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Free Points Saturday – May 19th

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:15:50 +0000

Yes, it has been a while since my last Free Points Saturday post ( February 4th , in fact). Since I have been busy with numerous other things, I have only been able to get my *** on here occasionally, but not enough to be a good Community Manager, so I apologize for that. Words not enough for ya? How about a bribe: some free points! Given the time between FPS’s, I won’t be making the points for this a multiple of the number of weeks missed (that would be ridiculous, really). Instead, I’ll go ahead and make it an even 1000 points. How does that sound? For the first 20 people? I wish I could block staff members from entering these, though. Oly and EdEN are greedy as hell with these things. Anyway, the answer to this one has 4 WORDS (no numbers or special characters). Good luck! In this book, a spin off to a game series, we see the main character, along with his long time friend, travel to numerous destinations like Egypt and Greece, uncovering secrets to a long-hidden mystery. The following 10 members got points for anwering correctly. mowmow SubMonkey Hestar Nikibaby219 JD chronorayven Ishida Zero The_Nmac

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Free Points Saturday – May 19th

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Pre-Order Incentives from Gamestop

Thu, 03 May 2012 23:43:22 +0000

Gamestop has announced that there will be four waves of pre-order incentives for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, starting with this double sided poster pictured above. The orange side is a teaser for the zombie mode, which will allow up to 8 players this time around. There is also a MW3 Prestige Token available for pre-ordering. Hit the jump for all the details. GameStop is rewarding loyal Call of Duty fans with the opportunity to get in early and get more with four unique waves of pre-order bonuses for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, one of the most anticipated games of the year coming Nov. 13. Customers that join the first wave and pre-order at GameStop beginning today will receive an exclusive, limited edition two-sided poster. The poster features art from Treyarch’s massive new blockbuster that pushes the boundaries of the storied franchise to new heights where THE FUTURE IS BLACK™. Posters will be distributed while supplies last. First wave pre-order customers are invited to show off their exclusive bonus by snapping a shot with the limited edition poster and sharing it on Twitter or Facebook using #GSFIRSTWAVE. Beginning May 21, 2012, GameStop will showcase the most creative pictures each week for its 4.2 million-fan Facebook community. In addition to the poster, GameStop® PowerUp Rewards™ members that join the first wave and pre-order by June 30, 2012 will also receive an instantly redeemable Prestige Token for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3, the record-breaking title that continues to be played by millions. This highly sought-after currency within the Call of Duty multiplayer universe can be spent in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Prestige shop for highly valuable items, including Double XP. Customers that get in early and pre-order during the first wave will automatically receive bonuses revealed in waves two, three and four. Visit www.GameStop.com/BlackOps2 for information on upcoming waves and complete details on how to get in early to get more.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops II Pre-Order Incentives from Gamestop

PS3BlogCast Episode 47

Thu, 03 May 2012 04:05:36 +0000

We’ve returned! I know you’ve all been wondering where we have been and we’re back! Sorry you missed us last week there were some technical difficulties on our normal recording day and unfortunately we were unable to find any time the rest of the week due to busy schedules, but here we are! A lot of big news came out in the time we were away and we’re going to recap everything there was. As a side note we may or may not move our recording days to Sunday to better fit FooBear’s new schedule, of which you’ll hear about on the podcast of course. We’re going to give a test run this weekend to see how it goes and if all is well then we’ll let you know! It’s good to be back. Now the podcast! Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 75 points. The first 10 people to enter it correctly get double points! As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there. You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here . We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well. Here’s a list of some things (or everything) we discussed: God of War: Ascension PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale New Releases Skyrim Dawngaurd PS+ Questionare LittleBigPlanet Karting Catching up with FooBear Secret Word

