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SR disambig icon This article is about the unreleased game. For the Saints Row: The Third DLC, see Moneyshot Pack. For the Diversion, see Drive-by.

Saints Row: Money Shot[1] is an unreleased game in the Saints Row series.

Overview[]

You are Cypher, a deadly assassin in the world of Saints Row, and you hunt the most elusive targets with the most sophisticated weaponry that Ultor has to offer. How sophisticated? You have the ability to control the path of your bullet to such a degree that you can weave through the hallway of an apartment complex, steer through the legs of a hooker, and even snake your way through a moving train! Avoid striking solid objects and unintended bystanders and make sure you hit your mark!
— Leaked Description

This cancelled game would have been released on the Nintendo 3DS, the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade.[2] It would have been 580mb and would have cost 800 MS points.

It would have contained 12 Achievements, totalling 200 gamerscore.[3]

After it was cancelled, the unlockable rewards were released as part of the Moneyshot Pack DLC.

Development[]

Saints Row: Drive-By was originally being developed for Xbox Live Arcade[4] , and was first announced publicly at Nintendo's 2010 E3 floor show,[5] No images of the game under the name "Drive-By" were ever released.

The game was said to take place between Saints Row 2 and Saints Row: The Third, and would have built players' enthusiasm up for the latter. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of this game were to feature connectivity with Saints Row: The Third that would have allowed the user to unlock special content for both games.[6]

On the 3rd of November, 2010, Danny Bilson, THQ's Vice president of Creative Development stated in an interview with Shacknews that they had changed the design and were going to something more unique.[7]

On the 3rd of May, 2011, Meristation reported that Saints Row: Drive-By was now listed as cancelled in the resume of a developer.[8] Meristation noted that the resume listed Drive-by as having been in development for PSN and XBLA, but did not mention the 3DS, and that the same developer was also working on an unannounced game for PSN and XBLA.

Meristation's report was re-reported by VG24/7, who contacted THQ for an official confirmation[9], but it was Joystiq who received the reply from THQ that "[THQ] are not developing Saints Row: Drive By."[10]

In June 2011, at E3, an exclusive mode was announced for Saints Row: The Third on Playstation 3 which would use the Playstation Move.[11]

On the 9th of August, 2011, THQ issued a press release stating that they were closing their development team in Phoenix.[12] What was not known at that time was that this was the studio responsible for Saints Row: Money Shot.

On the 14nd of August, 2011, a user posted on the se7ensins forum that Saints Row: Money Shot had leaked, and posted images.[13] The compilation date of the leaked game is June 14, 2011.

On the 21st of August, 2011, zing.cz posted a gameplay video from the leaked game.[14]. This video has been posted to youtube several times, but was regularly taken down by requests from THQ, although no videos have been taken down since THQ went out of business.

On the 22nd of August, 2011, Kotaku reported that it had found an entry in the Australia Classification Board database for Saints Row: Money Shot.[15][16]

On the 31st of October, 2011, worthplaying posted an interview with Danny Bilson, who stated that Money Shot had not been cancelled, and would be free on PSN.[2]

Connections[]

While it has never been officially confirmed that Drive-by became Money Shot, all evidence points to this conclusion.

Drive-by Money Shot
Began development for Xbox Live Leaked game for Xbox Live
Was in development for PSN Announced to be free on PSN
Unlocks rewards in SRTT Unlocks rewards in SRTT
Announced to have been changed to a "completely original game mechanic" which doesn't replicate usual Saints Row gameplay Uses novel game mechanic which doesn't replicate usual Saints Row gameplay
Cancelled in May 2011 Revealed in June 2011

Timeline[]

Date Drive-by Money Shot
2010-06-15 Announced by Nintendo
2010-06-30 Began development on Xbox Live.
2010-06-30 Unlocks rewards in Saints Row: The Third.
2010-11-03 Design changed to "completely original game mechanic"
2011-05-03 Listed as cancelled
2011-06-14 Date of leaked build
2011-08-09 THQ Digital Phoenix closed
2011-08-14 Leaks for Xbox Live
2011-08-22 Found in ACB database
2011-10-31 Announced as free on PSN

Gameplay[]

Saints Row Money Shot - Dex's New Digs - flying through train

Dex's New Digs - flying through train

Before starting each mission, there is a list of objectives, as well as a bullet selection screen.

The actual gameplay involves controlling the flight and speed of a bullet. At the start of each mission Cypher loads the chosen bullet into her sniper rifle and pressing RT fires the bullet.

In Anna Will Be Right Back and Biker Striker, Cypher is inside a Delivery Truck, while in Dex's New Digs she is in an apartment. In each tunnel mission, Cypher is at a shooting range desk.

Pressing RT accelerates the bullet, and pressing LT slows down the bullet, and time. At the top of the screen is an "Influence" bar, which decreases every time time is slowed down. The Influence bar recharges when accelerating the bullet, and there are pickups throughout the level which recharge the bar faster. With some bullets, Influence automatically recharges without accelerating.

At the end of each mission, a short sequence will show the aftermath of the bullet's journey, depending on what was hit during the flight.

