Red Faction: Armageddon has decreased the publishers confidence in the franchise. During an investors call this evening, THQ CEO Brian Farrell described the Red Faction franchise’s reach as “niche,” and that consequently its no longer worth pursuing.

“Given that that title, now in two successive versions, has just found a niche, we do not intend to carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way,” Farrell said. According to Farrell, the recently released Red Faction: Armageddon “did not resonate with a sufficiently broad console gaming audience,” despite its “passionate niche following.”

“In today’s hit-driven, core gaming business, even highly-polished titles with a reasonable following like Red Faction face a bar that continues to move higher and higher,” he said. “Moving forward, our core game titles must meet a very high quality standard with strong creative and product differentiation, appeal to a broad audience, and be marketed aggressively.”

With the original Darksiders, the development team was “searching around” trying to find the “soul” of the title. Vigil Games director Marvin Donald expresses that “[they] didn’t really know what Darksiders was until the end.” But, not with the sequel.

“This time you’re playing Death, another of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. You may remember in the first game that War was gone for a century for accidentally bringing about the apocalypse. In this game you have to restore mankind in order to rescue your brother.” Darksiders II is a game with less of a focus on Earth and more of a focus on a stylized demon underworld, the Abyssal Plane.

The director describes Death as a quicker, more “feral” character then the previous protagonist War — and it’s a trait that will carry on in multiple areas of the sequel. In the journey to rescue his brother, Death will travel across a number of twisted and varied landscapes, he’ll need to use a number of different acrobatic movements to traverse these environments. Death is very much his own man, he’s far less lumber of a character in comparison to War.

So much, that he’s a much more customizable. Because of an expanded collection of role-playing elements, which include a loot system. The game will allow you to customize your battle attributes, as well as your appearance. “We’re big RPG fans at Vigil, and we would have done this with Darksiders if we had the time and bandwidth.” But, it would have taken time to balance the experience. “That’s one of the biggest challenges ahead of us.”

In conclusion, it appears that the sequel has stepped up from the promising original, which was widely expected. But, hopefully, Vigil Games can resolve the technical problems that plagued the original title because Darksiders II seems to be its own game.

The developer refers to Metro 2033 as a “flawed masterpiece;” a titled that was acclaimed, but was criticized for it’s broken mechanics. However, with Metro Last Light, the newest installment into the survival horror series, they’re aiming to realize its full potential.

“The author of the original book actually wrote a pseudo-followup called 2034 which is a very different style of book entirely. He kind of describes it as an art-house thriller where the first one was perfect material for a video game,” explained Huw Beynon. Instead of changing setting in the sequel, we’re returning to Moscow as Artyom, the unassuming protagonist from the original.

In the original, apocalyptic events scorched the earth and left the surface a barren and uninhabitable, leaving the surviving citizens to live underground in metro stations. But, in the sequel, extreme factions have taken control of these stations, which had represented cities.

Beynon also stated that they’ve added “more sophisticated destruction and dynamic physics” to the engine, adding to the realism of the experience. In addition, multiplayer has been added to the Metro world; Beynon added that they had wanted to include it in the first game, but did not have the sufficient resources to do the mode “justice.”

The third installment into comical sandbox series, Saints Row: The Third doesn’t seem to be taking itself that seriously — in the first batch of screenshots there’s even a masked assailant at the business end of a “huge purple phallus.”

Transmedia promotions have proven a marketing “dependent” within the industry –  either its a pressing commercial event, such as launch parties, or downloadable prequels; they’re all becoming dependents. Though the hardcore market hasn’t adapted to this strategy,  THQ has announced a downloadable prequel to Red Faction Armageddon.

In a recent interview, executive vice president of core games, Danny Bilson, said that Armageddon would “benefit” from the publishers plan to transport they’re franchises onto other huge platforms, such as XBLA and PSN.

“There’s going to be a Red Faction arcade game that ships about three or four months before Armageddon,” said Bilson. “What’s interesting is that we will sell it to the fans, it will have content you can download that is TV show-related, it will build up to the new game and also we can use it to drive pre-orders, too; we can give codes and aspects of it, we can give the whole thing away.”