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PS3BlogCast Episode 47

Event Coverage: Comic-Con Documentary Red Carpet Premiere

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:46:20 +0000

Morgon Spurlock is best known for his documentary “Super Size Me”, a movie about eating McDonalds fast food for 30 days straight and how it affects your body. This time around he is back to bring you the nitty gritty of the popular San Diego Comic-Con. I was granted exclusive access to the red carpet premiere of “Comic Con Episode IV A Fans Hope” and it was unexpectedly star studded with well known industry names such as, Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead series creator), Stan Lee (Marvel), Joss Whedon (director of the upcoming The Avengers movie), and Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson, in the Avengers). In attendance were some of the stars of the movie such as Holly Conrad , and Bioware Community Manager Jessica Merizan . Watch the video as I try to get my Red Carpet swag on, with special guest correspondents Jerry Amsterdam and Joel. Talent order: David Glanzer director of marketing and public relations for Comic-Con International. Tank and Steph Werner. Mass Effect Costumers. Jessica Merizan and Holly Conrad. Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson in the Avengers movie. Comic-Con Episode IV: A fans hope is now available on Video on Demand and iTunes. See the Trailer here.

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Event Coverage: Comic-Con Documentary Red Carpet Premiere

Make It Right – 4.30.12 – Metal Gear Rising

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:42:15 +0000

Corrupted transmission incoming from operative’s implant… Data integrity compromised… Recovery initializing on 4/30/12… Now you know what I know.. Guess you’ll all have to check back here on Monday April 30th, to find out more. Source: Press Email

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Make It Right – 4.30.12 – Metal Gear Rising

Releases for the Week (April 16th-22nd)

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:07:48 +0000

Another week, another time with not many releases for our Sony Console and Portables. The PS3 gets one retail release that packages two games in a single disc, the PSN gets 2 formerly retail only games available as digital releases… and the circle of life carries on. Vita gets the most releases this week with Disgaea 3 (both at retail and on PSN), and Star Drone Extreme, a Vita version of the PSN game I reviewed here , and that has been improved thanks to feedback from gamers, as well as having new levels you can enjoy on your shinny new portable! Full list of releases, after you click! PS3 Retail Releases You Can Buy Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat Right Here! VITA Releases You Can Buy Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention Right Here! PSN Releases You Can Buy NHL 12 Right Here! You Can Buy Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Right Here!

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Releases for the Week (April 16th-22nd)

[Opinion] Zipper Interactive Closes its Doors After 17 Years in the Biz

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:48:03 +0000

ALL GOOD THINGS.. Where do I even begin to describe how disheartening this news is. After 17 years in the business, Zipper Interactive is closing its doors. Zipper, and its SOCOM series for the PlayStation 2, are tied together eternally like Michael Jordan is to the Chicago Bulls. To me, the SOCOM series is a milestone game that reflected the power of multiplayer on the PlayStation 2. Immersive, challenging, never dull, and will keep you on your toes for a measurable period of time. Dubbed “SO-CRACK” by many in reference to its very addictive multiplayer gameplay. I would be lost, literally, for hours at a time playing SOCOM 3′s “Convoy” mode. Opposing teams take turns in loading cargo trucks with supplies and ultimately driving them to the extraction zone, while another tries to destroy them. I loved extracting Convoy trucks. Production value of the SOCOM series progressed in high fashion by the time the 3rd installment was launched. Big names like Michael Clark Duncan and Jennifer Hale had lent their talents. There was even a whole orchestra to accommodate and compose the soundtrack. The game was not just some clone of the previous one. What you have to understand during this time is multiplayer games were just starting to blossom, and words, such as “DLC” or “XP,” did not exist. No one cared about how your character on screen looked, there were no extra reticule colors or XP to harvest. It was just pure team work and fun from the get go. MUST COME TO AN END.. Game Informer confirmed, through an official response from Sony reps, that the studio has, indeed, shut down. Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of Zipper Interactive, a Seattle-based internal game development studio that has been part of the global development operation of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS). The closure is a result of a normal cycle of resource re-alignment within SCE WWS. Zipper has completed all work associated with its most recent project, Unit 13 for PlayStation Vita. Zipper titles MAG, SOCOM 4 and Unit 13 will continue to be supported, including the new Daily Challenges in Unit 13. The news brought the good and bad attitude that is prevalent with today’s social media enriched world. Tons of tweets reflected sentiment, while a handful showed disgust. Disgust in the fact that the studio “did not follow their fan base that made them famous” reads one tweet. I would’ve loved to see them build upon the control scheme of SOCOM 2 and hopefully re-release the franchise with a HD version in the future. To date the series has sold over 12 million copies, and its last developed game, “Unit 13,” has gotten a ton of positive response. Good luck to all the staff and thank you for the best franchise ever made!

