By John Walker on April 4th, 2011 at 2:09 pm.
While April 1st saw everyone oh-so hilariously lying about their products to create pointless confusion for gamers, it did also see a rather good sort-of-prank-but-actually-just-a-good-joke-even-if-it-weren’t-International-Lying-Day-and-isn’t-a-lie-either from Volition for Saints Row: The Third. Advertised as the first in-game footage, it’s – well, it’s exactly that. It’s below. There’s also some sadder news.
Actual gameplay footage.
The weekend also brought the rather sad news that THQ have had a round of lay-offs, which has seen sixteen employees go in a round of “adjustments”. We wish those affected the very best, and hope they’ll be snapped up soon. THQ told Gama that they didn’t think it would affect the release dates of any of their games. And, more importantly for those out of work, that “team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern.”
04/04/2011 at 14:12 MrMud says:
its a pretty great trailer
04/04/2011 at 14:13 PureUncut says:
Well that had me giggling like the idiot I am.
04/04/2011 at 14:18 Darko Drako says:
stupid but funny!
04/04/2011 at 14:19 Hmm-Hmm. says:
Man, Americans do like their shinies, don’t they? Like some kind of intelligent magpies.
*The above does not represent any actual opinion on the inhabitants of any nation or continent. So there.
04/04/2011 at 17:58 colinmarc says:
hey now!
04/04/2011 at 21:19 Berzee says:
He called me intelligent!
04/04/2011 at 14:19 Branthog says:
For a minute, I was worried that THQ had laid off a bunch of developers. I’m glad to hear that they were merely adjusted.
04/04/2011 at 14:23 RQH says:
So long as the concern levels are all in order, which they appear to be. Nothing to see here.
04/04/2011 at 19:26 godgoo says:
employees: augmented
04/04/2011 at 14:22 tomeoftom says:
I don’t think anyone has ever dressed up a dick joke to be this funny.
05/04/2011 at 00:11 jrod says:
certainly the best out of the “nut shot” sub-category
04/04/2011 at 14:25 JackShandy says:
Brilliant. I’m looking forward to this.
04/04/2011 at 14:39 NinjaOxygen says:
Did someone mess up the scene rigging, or is there meant to be a disembodied head at the bottom right of the picture?
Shame about the THQ news, massively looking forward to SR3 though.
04/04/2011 at 15:12 Henke says:
holyshit I didn’t notice that until you pointed it out. :O
04/04/2011 at 15:36 Ging says:
I think that’s actually on the back of a vehicle down the road. Which is a world of disturbing in and of itself.
04/04/2011 at 18:16 DigitalSignalX says:
If you freeze it on 720p it looks like some sort of hybrid cross between the Maxium Overdrive truck and an ice cream cart.
04/04/2011 at 15:09 Meneth says:
Is it just me, or does “Saints Row: The Third” sound pretty stupid?
Couldn’t they just have gone with “Saints Row 3″?
I find the name roughly on par with the silliness of “Total War: Shogun 2″
04/04/2011 at 15:34 dog says:
i think they were styling it after “Richard the Third”
which, if you’re from east of the pond, you’d probably know was rhyming slang for “turd”….
i guess if you’re a londoner you probably hear people saying “i’m off for a Richard the Third” all the time…
04/04/2011 at 17:52 Jimbo says:
The name is perfect. Bonus points if they planned it all along.
04/04/2011 at 18:54 Meneth says:
I’m Norwegian, so “Richard the Third” means nothing to me.
04/04/2011 at 19:08 Man Raised by Puffins says:
@ Meneth: ‘turd’ is slang for poo/faecal matter, if that helps (who Richard III actually is is entirely irrelevant).
Volition have effectively called their game Saints Row: The Poo. Which I think we can all agree is rather apt.
04/04/2011 at 19:37 Meneth says:
I still find it silly, or possibly sillier (but in a way that suits Saints Row better)
04/04/2011 at 22:19 FunkyBadger3 says:
i guess if you’re a londoner you probably hear people saying
Suprisingly not.
