Re-Elected and Wildcat Gun Machine will be available to download from Epic Games Store on December 8. Until then, users can still bag current freebies Fort Triumph and RPG In A Box.

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Saints Row IV: Re-Elected

Originally, Saints Row started as an alternative to the Grand Theft Auto series, but evolved into something much more. The sequel juiced u??p the comedy factor, and by the time the third game rolled around we were officially in parody ?territory: the fourth entry just threw any pretense of sanity out the window.

That very game is actually coming to Switch next month in the form of the "Re-Elected" edition. Deep Silver has confirmed today that Saints Row IV will arrive on Switch on March 27, 2020, and you can pre-order it and its "25 pieces of DLC" ("pieces of DLC," that's such an early 2010s phrase!) now, which will run you $40. Re-Elected is roughly $15-20 on other platforms (PSN, PC), and is currently on sale for Xbox One for $5. Saints Row IV also hosted another separate s?tandalone release called "Gat Out of Hell,??" which served as an epilogue.

In case you missed it when it was released back in 2013, the gist is that you play as the President of the United States, who is tasked with fighting back and alien invasion. Oh, and you're a super hero and you can wield a weapon that makes people dance. It's weird, but endearingly weir?d, and light on cringe. I recommend it.

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Steam Workshop is in effect

Saints Row IV is a wacky game as is. Each entry in the series pushed the absurdity further, and in this one, you are a gang boss turned democratically-elected President of the United States that fends off aliens using superpowers because why the hell not? Now imagine that baseline, but with mods.

Deep Silver Volition has added Steam Workshop support to the Windows version of Saints Row IV, and also pushed the price down to a mere $3.74 in a sale that lasts until November 29, 2016.

"A handful of dedicated Volition devs worked on this in their free time to update the engine and remove memory restrictions, as well as finding a way for individual mods to interact and work correctly with each other without the need for running special tools," reads the announcement. "It was all a labor of love for our fans, and we're i?ncredibly excited to see the crazy content you come up with!"

The Workshop page is fairly barren at the moment, but it'll come along.

Saints Row IV [Steam Workshop]

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Sure, I'll add more to my backlog

This week, popular digital retailer Green Man Gaming launched a Deep Silver Sale. The sale was OK, but nothing exciting (else we'd have mentioned it earlier). Things changed today as most of the titles listed below got a savings bump from 50% off to ??75% off.

This means lowest historic price on Metro Redux Bundle ($7.70), Saints Row Ultimate Franchise Pack ($8.47), and other series bundles such as Risen, Sacred, and Dead Island. Previous Xbox One timed exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome also hit a new low price of $10.40.

All excellent titles to grab to bulk up your backlog, which is obviously ?on the thin side these days due to the lack of sales event. FYI: Everything listed below is a Steam key so I'm not sure why we're doing the whole (Steam) label thingie.

23% Off Code to Use: 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING

Metro Series

• Metro Redux Bundle (Steam) — $7.70 (list price $50)
• Metro Last Light Redux (Steam) — $4.81 (list price $25)
• Metro 2033 Redux (Steam) — $4.81 (list price $25)

Saints Row

• Saints Row Ultimate Franchise Pack (Steam) — $8.47 (list price $55)
• Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (Steam) — $7.70 (list price $20)
• Saints Row IV - Game of the Century Edition (Steam) — $5.78 (list price $30)
• Saints Row: The Third The Full Package (Steam) — $3.85 (list price $20)
• Saints Row The Third (Steam) — $2.89 (list price $15)
• Saints Row 2 (Steam) — $1.93 (list price $10)

Risen

• Risen 3: Titan Lords Complete Edition (Steam) — $9.63 (list price $40)
• Risen 3: Titan Lords (Steam) — $9.63 (list price $30)
• Risen 2: Dark Waters Gold Edition (Steam) — $7.70 (list price $30)
• Risen Franchise Pack (Steam) — $6.16 (list price $70)
• Risen (Steam) — $1.93 (list price $10)

Sacred

• Sacred Franchise Pack (Steam) — $9.63 (list price $50)
• Sacred 3 Gold (Steam) — $5.78 (list price $30)
• Sacred 3 (Steam) — $4.85 (list price $20)
• Sacred 2: Gold Edition (Steam) — $3.85 (list price $15)
• Sacred Citadel Complete (Steam) — $3.85 (list price $10)