Bilson continued to state that the publisher is planning “multi-faceted minigames” as revenue generators and marketing tools for other franchises as well. “You’ll see it on Red Faction, you’ll see it on Saints Row and a couple of others,” he said. “Not only that, we have a comic book coming on it as well.”

The Red Faction series is a series that spans over multiple titles and platforms. And, after Red Faction Guerrilla’s critical success, another installment was inevitable. That said, THQ have announced the next installment into the series, Red Faction Armageddon.

In Armageddon, an “apocalyptic cult” has transformed the surface of Mars into an uninhabitable wasteland, forcing humanity to live in a network of subterranean mines and tunnels. Even worse, Darius Mason, the grandson of Alec Mason and Samanya, and the new main protagonist, is eventually “tricked” into opening a mysterious shaft, unleashing a horde of evil mutants.

As Darius, the player is then tasked with fighting back the mutants, freeing colonists from cocoons that the mutants have trap them in and venturing back to the surface to fight against the cultists. Lucky, this all done with the aid of an “evolved” version of the “Nano Forge” weapon, meaning that the world is once again destructible.

Playing any wrestling game for a standard amount time feels like a chore; feeling like an eternity, when its only been a couple of hours. But, shockingly enough, I never felt that way when playing through WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010. I actually really, really enjoyed it. You see, year after year, THQ updates the series in a small fashion; adding new modes, or couple a of extra moves. However, never has the series felt this new.

This year’s SvR feels like a total overhaul, meaning that THQ and Yuke’s made improvements on everything. The most noted addition, the game’s Story Designer mode. In Story Designer mode, the player is given the creative freedom to create, or recreate any wresting television event/show they want. However, there isn’t any dialog for this mode. Instead, you’ll use text and animations to tell your story. The good news is, your story can be as long, or as short as you want it to be.

However, there’s one major limitation. Being only a limited amount animations, your story has to fit within the given animations, which is something that gets in that way of “true” story customization. Luckily, with the given animations, you can still create a large amount of creative stories. But, if you can’t seem to create the “prefect” story, the convenient “Road to Wrestlemania” mode returns from last year.

This year’s Road to Wrestlemania follows six well known WWE Superstars in their quest to became “imprinted into the WWE Hall of Fame”. These Road to Wrestlemania stories play out well, for the most part. However, these stories aren’t complex, they mainly hold back until the big show down at Wrestlemania. This is the main problem with the Road to Wrestlemania mode because, at some points, the events feel boring and slow; giving them an unbalanced feeling. But, overall this years Road to Wrestlemania is very good.

They’ve also the revamped Ceate-A-Superstar mode. In SvR 2010, the game finally receives 3D clothing, meaning that everything actually fits; there’s no more hovering clothing. Along with that, there’s also the all new point system, adding more options in key areas via a point bar. However, because of the point bar. It feels like the developers took a huge step backwards because the taxing on the points feels unfair; Yuke’s put a large amount of points on the most used accessories. But, where it really matters is character customization and, BOY!, is it good.

They’ve also added a Paint Tool; in association with the revamped Ceate-A-Superstar mode. With the Paint Tool, players can create, or recreate any logo or design they want. However, there’s a huge downside. You’ll need to be very skilled using the controller if you what to draw a logo free hand because it’s difficult to write anything; making a name like Adventure Dave look like “Advtue Daue”, or something like that. Personally, I don’t know why Yuke’s didn’t incorporate some kind of drawing aid. However, overall, Yuke’s has done a great job with the Paint Tool, and we can’t wait to see what they do next year.

Closing Statement:

Although I haven’t touch on gameplay, it’s obvious for me to state that not much has changed from the previous wresting titles; there’s a new grappling position, an expanded move gallery, and a one button counter system. However, I believe that presentation is SvR 2010 strongest quality; everything has been reinforced from past Smackdown vs. Raw titles. Don’t get me wrong, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 has its many downsides, like poor hit detection, and in-game HUD glitches. But, it goes without saying that this years Smackdown vs Raw is very impressive; even going as far as to say that this is the best in the series.

