THQ giving a 15 percent price break for gamers who pay $20 up front for four add-on packs; Genkibowl VII, Gangstas in Space to offer sports, sci-fi twists on open-world crime game.
Saints Row: The Third is getting on board the Season Pass trend. Joining the likes of Mortal Kombat, Gears of War 3, Forza 4, and Uncharted 3, Saints Row: The Third will give players a price break on downloadable content if they commit to all of it with an upfront purchase.
The Saints Row: The Third Season Pass will include three mission packs and a DLC outfit and vehicle pack centered around the gameworld's famous vampire-hunting superhero, Nyte Blayde. The Nyte Blayde pack contains superheroic outfits for Altar Boy and Bloody Canoness, Nyte Blayde's car, and Bloody Canoness' motorcycle.
The trio of mission packs will begin arriving in January with the release of Genkibowl VII, which offers a Wide World of Genki sporting take on the town of Steelport. Later in the winter, THQ plans to release the sci-fi-themed Gangstas in Space pack, with the Trouble With Clones add-on closing out the Season Pass offerings sometime in the spring. The Season Pass for Saints Row: The Third will cost gamers $20, which THQ expects to represent a 15 percent savings over purchasing all four add-ons separately.
Saints Row: The Third heads to stores for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 15. The game picks up with the player running the Third Street Saints. Once a small-town gang, the Saints have grown to control the organized crime within Stilwater and even have their own brand, with licensed sneakers, energy drinks, and bobbleheads.
However, the Saints' success has drawn the attention of the globally powerful Syndicate, a criminal fraternity that insists on a cut of the action. Players will adopt the role of a member of the Saints who must relocate to the Syndicate's hometown of Steelport after a botched bank robbery forces them to flee Stilwater.
For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Saints Row: The Third.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
As long as the DLC is not already on the disk (like Bioshock 2), I really don't mind. The thing that is hard to understand is that there is a long wait in between a game getting finished and a game's actual release. This is the stage that DLC is usually planned in. It is true that DLC is a way to get that extra nickel and dime from you, but it is totally optional.
I think a season pass is a better idea than paying more for the DLCs. All of you people are freaking out about this, but think about COD Elite! That lame app is ridiculous! Who in their right mind would pay $50 for some DLCs and an app? This season pass for Saints Row is much cheaper, and if you really like the game, then it's a good deal.
@chilly-chill Rockstar didn't make Saints Row. Their DLCs have nothing to do with Saints Row.
Lol...only a fool would pay $60 after knowing this info...I'll wait for the price drop or just watch a walkthrough...rather spend that on ACR and get more for my money in the long run
@weedman1985 lol love your pic that's how i feel about them and the cod francise. if we boycott this stuff it will go away. but when you have people that i will choose not to slander :) buying dlc for modern war fail for 18 bucks and all they get is 3 maps. everyone tries to do it if we stop buying this craps it will go away. we are paying for a less than a cd of information.
I normally buy my games 12 months after release, so that I can get them for $30 brand new. So paying $20 for DLC is cool with me.
on top of the purchase price they want $20 and a promise to buy unknown dlc? sounds too rich for my blood
@Albenuova When a big and long DLC like Undead Nightmare comes out months after release,without any announcements,you know its not already made.Undead Nightmare also shows what a DLC done right looks like,and I don't complain when I get DLC of that kind,one worth the money.Borderlands and Fallout New Vegas DLC are also examples of a DLC done right. But when you see an announcement of a skin pack and few missions with some screenshots,you can already know,its finished and cut out.Day 1 DLC and DLC announced before the release of the game is a rip-off,a plain insult to a gamer's intelligence.Also,in the end,it would prove cheaper for you to pay 70$ for a complete package,like this you pay 60$ for an incomplete game,and if you want all,you need another 20$.And after that,maybe more DLC will come out.If that isn't a rip-off,I don't know what it is!