Dead Island

• Dead Island Franchise Pack (Steam) — $4.62 (list price $30)
• Dead Island Riptide Complete Edition (Steam) — $3.85 (list price $20)
• Dead Island GOTY Edition (Steam) — $3.85 (list price $20)

More Deep Silver Deals

• Ryse: Son of Rome (Steam) — $10.40 (list price $30)
• Emergency 5 Digital Deluxe Edition (Steam) — $9.63 (list price $50)
• Iron Front: Liberation 1944 Gold Edition (Steam) — $5.78 (list price $30)
• Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition (Steam) — $3.08 (list price $20)
• Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters 2015 (Steam) — $1.93 (list price $10)
• Lost Horizon (Steam) — $1.93 (list price $10)
• Narco Terror (Steam) — $1.93 (list price $10)

Deals expire Friday morning Oct 9th. Sales help support Destructoid.

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This weekend only

Saint's Row IV and Civilization: Beyond Earth are both free to play on Steam this weekend. Both are good to go until Sunday, 1PM PST. Try 'em. If you like 'em, both are on sale over the weekend, too. $5 for Saint's Row IV (just ahead of the standalone Gat out of Hell expansion), $30 for Beyond Earth. 

Both are good weekend games. Saint's Row because you can just romp around in the sandbox for a bit, Beyond Earth because it won't be able to suck hundreds of hours fr??o??m you (unless you end up buying it). 

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Also, Saints Row IV for PS4 and Xbox One

At its PAX panel, Volition announced a new Saints Row, a standalone expansion of Saints Row IV called Gat Out of Hell (PC, PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One). It has you travelling to Hell, is half the size of Steelport, and features two player co-op and biblical weapons (loc??ust gun, etc). It'll run you $20 an??d is releasing January 27, 2015. 

Volition also announced a PS4 and Xbox One port of Saints Row IV called Saints Row IV: Re-elected, which will include all of the DLC u?p to that point. It will also be released January 27, 2015 and is priced at a moderate $30. 

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Saints Row IV National Treasure Edition collects all the DLC in one package

Well just like Saints Row: The Third, Deep Silver is re-releasing Saints Row IV and including all 29 downloadable?? content packs. Really? 29 godd??amn pieces of DLC? Ugh.

Gross, but now's as good as time as ever to buy Saints Row IV simply for the game itself. It was a blast when it originally came out, and it's totally un-American if you haven't played it yet. And at the very least, you get both the Enter the Dominatrix and How the Saints Saved Christmas story add-ons with this National Treasure Edition collection. They were both?? very good in their own right.

The whole collection will run $29.99 when it's released on July 8. As for everything else that's included, it's just cl??othes and weapons ?that I can't believe people originally paid for. Like, seriously?

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Santa on a rampage

The previously announced holiday add-on content for Saints Row IV, How the Saints Save Christmas, has been released along with this delightful trailer which explains the premise. Simply put, Santa Claus is apparently some kind of horrific monstrosity who plans to put all of the universe on the naughty list and only the Saints can stop? him.

For my money, the best "evil Santa" in entertainment is the one found in Futurama, but I'm open to the possibility of that interpretation being unseated.?? Those antlers?? are pretty horrifying.

The post How the Saints Save Christmas out today appeared first on Destructoid.

Ash's consolation for not being allowed to motorboat Nolan North

Anthony and Ashly Burch have come a long way from their humble beginnings as creators of a weird Internet show to where they are now (creators of a marginally popular weird Internet show, among other things). Now they can add one more thing to their résumés: they have been added as downloadable homies in Saints Row IV with the Hey Ash Whatcha Playin Pack.

In additio??n to the Burch siblings, the true star of the show is included: Papa Burch. He sports the "Would You Kindry?" shirt featuring Ash's face, while Ash wears the Papa Burch shirt. Anthony is wearing his signature jacket and tie, though it looks to me that Volition has taken some liberties with his character model's broadness. We can't have scrawny homies, apparently.

The Hey Ash Whatcha Playin Pack is available now on Steam, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

The post Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’ cast comes to Saints Row IV appeared first on Destructoid.