Final Score: 8.9

Forever. Sadly, that’s how long THQ and Jakks Pacific have been fighting over the net rate sales associated their WWE video game series, more pacifically back in 2006 when the net rate increased. Today, that conflict has been settled, declaring THQ the winner.

“As we expected, we have prevailed in this matter,” said James M. Kennedy, THQ’s executive VP of business and legal affairs, in a statement. “We are gratified the arbitrator agreed the preferred return rate to Jakks Pacific on WWE video games will be significantly lower.”

With the net rate now set at 6 percent, THQ will pay Jakks Pacific $34 million for the period between July 1, 2006 and March 31, 2009, which is 23 million less than what it would have owed if it was settled in Jakks favor. Now, at least they can find means on something.

While its rival, Grand Theft Auto, has made its rounds on and off the PlayStation Portable, Saints Row is yet to venture on the system. However, it seems that THQ and Volition look to change that.

According to the Swedish metal band, Opeth, one of their songs, “The Lotus Eater”, was given the go ahead to be featured in the upcoming PSP version of Saints Row.

“We may not like playing videogames all that much but we do like it when our music is featured on them! Makes us a bit proud even when it’s a game as big as Saints Row for the PSP… So if you love playing videogames: the game is expected to hit the streets around March 2010.”

THQ hasn’t given the official word on this yet. But, it looks like Opeth was a little keen on announcing their presents within the game. Anyway, lets hope they announce the game soon.

It’s been along time since UFC fans have had the pleasure of playing a video game with their favorite fighters within the virtual octagon. So long, in fact, that THQ had to build the game from the ground up with the help of the developers over at Yuke’s Media Creations, in order to “make up for the mistakes of previous title”. However, one can only wonder what’s so different; what makes this game so good and worth the wait?

When playing through UFC one of the many things you’ll notice is how well UFC 2009 Undisputed translates one of the most complex hand-on-hand combat sports into a enjoyable experience. The game has three fighting positions that can be executed during a fight: on your feet, the clinch, and your ground game. These positions blend together nicely, and depending on which moves you execute, in whatever position, you can execute a number of different combinations.

However, if I were to give you some advice, I’d say to go through the in-depth tutorial. Firstly, because it’s a requirement; but also because you’ll need it. And don’t try the online mode unless you have gone through at least half of the game’s career mode. This is because UFC 2009 Undisputed isn’t a game in where you just pick it up and start playing. Every fighter within this game has their own unique fighting style – Muay Thai, kickboxing, boxing, Brazillain Jui-Jitsu, wrestling, and Judo. You’ll have to learn each fighter’s style before you take anyone one.

Speaking of fighting, UFC 2009 Undisputed’s in-ring combat really puts an emphasis on realism. The title’s hand-to-hand combat has to be the most detailed part of it. Depending on your distance from your opponent, you can perform different strikes. The same goes for the clinch, but there’s a different aspect to it. In addition, to add the realism, the makers of Undisputed digitally recreated actual referees and corner men to add to the experience. But the real star is the amazing commentary from Joe Rogen and Mike Goldberg – the commentators from the actual events.

UFC 2009 Undisputed gives you the ability to create your own Ultimate Fighter – starting from the bottom, fighting your way to the top. But you’ll have to balance your Ultimate Fighter’s scheduling and training throughout your calender in the career mode, because it can ultimately affect your fights in the future. However, there are three major things that you’ll focus on during your time before a match: strength, speed, and cardio. Along with that, you can spar against AI opponents, gaining points to fill up any of your sixteen fighting style bars, which help customize which position your fighter’s really good at.

Graphically, everything looks sound within the octagon. The 80+ fighters look and fight like their reality-based counterparts, and the frame rate stays solid throughout a match. They developers were even nice enough to add damage calculation to the character models, and, when blood flies from one of these injured spots, it will stay on the floor for the whole match.

I have only a few problems with UFC 2009 Undisputed. Firstly is that flash knockouts happen way too often. Being a man that loves to fight tectonically, when a flash knockout happens out of the blue, it angers me and many players like me. Also, the soundtrack could have a lot more sounds featured throughout, because Undead can only rock for so long. Another thing is, they could have added the fighters walking into the virtual octagon much like they do on the televised events.

