[OLD] Saints Row IV - Everything You Want in Open World Gaming

I’ve mentioned before that open world gaming isn’t a genre that I normally pick up. My main experience in this genre of gaming has come from the Assassin’s Creed and Infamous franchises as well as Batman: Arkham City and Saints Row: The Third (as well as a couple hours of Grand Theft Auto). While I have some experience with Saints Row 2, it was Saints Row: The Third that got me into the Saints Row franchise, so my anticipation of Saints Row IV had already begun when development of it became known. As it turns out, while they were developing this game, they had cancelled the planned Enter the Dominatrix DLC for the third game, as they realized that they could expand the concepts from it into a full game and fold it into what they already had (though now Enter the Dominatrix will be DLC for this game, which is kind of weird). This explains why Volition returned to Steelport for Saints Row IV and recycled assets, but doesn’t explain why no one was mad at them for reusing Stilwater between Saints Row 1 and 2.

Every video I saw of it increased my anticipation, with the reveal of some of the customization and weaponry wishing I could play it quicker. In that time however, THQ sadly went under, which briefly put the franchise in a state of limbo. As the publisher’s properties went on sale to other companies, publisher Deep Silver acquired developer Volition as well as the Metro franchise. It is through this acquisition that Saints Row IV was able to be published last week and how I’m able to share my opinion on the game. This latest entry in the Saints Row franchise is an improvement on Saints Row: The Third and is a game that open world fans should definitely look into playing.

Five years after the events of Saints Row: The Third, the Saints have risen from taking over Steelport to taking over the White House, with The Boss as President of the United States. Things seem to be going well, although the President’s approval rating has dropped to only 20 points. Just before he can give a big speech however, an alien race known as the Zin invade and abduct the important members of the President’s cabinet. While the President attempts to fight them off, he is ultimately taken by Emperor Zinyak, leader of the Zin Empire, who places him in a simulation of Steelport for his own amusement. The President manages to escape from Zinyak’s control, ending up on a spaceship with Kinzie and Vice President Keith David. Seeking revenge, the President decides to use the simulation to rescue more people he thinks will be useful so that the Saints can defeat Zinyak and take back Earth.

Emperor Zinyak at his throne.

By focusing on a single villain, the story of Saints Row IV seems to have more focus than the previous game. While I did say I liked the story of Saints Row: The Third, though there were problems with it, there seems to be more to this entry. I saw some character moments that seemed to mean something and there is a specific scene which gives the player good motivation to try and kill Zinyak. We even get to understand the kind of person the President is and see that the justification for his actions is quite sound. However, while the story is longer than that of Saints Row: The Third, it does prove itself to be nothing more than an excuse to throw as much over-the-top lunacy as possible to the player, and I consider that a good thing considering what we get to play around with.

First off, let’s talk about the super powers. That’s right; the President of the United States has access to super powers. This feature seemed to be the one discussed the most, which is why I wish to bring it up first. Among the abilities accessible are Super Speed, which can extend to gliding and running up buildings, and a Super Jump, which will eventually let you leap tall buildings. Other powers, like Blasts and Telekinesis, also have further sub-abilities based on what element is selected at the moment. This means that, for instance, a Blast augmented with fire has different effects from one augmented with ice, which allows the player to use their newfound abilities as they see fit. Using these powers in combat gave me new thrills, but it was especially fun to just roam around Steelport with a combination of powers, especially as they got more powerful, which also really increased mobility and made it more fun to get to places, rather than having to drive a long way to a mission or go somewhere to acquire some kind of jet. Just having the powers gave me a sense of glee, and even if it does make things easier, I like that they didn’t completely remove the sense of challenge from the game.