Volition is holiding a Christmas carol contest

Above all else, I dig the spot-on name for Saints Row IV's upcoming DLC. How the Saints Save Christmas promises to be "a holiday classic for the whole family" (riiight) when it arrives on December 11 for $6.99, or as a free down??load for season pass holders. Santa is in the simulation with the Third Street Saints, and is that Sam the Snowman I see? Perfect.

Volition and Deep Silver have a pair of promotional events happening right now that might overshadow the actual DLC. The first is a submission form where fans can suggest ideas for how the naughty staff at Volition?? can get back on to Santa's nice list, and they'll perform these suggestions on camera. I'm afraid to think of what the internet at large?? will come up with. There's also a sing-a-long contest that I'm hoping some of you will participate in. Do us proud!

The post How the ??Saints Save Christmas is the next Saint??s Row DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Kinky

We thought Saints Row: The Third expansion En??ter the Dominatrix was some silly, horny internet thing. But it's real, and it's out today on the ??PS??N, XBLA and Steam, priced at $6.99. If you've got a season pass, well, it's free. 

This is unfinished content from Volition dirty little vault, now revived and tweaked for your whipping pleasure in Saints Row IV. New missions, weapons, sex workers -- ev?erything you... uh, need.

You like leather,?? right? *looks around* I do too?. 

The post Get ready to spank: Saints Row IV: Enter The?? Dominatrix appeared first on Destructoid.

First look at the DLC

Enter the Dominatrix was originally going to be an expansion for Saints Row: The Third, but it's since been reworked as DLC for Saints Row IV. And, now, we have?? a release date: October 22, 2013. If you've got a season pass, it's included -- otherwise you're looking ??at $6.99.

The DLC is an alternate storyline where the Saints are put in a simulation world run by an AI called the Dominatrix. Here's where I let the official description work its magic: "In order to thwart her nefarious schemes and escape t??o the real world, the Saints will have to counter her army of gimps and sex-workers, shut down her demented simulation, and? make unlikely allies along the way."

You can imagine what that might look like, but there's no need! Volition has screenshots of Enter the Dominatrix and they're about what you'd expect from the studio. I've been looking for an extra push to get back into Saints Row IV and finish it -- this'll do.

The post Saints Row IV’s Enter the Dominatrix lives up to its name appeared first on Destructoid.

Imagine that! Dress like Johnny Gat

Saints Row IV came, saw, and conquered critics alike as well as the charts, and now you can pick up a free bit of content if you're rolling with the Steam version. For today only on the PC, you can pick up the Gat V Pack for free, which lets you dress up as Johnny Gat and Aisha, in additio??n to granting you the .50 heavy machine gun and a combat knife launcher.

More micro-DLC is also launching in the form of the Wild West Pack. Both packs are available for $2.99, including Gat V when it reverts to its regular price. If you just picked up Saints Row IV, feel free to peruse some starter tips.

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Someone's going to make this about GTA V, aren't they?

In its first week of being available at retail, Saints Row IV has sold more than one million copies. Sold, not shipped. According to publisher Deep Silver, the PC version of the game tripled the first-week sales of its predecessor Saints Row: The Third.

I'm not terribly far into IV yet -- far enough to have collected hun?dreds upon hundreds of those damn orbs and access to most of the powers -- but I'm loving it. This is exactly what I want out of my open-world games, and the success is deserved. That said, I'm both curious and anxious to see how Voli?tion will ultimately follow up with the next game.

Where do you go from here?

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Tenta-cool!

Sure, the Saints Row: The Third dildo bat was cool. However, today is the day of the tentacle. Saints Row IV, in i?ts self-one-upmanship, needed to raise the ante and thus the tentacle bat was born. What's more, a team of special effects wizards went and built the thing in real life.

It kind of reminds me of when Mike Rowe built a fiberglass shark on Discovery's Dirty Jobs. It's actually pretty neat to see how this got made, and the final product undoubtedly tr??ounces th??e promotional dildo bat that made its way to various outlets. It even has lights. It's tenta-cool. Though had they kept it purple, the hints of Ultros would be overwhelming. 

Are you team tentacle bat or team dildo bat? Or is there a better weapon to use in Saints Row IV while you scream th?e lyrics to Biz Markie's "Just ?a Friend" at the top of your lungs?

The post Saints Row IV’s tentacle bat got built in real life appeared first on Destructoid.