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[Opinion] Zipper Interactive Closes its Doors After 17 Years in the Biz

[PS3 Review] Sam and Max Season 2: Episode 4

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:31 +0000

Bosco’s vanished from the face of the Earth—literally! When Sam & Max manage to track him down, what they find is so mind boggling, you’ll have to see it to believe it. Can the Freelance Police set things right, or will life as they know it fall victim to the capricious whims of T-H-E-M? After already playing Sam and Max Save The World (Season One) on Wii, Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space (Season 2 on PC) and Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse (Season 3) on PS3, I find myself asking… myself: how fun is the Season Two release on PS3? Let’s find out, one episode at a time! Seems that T-H-E-M has (have?) kidnapped Bosco, and without Bosco, the show can’t go on! But, where exactly IS Bosco? Turns out that T-H-E-M are actually aliens, and they didn’t kidnap Bosco, they adbucted him! Aliens! Oh, and they travel in a Sombrero UFO. Totally normal. Think Max calls this Wednesdays. Once you actually find Bosco, you’ll realize he has been turned into Boscow (yep, mooo), after he altered the time stream. It is your (part-time) job to find a way to fix him without making time break itself… in time! Oh, and in order to do that you need to make sure that Bosco is conceived/born, because if he’s never born, then he will never have a chance to alter the time stream, and he will never be turned into Boscow, and we will never have to find a way to turn him back into good-old regular Bosco because he was never born. But if he was never born, Sam and Max would have never met him, so they would not be using an elevator to travel in time as there would be no need to right any wrongs since Bosco would never exist and, therefore… oooh, look at the kitty! Where was I? Ah, right! Boscow? Bad. Bosco? Stupid. Carry on. Time traveling! Back to the Future fans will reaaallly like this episode. And since I’m also a Back to the Futuer fan, guess what? I reaaallly liked this episode! I can’t really say anything else without spoiling the whole episode since, thanks to the time traveling aspect of the game, mentioning a small, red caterpillar that sits on top of a space suit might unravel the whole story! You’ll have to play this one for yourselves, and you must definitely go to the White House in the 60′s, visit the younger versions of Sam and Max, talk with the much, much, muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch older versions of the dynamic detective/cop/gourmet-chef duo… oh, and maybe you should try not to step over a bug back in 10,000,000 B.C. as to not kill all the dinosaurs. Sam and Max Season 2: Chariots of the Dogs brings us one step closer to the exciting conclusion to the story arc. The very funny dialogue, the crazy situations, the remarkable voice acting, and the shinny sparkles from the Sombrero UFO, all make this a very funny adventure you should all enjoy. Cost – $19.99 (Full Season) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 2 hours. Love me some Sam and Max. Own all 3 seasons, the Anniversary DVD Boxset AND the limited edition Hardcover signed by Steve Purcell. This review is based on a copy of Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space provided by Telltale Games.

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[PS3 Review] Sam and Max Season 2: Episode 4