Of course, just because you get super powers, it doesn’t mean you can’t use any weapons. Saints Row IV sees the return of the standard weapons from previous games (Pistol, RPG, etc.) as well as their different versions, but now there are a slew of brand new weapons that are so ridiculous you’d be crazy not to use them. Apart from standard alien weaponry –laser-firing versions of standard weapons– Volition has included such things as an Inflat-O-Ray, which cartoonishly expands people’s heads until they explode, a Bounce Rifle, which fires balls with the properties of a pinball ball, and my personal favorite, the Dubstep Gun, which fires Dubstep instead of bullets. The preview that introduced the Dubstep Gun was the one that sold me on the game and, as a result, this was pretty much the only weapon I used regularly, especially when fully upgraded, which made the wubs generated by the weapon explosive. If you have the Commander in Chief upgrade, you also have access to the 'Merica weapon, a combination of a dozen guns as well as flamethrower and rocket launcher, which is so American that it hurts.

The Dubstep Gun, the best weapon in the game (no, really).

The best thing about having weapons and super powers is that you can combine them in combat, such as using a freeze blast followed by a gunshot to break the frozen enemy, or even use a particular power to enhance your bullets with a selected element. You even have the option, should you desire, to only use conventional weaponry and keep the use of your powers to a minimum, but it’s good to be aware that you’ll need to use your powers sooner or later to fight off the Zin, particularly against Wardens and shielded variants of the Zin (as well as shielded Wardens).

In addition to the weaponry, there’s also a rather wide selection of vehicles. All of your favorites from previous games are back, along with some new ones acquired from story progression or completion of certain challenges. Your super powers may allow you to run faster than a car or fly at the speed of a jet plane, but sometimes you want to just go for a drive, or get into a tank and shoot the crap out of everything or even take a plane and do some barnstorming; whatever floats your boat. While you don’t have a garage anymore, vehicles you are currently in can be saved by pressing the down button on the d-pad so that you can summon it at any time with your phone. If that doesn’t sell you, then consider that you can even combine super powers with vehicles, which includes jumping off a tall building and then summoning a jet to your location, such as the awesome Screaming Eagle (available with the Commander in Chief upgrade), thus now letting you pilot it while you’re in mid-air. You can even steal a car Dukes of Hazard style by running up to the desired car while going at supersonic speeds and then initiating the action. Performing this on my own generated some laughs as well as amazement from accomplishing it.

While you can use super powers with your guns, you’ll no longer be able to use grenades, as they have been removed from the game…Whatever.

Of course, I should also mention the customization options, which blow Saints Row: The Third right out of the water. Not only can you customize the President or your car collection to absurd degrees, but now guns have a much greater degree of customization. Aside from a series of skins, your guns can also assume different shapes, including making your RPG look like a guitar case or a Burst Rifle appear as a Super Soaker, perhaps even making a Quickshot Pistol into a Star Trek phaser. There are even skins for these different looks and it’s amazing how much attention to detail there is on the weapons, such as how the different skins for the Dubstep Gun change the music that comes out, one being an industrial mix of the default music and another allowing it to fire “Vindicate” by Datsik & Excision; the Dubstep Gun even has dials which react in time with the wubs. The level of customization is insane and I like this game all the better for it.

You didn't believe me about the guitar case, did you?

Most importantly, I like the fact that the options are open for the players. Whether you want to use your powers or conventional/alien weapons or just go for a joy ride, you can do it all and have everything look the way you want. I applaud Volition for this move, as, even if I don’t take full advantage, I’d rather have the option be there than not have the option at all.

Another improvement over Saints Row: The Third is how activities work. In the previous game, the only real incentive for completing activities was to take over 100% of Steelport or complete another version of the same activity at a higher difficulty (Easy, Medium or Hard). In Saints Row IV, activities now have completion tiers (Bronze, Silver and Gold) in addition to having different levels of difficulty. Not only will you want to improve your performance, but getting enough Silver and Gold medals across all instances of the activity will earn you new stuff to play around with, which is fine by me because I want to be able to run on water and get Gold in everything I possibly can.

