Just one day after Game Rant questioned aloud whether Saints Row: The Third offered another broken PS3 exclusive promise in the vein of the Battlefield 3 / Battlefield 1943 incident, the bonus content for Saints Row: The Third has been revealed. Rather than any sort of bonus character, vehicle, or mission, the exclusive bonus content coming to PlayStation 3 owning Saints Row 3 players is... Saints Row 2?

That's right. A free digital download of Saints Row 2 awaits each PlayStation 3 owner who purchases a new copy of Saints Row: The Third and registers the game's season pass online within the next 90 days. A press release from Sony has all the details.

"Go back to a simpler time, when the Saints were vying for control of Stilwater, before they were global icons, a household name, and a criminal empire. Before Professor Genki and the Syndicate, there were the Westside Rollers and the Brotherhood. Enjoy classic Saints Row activities like Septic Avenger, where you spray new homes with sewage in order to devalue property. And of course, enjoy a number of DLC packs brought to you by Volition’s favorite Saints Row 2 producer, Tera Patrick."

According to the press release, Saints Row 2 is a $19.99 value. The addition of DLC packs makes the download an even better deal, and the content will be available for download starting next week. But...

To be sure, owners of  Saints Row: The Third could reasonably be expected to enjoy Saints Row 2 (they might also reasonably be expected to own a copy already) -- after all, the games have a lot in common, and Saints Row: The Third wouldn't be half a crazy as it is without the groundwork laid by Saints Row 2. That said, there is a qualitative difference between "additional content" and "an additional free game with purchase." One was promised, the other delivered.

The real question here is whether any PS3 exclusive content was ever in the pipeline, and if the plan for 40 weeks of DLC simply made development of console-specific add-ons too much for Volition to deliver in time for the game's launch.

As consolation to those Saints Row fans who feel let down by the "bonus content" announcement, we here at Game Rant offer what THQ promises is the very, very, very last Cherished Memory. Ladies and gentleman, may we present: The Genki Gun.

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Once again, the Professor's creations make life in Steelport all that much better. Thanks, Professor Genki, for all that you do!

Ranters, what do you think about Sony and THQ offering PS3 owners a digital download of Saints Row 2? Would you have preferred actual exclusive bonus content for Saints Row: The Third instead?

Saints Row: The Third is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and OnLive.

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