And I don't wanna miss a thing!

[Ed. note: Bumping our review from last week, as the game is available in stores today.]

When I finished Saints Row: The Third in 2011, I left the experience feeling somewhat sad. It was a good game, but it felt shallo??w, held back, and ultimately a little disappointing. 

When I finished Saints Row IV in 2013, I left the experience feeling incredibly sad. This time, however, it was for very different reasons. I was genuinely depressed to see the credits roll, because Saints Row IV, in contrast to its predecessor, had given me so much to fall in love with, reaching its conclusion could only ever end in disappointment. 

It is with a bittersweet heart, then, that I declare Saints Row IV perhaps one of the best ope?n world sandbox games you could ever hope to play, and practically a culmination of everything the genre's worked toward this generation. 

Is that an exaggerated, hyperbolic, perhaps even pompous statement? Maybe so ... but does a series like Saints Row deserve anything less?

Saints Row IV (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Developer: Volition
Publisher: Deep Silver
Released: August 20, 2013 (NA), August 23, 2013 (EU)
MSRP: $59.99

I was laughing out loud with actual noises emanating from my mouth within the first ten minutes of Saints Row IV, and the laughter rarely eased up for the rest of the adventure. Comedy in videogames is a tough nut to crack, but the loving parody, hyper-violent slapstick, and sheer audacity of Volition's latest makes it look effortless. Not only that, it tells an engrossing and surprisingly coherent story on ?top of all the silli??ness. 

In a plot that proudly steals from The Matrix, They Live, and a bevy of other pop culture fixtures, Earth finds itself under attack by aliens, because of course it does. Though much has been made of The Saints taking the American Presidency, there's no actual time to enjoy running the country, as the Zin Empire kidnaps most of the cabinet and places our antihero -- the puckish rogue kn??own predominantly as The Boss -- into a virtual reality design?ed and ruled by the deliciously affable Emperor Zinyak.

The Boss must break free of the simulation, rescue his or her crew from their own virtual Hells, and eventually strike back at the Zin. Full of constant surprises, gameplay switches that subvert expectations, and some cracking one-liners, Saints Row IV brings back the kind of satisfyingly deranged narrative that made Saints Row II so wonderful. Unlike The Third, there's a sense of pacing, structu?re, and conclusion that offsets the overall wackiness. It is aberration tempered with intelligence, something the series needed to return to.

Without that crucial sense of chaotic organization, the sheer level of ridiculousness in IV would risk running out of control. Placing players in a virtual Steelport has given Volition the excuse to truly push the boat out this time, leaning on the Matrix references to turn the Boss from hardy sociopath to full-on superhero. Enjoying a range of fresh powers drip-fed by story missions, the Boss gains access to super sprinting, super jumping, freeze blasts, fireballs, and more, with ideas liberally reaped from games such as Crackdown, inFAMOUS and Prototype. 

Rather than simply rip off other games, however, Volition has carefully cherry-picked and refined the very best ideas from the leading sandbox games on the market -- the criminal freedom of Grand Theft Auto, the wall-running and super speed of Prototype, the energetic powers of inFAMOUS, the explorative collection quests of Crackdown, and Saints Row's characteristic nonsense have been beautif??ully distilled and mixed to create the ultimate tribute to everything open world games have been this generation. 

Of course, Volition's not just lifted ideas from other games. A range of new abilities and weapons are on offer, from a ground stomp that shrinks surro?unding people, to a gun that fires black holes, and the power to call down al??ien abduction beams from the sky, there's a ton of demented toys to play with. Telekinesis, mind control, a dubstep gun, giant mech suits, freeze blasts, electrified bullets, inflato-rays -- suffice it to say, there's a ton to use, and almost all of it can be upgraded and augmented. 

As well the main story missions, all of which are fantastically varied and regularly make affectionate fun of other videogames and genres, each member of the Saints has specialized Loyalty missions, there are loads of activities and collectibles to find, and a whole host of extra challenges. New activities ??include a riff on the old Fight Club challenges (this time using super powers), Genki Bowl (in which you throw people, cars, and Genki items through floating rings), and special races through the simulation's virtual systems. Of course, classics like Insurance Fraud and vehicle thefts have been retained. 

