The trailer shows off several key characters from the game, but we wanted to provide additional context as the game marches towards its August 14th release date.

Death
Like his fellow Horsemen, Death is of a race known as Nephilim – among the most powerful beings in the Universe. When mankind received the prize of Eden, Absalom – leader of the Nephilim – led his armies against Heaven and Hell in an attempt to steal it back. For this crime, the Charred Council condemned the Nephilim to destruction. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were granted a reprieve from this fate on the condition they aid the Council’s victory over their kin. The Horsemen accepted, but it was Death who bore the greatest burden of guilt for the near extinction of his race. Donning his iconic mask to represent his role as executioner on the day he slaughtered his brethren, he has not removed it since.

Dust
Death’s trusty sidekick is a bird of unknown origins, neither living nor dead. Dust will aid Death as he navigates the treacherous dungeons and explores the expansive overworld of Darksiders II.

Despair
Despair is Death’s loyal steed. Unlike the first Darksiders’ Ruin, players will have access to their mount near the beginning of the game. This will give them the power early on to use Despair’s combat abilities in open spaces, and to travel faster between different areas in the overworld.

Crowfather
Dark and mysterious, the Crowfather is a keeper of secrets. Like all things pertaining to the Crowfather, his race and origin are a mystery—though some believe him to be Nephilim as the Horsemen are. The Crowfather is sagely, lacking in patience and humour, but possessed of an ancient wisdom and knowledge of things forgotten… or best forgotten. Though he resembles an old weathered crone, the Crowfather’s mastery of arcane arts makes him a powerful force. His crow minions are fiercely protective, giving their very lives to strengthen his magic, or to defend against any threat.

Maker Elder
The oldest of the Old Ones, the Elder is withdrawn and contemplative. He moves and speaks slowly, with great wisdom and a sense of inner peace. As time progresses, his tone begins to reflect great sorrow. He has seen the end of all things, and knows that the march toward this inescapable fate has already begun. Death’s appearance in their world is unexpected, however, and the Elder sees it as an omen — or at the very least, an unexpected wrinkle that may change the course of fate.

Darksiders II comes to PlayStation 3 on August 14th in the US.

If you’ve already redeemed your Saints Row the Third Online Pass, go to the PlayStation Store and look up Saints Row 2. A free copy will be available for you to download.

At long last, THQ and our friends at PlayStation are proud to unveil additional content for Saints Row: The Third owners on PS3. For all players that purchase Saints Row: The Third on PlayStation 3 and redeem their online pass codes within the next 90 days, they will receive a digital copy of Saints Row 2 (a $19.99 value)… absolutely free!

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.

Saints Row 2 will be available for free starting early next week for all players who redeem their online pass in each new copy of Saints Row: The Third. The offer expires at midnight on February 13, 2012, so be sure to redeem your online pass before then. And for those of you who have already done so, keep an eye out early next week for the content. This offer applies to the United States, Canada, and Mexico only.

We hope you are as excited about this offer as we are!

For select games, the half off sale will also include lots of downloadable content! This promotion will offer PSN users a massively extended game experience for extremely cheap prices.

PSN users will be able to purchase these full games from THQ at 50% off:

• MX vs. ATV Untamed
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• Red Faction Guerilla
• Red Faction Battlegrounds
• Stacking
• Costume Quest

THQ will also offer tons of select half-price DLC from many of our hit Franchises.

• MX vs. ATV Alive & Reflex DLC
• MX vs. ATV Reflex DLC
• Red Faction Guerilla DLC
• Red Faction Battlegrounds DLC
• Saints Row 2 DLC
• UFC Undisputed 2010 DLC
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 DLC
• Stacking DLC
• Costume Quest DLC
• You Don’t Know Jack DLC

THQ is very excited to offer our friends on PSN this terrific offering and we look forward to seeing you in the game!

Hello again! Later today, our four-player, top-down vehicular combat game Red Faction: Battlegrounds will be available on PlayStation Network for just $9.99.! Utilizing Martian heavy assault walkers, armored tanks, and speedy rovers, your goal is to destroy the competition across multiple team-based or free-for-all battles. Best of all: Battlegrounds is 3D-enabled for play on your 3D TV! Buckle up.

If you’re not familiar with Red Faction: Battlegrounds from our exclusive PSN beta last year, the game is set within the Red Faction universe, specifically during the 50-year period between Red Faction: Guerrilla and Armageddon. You’ll battle opponents all over the surface of Mars in different environments, including military compounds, mining towns, and bases taken over by a new enemy. And just like with previous Red Faction titles, you’ll need to demolish many of the structures standing in your way.