[Review] Burger Time World Tour

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:33:24 +0000

For those not old enough to remember, the original BurgerTime was released in 1982 for arcades (arcades were rooms filled with TVs inside wood cabinets, and each TV was hooked up to a single game. Oh, and you inserted quarters in a slot in order to be allowed to play), and it was a 2D game that tasked you with avoiding 3 major enemies (Mr. Hot Dog, MR. Pickle and Mr. Egg, the walking food), in order to assemble several giant burgers to clear the level. You had to climb and drop from all available ladders, to make it to each burger layer, and trapping your food enemies within the burger layers allowed you to increase up your high-score. A top bun, lettuce, a tomato, a beef patty and the bottom bun made for a deliciously pixelated burger. We only had 6 levels to play, and once we reached the last one, we were looped back to level 1…and we liked it! After all these years, Burger Time is back, and this time around we are going on a world tour, to prove to all other chefs that Petter Peper (that would be the chef you control) is the best one there is at making burgers. BurgerTime World Tour is all about retro evolution. The fresh remix introduces burger stomping to a whole new generation of gamers who expect a greater diversity of gameplay fun! • Rotating Environment System that adds visual flair to the whole arcade experience. • Fully 3D world, where you can see behind you and on the other side of the world, to figure out the fastest way to the next burger, or how to beat your friends. • 4 challenging worlds, 50 total maps. Loaded with content! • All new boss battles added to create a rewarding experience in beating each world. • All new platforming gameplay added to make the game even more fun. New features like dangerous interactive platforms, rocket riding, new weapons, as well as the ability to pick up and throw your enemies everywhere! • All new multiplayer modes! Simultaneous Split-screen and Online Multiplayer Modes for up to 4 players. In single player mode, you can either choose to play on easy or normal difficulty. As you can obviously imagine, picking one over the other will make things easier or harder during your culinary journey, since enemy density will not be as high as usual and you’ll get more power-ups when playing on easy. But you must also consider that, when playing on Easy, your score, the number of deaths suffered during the level, your best completion time and other stats will not be tracked. All of these stats are saved when playing the game in Normal difficulty, and you can earn several trophies by the time you complete the game if you obtain a good enough high score (you can tell if you did great since the game will give you 1 to 5 stars for the level AND it will throw lots of burgers under Petter Peper, making him rise towards the upper half of the screen). The game has the same basics as before – you must complete the burgers to clear the level. IF you trap enemies between burger layers, you earn extra points, and the more enemies that are trapped between the layers, the harder that layer will fall, and this opens up the possibility of being lucky enough of trapping even more enemies when, say, the top bun falls on top of two pickles, which makes the lettuce fall two levels, trapping an egg or a sausage, making the whole thing fall straight down to the plate, in one swift move. You can still use your trusty pepper to stun all enemies… and now you can now pick up enemies and throw them whenever and wherever you want! You can stun an enemy, pick it up and throw it on top of a burger layer, and then make the layer drop! Ah, did I mention you can jump? Late 20th century improvements, right in the 21st century! But be careful. Just like in real life, when you jump, pickles jump, as well! You have access to several Power ups this time around – you can obtain a spatula to hit your enemies, a rocket so you can fly up, up and away, a speed boost, invincibility, etc. You can also collect all letters of the word BURGER for a big increase to your score… but they are not available on all levels! BurgerTime