As for the activities themselves, you won’t be finding all of your favorites from the course of the series, including the oft-mentioned Septic Avenger activity from Saints Row 2, but what they do have are better versions of activities from the previous game, or at least in the way that they accommodate both cyberspace and the super powers. Trailblazing, for example, is now Blazin and has you using the Preisdent’s Super Speed and Super Jump to collect orbs that will increase his speed and temporarily freeze a timer, with the goal of running all the way to end while hitting every checkpoint. The Mayhem activity also returns, but with many more variations in the level at once, such as Tank and Mech Suit versions, to provide some variety and let you blow stuff up with whatever you happen to use. I’ll admit that super powers did make the Insurance Fraud mission a little easier to do, but in the fun way where I tried to see just how much damage I could rack up with my ragdoll flying a few stories into the air in its travels. There are others, one which features Professor Genki again, but most of them are really fun to play and the Gold medal rewards are worth it.

Yay! More Genki!

You can also perform missions for your Homies, which are actually the open world activities grouped into sets, their completion tied together loosely for one reason or another. As these missions grant worthwhile rewards, there are a couple of ways you could go about them Either you could keep going back and forth between your ship and the simulation, or you could actually complete every mission available and then talk to your Homies a few times to receive every available reward. This is something to keep in mind for those who don’t like the idea of constant movement, but all you really have to do is take advantage of the option to circumvent movement and give you more time to play around.

If you want to get the best ending in the game however, you’ll also need to complete each of your Homies’ Loyalty missions. These Loyalty missions reveal more about the characters and provide different spins on certain things, such as one referencing Genki Bowl, but reward you with a super powered version of that Homie to call on in combat with the phone. On the subject of references, the missions you perform to rescue members of the cabinet are isolated and warped simulations based on fears that those characters have. These levels are also unique in that they reference past games all the way back to the first one, as is the case with Benjamin King, or actually act as vehicles to lampoon other popular video games, such as Asha Odekar’s targeting Metal Gear Solid (as a fan of the series, I actually found it to be quite funny, though I was a little disappointed by the use of an inexplicably popular misquote). These levels contribute to the story, but also let you have some more fun with how ridiculous the game can get.

Before I end my review, I’d like to mention the music. How good the licensed music selection is in a video game is very subjective, but I think that the songs in Saints Row IV are more miss than hit. A lot of the radio stations return, including a new one devoted entirely to the Mad Decent record label. However, what I didn’t like was the complete lack of a Heavy Metal station, which had been a series tradition since the first game. Personally I liked most of 106.66 The Blood, as well as the presence of an Adult Swim station, and the former was actually the only station I listened to with any regularity. So, for the first time, I created a Mixtape of what I thought were the best songs in the game, including the lone In Flames song since it was the closest I could find to Heavy Metal; I hope that a fifth Saints Row game brings back this station. The only consolation I had was that the radio can now be heard anywhere in the world, not just when you’re driving a car, which is a huge improvement (and would’ve let me enjoy Heavy Metal at all times).

I find your lack of Metal...disturbing.

Though extremely over-the-top and occasionally nonsensical, Saints Row IV is the open world game to play. It improves over Saints Row: The Third in almost every way and while the story is ultimately useless in the long run, it did actually have a good progression and gave the player some reason to care about the events taking place. Fans who don’t mind an insane premise and equally insane execution should pick this up, as well as open world fans in general who want to be able to experience things they won’t be able to anywhere else (though if you liked Crackdown, Prototype and Destroy All Humans!, you’re in for a treat). While this entry did start life as an expansion, it has managed to become, and should be seen as, a full game in its own right.

Second Opinion - Saints Row: The Third

I will admit right off the bat that I am not a big gamer, but I have been interested in Saints Row since seeing the demo at last year’s Comic Con. And I while I played it longer than may have been necessary (I enjoyed the sandbox\open world aspect of the game and still do) I have been able to complete all the missions. This is perhaps the first game I have completed since The History Channel’s Civil War and before that it was the PC version of Wolfenstein 3D (and that’s going back quite a while.)

