Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Saints Row Initiation Station beta begins

Character customisation app goes live.

Saints Row: The Third's new customisation and community hub, dubbed the Initiation Station, enters invite-only beta today, publisher THQ has announced.

Those who purchased Saints Row: Double Pack or pre-ordered Red Faction: Armageddon earlier this year should have got beta invite. Providing you logged it at the game's official site you should be getting a download code any moment now.

Everyone else can download the app via PlayStation Network, Steam or Xbox Live from 1st November ahead of Saints Row: The Third itself arriving in stores on 18th November.

As detailed in the fleshy trailer below, the Initiation Station lets you create, upload and share characters with other players, and then import them into your game. On top of that, there's a raft of other community and stat-tracking features promised.

For more on the Volition-developed open-world sequel, give Eurogamer's recent Saints Row: The Third preview a quick once-over.