There are no rival gangs to fight with for control of the city, but the Zin influence over Virtual Steelport is there to be undermined by disrupting the system in various ways. Flashpoints can be cleared of alien guards, Zin towers can?? be climbed and conquered, Viruses can be injected by enduring wave-based enemy assaults, and stores can be hacked for access and extra money (drolly referred to as "Cache" in this particular game). 

Describing everything you can do in detail would take forever and more words than most of you are prepared to read, but suffice it to say that while The Third felt a little shortchanged, IV lavishes content upon the player with wanton abandon. More importantly, it provid??es this content in stages, with a fantastic sense of build that keeps the player consistently invested and eager to discover the next wonderful toy. It doesn't simply start at the extreme end of "balls out" with nowhere further to go. 

The game admittedly does begin with explosions and silliness, but by focusing on variety rather than simply scale, IV doesn't suffer from trying to continually top its own ludicrousness. The result is a game that's confident in itself, that doesn't seem like it's desperately trying to live up to its reputatio??n as a "crazy" experience. It is a ga?me that, despite being about aliens and superpowered virtual realities, sticks to a certain twisted sensibility, and ultimately is a better game for it. 

Many of the story missions take place outside of the Steelport simulation, allowing Volition to experiment with fresh types of gameplay and a linear structure that provides a better environment for storytelling and humor. You'll get to engage in a funny Metal Gear Solid pastiche, bring ruin to a 1950s paradise, and even get some beat 'em action going on. Saints Row IV plays many differe?nt tunes, and it plays them all with a shocking le?vel of competence. 

Everything feels so much more dense this time around, and the cocktail of activities means things never feel too repetitive, even when ?performing the same activities. Rewards for completing sidequests and obtaining collectibles are generally excellent and worthy of the effort, meaning it can be hours of enthralling distraction before one even gets to the first main story mission. 

Saints Row IV addresses many of my gripes with The Third, but a few lingering niggles remain in the woodwork. I still miss the pure villainy of the Boss as found in Saints Row II, since players continue taking on the role of a less morally corrupt antihero. The old gang dynamic has been totally discarded, and while the Zin make for interesting opponents, they lack the variety seen with such enemies as The Brotherhood and Ronin. A new annoying enemy type also puts in an appearance -- shielded Wardens, which need to be blasted with a superpower before they take bullet ??damage, and they hop and jump everywhere for maximum irritation. 

These really are minor gripes in the face of all that IV ??gets right, however. While we'll never get the old Boss back, Emperor Zinyak is truly delightful as the Saints' new foil (just wait until he sings). Though the Zin are rather uniform?? in appearance, story missions often take players to entirely different worlds and even finds an excuse to resurrect some of the old Steelport and Stilwater gangs (albeit temporarily). While the Wardens are a pain in the ass, at least they don't appear frequently. 

Despite returning to a replica of Steelport, the new aesthetic makes it feel like a totally new environment. Walls shimmer and pedestrians glitch out, the sky is an oppressive red in Zinyak territory and a calming blue in a Saint-controlled hood. Signs urging citizens to OBEY are littered throughout the city in a nod to that oh-so classic Roddy Piper movie. Sometimes the shimmering feels a little too mu?ch, but overall the game does a damn fine job of making Steelport feel fresher than it is, especially now that you can leap and glide from its digital rooftops. The new weapons all look and sound wonderful when in use, with some lo??vely explosive effects. 

The game's soundtrack really hits the mark, though. Vehicles are practically useless this time around, so the radio can be played at all times, meaning Stan Bush's "The Touch" is liable to play wherever you go, making even the tiniest of actions f?eel like the most badass and celebratory of achievements. Some absolute belters are included on the radio stations this time around -- from Haddaway, to Thin Lizzy, to Aerosmith. Sometimes the game takes over the music for its own purposes, and does so to tremendous effect. Volition's exploitation of pop culture for cheap (but effective) laughs is bloody masterful. 

IV's voice talent is?? just as good, too. All the voice actors for the Boss put in a solid performance (especially the obligatory "cockney" one), while the likes of Matt Miller, Shaundi, Kinzie, Pierce, and Jonny Gat are as amusing and pleasant as ever. J.B Blanc, however, smoothly steals the show as the suave Zinyak -- both charming and completely deserving of a vicious comeuppance. 

