JOEyGADGET

What was so amusing at last night’s first-ever, hands-on multiplayer demo of THQ’s upcoming Saints Row in the penthouse suite of the Royalton Hotel here in NYC, was how I and seven fellow journalists who jumped in and immediately started running around and popping and pistol-whipping one another thought we were playing the actual game. We weren’t. Asking for our attention please, our THQ guy informed us, “Hey, guys, you’re not really playing the game – this is only the lobby.”

We all cracked up. Holy hell, a(n Xbox 360)  lobby that lets you wander through a warehouse and practice your moves before the real action begins! THQ says Saints Row’s live (and live-and-let-die) lobby is a world’s-first, and from all I can tell, they’re right.

Unlike what you’re used to in Quake 4 or Call of Duty 2 or Burnout Revenge, which show simple rosters of gamertags that allow idle chit-chatter as you wait for the game to start, this lobby gives you the option of lounging or letting-rip on your peers until all eight slots to fill up so the real game can begin.

And begin it did, after a brief primer on our first game, Big Ass Chains. The object: plug the other players to collect the most bling-bling gold chains, redeemable at pawn shops indicated on the map. Our showdown took place in a multi-leveled parking garage outfitted with vehicles and a nice assortment of weaponry, including a shot gun, machine gun, moltov cocktails, and a rocket launcher.

The next game, Protect the Pimp, finds your team protecting your designated pimp from the opposing team chartered with taking him out. Favorite touch: The crazy purple top hat your pimp dons to distinguish him as the teams top dog.

Now that Saints Row’s live-and-die-while-you-wait lobby sets a new standard in the multiplayer-waiting-game, it shouldn’t be long before other titles follow its innovative lead and offer similarly lively lobbies too. Goodbye to the lazy-daze of lackluster lobbies.