Saints Row: The Third - Archived Review

Originally published March, 2012.

"You need to play Saints Row the Third." It seems necessary to put that statement in quotes due to how many people have made that assertion without any hesitation, especially the gentlemen at GiantBomb.com. Having never really paid much mind to the franchise in the past as anything other than a Grand Theft Auto clone, it was surprising to discover that statement was very true. It is perhaps the game that provided the most fun out of any of the other games that came out last year, including Skyrim. Saints Row the Third is a game that takes the greatest and wildest aspects of the best Grand Theft Autos and makes a full game out of it. There are some minor issues here and there, but you still need to play Saints Row the Third, and here is why.

Story

How do most of these open sandbox type games play out in terms of story? It's often a "rags to riches" tale as you garner new alliances and influence throughout the map that you inhabit. It's certainly not much different here except that the Third Street Saints have a fair amount of influence already when the game starts. In fact, they're celebrities.

Lifted straight from Star Wars and with the overdramatic 2001: A Space Odyssey theme, scrolling text catches players up to speed with the success of the Saints. They've become so popular, they're now a brand. They have movies, comics, and clothing with their names stamped all over them to rake in the dough. So what do celebrities with so much money do when they've reached the top? Rob a bank. The very first mission is what most games usually save for their climax by having you steal a well-guarded safe. Much like how the Dark Knight started off with a very intense and dramatic scene to set the stage, Saints Row the Third lets players know right away, it's only going to get more intense.

Once the first mission is done and with no explanation, much like before, you can create your character using a daunting array of sliders and color palettes. If you wonder how daunting it could be, this game had more than a dozen sliders for how the ears on the character could look. After creating your punk rock geisha with a heavy Russian accent, you start the next mission which also feels like something most games would save for the end.

It's important to remain vague in discussing these events in this review because they really should be seen first-hand with as little introduction as possible to get the proper experience. The developers at Volition were obviously focused on making sure the player knew from the start that this game would start crazy and only get more insane. But the plot, in a nutshell, is the Saints start fresh in a new city and regain their power by taking on other gangs and even the government.

One thing that's worth mentioning is that Saints Row 3 utilizes a choice system that is derivative, but far better than most other games that have imposed upon players in the past. Unlike choices in games like Infamous, where it's often simply a superficial choice of morality, the choices here are usually just morally wrong with the rewards being the true incentive for choosing one over the other. Would you prefer to get respect at a higher rate so you can upgrade your character quicker, or would you rather get money at a higher rate so you have more access to resources? Would you rather get a rare and specific vehicle, or a rare and specific weapon? Some of the choices are very difficult to make and there isn't a whole lot of time for you to consider your options.

By the end of the game, all the choices and improvements you've made to your character and his/her arsenal help make the climatic final battles awe-inspiring and satisfying. And though the story missions could certainly be difficult at times, the game is not without its loopholes for players to get the most out of the situation.

Gameplay

It's often debated what the most important aspect of a game should be in order to make it a "good" experience. Essentially, what it really all comes down to is whether or not the game is fun. All the features and pieces of the game can have its flaws, so long as the game is still fun. Demon's Soulsis an example of a game that many would consider extremely flawed; yet it was still fun despite (or even because) all of its flaws. Saints Row 3 is an example of a game that is so much fun and so well polished at the same time, that before anything was considered done, there must have been someone asking the question: Is it still fun?

How often is there a sequence in a video game that has been choreographed and directed to no end to ensure that it was as dramatic and exciting as possible, yet it was an extremely frustrating experience? Saints Row has countless areas that clearly had a focused direction, but still allowed the players to have control. Very rarely did it feel like a situation was unfair or overwhelming. Even if it was, coming out on top was still a viable option, given enough time and patience.

The gunplay in the game is solid. You get the usual array of weapons, ranging from pistols to shotguns, to rifles, to explosives, to 3-foot dildos. While there may not be too many different options to each weapon type, they are certainly of the highest quality when it comes to how much fun you can have with them. And with the upgrades that you can place on your weapons, it won't be long until you start fights with anyone you can find, just so you can start juggling them with your explosive pistols.

The melee combat does not disappoint either. It has the simple one-two punch technique available like most other sandbox games. But it also has a combo button that allows players to kick out the legs of their opponent and beat them into submission. Should you need to get rid of somebody close by, while mowing down enemies with your shotgun, there is a melee option with the right-analog stick that immediately puts guys on the ground clutching their crotch. On top of all that, by pressing the "run" button at the same time as a melee attack, your character will suddenly employ a fancy and flashy wrestling move to take people down. It is not only effective, but it's funny every time. If you want options for combat, Saints Row has you covered.

Speaking of the "run" button. To streamline the experience of getting around the city in fast and entertaining ways, this little button helps out in more areas than simply combat. It turns a jump into a dive-roll, which is handy in certain situations. But where it really comes in handy, is in stealing cars. One can simply steal a parked car by opening the doors and driving away in Saints Row. But why do that when you can jump through one of the windows of a moving car, directly into the driver's seat, and take off? Even if it's moving straight toward you with its driver fully intent on running you over, you can jump through the windshield like an action star and take the wheel from them. It's ridiculous and unbelievable, but it's also extremely fun and convenient.