Saints Row IV is, from start to finish, a pleasure. It's a pure pleasure to play. I was cynical, given my feeling let down by The Third, but Volition has worked hard to address almost everything wrong with its last outing, and provide something that delivers over and above expectations. What I love most about IV is how it puts the player first -- absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more con?venient to enjoy, and more fun to play. 

??And this is why I felt sad when the f??inal credits rolled ... 

Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream will never do,
I'd still miss you babe,
And I don't want to miss a thing.

Don't want to close my eyes,
I don't want to fall asleep,
And I don't want to miss a thing.

The post Review: Saints Row IV appeared first on Destructoid.

Zap the Zin Empire

Saints Row IV is the wackiest game yet. Just when you thought hitting people with giant dildo bats was crazy, how about smacking? aliens with giant dildo bats while running 100 miles per hour, leaping 100 feet in the air -- as the President of the United States!

Yep, Saints Row IV features super powers, and a giant, sprawling city to play around in. With great super powers comes great responsibility??, so read on for some tips to help quell the Zin menace.

Basic Tips:

• Level up jumping powers first. They pay dividends as you're more easily able to trounce around and unlock more cores.

• If you're frustrated by climbing up buildings, eventually you'll unlock the ability to wall-run, similar to Alex Mercer from Prototype -- just keep leveling up until you earn the right to purchase it.

• You can "pre-load" super-jumps in the air by holding down the jump button, then letting go once you hit the ground.

• Traversing across vertical terrain is easy if you have the glide ability. Hold down the glide button (LB or L1), then let go when you're near a building, pre-load a super-jump, and repeat.

• When you're fighting Wardens, patience is key. Switch to the fireball ability, and wait until the Warden is done jumping around before you blast his shield. Otherwise, he'll just jump around again and re-cast his shield before you can get a chance to do any real damage. If you're looking to make short work of them, save up ~30,000 cache (money) for the rocket launcher as soon as possible.

• When choosing what powers to wield, use fire on vehicles, and ice on units. Remember to double-tab the direction pad to switch.

• If you're in a jam, sprinting in circles and using the sprinting attack can make for a quick instant kill. You can use this multiple times in succession.

• Complete all of the crewmate activity missions (not the loyalty ones, but the ones where the game gives you mixed objectives). The rewards are fantastic. [Jim Sterling]

• If you find yourself in a troubling firefight, try and pick off enemies one by one behind cover. Super sprint into the health, rinse, and repeat. Of course, grabbing the "less damage while sprinting" and "vacuum up health" upgrades will help considerably.

• Don't forget that you can turn on the radio at any time, even if you're not in a vehicle. Press the B button (Circle) to bring up the menu, and change the radio station with LB and RB (L1 and R1).

• You may not even notice it, but when you're not using ammo, a tiny white circle appears on the screen. Use this to aim your projectile powers, and more importantly, aim your jumps when looking down at the ground.

• It's really easy to forget about your power dive ability that you'll earn a few hours into the campaign. Press the aim button (LT or L2) in the air to hover, aim the cursor, then press the attack button (RT or R2) to do a Superman-esque dive into a group of enemies. You can do this often -- all it costs is stamina.

• If you really want the Dubstep Gun, you'll earn it towards the end of the campaign anyways, at which point you can just equip it from your armory.

• Don't forget that you can access the "phone" menu by pressing the Back button (Select), and call your crew for help (it's the lower left option). I kept forgetting this because it's so hidden, but it's very useful.

• If you're having trouble during missions involving constantly spawning enemies via portals, the best course of action is to head to a nearby building, and shoot the portals from afar. Otherwise, you risk getting constantly hit, and by the time you get your bearings, more portals will spawn. Without spoiling anything, this works very well in the final fight.

The post Very quick tips for Saints Row IV appeared first on Destructoid.

I hate pants too

Not much longer now! Saints Row IV is almost? out and it's a pr??etty amazing game. Seriously, check out our review.

The wait can be painful, so here's a new trailer ?for the game giving us a behind-the-scenes look at some of the voice actors. There's Troy Baker, Terry Crews, Daniel Dae Kim, and Laura Bailey just to name a few. Also you get a quick look at the te?ntacle bat. It doesn't talk, which seems kind of like a missed opportunity here.

The post Meet the voices behind Saints Row IV appeared first on Destructoid.

