Saints Row 4 Comic Con Panel

At Comic-Con 2013, several hundred fans crammed into room 7AB for a presentation on Saints Row 4, the highly anticipated sequel from Volition Entertainment. While we have already previewed the game's first few hours, this was a chance for the fans to hear more about the game, directly from those involved in making it.

On hand for the panel were Volition Creative Director Steve Jaros, Troy Baker (male voice #1), Laura Bailey (female voice #1), JB Blanc (Emperor Zinyak), and Yuri Lowenthal (Matt Miller, Professor Genki) to discuss the forthcoming game. However, while most video game panels adhere to a very rigid structure, this one was more free form.

Rather than showcase any new footage, the panel was one big Q&A session, with the panelists responding to questions from the fans. And while we didn't get too much in the way of major announcements, there were a few interesting reveals.

Speaking about the game's structure Laura Bailey confirmed what we had speculated on after the Saints Row 4 achievements leaked: gamers will be able to "romance" their 3rd Street Saints compatriots. How exactly that will work she wouldn't say, but one has to assume there's a little biting humor to the idea.

We also learned that the dubstep gun will play a prominent role in a later level in the game, one that we can only assume will be a highlight of the entire experience. Players won't have to wait that long before getting their hands on the goofy weapon, though, as Jaros confirmed it is unlocked by completing some side missions.

Saints Row 4 - President

When asked if the mod community for Saints Row: The Third has influenced the team at Volition, Jaros revealed that it has and that Saints Row 4 will feature full mod support. Volition wants to see what types of zany things modders can create within their already goofy world and so they will provide tools to help modders.

Keeping on the topic of goofy ideas, Jaros also revealed how Saints Row 4 was originally supposed to end. Jaros had no problem spoiling it so we suspect it was scrapped from the game altogether. However, if you don't want to know about this cancelled ending skip the next paragraph.

To put it simply: Saints Row 4 was originally written with a Bollywood musical style ending, but when Volition started to realize the cost of pulling off such a feat, the idea fell prey to budget constraints. Jaros says that the game's new ending is still great, but it sounded like he really wanted to make the Bollywood thing happen.

After touching upon what gamers can expect from the Saints Row 4 retail package, Jaros talked about DLC and what gamers can expect in that department. While we don't know if Saints Row 4 will have 40 weeks of DLC, we do know that at least two story expansions are in the works as well as some clothing packs.

About 45 days after launch (Saints Row 4 releases on August 20th by the way), the first DLC pack for Saints Row 4 will hit. This first story expansion will be titled Enter the Dominatrix, a moniker some will recognize as the title of the Saints Row 3 DLC that was eventually folded into Saints Row 4. However, although Volition is using the Enter the Dominatrix name, it sounds as if they are doing something different with this one.

Saints Row 4 Enter the Dominatrix

According to Jaros, Enter the Dominatrix is structured like a mockumentary, with various characters exploring some of the content that was left on Volition's cutting room floor. In essence, Enter the Dominatrix is like the video game equivalent of a deleted scenes section. What deleted content Enter the Dominatrix will include is unclear, but we do know that at one point the game featured a dragon — something that might be cool to see pop up in this DLC.

The second unnamed DLC will then release about 90 days after launch, but we have little to no details about that particular expansion. Jaros was about to spill the beans, but the panel's moderator, Deep Silver PR superwoman Aubrey Norris, quickly shut him down. He did, however, say that the DLC is the best thing he has ever written, which says a lot coming from the guy who created the excellent 'Deckers Must Die' mission in Saints Row: The Third.

The Saints Row 4 panel, while light (read: bare) on any new footage, delivered some interesting news items both in terms of the story, the gameplay, new features, and future content. And surprisingly, the panel was focused on Steve Jaros rather than the talented voice cast. They were great, but Jaros and his stories/reveals were the highlight of the panel.

What are your hopes for Saints Row 4 DLC? Will support for mods convince you to pick up the PC version?

Saints Row 4 releases August 20, 2013 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

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