World Tour makes us remember simpler, old-school health mechanics from back in the day. Something touched you? You’re dead! Easy to remember, right? Avoid anything that is not a power up, a letter or a layer of the burger you’re making. There are a lot of enemies in the game, and they all react differently to Petter, so be sure to learn their patterns in order to have a better chance at survival. To get you started, let’s look at three of the enemies you will meet: Sonny Guards certain areas; upon seeing the player, commits to a bull rush if not on a ladder and runs straight for the player. Ruthless Dill Guards a certain area, mimics the players jump. When the player jumps the pickle jumps. Frank Furter Hunts the player wherever they may be, can use ladders to get to player. But wait, there is more! You must also avoid fire shooting out form burners, spinning drills that go up and down, moving platforms, trapdoors, rolling barrels, crushing elevators, floor installed drills, and other hazards that are out to get you. There are checkpoints on each level, which is a nice extra. If you touch them, you will spawn right there when you die, with all burgers intact up to the point when you got touched by a bad, bad ingredient! They come in handy when you’re working your way towards the top layer of a burger but get killed before you can reach it, as there is usually a checkpoint that will let you skip half of the trip back up there. All levels are self-contained, and you can complete them in 1-10 minutes at most. The longest levels in the game are always the boss battles, since you’re tasked with crafting burger after burger in order to come on top. Two of the four boss battles add a little something-something to to spice things up, so be on the lookout for special cues that will let you know exactly what you need to do to triumph. The game includes an offline multiplayer mode, and it also provides an online multiplayer mode. Up to four players can compete at the same time, either in split-screen or by the magic of the internets, trying to get as many points as possible while completing all the burgers available in the MP level while, at the same time, avoiding the other chefs and their nasty tricks! We are presented with several cutscenes in between some of the levels, which do their best to try and move the story along. Cliff notes version? You start to complete some burgers on the first level or two, then, suddenly, one of the Chefs will challenge you. They do this by way of a story printed in the newspaper (which you’re reading on an airplane), and the challenge is for you participate in a burger duel, because the other chef says that his burger is better than yours. You fight, you win. Do this 4 times. Congratulations! Roll credits. As mentioned before, when making a burger, the enemies you crush are added to the burger. Some combinations give you a special burger that in turn provides you with extra points. For example: Add some sausage to your burger, and you have an Italiano specialty! Discover all the new burger specialties that you can create! You should also remember that it is best if you always start to make your burger from the top bun! Every layer hits the one below, and then the one below, and so on. Each time this happens you get more points, and you have a great chance at trapping an enemy in between any of the lower layers when using this method! BurgerTime World Tour signals the return of a classic, and it does so in style. You will travel through 4 distinct locations, fighting against crazy food that is alive (accept, and embrace this!), and battling bizarre chefs that will try to end your reign as the top burger chef. There is a lot of content in the single player mode, and the multiplayer, both offline and online, will allow you to continue playing this well after you’re done with the story mode. Review Pros Cons BugerTime is back! Easy to control Finding an online match takes a while Rating 86% Cost – $9.99 Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 7 hours. Game was completed before writing this review. This review is based on a PS3 copy of BurgerTime World Tour provided by MonkeyPaw Games.