Then anal probe the alien ass

"We're definitely turning the tables on the aliens. For all the misery they've inflicted on the human race, being able to use the alien probe on them seems only just." -- Jim Boone, senior producer on Saints Row IV.

Quote of the year, ladies and g??entlemen. Quote of the year.

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The Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition, because of course

The best version of Saints Row IV will also be far and away the most expensive one. We're not talking a couple hundred dollars for some figurines. No, the Super Dangero?us Wad Wad Edition will run a cool one million dollars, and is only for the adventurous at heart.

The extravagantly priced bundle comes with, among other things, a space flight, a hostage rescue experience, plastic surgery, a day of spy training, seven days in both Dubai and Washington D.C., and a Lamborghini Gallardo. Oh yeah, it comes with a copy of Saints Row IV, too.

There's only one of these bad boys available, so prospective buyers have the assurance that this is the most limited edition of the game on the market. They also have the assurance that the game itself will definitely be the most boring and u?nexciting part of their videogame purchase.

Saints Row IV Super D??angerous Wad Wad Edition Prod?uct Details [Game Retail Limited]

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It's a pansexual paradise!

It is with no small amount of delight that I bring you a new episode of Now Bloody Playing -- featuring an early look at the world of Saints Row IV. In this video, I walk you through all the teased "Romance Options" found in the game. It's like Mass Effect, but with more fun-making.

It's a neat tip of the hat to BioWare games and the sometimes cynical way in which "??romance" is set up, and it also lets you pretty much bang whoever you w?ant. That is always a plus. 

Enjoy, but of course be aware that it's a little bit spoi??lerish. 

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Import them once the game launches

The Inauguration Station for Saints Row IV is out now on Steam and Xbox 360 with a PlayStation Network release set for Tuesday, August 13 (or tomorrow, if you're in the UK). This is the game's standalone character creator, which lets you build your own custom president now and import them into the full game. You can even download your Saints Row: The Third chara??cter. My metalli??c samurai man is going to the White House!

Love when they do this. I appreciate character customization, but at the same time there's this balance you have to strike between getting all of the facial features just right and actually playing the game you've been dying to get your hands on for months if not years.

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'A love song to the fans'

The crew over at Volition have put together the first entry of a Saints Row IV developer diary series, which should give you a pretty good look at what the game is all about (hint: superhero wackiness). A few of the participants also briefly go over the history of the Saints Row series starting from the very first game, including how fans have influenced the ??newest entry.

You'll see plenty of Saints Row-relate??d info coming soon, so stay tu?ned for Jim Sterling's full view in a few weeks, in addition to a launch-day tips guide by yours truly!

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And you won't become drug addicts

After a ridiculous amount of faffing about, Saints Row IV has finally been deemed appropriate for adults to buy. Until now, Australian men and women were co??nsidered responsible enough to get jobs, buy homes, and get married, but not responsible enough to play an over-the-top video game.

The offending feature in Saints Row IV was one particular mission, where The Boss uses alien drugs to acquire superpowers. Like a good nanny state, the Australian powers that be rightly assumed that such a feature would lead to cou?ntless grown men and women taking t??o the streets in an effort to score fictional drugs and develop fictional abilities. The damage would have been impossible to measure.

Deep Silver has revealed that this mission has been cut from the game, removing about 20 minutes of gameplay. It will not, the publisher assures Australian consumers, impact the story or change any of the gameplay. Now Austr?alian gamers will be able to enjoy the digital mayhem and murder without the constant looming threat of being pressured into taking made-up drugs. It's another victory in mankind's never-ending battle against extra-terrestrial narcotics. 

Slightly modified edition ??of Saints Row IV rated ??MA15+ in Australia [All Games Beta]

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My Aussie buddies still can't catch a break

I thought this all got fixed but apparently Australia's ratings board still ?has decided?? to refuse classification for Saints Row IV for the second time. A conveining of a Review Board found that the original ruling by the? Classification board from June was correct and that the upcoming title from Volition would still be refu?sed classification.

Shortly after the announcement, a "low-violence" version of Saints Row IV was uncovered on Steam which points to Volition making a different version that would have a better chance of getting through Australia's rating system. It's been a similar situation with games like Left 4 Dead 2 in the past but let's be honest, the violence is Saints Row is cartoonish, silly, and over the top; I have a hard time seeing lots o??f dildo bat copycat crimes engulfing Australia.