Completing objectives increases the score earned, and completing objectives is cumulative and does not require reaching the end of the course in order to finish each objective.

Missions[]

There are 12 missions in the game, although the 12th mission does not work in the leaked version. Each mission has a number of different challenges, so even though there's so few missions, most will be played several times in order to fully finish the game.

Mission Internal name Location and notes
Anna Will Be Right Back Inf_Level_C A straight street in Steelport, during the day.
Unlock the Ultor Assassin suit
Pillars of Ultor Inf_Tunnel_C Ultor shooting range
Trench Warfare Inf_Tunnel_D Ultor shooting range. Timed: 35s
Shifty Snipe Inf_Tunnel_E Ultor shooting range
Rush Crush Inf_Tunnel_A Ultor shooting range Timed: 30s
Dex's New Digs Inf_Level_A Through several buildings in Steelport, at night.
Unlocks the TOGO-13
Vexacious Inf_Tunnel_B Ultor shooting range. Timed: 35s
Vertical Refreshment Inf_Tunnel_F Ultor shooting range
Zig Zag Inf_Tunnel_G Ultor shooting range. Timed: 25s
Corkscrewed Inf_Tunnel_H Ultor shooting range
Biker Striker Inf_Level_B A winding street in Steelport, during the day. Timed: 50s
Unlocks the Ultor Interceptor
Inf_Tunnel_I Inf_Tunnel_I Selecting this mission exits to the main menu. The design document indicates that there was originally an Infinite mode planned, but was cut during development.

Bullets[]

Bullets are automatically unlocked through game progression. Bullets can be slowed using LT and speed up using RT.

Beginner Intermediate Advanced Description
Utr-xo1 Utr-xo2 Utrx-03 Ultor's original secret prototype. Well-rounded, lacking any obvious weaknesses or strengths. Relatively low scoring potential.
Goon Wiseguy The Don Super responsive and stable, but with compromised turning ability.
Privateer Corsair Galleon Slow turning response, high maximum rate of turn. Good scoring potential for those that can handle it.
Grudge Scourge Vendetta Fixed-Speed Bullet. The Influence controls alter your maneuverability instead of speed.
The Teaser The Shocker The Show Stopper Always continues in the direction its steered in. Slightly worse than average response. High scoring potential.
Astaroth Beezlebuth Lucifer Exceptional speed, handling and response at the cost of stability. Excellent scoring potential.
Tipsy Squiffy Crunky Heavy an challenging to steer. Its special characteristics cuase it to gradually drop towards the ground. Extreme scoring potential.
Tardyon Luxon Tachyon Ultor's latest experimental technology. The influence controls alter the bullet's gravity instead of speed. Extremely fast.
Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - UTR-X01
Name Speed Turning Stability Multiplier Influence
UTR-XO1 1 2 8 1 10
UTR-XO2 5 4 8 3 7
UTR-XO3 8 6 6 5 4
Goon 1 1 10 2 7
Wiseguy 4 3 10 4 6
The Don 8 3 10 7 6
Privateer 3 3 4 3 5
Corsair 6 5 4 4 4
Galleon 9 7 4 7 4
Grudge 3 4 7 3 5
Scourge 6 6 7 5 4
Vendetta 8 7 7 7 3
The Teaser 1 4 3 3 8
The Shocker 5 5 3 4 8
The Show Stopper 8 6 2 5 7
Asteroth 3 8 6 3 4
Beelzebuth 5 9 4 5 3
Lucifer 9 10 3 8 2
Tipsy 4 5 2 3 3
Squiffy 5 6 1 9 2
Crunky 8 8 1 10 1
Tardyon 7 1 4 5 2
Luxon 8 3 3 5 1
Tachyon 10 5 3 5 1

Statistics[]

Saints Row Moneyshot - Statistics
  • Near-misses
  • Total mission targets hits
  • Objects destroyed
  • Play time
  • Bullets fired
  • Highest multiplier
  • Best rating
  • Total score
  • Best global Rank

Ratings[]

  • Shootin' Blanks (0-50000)
  • Rifleman (50000-100000)
  • Skirkmisher (100000-200000)
  • Marksman (200000-)
  • Sharpshooter (600000)
  • Top Shooter (2000000)

Trivia[]