Finishing the game was an accomplishment in both having the time to do it, but also the interest. A lot of games, as an example, the new Wolfenstein and L.A. Noire, start out as fun, but sort of bog down and I’ll admit I lose interest. Such was not the case with Saints Row: The Third. Again, a lot of that had to do with the sandbox qualities the game provides. Running around the game kicking ass is fun. And the upgrades you get through game play only add to that experience.

And it is the getting to Rank 50, and all the upgrades that go with it, that is the fun of the game. Building a gang and taking over Steelport is what the game is about, and who doesn’t like destroying a rival gang’s compound or shooting a helicopter out of the sky? There is enough variety of missions, weapons and adversaries to make the journey worth taking.

However, once I had earned infinite ammunition and was immune to gunfire, being run over or falling from buildings, some of the sandbox activities grew monotonous. Without the threat of death, there was just an endless supply of potential victims. What would make anyone send wave after wave of police and gang members up against someone who can’t die and has an endless supply of anti-aircraft weapons?

Still, I would recommend Saints Row: The Third to the casual gamer like myself.

[OLD] Saints Row: The Third - Open World Gaming On Steroids

Open World games aren't a genre I usually play. They require you to dedicate a lot of time, the distractions are numerous, and it's possible to never get around to finishing the campaign and subsequently forget what the story was about. While I did end up playing a couple later on, like Assassin's Creed II onward and Batman: Arkham City, I never thought I would ever play a Saints Row game due to my unfamiliarity. However, a demonstration of the game at the last San Diego Comic-Con (2011) managed to capture my interest. The video I saw demonstrated that not only could a game in this genre take place in a brightly colored world, but it could also have the capability to not take itself seriously. The mixture of adult humor, spontaneous urban chaos and destruction of high magnitude, vast customization, and intriguing pre-order bonus took my breath away and instantly encouraged me to not only buy the game (as designed of course), but also become a fan of Saints Row and its shift in tone from most other open world games out there. Playing about half of Saints Row 2 soon after the convention really got me excited for the potential of this game, and after spending over 20 hours already with Saints Row: The Third, I am mostly pleased with how it turned out.

With so much to talk about, I suppose I should start with the story. After the events of Saints Row II, the Third Street Saints have become a worldwide media icon, hocking energy drinks, clothing stores, and even have a movie deal lined up. After a heist falls through however, they find themselves face-to-face with The Syndicate, a corporation that wishes to take advantage of the Saints' fame to control the city of Steelport. Naturally the Saints refuse, crash landing into the city as felons. The rest of the plot is focused on them taking down three rival gangs under The Syndicate and reclaiming control over Steelport.

The execution of this plot is actually pretty well handled. Taking out the gangs one rung at a time reveals more about the relationships between the characters and just what they're willing to do when their turn comes to take down their biggest competition. The story also moves at a good pace to keep the player invested and throws in a few memorable twists and lasting events to ensure that no matter when you pick it up again, you'll know how to feel. Perhaps the most memorable characters in the cast are cyber punk Matt Miller and masked wrestler Killbane, who both want the same result, but only the latter is willing to put literally everything on the line to do it, even his own crew.

Near the very beginning of the story, the look and personality of the player character is left entirely up to you. Unlike other character creation aspects of games however, what you see is merely a small taste of the game's astounding customization abilities. During development, Volition reported the game to have 2 Googols worth of combinations, and from the amount of clothing and colors available to pick from, it seems to be completely true. Being able to wear cardinal robes, a stunt suit with a Professor Genki head, be a toilet, or even run around naked brings an element of surprise and merriment to the city-wide destruction capable of the player.

