A friend of mine started the Saints Row [official site] series with the fourth one. She loved having superpowers and trashing a virtual city, but she did wonder what the deal was with Johnny Gat. Even though he’s not in half the game spoilers for the third and fourth Saints Rows, but Johnny Gat dies and then comes back to life his absence is felt. Characters talk about how his loss changed them. The dude with the sunglasses and neck tattoos who seems like a generic video game badass is treated like he matters.

Gat’s a mascot for Saints Row, whether cameoing in games outside the series or within them. You start Saints Row: The Third with every member of the gang wearing an oversized Gat mask during a bank robbery even Gat himself has one, pointless as that makes the disguise. Everybody wants to be Johnny Gat. To understand why he has that reputation, why fans love him while outsiders roll their eyes, we have to go back to Saints Row 2.

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It’s Saints Row a go-go round GOG today as the store celebrates more of Volition’s wacky open-world crime ’em ups arriving DRM-free on its virtual shelves. Some Saints games have been on GOG for ages but now the lineup is complete with the addition of Saints Row 4 (the one where you’re the President of the USA) and Gat out of Hell (the one in Hell). To mark this Saint-o-rama, Saints Row 2 (possibly still my favourite Saints Row) is free for 48 hours. And folks who own Saints Row games on Steam can add them to their GOG account to get DRM-free versions. GOG are holding a sale too. … [visit site to read more]

Back in the day, to install mods we needed to trudge through the digital snow — upcyberhill, both ways — and we’d consider ourselves lucky if we only got caned thrice for mistyping DOS commands. The youth of today are spoiled, simply clicking a few buttons in the Steam Workshop to install and play mods. Where’s the graft? I swear, some of these kids playing mods these days haven’t even lost fingers to cyberfrostbite. Fine then, go on, go and play Saints Row 4 [official site] mods easily with its fancy new official Steam Workshop support, see if I care. The game’s on sale now too. … [visit site to read more]

Agents Of Mayhem [official site] explicitly plants Saints Row in a futureworld of supervillains and interplanetary metahuman agencies. I use the word explicitly because Saints Row IV was already at least part way there, using the grammar of a superhero comic if not the language. I played through a mission of Mayhem recently and while I immediately missed some aspects of Saints Row, as an action game, Agents is streets ahead.

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Saints Row creators Volition today announced they’ll release a new open-world explode-o-rama in 2017, though it’s not a new Saints Row. Not really. Agents of Mayhem [official site] will see the good-ish guys of M.A.Y.H.E.M. (the Multinational Agency for Hunting Evil Masterminds) scrapping with the dastardly L.E.G.I.O.N. (the League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations) in open-world shooty antics. Here, check out the announcement trailer:

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Hello there. This week, I’m writing not just as an RPG columnist, but as president of the newly formed League Of Folks Who Don’t Really Play MOBAs But Are Bizarrely Hooked On All The Trappings. As far as I can tell, our membership is roughly a billion people and counting. That’s what happens when the likes of Blizzard and Riot spend literally tens> of dollars creating gorgeous videos to promote their worlds, yes, but it goes somewhat deeper than that. Have you ever watched a new character reveal for a game you know you’re never going to play? Then the sickness might have spread.

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Remember that Descent game Kickstarted by people by who didn’t make Descent? Here’s an unofficial Descent remakequel Kickstarted by people who did make Descent.

If Descent was on your Kickstarted comeback bingo card, then today’s the day to wave your pen in the air. Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog, lead creators of the 1990s’ beloved six-degrees of freedom spaceshippy FPS, have gotten the band back together for a comeback named Overload. You wanted Descent with sparkly 2016 graphics? You’re gonna get it. Well, if you and your fellow retronauts can put $300k together. … [visit site to read more]

Alec has already told you to play XCOM this weekend if you haven’t, seeing as the full game’s free to try on Steam. It’s “one of the best games of the last few years” says he. Aye, maybe it is, and maybe you could. However. If you fancy real-time smashing rather than turn-based tacticisicing, have a bash at the superpowered open-world antics, shenanigans, and – dare I say – bants of Saints Row IV [official site], which is also holding a free trial weekend on Steam, as is Saints Row: The Third.

SR4 is the best action game on PC, according to John.

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You probably like action games. But which ones should you like best?! We’ve narrowed it down to 25, and then put them in the unimpeachably correct order. Read on for details of the best action biff-zap-collect-me-do gaming you can stuff down your trousers.

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Sometimes you need a hand to hold, so we ve compiled a list of the 25 best co-op games to play on PC with a headset-wearing friend or a muted stranger.

Whether solving puzzles, sneaking, shooting zombies or stabbing mythical creatures in the face, the existence of another player adds an element of unpredictability. The reality of your co-op partner constantly alerting the guards is drowned out by the experience in your head – the synchronised stealth takedowns, the perfectly executed plan – but both success and failure are more compelling when you can take credit for the former and blame someone else for the latter.

There is a co-op game for every duo and our selection includes a variety of the most bestest. Don t worry if your favourite co-op game doesn t feature – it just means you re wrong. All mortals are, on occasion. … [visit site to read more]