Here are some key features for Red Faction: Battlegrounds:

• Full online multiplayer with XP and ranking systems
• Local multiplayer for up to four players with no need for split-screen!
• Take any combination of local players online with you
• Multiple game modes including Deathmatch, Survival, and Flag Frenzy
• Exclusive 3D support for PS3
• Extra weapons such as remote charges, proximity mines, and even singularity bombs
• 16 single-player training missions to get you on your way
• 9 multiplayer arenas
• 8 vehicles that include light ATV’s, heavy tanks, and even combat walkers!

One other feature that we’ve packed in, is that by completing certain milestones in Red Faction: Battlegrounds, you’ll gain exclusive unlockable bonus content for Red Faction: Armageddon, releasing May 31st.

• Reach rank 10 and you will receive 2,000 Salvage, which can be used for upgrading weaponry and the Nano Forge.
• Reach rank 20 and you will unlock one of Red Faction: Guerrilla’s signature weapons, the EDF Enforcer, which fires heat-seeking tracer bullets at your enemies.

For more information on Red Faction: Battlegrounds make sure to head to our official site or our official community site. Thanks for reading, and all of us hope that you enjoy the game! Red Faction: Battlegrounds will be available on PSN for $9.99 later today.

First off, let me just say that everyone on our team truly loves MMA. We’re all fans of the sport, just like you. We get together and watch the fights all the time, and some of us actually train! The bottom line is that we’re gamers, we love MMA, and we truly want to make the absolute best MMA game possible.

With that said, I think you will be pleased with the amount of changes and additions we’ve made to this year’s game. The game plays so much faster than last year, is much more fluid and responsive, and the gameplay adjustments we’ve made (such as the Sway System and Cage Interaction) add a whole new level of strategy. The game is just fun to play! Even if you haven’t played last year’s game, it’s easy to pick up and start punching and kicking each other, but things can get really deep if you spend the time and invest in it. You should see the five-round wars we have in the office — it gets intense!

Here’s a sample of some of the new gameplay features we’ve added:

• Southpaw and Stance Switching
• Sway System
• Cage Interaction
• Submission Switching
• Unified Grappling Controls
• Ground Posture System
• A-La-Carte Move Acquisition System
• Doctor Stoppages

As far as modes, not only did we revamp all of the returning modes, but we’ve added a whole bunch of new ones, many of which our fans requested. Career Mode, I’d say, probably received the biggest overhaul. We’ve added the ability to change weight divisions, a stat decay and management system, pre- and post-fight interviews, more cutscenes like weigh-ins and press workouts, and the a-la-carte move acquisition system that allows players to make truly unique fighters one move at a time. In addition, we’ve also added a move proficiency system that allows for specialization in certain individual techniques (for example, you can be the dude with the super tight guillotine or be very good at a particular sweep or transition), introduced the World Fighting Alliance, a pre-UFC starting promotion where you’ll start your MMA career, as well as the new Game Is Watching You (GIWY) commentary and AI system, which monitors your performances and tailors the AI and commentary accordingly based on your progression through your career. There’s so much new stuff in Career Mode, but I’ll resist telling you everything because I don’t want to spoil some of the surprises you’ll encounter.

In addition to the returning Career, Create-a-Fighter and Online Modes, here’s a breakdown of some of the new modes in UFC Undisputed 2010:

• Title Mode
• Title Defense Mode
• Tournament Mode
• Event Mode
• Ultimate Fights Mode

For PlayStation 3 owners, there’s a ton of exclusive content available just for you. In the Ultimate Fights Mode, we’ve added five additional fights, each with its own challenges and unlocks that you won’t be able to get anywhere else:

• UFN 18 – Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
• UFC 60 – Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie
• UFC 66 – Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin
• UFC 68 – Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFredries
• UFC 102 – Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Also exclusive on PlayStation 3 are the following legendary UFC fighters:

• Royce Gracie
• Jens Pulver
• Dan Severn

Finally, thanks to Blu-Ray, we were able to add some full-length fight videos for you hardcore fans out there:

• The Ultimate Fighter Finale – Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin
• UFC 94 – Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn
• UFC 98 – Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans
• UFC 79 – Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
• UFC 100 – Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

We’re really excited about all the new stuff in this year’s game, and we want to hear your thoughts on it! Head over to UFCUndisputed.com and give us your feedback, as I assure you it will not go unnoticed! See you online in the virtual Octagon!