That's really what it comes down to. Saints Row sacrifices the realism and believability of its universe for the sake of making the experience fun and convenient. It makes no sense why the character should be able to skydive from a plane and pull an infinite number of parachutes. It makes no sense why the character would survive multiple car explosions surrounding him/her. It makes no sense that the character can be able to suddenly warp to shore as opposed to having to swim all the way there. The designers clearly thought hard about what you can do in the game and whether it was worth sacrificing the realism for the entertainment. If you want more proof, simply look online at the upgrades your character can get by the end of the game and it will be obvious how important entertainment was to the package THQ put together.

Lastly, a quick note about the multiplayer. The game's single-player content is certainly extensive enough to hold your attention for a long time. But should you tire of that the game has cooperative and competitive multiplayer to keep you busy a little longer. It comes with a "Whored" mode with an endless supply of challenges and conditions and it also has its own twists on the classic modes of competitive games. If you've played any Saints Row games in the past online, or even Grand Theft Auto's multiplayer, you'll feel right at home here.

Presentation

The look and sound of this game are top notch. When playing a sandbox game, you're bound to get your fair share of glitches (entertaining or otherwise), but even all those mysterious instances of a person getting lodged in a wall couldn't detract from the overall presentation of this game.

Once again, had the developers gone with a realistic look to their world and characters, it would have prevented the game from being as good as it is. Thankfully, they decided to make it stylish on the level that is similar to an adult cartoon. Textures aren't extremely detailed up close and characters aren't as realistic looking as those found in a game like Uncharted, but that does not hurt the visuals at all. It actually makes it all the more acceptable when you dress your character up in a weird mascot outfit or decide that the color of their skin should be a metallic neon blue, or that their voice should suddenly change from a Russian female to an English male. Players can completely redesign their character at any point in time and the other characters inhabiting the world will think nothing of it.

The customization options are seemingly endless with not only the character, but clothing and cars as well. Countless clothing stores are scattered throughout the city with their unique styles and options for players to customize and share. Some sell steam-punk clothing, some sell super-hero clothing, some sell business clothes. But regardless of what they sell, there is always the option to mix and match as well as change the color around to completely customize them to your standards.

The same rules apply to the car customization. There are numerous vehicles with a multitude of options allowing players to customize things that truly frivolous, such as the interior color and material of the car. But it is nonetheless, there for the players' enjoyment. And once the customizing is done, it looks great when the character takes to the streets in the hot new clothes and wheels.

The stellar presentation does not end with sound either. With some fantastic licensed songs on the list for fans of metal, rap, techno, or even 80s era pop, you'll be hard press to drive for very long without wanting to turn on the radio. And even for the picky players, there is an option for a "mix tape," allowing players to pick and choose the songs to play on a specific station in an endless loop. You can even decide what stations should be available for listening. Also, this may be the best example of a classical music soundtrack for a sandbox game. Some of the most familiar sonatas from Bach and Mozart make their appearance on the radio and it is difficult not to be entertained by the elegant and playful concerto as you crash through police barricades in a dump truck.

It isn't just on the radio that the music shines either. Another example of brilliant direction and sound editing would be the use of songs during pivotal moments in the story. Even with a personal distaste for Kanye West's music, it was difficult not to feel amped up by his song "Power" as the main character jumped out of a helicopter, landed in the pool of an enemy gang's penthouse, and laid waste to everyone inside. There are moments where there is a particular tone that the designers wanted the game to have with the sound direction and it hits the nail on the head every time.

Finally, there is a lot to be said about the writing and voice acting in Saints Row the Third. The writing is so clever with each character's personality really shining through in each scene, it seemed like a good idea to always have one of the allies with you just for the sake of hearing more character interaction. It not only propels the plot of the game, but it makes the game that much more exciting to experience. As absurd as some of the characters can be, the writing rarely strays far enough to make a character's personality seem inconsistent. In one of the early missions of the game where the main character is riding with a fellow saint to get some new threads, a familiar song comes on the radio and they both start singing along with the words. It doesn't matter what voice was assigned to the main character and it does nothing to move the plot along in all seriousness, but the scene is enjoyable to watch and listen to each time as the characters stumble over the lyrics and lose their rhythm. It's subtle characterization that helps players invest more in their character and his/her story.

Conclusion

Saints Row the Third is a great game. There were some areas of the game that were less than ideal, but, in the end, did so little to detract from the overall experience that they weren't even mentioned in this review. With top-not writing and brilliant game design, it was difficult to find a dull moment in the single-player campaign that lasted a full 40 hours after doing all the side-missions and challenges the game had to offer. If you want an example of a game that never lost sight of how important it is for a game to be fun, look no further than Saints Row the Third.