Exit the Dominatrix. The $30 standalone Saints Row: The Third expansion announced just over two weeks ago has already been axed, or, in Saints Row terms, been bashed with an outrageously over-sized sex toy. THQ announced this morning that Enter the Dominatrix will now be the core of a "vastly expanded, full-fledged sequel."
The pitch: An alien warlord has imprisoned the leader of the Saints in a virtual reality simulation of Steelport. Within that Matrix-like simulation, players have incredible abilities they must put to use to save the world. So the over-the-top sandbox of Saints Row with superpowers. That was Enter the Dominatrix. Now, as THQ puts it, it's part of the tentatively titled "The Next Great Sequel in the Saints Row Franchise."
"When I looked at the Enter The Dominatrix expansion in production at Volition, I was blown away by the ideas and desire to expand the fiction of the franchise," said freshly minted THQ President Jason Rubin. "I asked the team what it could achieve given more time, more resources, and a broader scope for the project. We all agreed we wanted to play that game. When it comes to Saints Row, it's clear our fans want bigger, better, and even more over the top, and that's why Enter The Dominatrix will now be incorporated into a vastly expanded, full-fledged sequel, scheduled for calendar 2013."
Gotta admit, I'm the type that played Saints Row: The Third for 15 minutes to suplex a few pedestrians and then put it down and never picked it up again. Millions of gamers clearly feel differently, and I'm curious what you think about the injection of superpowers into the already over-the-top franchise.