The tools available to do so is another highlight of this game. While other games like Grand Theft Auto limit you mostly to the conventional weapons of the genre, with special weapons used in specific circumstances, Saints Row: The Third allows access to an RC Drone, Fart in a Jar, a dildo bat, and even an Air Strike virtually at will. Some of these weapons can also be upgraded to insane degrees, from a pistol using incendiary rounds to a a shotgun having three barrels at once. No matter what combination of weapons I carried into battle, even if I only used a pair of fists capable of reducing someone to a cloud of meat, I had a feeling of glee as I decimated anyone in my way. With an arsenal as unique as what this game provides, it's hard not to have any fun or find a favorite.

While combat arsenal is exceptional, the controls themselves are incredibly easy to use and smartly applied to the controller. Weapons are easy to switch on the fly and aiming and shooting feel very fluid and tight. The same can be said about the vehicle control, although the only vehicle that felt awkward at first was the tank thanks to how tank controls normally operate on a single stick. Getting used to how each vehicle of each type works is also key to navigation, since just about every one is unique in handling. On another note, the ability to jump into a vehicle through the windshield or side window always felt good, soon becoming my exclusive form of entry. My other favorite ability was finally being able to hit someone in the crotch at will, and the fact that every weapon has a unique animation for trying it is also very humorous.

Of course, if you're going to be driving around a city like Steelport, you'll need a place to go. If you're running away for instance, you can simply go into a shop or crib you have purchased and your notoriety will simply vanish, also granting an opportunity to change outfits, get a tattoo, or mess around with your guns and vehicles. Owning shops, cribs, and strongholds also gives you an hourly income from the particular building or area, which you can spend on upgrades as you level up by earning Respect. Respect in turn can be earned by doing just about anything, from certain actions in combat to just performing a powerslide in a car. One of the more fun ways to do this is by going to and completing side missions, of which there are plenty. While these require you to do things like defend your homies while in a helicopter or destroy cyber tanks in a Tron-like environment as a form of hacking, the one that really stands out the most is one called Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax, which operates like The Running Man meets Japanese game show. Contestants on Professor Genki's S.E.R.C. have to make it out of a maze alive while earning enough cash by shooting mascots and bonus markers while also dodging fire and electrical traps, which both can quickly impede progress if you're not careful enough. While I do like how the side missions get progressively difficult as you go, providing a great challenge as well, I couldn't help but notice that some of my favorites from Saints Row 2 like Septic Avenger were strangely absent from this installment, which felt a bit disappointing.

Another aspect to mention is the AI. At times the enemy AI feels genuinely overwhelming, which makes it satisfying once you either outsmart them or just run away to lower notoriety. Thankfully, your partner AI is smart enough to assist in combat, which is needed given your ability to summon one via smartphone in a tight spot. These situations grant a sense of relief, but in a way that doesn't feel like you're sacrificing control of the mission over to them.

Like I mentioned before, the game world is very brightly colored, helping it stand out from other games in the genre very easily and contrasts very well with the impending gunfights all over Steelport. The graphics they are laid on are also a sight to behold, with beautifully rendered buildings and an attractive style used to create the character models. There is also a fairly large draw distance, with next to no pop-up textures in sight. Vehicles are also very sleek and shine well with the game's great lighting in day or night.

Final mentions go to the voice acting and music. To me, the voice acting never got tiring, with a great voice cast chosen to portray every character in the game no matter their importance, even Zimos and his auto-tuned voice. The radio stations also each provide a great driving soundtrack containing well chosen licensed songs spanning genres like metal, electronica, 80's/90's rock tunes, and hip hop, although some points in the game also highlight some specific tracks and made me see them from another angle (who knew deadmau5 could make an epic fight song?).

Since that first look at Comic-Con, I have been in love with Saints Row: The Third, and the final product is a very exceptional experience. With such a great blend of already established elements, as well as some newer more hilarious ones, you can't go wrong, as this product provides endless joy, even if all you do is run around and shoot. I would gladly recommend this title to anyone wishing to see something different in an open world game compared with the more dark and serious titles already out there.

[Note: I apologize for the lateness of this review. My time was spread out more due to a combination of schoolwork and my dad playing this game at every chance he got.]