Closing Statement:

While it’s easy to say that Undisputed has its problems, there’s no denying that it’s a great fighting game. It’s atmospheric, and the characters feel and sound authentic. It seems that THQ have found themselves a yearly title that can hopefully stand the test of time. If you’re a fan of any fighting game, this is something that you should give a try.

Score: A-

That’s right. It seems just weeks after the release of THQ’s hit fighting game UFC 2009 Undisputed, EA has announced a title to counter that.

During the EA Press Conference, Peter Moore revealed that EA has plans to release EA Sports MMA, which is a Mix Martial Arts title coming to the system hear you (360 and PS3).

“With Fight Night Round 4 set to deliver a knockout with industry-leading visuals and genre-defining gameplay later this month, I couldn’t be more excited to announce the expansion of our combat sports strategy with EA Sports MMA coming in 2010,” said EA Sports President Peter Moore.

“Fans have been begging EA Sports to get into the cage, and EA Sports MMA will put them in control of the sport’s unique combat experience while finally, in an immersive interactive experience, capturing the raw intensity that has made mixed martial arts one of the fastest growing sports in the world. We’re ready for the fight.”

A THQ rep has confirm with us today that Red Faction: Guerrilla has been given a release date of June 9, 2009.

Along with that, we were told that a demo will be releasing on April 23th with any GameStop pre-order of the game, which gives you about three weeks before its release date. 

In Red Faction: Guerrilla, the protagonist Alec will be able to run, jump, hijack vehicles, and use weapons to traverse across the open world of Mars and fight the EDF (Earth Defense Force).

Weapons in the game will include; machine gun turrets, rocket turrets, remote charges, a sledgehammer, machine guns, along with many others. Red Faction: Guerrilla will feature a third-person point of view - all previous Red Faction games were played from  a first-person perspective.

Apparently, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 has just about everything you could want in a fighting game, including Inferno Matches, improved tag team battles and even a Create-A-Finisher mode. But, with even all those features, and an amazing list of over sixty playable characters, many of us, sadly, are still left wanting more.

That’s why THQ has official revealed on the WWE website three new Superstars for Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 that will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Download Pack 1

Available for Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360
Price: 400 Microsoft Points

Evan Bourne – playable Superstar
Ted DiBiase, Jr. – playable Superstar
Charlie Haas – playable Superstar
Chris Jericho – alternate attire

Reports earlier on this week stated that Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon will not be releasing on the PlayStation 3 because of some “development issues”. This wasn’t the first time we have seen this happen with the PlayStation versions of a Destroy All Humans! game. But Eurogamer was still hell bent on figuring out what had going to happen to the European PS3 version of the game.

Yesterday, THQ clarified the situation with Destroy All Humans! Path of Furon to Eurogamer, saying that the PS3 version will be released in Europe after all.

“Destroy all Humans: Path of the Furon will be released on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 formats on February 13th 2009 across Europe,” he stated. “Due to the game being shipped earlier in North America on 2nd December a decision was made to proceed exclusively with the Xbox 360 format in that market.”

I’m going to go on a limb here, an say that there’s still alot of hope of a PS3 version of Destroy All Humans! Path of Furon in North America. They may just release it along side the European version of the game but one can always hope.

First off this isn’t the first time we have seen this happen with the PlayStation version of a Destroy All Humans! game. If you look back all the way in January the PS2 version of Big Willy Unleashed was cancelled. This was because of some “development issues” with the PS2 version of the game. Now, however the game on the PlayStation 3 has also seem to have ran into the same issues.

According to Shacknews, THQ has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 version of Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon has indeed been cancelled. When asked why THQ stated that there was some “development issues” with the PlayStation 3 version of the game. Which means that the game is now an Xbox 360 exclusive.

This information was first found when GameStop removed the listing of the PlayStation 3 version of the game, which was the original report by Shacknews. Also an Amazon listing of the game showed that the game was planned for a Dec. 3 release but there wasn’t a listing stating that the game was in stock, like on the other items pages on the site.

