Saints Row 2 will be packing it's own collectible content when it's released this October. The goods come packed in a $79.99 Collector's Edition for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3.

Here's what's included in addition to the game:
- Tin box
- Saints Row 2 exclusive art book?
- Saint's Row 2 USB drive, in the form of a bullet
- Saint's Row 2 playing cards?
- Saints Row 2 Poster with map
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Gamedaily.biz writes: "Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian cautions that THQ's IP is a big risk, but he believes the publisher's management is taking the right approach to costs and product strategy.

Lazard Capital Markets recently hosted investor meetings with publisher THQ and apparently came away more optimistic about the company's long-term prospects. Analyst Colin Sebastian said that THQ management is "not standing still" and is "focused on improving execution."

"...we believe management is taking a number of steps to address recent product and financial underperformance," he said. "Improved control over the company's cost structure and better product management should generate more consistent performance, in our opinion."

THQ recently delayed one of its more high profile games, Saints Row 2. At the time, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey questioned the "credibility foundation" of THQ and whether Saints Row can truly be considered a franchise."
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The original Saints Row from 2006 sold over 2 million copies on Xbox 360 and was well-received by critics, but the general consensus was that it copied a lot from the reigning king of crime sandbox, Grand Theft Auto.

And with the Volition-developed Saints Row 2 launching in the same year as GTA IV, Farrell sought to convince investors that this sequel would offer something different from Rockstar's hit megafranchise.

"We have a very differentiated product in this open-world genre," Farrell said during the William Blair & Company's investor meeting Wednesday in Chicago.
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In a recent investor presentation, publisher THQ confirmed that it will offer download content for its upcoming Volition developed open-world title Saints Row II.
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A recently-released trailer for THQ's Saint's Row 2 has been criticised as being "unusually pompous" for its digs at Grand Theft Auto IV.

Industry analyst Mike Hickey commented on the trailer, which makes fun of GTA's in-game social activities like bowling, watching TV and going to a cabaret club.

"The trailer directly attacks Grand Theft Auto IV in game content, an unusually pompous position in our view, ...

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Gamasutra reports:

"As part of a new analyst note, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey has referenced the latest Grand Theft Auto IV-satirizing trailer for THQ's Saint's Row 2, suggesting the move is "unusually pompous" and reiterating "conservative" sales expectations for THQ's urban open-world title.

The trailer directly attacks Grand Theft Auto IV in game content, an unusually pompous position in our view, considering GTA IV is estimated to be the highest grossing 1st week entertainment release of all time - and is currently the highest quality scored game on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 according to Metacritic.com."
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Volition's Scott Philips said that GTA and Saints Row 2 will be ahead of the pack by the end of the year.

"We think there is going to be two dogs at the end of this," he said. "You're going to have GTA and Saints Row 2 and then everybody else."
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THQ has released a new Saints Row 2 trailer that asks the question we've all been thinking: wouldn't you rather being playing GTA IV?

"Would you rather go bowling... or spray loads of sewage on pedestrians?" asks the trailer. "Would you rather go to the cabaret with a friend... or inflict serious bodily injuries to your friend to earn a little insurance money?"

Although GTA IV isn't mentioned by name, you can see the direct ...

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Next-Gen.Biz writes: "THQ's fiscal 2009 relies too heavily on the success of Saints Row 2, says Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey.

The recently-delayed Saints Row 2 is THQ's premier title for this fiscal year, but Hickey said in an investor note on Tuesday that the Agoura Hills, Calif.-based publisher's fiscal year depends too much on the game's success.

"Ultimately, if the game's quality underperforms the 'franchise's' original release, future iterations of the game could be in jeopardy, along with the Company's fiscal '09 expectations," Hickey said of the internally-developed and owned title.

'We believe their guided expectations from owned IP in fiscal '09 will prove aggressive given their titles slated for release, weighing too heavily on the success of Saint's Row 2.'"
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THQ Moderator, V-Collison: Hey all,

I thought I'd drop you a line to let you know what's going on with Saints Row 2.

First off, as many of you have seen, we have moved the release date back from August 26th to October 14th. I know, I know...its got to be a bummer for a lot of you wanting to get your hands on SR2, but we want to give you the best quality game possible. Single-player, co-op, and multiplayer have all undergone multiple iterations and polish; and now we have even more time to tweak and balance gameplay. Its a designer's dream come true.

We are also already weeks into our graphics "polish" stage. The world is starting to look absolutely amazing! We're extremely grateful that THQ sees how amazing this game is going to be and is willing to give us these extra few weeks to make sure we give you the highest quality product (and not rush anything out of the door).

Look for an exciting (and controversial) video to hit the web late next week. We also should have some new screenshots and articles accompanying this release.

We know what the quality bar is for open world games and we look forward to meeting and exceeding your expectations come October 14th! More info coming soon
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