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[Review] Burger Time World Tour

[PS3 Review] Saints Row: The Third

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:00:11 +0000

Saints Row has always been one of those franchises where each successive title is more over-the-top than the next, and Saints Row: The Third is no different. In fact, this title takes the ridiculousness to a much higher level than the jump from 1 to 2. It may have been a few months since the game originally released in November, but a hundredth opinion doesn’t hurt, right? With the amount of hype and attention THQ built up for this game, does the title fall short, or does it meet or exceed the expectations? Back in the prime of the Grand Theft Auto series, open world, sandbox titles (at least as far as action/crime-themed ones go) were referred to as “GTA Clones.” Although this is more of a sensationalist monicker, I’d say this is also the title that would best fit it. It’s not inherently bad, though. Saints Row has a habit of taking things that worked right in GTA games, gave it their own personal touch, and then took them to a higher level. Look at the vehicle customization, for instance. Not a whole lot has changed as far as the Saints Row universe is concerned, but what did GTA have after San Andreas? Nothing. Anyway, I won’t delve deeper into the comparisons between the two, because that’s not what this is about. Here’s where the review truly begins. As you know, since Saints Row (which was available on the 360, but not the PS3), the universe revolved around your character climbing the heights of the Saints’ criminal organization. Upon taking over in Saints Row 2, the Third starts a little later in your character’s career, at a point where the Saints are in the ranks of celebrities, with merchandise and sponsorships all over the place. Well, eventually, you wind up in a city called Steelport (giving you a different locale, with only a slightly different vibe, than the first two, but still feels fresh), where the action truly begins. This new location makes sense, though, considering Stilwater was completely controlled by the Third Street Saints anyway (the Syndicate did a hostile takeover of Stilwater, though, but a botched attempt to rid the Saints of their leader winds the player up in Steelport, in spectacular fashion). Steelport now offers up a completely new set of gangs to take control from, but with the ridiculous level kind of up there, the gangs took on some traits of their own. Brutes, for instance, are members of the Syndicate’s “Morning Star” and are guys built like tanks that either carry large Gatling/chain guns or go around ramming vehicles out of the way, causing considerable damage (they’re essentially dumbed down clones of another character, which eventually joins your gang), or the Deckers (a cyberpunk gang) and their extremely fast, energized specialists. Hell, there’s even a gang of wrestlers called the Luchadores. The specialists take some time to defeat, but for the most part, regular gang members are still pretty standard. Eventually, the Saints wind up causing such a big problem that an anti-gang unit by the name of STAG invades Steelport, bringing with them a range of high tech weaponry and vehicles, and become a pretty integral part of the story, climaxing at the end. The guy in charge of STAG proves to be a power-hungry hard-ass and a thorn in everyone’s side, including the government’s (speaking of which, I laughed so hard when I saw who the mayor of Steelport was). Taking over the city is an exercise in itself. There are gang hideouts in certain areas, and upon killing off all of the marks, you’ll take control of a small portion of a neighborhood. This, however, isn’t how you take control of everything. There are activities strewn about, and upon completing them, you take control of other areas. These can rang from helicopter escorts (protecting a driver while flying a heli) to the series mainstay, the Insurance Fraud activity (because what’s more fun than raking in thousands of dollars by throwing yourself into traffic?). Of course, you can go back and replay some if you’d like. With that said, sticking to the theme of “ridiculousness,” there is one activity in particular that stands out, and that’s Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax, which is themed like a Japanese game show, except you go around killing other people in what is essentially an obstacle course. This is a pretty insane diversion. Traps can be found anywhere, as well as power ups like more health, etc. The goal is to make enough money to unlock and reach the exit (usually there would be a special character you can opt to kill before exiting, but they’re tougher than the other inhabitants). Oh, and Hulk Hogan is one of commentators (the commentary is pretty funny if you pay attention to it). You’d figure he’d have been one of the Luchadores. There is also an upgrade system that allows the player to upgrade themselves, unlocking new attributes, increasing the strength of weapons, etc. This is dependent on the Respect level, though (which works better than previous games, as you no longer need to have a filled respect meter to play the next mission), so the more “Respect” you have, the more upgrades there are available to you. Eventually, you can get to the point where you have infinite health (for the most part) and ammo. Shopping around is still there, too. For some reason, though, the shops available seem pretty limited on the merchandise. Layering clothes seems to be gone as well (or, at least, effectively). There are some costumes you can get, though, and you can unlock others later in the game, including a toilet and a blowup doll… Oh, and the vehicles. Although only available to pre-order DLC, there is a human catapult car based off of Professor Genki, but right now, it’s not available for purchase. I tried looking for it in game, not realizing it was a DLC item at first. However, you can get a flame throwing Johnny Gat van, or steal a tank (which crushes cars when you drive over them, in a really cool way; you can also get killed yourself if they drive over your car). Personally, though, I think the most useful vehicle is the F-69 VTOL. Mainly because it’s essentially a jet that can take off and land anywhere, but also because this game is missing something that I used ALL THE TIME in previous titles. The ability to hail a cab. Heck, you