Developer: Volition, Inc.
Publisher: THQ
Engine: CTG Engine / Havok Physics
Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date: November 15, 2011
Genre: Third-person shooter, action adventure, sandbox
Mode: Single-player, co-operative play
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Having defeated the rival gangs of Stilwater at the end of Saints Row 2 and overthrown the influence of the Ultor Corporation, the Saints have found themselves with free rein in the city. They target a bank, attempting to airlift the vault out of it, but the alarm alerts the Stilwater PD and the Saints are incarcerated. In prison, they learn that the bank they tried to rob was owned by a huge international crime organization called the Syndicate, led by Phillipe Loren. After bribing the police, the Syndicate capture the Saints' leader, Johnny Gat, and Shaundi to try and negotiate a business plan with them, aboard Loren's private jet. While in-flight, Loren tells them they will be allowed to live if they turn over two-thirds of their territory in Stilwater. The leader of the Saints rejects this offer, and a gunfight breaks out, with the Saint's leader thrown from the jet.
With the Syndicate in full control of Stilwater, the Saints relocate themselves to the city of Steelport. Pierce is instructed to remain in Stilwater to make sure everything runs smoothly. Steelport is a city that was created as factories flourished with little city planning, and since has suffered from economic failure, contrasting the glamour of Stilwater. The Syndicate has already begun to take control of some parts of Steelport, focusing on vices like gambling and prostitution. To extend their reach, the Syndicate had divided their control of the city through three gangs. The Morning Star, lead by Loren directly, are typically European men with impeccable taste, selling guns and handling the prostitution rings. The Mexican wrestler Killbane controls the Luchadores who deal with selling drugs and gambling. The Deckers, led by hacktivist Matt Miller, are computer geniuses, and handle the money laundering. The Saints see the opportunity to take control of Steelport from these groups. As the gang wars intensify, a fourth group, the government trained Special Tactical Anti-Gang (STAG) units will attempt to halt any gang activity whether it be the Saints or the Syndicate.
-Professor Genki/Season Pass DLC-
The Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax "Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Pack" includes in-game items like Prof Genki's Super Ballistic Man-a-pult truck, Prof. Genki's "Octopuss" cannon that fires baby octopi, and Prof. Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit with Genki mask. Admit it, you still want the giant, purple, rubber phallus.
According to the THQ website, the first 3,000 people who pre-order the game through it's online store will be eligible for a "season pass", which entitles you to three free downloadable mission packs. That's not a bad deal, so I'd be quick to jump on it. Full details below:
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From the creators of Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax comes Professor Genki’s Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Promotion!
Pre-order Saints Row: The Third and receive Professor Genki's Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Pack absolutely free!
Professor Genki's Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Pack includes:
* Professor Genki’s Super Ballistic Man-a-pult: Cruise Steelport in style with this vacuum-action human-cannonball truck. Suck up pedestrians and use them as live ammunition against the forces of evil, and everyone else.
* Professor Genki’s "Octopuss" Weapon: Fire baby octopi onto your enemies’ heads! Watch as the octopi massage their scalps and your enemies fight for you! Enemies can be friends too!
* Professor Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit: The ultimate in comfort and tight-fitting apparel, the Genki Leisure Stunt Suit is perfect for skydiving over Steelport or to wear while ejecting from high-flying fighter jets. Free Genki mask included!
But wait! That’s not all! In North America, for a limited time only, the first 3,000 players to purchase Saints Row: The Third from the THQ Online Store on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC or Steam will receive the Saints Row Season Pass absolutely free.
The Saints Row Season Pass includes three, count ‘em three, downloadable mission packs, valued at more than $20. It’s all the Saints Row you can handle!
Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name. The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed.
The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute.
Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to Steelport, a once-proud metropolis reduced to a struggling city of sin under Syndicate control. Take a tank skydiving, call in a satellite-targeted airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang, and defend yourself against a highly-trained military force using only a sex toy in the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen, igniting a city-wide war that will set Steelport on fire.
Saints Row®: The Third™ gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. Now Steelport is ripe for the taking, and it’s up to you to make the city your own. Mold the skyline based on your choices, outfit your crew in classy gangster gear or furry costumes, and make life-or-death decisions that will change Steelport, and the Saints, forever. This is now your city. These are now your rules. Strap it on.
** Over The Top – Like a lapdance from a porn star, the action is naughty, fun, and better than anything you’re getting at home.
** City of Sin - Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and sex trades. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
** Weapons of Crass Destruction – It’s one thing to defeat your enemies. It’s another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and sex-toy warfare are all part of the fun.
** Co-op Madness – Give naked skydiving a try, landing in your partner’s flaming pickup as you make a suicide run toward a heavily armed Syndicate brothel. Steelport is more fun with a friend.
** Initiation Station – Create, share, and download the most outlandish characters every seen, from washed-up celebrities to naked ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint.