@Rocker6 how do you know its already made? I mean i get that some games come out with the content on disc and release a code to access it later, but these DLC are made for people who like that game and want more. I know most of them are a rip off and over priced, but some aren't that bad ex. RDR:undead nightmare. I honestly think that DLC are the industry way of saying that $60 is just a game just isn't cutting it anymore with the bad economy. So DLCs are made to balance that out the cost of making the game. IMHO DLC are saving most of us from spending $70 on newer games.
@Gezquester No,it doesn't save you money,what you're paying for here is a content already made,only cut out from the game.To be exact,by paying for it,you're only losing money.Most DLC announced before the actual release of the game is cut out,or locked on the disk,just to milk the fans...
Geez thq u got maybe one good release this year and with the amount of games coming out, u expect gamers to squeeze it all out for u. That's rich........
While I will agree that DLC prices are outrageous (at least this $15 goes to multiple DLC instead of one like in COD), I think this a better means to get gamers to keep their games than the Online Pass method (buy the game new or fork out ten bucks, a la Arkham City, ME2, etc.)
I agree with some of the other posters that these DLC prices are crazy and it's bizarre that people would pay full price for a game then sign up to pay more money for content that may not be any good. The CoD Elite for $50? After paying $60 for the game?
@kriggy A fellow Swede! I agree with you entirely, the profit margins on DLC are ridiculous. It's become the same thing as in other industries, i.e. it's not their main product that generates the most money compared to the work attached to it, but the other stuff, like alcoholic drinks in the restaurant business or fancy accessories in the car industry. Luckily for me, I have a massive backlog and will be able to buy Goty editions of every game I want, with all DLC included for a lesser price than first-day retail, because I won't catch up with modern games in a long while.
I just can't see the big deal with dlc, why should customers continue to spend money on small stuff for the game which should have been in the game from the state of release? It's ridiculous! Imo, there is a huge difference between an expansion pack and dlc. An expansion pack is supposed to be like a sequel with the same graphics engine and stuff which I happily spend my money on, but dlc which contains a pair of shoes or just another mission for around 10% of the retail price? come on! My point is that the companies price thier dlc way to high. For example LA Noire, a game I truly adore. I bought the game on release for about 500 SEK. And if I want one new mission, it will cost me 35 SEK, which is 14,3% of the retail price. And I can assure everyone that the value of one LA Noire mission is not 14,3% of the retail price.
I don't mind DLC if the company gets a good idea about what more the game could have, then make and sell it. But making DLC way before the game is even released, now that is idiotic.
@_Silent_Jay_ doesnt matter what it was, other then short dlc, a few extra car bumpers and 2 mission that took 2 minutes each,,,it was a 200 msp dlc on it best day , advertised as a expansion when it was release and non of that mattered ,as i said before, it was not a lack of friends to play with, its that i had to erase all dlc . to be able to play coop with friends because of no compatibility packs or patch with people that did not have it which was the majority. something as minor as having the free uncut clothes dlc....the tera patrick dlc was a quick money grab at making believe it was a real expansion .forget what it was? 800 msp or something for what could be finished before your pizzapocket was done in the microwave. even if you erased all dlc you could not invite friends into your saved game if it was a game that ever had dlc..... i was at 99% only had to finish finding the tags around town, but erased all my data so i could start a game with a friend that just got the game , because even after erasing the dlc it still would not let others join......Will this dlc make it so you cant play co op witha friend who does not have the carpack even if i own it again and there invited and playing in my world.....that im hosting.. ill see what the dlc offers and if they fix it with compat packs so everyone can join your game
Nobody should ever buy something before they know how it is, no matter how good the "incentive" is. How do you think all those Duke Nukem fans that preordered that felt?
And companies wonder why so many people buy games used? It is the only way they can afford it for all the dlc!
Well it's pretty obvious when DLC content is discussed before the games is released. All the companies are doing it. Can you blame THQ?
It seems what I have heard about SR3 is true. They watered down the game so they could release DLC that they could just have easily put on the disc (a blantant moneymaking technique in my opinion.)