can’t even call the numbers you see everywhere like you used to. The phone, apart from viewing the map, selecting missions, or changing settings, etc, only allows you to call up people already on your contact list. Anyway, mission variety is your standard fare, with a few outrageous missions thrown in. Remember that scene from the new A Team movie with the skydiving tank? There’s something similar to that in this game, too. Sorry if I spoiled that for you, but it was pretty insane. There’s another mission (it may have been the same one) where a plane wrecks into one of the islands, and a chemical spill causes a zombie outbreak. Yes, I said zombie outbreak. Making a parody of the current trend of having zombies in everything, THQ/Volition decided to throw this in there, too. With now way of getting it to go away once it happens. Sometimes, though, when you first drive into the island, everything is more or less normal, but given enough time, your map lights up like a Christmas tree and there’s zombies everywhere. This makes doing the activity available on that island very hard (though you can make it a hell of a lot easier with the VTOL and its laser), or getting to that person for a “photo op” with one of the many citizens before the undead starts showing up. It’s an annoyance, but could be fun for people who just want to drop in and have themselves a killing spree. Of course, what is a killing spree without weapons? Personally, I think the weapon choices should have been more varied, but there are a couple standouts. With the ability to upgrade your weapons this time around, each upgrade adds something to it (f upgrades are available). Usually, melee weapons don’t have upgrades, but if you want to degrade people, you can slap them around with the Penetrator. Or, if you fully upgrade the flashbangs, you can start throwing fart jars at people (no typo). Heck, if you don’t want to use any weapons, you can do some grappling moves with random people, including slamming their faces into the ground as if you’re performing a bulldog in a wrestling ring, and topping that off with a self-indulgent pose. There are also laser-painted air strikes and drones that fire player-guided missiles. Also, you don’t have to play the game alone. You can also hop into someone else’ game, or allow people to hop into yours. I tried this, and it seems to work OK, but if you don’t communicate with one another and don’t know what they’re doing, it can get a little pointless. The nice thing is, you can do anything you normally can do on your own, including shopping, etc. Still, the drop-in/drop-out aspect is fun, but I don’t think co-op will be the biggest draw for people looking for their multiplayer fix. That would have to go to Whored Mode. Whored Mode is the Saints Row take on hoard modes in other games, where you and friends fight to survive waves of enemies. Each wave has a specific theme to it, with specific weapons available to the player(s). This can range from fighting zombies with Penetrators, or taking down Brutes with nothing but grenades. Some waves even have miniature or giant enemies to take out. This would be fun to play amongst friends and see how long each can survive and how many points you can acquire. The only downside is that there aren’t enough maps and this could still get repetitive. With the gameplay out of the way, it’s time to shift focus to some other aspects. First of all, the graphics this time around are crisper and more colorful than the past titles (which, honestly, I felt seemed a little washed out), but they still feel like Saints Row. The sound design is no different, but my biggest complaint is still the radio. There’s hardly anything worth listening to, so I either play the game with the radio off, or I have it on the classical station. However, your interactions with other gang members (which you can recruit, up to 3, by pressing up) can include singing along to songs on the radio, or engaging in random banter. Beyond that, not much else can be said. As for some complaints, apart from the phone, there is also a lack of good cheats available. I know, cheating is usually frowned upon, but honestly, Saints Row titles are a lot more fun with cheats involved. Sure, you can buy some DLC that gives you more cheats available (like gravity-based cheats, etc), but the standard game? I couldn’t find a cheat worth even trying out. My complaints don’t really end there, either. For some reason, my interest in this title died down a lot faster than previous ones. I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t have that staying power (though, even in the first two, I would eventually lose interest). At least the driving physics have been improved, but they’re still pretty bad. I know a lot of people didn’t much care for them, but I still like GTA4′s driving physics more than any other open-world game. Another thing I’m not too crazy about is the fact that on some missions, you can’t go back and re-play them to unlock the other item that could have been available to you. I missed out on the Apocafist, for instance (and the only way I can get it now is by either replaying the game or using the cheat). At least you can replay the last mission (once) and take the other route, but this was the only mission that allowed you to do so (and after doing so, it’s no longer available). So what conclusion can you draw up with this? Saints Row the Third is a fun, ridiculous game, but it’s not one of those games with staying power. Eventually, the novelty wears off. You might feel inclined to play through it again eventually, but definitely not immediately after like you can, say, a Metal Gear Solid game. There are some outstanding qualities to be had, still, including the ability to upgrade your characters and weapons, but a lot of the variety from past games is missing. The inability to call for a cab is a big letdown, and zombies? Really? I can understand the parody aspect of it, but still… I’m going to have to give this game a solid C. Review Pros Cons Amped Up Ridiculousness New Location Lots of vehicles Decent Upgrade to Graphics Co-op Available Seems Lacking in Variety Replay Value Isn’t Too Good Still Has Bad Music Lack of Good Cheats No Taxi Service Rating 75% This review is based off of a retail copy of the game provided by THQ and has been completed thoroughly

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[PS3 Review] Saints Row: The Third