As long as I could remember there have been wrestling video games, even from back in the days of the SEGA Genesis, but many wrestling games these days have been feed off the same soul. The same old grappling, the same old hits and the same old fireworks. Many of us wonder what has change for the franchise? This time around Yuke’s is taking another shot at the championship, but can they really step things up for the gold?

Instead of the regular old campaign mode, the game steps up and adds a new mode called “Road to Wrestlemania”, which is just great for a person who has watched the TV shows for years. Honestly, this mode is truly unique. There are five characters you a can pick from, like The Undertaker and John Cena. They all have their own unique story separate from that of the show’s. The mode is also very well written, but one thing I really didn’t understand is why there is a change camera view in both this mode and Career mode, because it really doesn’t fit the game at all. On the other hand, this mode may truly be, acting-wise, better then the actual show. There are a lot of plot twists in this mode that’s sure to keep wanting more.

However, if you can’t get pass the missions in “Road to Wrestlemania” mode you can always pick Superstar and play Career Mode, but there are a few issues if you do. Basically, Career mode is were you can pick any Superstar or Diva from any one of the shows and pursue their story. When you start of in this mode, any character you pick will start in the 30s, which isn’t fun for anyone on the path to the championship – Cruiserweight and World Heavyweigh etc.. When you first enter this mode the champion is unknown so your basically fighting to get points, which you need to advance to the championship, to face some unknown character. You’ll also have to unlock the stipulations for this mode, but “Road to Wrestlemania” is still better than last years “24/7″ mode, so if I were you I’ll past on this.

And what kind of wrestling game will this be without the new match types and features, like the newest match type Inferno Match, an interesting and silly match type in the game. In this match type you and an opponent fight it out in a ring that is set ablaze and you’re suppose to pull your opponent in the flames till it gets to a high temperature level, like 500, but I forget these things. It is very sad that the Divas cannot be included into this match because we would love to see them sweat. lol. Anyway, once you pull your opponent in the flames it will go into a button-tapping minigame were you’ll try to push your enemy in or escape the flames. The feature is fun, don’t get me wrong, but it can also be a little silly to see The Undertaker trying to extinguish flames off himself.

Closing Statement:

At the end of the day WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is a great game that’s full of potential, but it’s just to bad that it really didn’t get there. The newest feature is Create-A-Finisher, but it’s nothing to be amazed by. You can send as much time as you want in the creative modes but anyway you put it, it feels like you done it a thousand times over. Personally, this game amazed me with RTW this feature gives the game a bit of playability, but it’s all about the game and the way you play it.

Score: B-

Ever since April we have been kept victim by online retail sites posting this game up on their website, and to no avail nothing has been shown, until now. THQ has announced that it’s strategy WWII game, Company of Heroes, is finally ready for it’s newest showing in Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor. The game is set to boast tree new campaigns along with new units, a new multiplayer modes and a “direct-fire” feature, which is said to feature a more tactical control during battle.

“Company of Heroes is one of the most critically acclaimed RTS series of all time,” said Peter Matiss, vice president of global branding management for THQ. “With Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, Relic Entertainment is delivering an all-new, standalone chapter in the franchise and continues to push the boundaries of innovation and quality in the genre.” He also revealed that the game is being developed by Relic Entertainment also that the game utilizes the developer’s in-house Essence Engine.

Attention all PlayStation 3 owner who are planning to get their hands on the PlayStation 3 version of the game Red Faction: Guerrilla. The games Associate Producer Sean Kennedy has just admitted to CVG that the extra help was needed to bring the PlayStation3 version up to speed with the Xbox 360 version. Kennedy even stressed how hard Red Faction: Guerilla is pushing the current-gen technology and then says that the lack of memory on PlayStation3 causes a additional headache.

“I mean, to be honest, we are pushing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 to the limits,” he says. “I mean, not only has it been a balancing act making destruction work with the gameplay and making it all come together in a cohesive way that’s fun, but it’s been a balancing act getting the game to run on the systems.”