Still, a lower violence version may see the game come to Aussie shores which is better than nothing, I suppose. You know what would make things better? If ther??e was some online service, say Steam or so?mething like that, where you could "gift" an Australian a copy of a game not available in their own country. Maybe said Australian could gift their international buddy a game of the same value as thanks. Hmmmm.....

Saints Row?? IV refused classification in? Australia... again [All Games Beta]

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I mean, seriously -- just look at this thing!

There sure have been some stupid collector's editions, but this one takes the cake -- and I mean that as the sincerest of compliments. It's Saints Row, after all. You k??ind of just have to roll with it.

Deep Silver and Volition are producing 5,000 copies of Saints Row IV Game of the Generation Edition, a package which includes a light-up, rotating display case, an 8" Johnny Gat statue, something called the "Doomsday B??utton," and -- why the hell not? -- a 12" Dubstep Gun replica "with laser and sound." I figured this would cost something outrageous, but in the realm of CEs, $129.99 isn't the worst price ever.

This ridiculous thing that future you will probably regret buying can be pre-ordered in North America fo?r PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Sorry, PC gamers.

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And two mission packs

Well, yeah -- of course Saints Row IV has a Season Pass. And, as expected, it'll include access to Enter the Dominatrix, which is now being described as "a tongue-in-cheek version of what this content was originally going to be like." There's some potential there, I think. The $9.99 pass also throws in another mission pack due out in late 2013 and the infamous "Rectifier" anal probe weapon that the Australian Classification Board wasn't too fond of.

Even though I've enjoyed every installment in the series so far and will likely dig Saints Row IV, I don't know. The pass is said to cover content worth "more than $15," but at the same time, I'm not convinced I'll even want all of this post-r??ele?ase DLC. I suppose that's always the dilemma.

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What a weird journey this has been

Previously slated as a standalone expansion for Saints Row: The Third, Enter the Dominatrix has since been incorporated into Saints Row IV, though "very little" of the content made the cut in the merge according to developer Vo??lition.

Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, creative director Steve Jaros explained that Enter the Dominatrix will be put out as post-release DLC approximately 45 days after Saints Row IV launches. What? this final version will look li?ke remains to be seen, but if the original content was compelling enough to warrant a standalone release, there's probably some good stuff in there.

Canceled Enter The Dominatrix DLC Gets New Life As Saints R??ow IV Add-On [Game Informer]

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Original voice actor is back too

Spoilers: Johnny Gat was killed in Saints Row: The Third. Well, you were lead to believe that since it all happened off? scree??n.

Anyway, he's back in Saints Row IV. Daniel Dae Kim is also back to voice the character as well. I loved that little Hawaii joke in the new?? trailer.

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So many big names!

Are you going to San Diego Comic-Con this week? Well you better make time for the Saint's Row IV "Super Dangerous Wub W?ub Panel" on Saturday at 6:30PM in room 7AB. Deep Silver's Aubrey Norris and Volition's Steve Jaros will be talking to some of the voice actors from the game. Keith David (yes!), Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Yuri Lowenthal, and JB Blac will all be featured and I expect Aubrey to ask everyone really gross and awkward questions. Should be fun!

So what about the rest of the voice actors? You can expect Terry?? Crews, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Van Dam, Nolan North, and more all voicing characters. Super happy they were able to get Rob Van Dam again for the Professor Genki mini-games. Here's the full list:

The Cast: 
Keith David - As himself 
Danielle Nicolet - Shaundi 
Jennifer Jules Hart - Shaundi #2 
Natalie Lander - Kinzie Kensington 
Terry Crews - Benjamin King 
JB Blanc - Zinyak/Phillipe Loren 
Michael Dorn - Maero 
Neil Patrick Harris - DJ Veteran Child 
Yuri Lowenthal - Matt Miller 
Arif Kinchen - Pierce Washington
Tim Thomerson - Cyrus Temple 
Mike Carlucci - Zach 
Rob Van Dam - Bobby 
Rebecca Riedy - Asha Odekar 
Andrew Bowen - Josh Birk/NyteBlayde 
Michael Yurchak - CID 
TC Carson - Big Tony 
Ursula Taherian - Tanya 
Ogie Banks - Warren Williams 

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