Gaming Saints Row: The Third Review

Possibly the most crass game of the year, does the latest Saints Row deliver fun or just vulgarity?

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2011/11/21/saints-row-the-third-review/1

 

Sounds like another case of a developer hearing that people really like one aspect of their game (in this case, the silliness/crassness) and then ramping it up to 11 for the sequel. Of course, in doing so they generally forget to innovate.

By focussing on on what people liked about the last game, it seems they forgot to make a new one - losing the opportunity to take up the pre-GTA V slack.

 

I installed and tried Saints Row 2 on Friday, after getting as part of a Steam games bundle over a year ago.

It's sh!te.

 

The Saints Row series is great. I like that you can't relate to anyone, and it's sheer silliness combines with GTA's wanton destruction. I can't be bothered with a cousin asking for pickups in a car('Niko, drive me to the gun shop'), I'd rather around in a pimp outfit or a mankini whacking people with a ***** on the end of a baseball bat.

 

I bought this, and it's terrible. Sure, a few of the jokes are funny, but the actual gameplay, the animations, the graphics, the bugs... shocking. It hasn't moved on from Saints Row 1. A real shame.

Disapointed, as everyone raved about how good SR2 was, but I missed that one, and I Spent a fair while in SR1 pre-gta-on-360.

 

I think it's a bit harsh to say it does nothing innovative for the sandbox genre when it's bringing an almost fully realised co-op mode into it. Good co-op sandbox games are rarer than rocking horse manure these days, as most games just staple some co-op missions on as an aside, rather than fully embracing the open world of the game and allowing that to relate to the single player game. Red Dead Redemption sort of gave it a go, but even it fell short of making mission play properly co-op.

Definitely think the law of diminishing returns is about to set in on Saints Row though. I mean I like this one, in fact I've always liked Saints Row games as the spiritual successors to the top-down GTA games, but they've got nowhere to go now. Unlike GTA, which grew up when it ran out of room to move as a juvenile franchise, Saints Row has built itself on the crass first, and the game style second, so it's kind of stuck.

 

You know what to expect with Saint's Row. It would be a surprise if it wasn't crass and over the top. And the sex appeal option in the character gen leaves you with no illusions as to what to expect. Not played it for very long, so not formed any real opinion yet.

 

I love it.

Perhaps it speaks for my character, but **** it, I love running around beating people with a massive rubber dong.

 

Really enjoying it to, although I'm not really playing in that over the top way, just kind of chillin' around the City and plenty to do and find to keep me interested and enjoy the experience. Nothing as exhilarating than getting a few 'stars' on a gang and have them all hunt me down while trying to get away!

 

I enjoy the saints row games more than GTA, shocking I know but the storyline never meant anything to me in the first gta games, it was about mowing down people and causing havoc. The previous 2 SR games allowed me to do just that without the need to take itself seriously. I dont have much time for games these days, but when i do, i need the action or interest to be imminent. I think this particular part of the sandbox genre, much like Just Cause 2 offers me just that

You didnt mention in the review about the side mission parts like Insurance Fraud, are they still included in the 3rd? I freaking loved insurance fraud in the last two, hilarious

 

I love it too, not because it's vulgar, just because it's fun.

 

And yes, nsurance Fraud is in it, rg dolling all over the place...

 

Saint Row 2 was utterly broken on PC, simply unplayable with a KB+M.

I'm not usually an advocate of violence, but anyone who had anything to do with pushing out that massive load of steaming fecal matter should be roughed up, pushed up against a wall and swiftly shot.
That includes the office cleaning staff and the executive fluffers.
Anyone who worked on both the SR2 port and The Witcher should not be roughed up but simply shot out of hand. Some people deserve some compassion. But not forgiveness...

The massive purple ***** at Volition who said this about SR2: "We've spent a great deal of time optimizing system specs for Windows PC to ensure gamers get the high quality experience no matter what system they choose", should be sodomised to death with another massive purple *****. I think it would be fitting.

Eventually I got to play it on a console. It was still a steaming pile of...
It was as humorous as Postal (as in, not much after 15 mins) and as much fun as reading Lord of the Rings (or not at all). It was stupid as in sad, fat and stupid, and not in an ironic, carefree and fun way. More "80's Dukes of Hazzard" than "The Young Ones".
It tried too hard and it was far too obvious, which is the worst criticism I've made of it yet.

 

Tosh. I played it with mouse and keyboard quite easily.

 

So, I think I see what you're saying...

You don't like Saints Row.

 

I've drained some coolant and had a bowl of ice cream, and thinking it over I think I know what it was I didn't like about SR2.
From the little I played, I felt it was mean-spirited and casually cruel in the same way a class/workplace/group clown who dual roles as the class/workplace/group bully. And was as funny as a hand fart to the face.
But I don't have to like every game, so I'm happy to give it a miss and leave the enjoyment to others.

@ Fizzban. Running around was OK, fine movement and shooting was not as precise as you'd like, but driving (which was a large part of the game) was just terrible. You could not drive a straight line, and if you say you did at any time on purpose, I will not believe you.
You could go left or you could go right, and somewhere between turning left and turning right there was a point where you went straight ahead...before you started turning too far to the left and had to correct by turning to the right. But not too far right. Oh look, you've smashed into something on the way to your mission and you weren't even hurrying! What fun.
SR2 was almost as bad as Driv3r. I say almost because at least in SR2 driving was 25% of the game, while in Driv3r it was 80%.

 

Dildos, vulgarity, murder? Call me provincial. Not even remotely interested.

 

70%....

You gotta be kidding me.

www.turd-on-a-stick.com/sr3

 

Its just good to put on when you've come in from work and got a few hours to kill, can't be bothered with the missions its just fun to drive around and cause hell on.

 

Don't take the game seriously. It's stupid, it's crass, it's immature. It's also hilarious when playing co-op with a friend. That's when the game really shines, mucking about having fun with your mates.