... but I am seriously psyched for Saints Row The Third. When I first heard it was coming, I was interested.. but after seeing the vids for it (displaying actual gameplay footage), my excitement increased exponentially.

This was the first vid I saw, which got me excited...

Saints Row The Third: Power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvIuht69IPA)

and then this one:

Saints Row The Third Gameplay Trailer/footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN2-WSyRuO0)

Here's the vids:

Meet the Saints (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yJnwjHe67o)
Meet the Morning Stars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fm2EIM4Xi0)
Meet the Deckers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DP2GZ4zXto)
Meet the Luchadores (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15APLDAuCds)
Meet Professor Genki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acZ5tL1dJI4)
Saints Row The Third: Free Falling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PotwI5uMNi8) - Gameplay footage of the actual second mission from the game)

For once, I'm actually glad I preordered this game and now find myself counting down the days til the 15th of November. Knowing my luck, Volition will probably delay release now >.<

I'm with you on this, brotha :) Smacking random people with giant purple dildo = WIN.

I third this guilty joy.
I bought the second one cheap, thinking it would pass the time until something better came along and I found I enjoyed it more than the overly-serious GTA IV. Obviously it wasn't as technically accomplished but it had the laugh factor that Rockstar's opus so desperately needed.

I agree completely. Saints Row 2 is one of my favorite games of the last few years, so #3 was high on my priority list all along.

I think it's the only sandbox series that understands what gamers actually want. All the others are too serious or force players to do stupid shit like sucking up to various factions we'd rather be exterminating en masse.

I think the following review for Saints Row 2, is probably one of the only reviews I agree with which gave it a good one.

Zero Punctuation: Saints Row 2 - Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/312-Saints-Row-2)

In any event, am I sensing that there's at least three others here who may be interested in some Co-op mayhem in Saints Row The Third, in November?

May be interested? Hell no. Keep your ambiguity and sign me up right now. Chisel my name in fucking stone.

I've been meaning to get into this series for quite some time, but one thing has always kept me away. The first game is only on Xbox360 and I don't have one. Is it necessary to understand what's going on in 2 (and possibly 3) or are they unrelated?

May be interested? Hell no. Keep your ambiguity and sign me up right now. Chisel my name in fucking stone.

x2

:)

@Prak/CC: lol I was hoping you'd say that. I still need to get some co-op achievements done in SR2, so in any event come November 15th, I'll be after a co-op partner for Saints Row The Third (looks at Prak and grins)

@Smarty: Not really, even though they do have the same characters from the previous games in them. Each game is a standalone game, and can be played by itself if desired.

I wasn't going to pick it up new. I'm a cheapskate so I was going to wait for a price drop. :sad:

I didn't play the first one, and thoroughly enjoyed the second one regardless. Michael Dorn and Keith David did voices. :love:

@Dr Faustus: Don't forget Keith Rappaport (as Commissioner Troy Bradshaw), Eliza Dushku (as Shaundi) and Daniel Dae Kim (as Johnny Gat). Pity they've changed Shaundi's VA for SR3, but still... should be good. If you want to wait for price drop... I'd suggest the post Christmas/New Year's sales, as a LOT of things will plummet in price then.

Yea, it will very likely be after the Xmas period before I pick it up.
I haven't noticed a single advert for it here (UK) in any of the game shops.
I hope the co-op play is story driven, I don't enjoy the death-match GTA kind of multi-player.
I'll still get it for the one-player. :D