  • A beta version of the leaked xbox 360 game is available online, but can only be played on hacked consoles.[17]
  • Money Shot uses character and vehicle models from Saints Row: The Third.
  • A picture of Smiling Jack's diner is visible on the right side of the corridor in the first level.
  • Cypher's computer is the same model used by the Reaper Drone.
  • During "Dex's New Digs", two people are hanging from a helicopter sword-fighting with Penetrators.
  • Steve Jaros, the Writing Lead for the Saints Row series, has been asked about Dex's fate in multiple interviews, and often mentions that Dex was intended to be killed in Money Shot, and has confirmed that Dex is not considered to be dead from a writing standpoint[18], and that he may re-introduce Dex at a later time.[19]
  • Cypher's outfit can be purchased as a suit in Saints Row IV.
  • In the "10th Anniversary: Saints Row Money Shot" livestream, Volition staff played an older build of Money Shot.[20]
    • Volition's build is from 2011-06-06, whereas the Saints Row Wiki's leaked build is from 2011-06-14.
    • Volition's build of Money Shot has an older version of the main logo.
    • Volition's build is shows "undefined" for bullet names for several levels.
    • Volition's build does not have a working achievement menu, the Saints Row Wiki's leaked build does.[21]
    • Volition's build does not track statistics, the Saints Row Wiki's leaked build does.[22]
    • In Volition's build, the "Unlock full game" option does nothing. In the Saints Row Wiki's leaked build, the "Unlock full game" option makes all bullets and levels become immediately available.
    • Volition's build does not contain Inf_Tunnel_I.

Quotes[]

Industrygamers: "I think of the reaction when my colleagues and I saw the Saints Row announcement for the 3DS was that we were a little bit surprised, [...]"
Danny Bilson: "Nintendo really wants to launch with a very balanced portfolio. They really don't want it to feel like a kiddie platform. They were very clear: they really wanted Saints Row on it. Now, we know how those go sometimes: sure, the first party wants it, but is it really going to work? The interesting thing about the game is we were already making it. We were already making it as our Xbox Live game and in 3D also. It's designed for 3D already. So the 3DS version is an incremental cost. It's not a big startup cost. Anything in a transmedia play has a column called marketing in it. It's also a marketing tool. So how does that game model for us? I believe it will do great, especially if Nintendo is going to go mature and really do a big mature campaign on it. It's a killer game. It's got all the weird humor of Saints Row, and also its existence is part of the marketing plan to sell Saints Row 3. Also, all these games have hooks where, if you play it, it unlocks things in Saints Row 3. If you play Saints Row 3, it will unlock things in the 3DS game or the Xbox Live game. I don't know if I was clear about that, but all of our extension properties all connect and unlock things in each other."
— Industrygamers interview with Danny Bilson, 2010-06-30[4]
Shacknews: "What about the Saint's Row[sic] Nintendo 3DS title that was going to be brought over to the Xbox Live Arcade as an extended product to support a future game in the series"
Danny Bilson: "That one is changed. It's changed. It's going to be a different--we actually changed the design and are doing something more unique. This is just creative but we wound up feeling the game we were building was too much like a section of Saint's Row[sic] that you could play in Saint's Row[sic] . Now we've come up with a new design with a completely original game mechanic and we're building out something that supports Saint's Row[sic] with that."
— Shacknews interview with Danny Bilson[7]
Worthplaying: "As a company, how does THQ evaluate if a game product is worth moving forward on? A year or two ago, Saints Row Drive-by for PSP was canceled. More recently, the Saints Row Money Shot project for XBLA was going to tie into Saints Row: The Third, but it was also shelved. How do you determine when to forge ahead?"
Danny Bilson: "It's similar to any other entertainment business. We have a group of executives — in core, particularly — who are all gamers who experienced product in the marketplace. You just know, just like any gamer who buys a game, you know what's good and what's not, ideally. In the case of Money Shot, it will be on PSN as a Sony offering, and I'm pretty sure it's free."
— Worthplaying interview with Danny Bilson[2]

Gallery[]

Saints Row Money Shot - logo in leaked version

Saints Row Money Shot - logo in leaked version

Saints Row Money Shot - alternate logo in earlier version

Saints Row Money Shot - alternate logo in earlier version

Saints Row Money Shot unreleased leaked boxart

Leaked box art image

Saints Row Money Shot in xbox menu

The name appears in a screenshot of the leaked game

Saints Row Money Shot - unknown shooting range

Shooting range gameplay

Saints Row Money Shot icon

Xbox 360 game icon

Saints Row Money Shot menu screen

Menu screen

Saints Row Money Shot - Cypher firing sniper rifle

Saints Row Money Shot - Cypher firing sniper rifle

Saints Row Moneyshot - Statistics

Statistics

Saints Row Money Shot - How to Play

How to Play

Saints Row Money Shot - Settings

Settings

Saints Row Money Shot - Controls

Controls

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - UTR-X01

UTR-X01

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - UTR-X02

UTR-X02

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - UTR-X03

UTR-X03

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Goon

Goon

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Wiseguy

Wiseguy

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - The Don

The Don

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Privateer

Privateer

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Corsair

Corsair

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Galleon

Galleon

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Grudge

Grudge

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Scourge

Scourge

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Vendetta

Vendetta

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - The Teaser

The Teaser

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - The Shocker

The Shocker

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - The Show Stopper

The Show Stopper

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Astaroth

Astaroth

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Beelzebuth

Beelzebuth

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Lucifer

Lucifer

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Tipsy

Tipsy

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Squiffy

Squiffy

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Crunky

Crunky

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Tardyon

Tardyon

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Luxon

Luxon

Saints Row Money Shot Bullet - Tachyon

Tachyon

Saints Row Money Shot Mission - Inf Tunnel I

"Inf Tunnel I"


References[]


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