[Volition: We struggled with PS3 Red Faction via CVG]

Personally, I never really notice that these games were different and it looks like THQ has found out why. According to Patent Arcade, THQ has filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over trade dress and copyright, which means box-art in this case. The news site reports that the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard is about the upcoming game “SCORE International Baja 1000 The Official Game”. THQ alleges that the game from Activision Blizzard infringes the trade dress and copyrights in THQ’s game “Baja Edge of Control,” which was released in September 2008.

The file (linked below) states that Activision is trying to gain more sales by using the same box-art to confuse consumers that buy the game. Also, it says that Activision Blizzard must change the games box-art prior to it’s release, which is on October 28, 2008, but if Activision Blizzard wins nothing changes.

PDF – THQ Inc. v. Activision Blizzard, Inc. [Patent Arcade]

Many of us were left upset by the ending of Saints Row 2 because it left a room of questions waiting to be answered. Now, in a recent interview with Play, Volition’s associate producer Dan Sutton confirmed that there will be a Saints Row 3, but there was no word on if the game is already in production. It was said that the developers over at Volition were waiting for the fans reactions on the game to reveal Saints Row 3, but by the news we can already tell that they have received a vast amount of fan responses on the game. Along with the news Sutton also confirmed the game will have a “new direction”, other then the ones in the first to games.

“Well, we knew a lot of people were upset with the last one because they were playing it and it was like “oh gosh, I’ve got to wait for the next one”, but in SR2 we tie-up a lot of loose ends. I think we tie it up deliberately. We’ve already started work on Saints Row 3, and we have a new direction we want to go in with that which we of course can’t talk about. We wrap up a lot in this one. There’s no frustration.” -Dan Sutton

[Interview Dan Sutton on Saints Row 2 via Play]

The number one wrestling simulator has now proven its surrealism one again, but this time it’s really something to be hold. Today, we have gained news that WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 has achieved “Platinum Hits” status for the Xbox 360. The game originally launched in November of 2007 and is now available for the suggested retail price of $30.

“Attaining ‘Platinum Hits’ for the Xbox 360 demonstrates the long-standing dedication of our fans to this tremendous franchise,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, publishing, THQ. “This accolade comes at an opportune time as we march toward the much-anticipated North American release of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 across all major gaming platforms, including mobile devices, on November 9.”

Saints Row 2 is yet to hit the streets and yet two of the games developers are talking about a third installment into the series. Designer Scott Phillips and Lead Producer Greg Donovan had a nice chat with Strategy Informer about Saints Row 2 and in there little chat Strategy Informer decided to ask about the possibility of there being a Saint’s Row 3, and Scott Philips told them that they will wait until players put their comments out for SR2 and collect that stuff and start working on it then, hopefully.

“We’ve got tons and tons of ideas coming out of SR 2. I mean, coming out of any game you know things you want to make better and in addition to that, we’ll wait until players put their comments out and collect that stuff and start working on it then, I guess. Hopefully.”

Breaking: Saints Row 3 Confirmed

Today, on an official update for on the THQ UK website it revealed the collector’s edition of their upcoming video game, Saints Row 2. The Saints Row 2 Collector’s Edition will be available in selected stores and online when the game launches in October. The packaging is molded in the shape of a gun (not actually a real gun!). Inside the pack you’ll find your copy of Saints Row 2 along with all of this:

• 1GB Gold Bullet USB 2.0 Memory Stick
• Limited Edition Artbook
• Stilwater Map Poster
• 3rd Street Saints Poster
• Exclusive content, including buddy icons and wallpapers

THQ has named the UFC-based fighting game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and mobile devices they’ve been developing.In today’s press released the game will be called UFC 2009 Undisputed and promise to stay a 100% UFC fighting game and the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world.

UFC 2009 Undisputed will ship to retailers by spring 2009.While that was the only details released today Be to comeback for more updates.

[View Press Release]

Reports this morning tell us that THQ’s Saints Row 2 has now been delayed unlit Oct. 14 becuase of product quality and marketing considerations. The game had a previous date of August 26 but as you see there has been problems with the games marketing considerations. There has been no other information giving about the games delay at this time.

[THQ delays 'Saints Row 2' by nearly two months via Reuters]