Its more like this really:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BV8KfpE3BA
04/04/2011 at 23:46 mwoody says:
I think perhaps you’re overthinking it: it’s simply a very overly dramatic and formal way to describe it, purposefully clashing with the low-brow humor involved.
04/04/2011 at 15:14 Talorc says:
I watched it twice!!
04/04/2011 at 15:15 Outsider says:
Guild Wars 2 doing their Commando profession release on April 1st had me laughing out loud. The little movies they do for the skills were excellent.
04/04/2011 at 16:10 Out Reach says:
the problem is the commando is still here http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/
It’s looking less like an April fools, and more like reality by the day.
04/04/2011 at 16:16 Urthman says:
A commando can easily switch between his two active weapon sets as needed, but swapping ranged weapons triggers a brief cooldown during which the commando shouts, “I’M OUT!” or “RELOADING!”
If that’s not a joke, I’ve never read one.
04/04/2011 at 16:45 Outsider says:
If you’re doubtful, watch the skill videos again. They’re pretty heavy handed with the humor. Also, I love this.
04/04/2011 at 17:59 Negativeland says:
I say. That looks like a dig at Counter-Strike.
04/04/2011 at 18:09 Nick says:
reference =! dig
04/04/2011 at 18:25 bleeters says:
It’s the obligatory-ground-level-camera-facing-up-as-helicopters-fly-over shot that sells it, I thought.
04/04/2011 at 20:18 Outsider says:
“That’s a big chicken..” in reference to a gargantuan dragon coasting in for a landing was great.
05/04/2011 at 01:11 JackShandy says:
“This is the worst date ever!”
04/04/2011 at 15:18 The Army of None says:
Oh goodness that made me chuckle.
04/04/2011 at 15:25 mollemannen says:
random employee: haha that trailer we made was awesome. boss: you’re fired. random employee: nice april fools joke, not falling for that one :D. boss: get your stuff…
04/04/2011 at 15:46 Bilbo says:
Are we calling getting dickpunched “footage” now? Otherwise I am confuse
04/04/2011 at 16:15 Ricc says:
In the case of Saints Row, yes. This is an apt representation of the game.
04/04/2011 at 17:17 Bilbo says:
It’s the literal word I’m dubious of, not the idea that “this isn’t enough for a game trailer” or whatevs. I’m not that guy. I actually really loved saints row 2 and played it to hell.
04/04/2011 at 17:56 Tenorek says:
I would be more worried about missing the whole point than about being confused.
04/04/2011 at 18:06 Bilbo says:
Yeah, I realise I entirely missed the point, that’s why I’m asking. Aren’t you a helpful little flower
04/04/2011 at 16:07 somnolentsurfer says:
That’s beautiful.
04/04/2011 at 16:57 Navagon says:
Did they really have to show the entire game from start to finish in one trailer? That’s almost as bad as some movie trailers!
04/04/2011 at 18:01 Om says:
What’s ‘Holiday 2011′ to non-Americans and other strange aliens?
04/04/2011 at 18:10 Nick says:
Christmas
04/04/2011 at 18:19 DigitalSignalX says:
Boxing day for you guys :P
04/04/2011 at 18:22 Grape Flavor says:
An alien, huh? Well, about when you start to hear this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gELfPvb06pE
04/04/2011 at 20:08 The Pink Ninja says:
MAXIMUM BALLPUNCH!
04/04/2011 at 22:03 FunkyBadger3 says:
THE FINAAAAL COUNTDAHN,, DUH DUH DUUUUH DUH…..
04/04/2011 at 22:15 FunkyBadger3 says:
Also, Best Trailer Ever.
05/04/2011 at 11:32 Songbearer says:
Bear in mind they’re saying practically almost every weapon will have its own specialised dickpunch move (Including a rocket launcher golf swing), so this is just a small fondle of knacker-knockery to come.