This season pass trend is gettin way too popular. Many games that can have DLC have season pass. The bad side of DLC
This is just a gimmick to get people to already be locked in for addons. This tells me that those extras are probably going to suck and once reviews come out for them, nobody will buy them.
No reason to complain!! Quick, before it's too late, cancel your pre-order from wherever you got it and go to THQ's website. Pre-order the game there and get all the DLC free (as other people have mentioned). This includes both the Professor Genki (sp?) pack AND the Nyte Blade stuff mentioned above... and it's included in the price! So after shipping... it's about 63bux, no tax due to the internet. You can't beat it.
@DoubleR_Boss Agreed ,People complain about DLC but still buy it. Stop buying DLC and companies have to change their strategy. Who knows ,maybe we will even get full games again out of the box. Good gaming. ;)
PP should stop complaining. Yuour not complaining for call of duty packs that you should since complain on this. PP will never learn at all and i getting the pass since to me i dont complain great deal.
I think this season pass thing is a great idea. 20 bucks for 2 dlc stories and item pack. Sounds cool to me. I can't wait for this game. It will be awesome. can't wait to clothesline some unsuspection gang member!!!
So it sounds like these mission packs were probably completed around the same time as the "full" game was (or maybe beforehand, judging by the way things are going). I won't be spending my money on the DLC as I flat out refuse to throw any money at that business tactic. However, I will be able to judge properly when I pick up the game next week. I'm expecting more from SR3 - customization, vehicles, activities, clothing, etc. - than I did from SR2 and if there's less, I can promise they will lose a customer for ALL things THQ. Cheating should only be in-game.
Almost $90 for a video game? Man I miss SNES and Sega Genesis. At least I knew I brought the full game back then.
in my over 20 years of gaming never would i have imagined this type of behavior from the gaming industry. in this economy people are losing their homes, cars, and comitting suicide. this is wrong! attention gamers, STOP SUPPORTING THIS TYPE OF NICKEL & DIME BEHAVIOR. you are buying incomplete games! the companies doing this make blockbuster hits that sell in the hundreds of millions. imagine how much better it would be if you spend $60 on new game and are guaranteed much DLC for free in the coming months. everyone wins! just canceled my preorder and will be renting indefinitely. now i can say, "Im saving 70 bucks."
@ryn01 get off there nuts it is rediculous to ask us to pay for something that could/should have been included with my original purchase im paying for a good product not one thats half done and the only way to get the full thing is yo buy a bunch of dlc turning my 70$ dollar game into a 100$ game if this is what i have to do then they should be giving the collectors editions away for same price as normal im gonna spend as much on a normal copy as i would anyways after all that crap
@ryn01 Video games are made with blood and sweat? Oh please,while I understand well how making games isn't easy,and is also always risky,there is no such thing as blood and sweat in it,there are jobs much,much harder and less payed than making video games.Also,I believe these 4 packs are already made,only cut out of the game to milk ppl.Whatever you may think,most gaming companies don't care at all about you,only about your money.Do the same,care about their games,and not about them!
It's disgusting that developers are planning DLC before they even release the game. They're charging full price and releasing a game in supposedly finished condition, but they have already set stuff aside for later, that should probably be in the game, to milk the fans.
@monster637 - It was three missions, a bunch of vehicles , new style options, a fully voiced "homey" and some new co-op modes. Was it overpriced for that content? I've seen less for more, but that's completely subjective. That said, the fact that you didn't have anybody to play it with says nothing about the value of the DLC, and more about nobody with the DLC wanting to play with you. @SwiftusMaximus - The online pass and the season pass are two different things. So, yeah, in both cases: whiners gonna whine.
Waaaaaaaah waaaaaah waaaaah. All i see is crying. And I bet SOME of the ppl who are whining about it, probably doled out $49.99 for CoD Elite. You guys act like it's MANDATORY to buy it. But then again....I see what @monster637 was saying. I don't wanna ge caught out there paying out the ass for DLC that doesn't have the substance worthy of the asking price.
@holrocks A few words of advice: Money spent, especially on nonessentials, is never money saved.
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