Saints Row: The Third
KelesK, 23-Nov-11 » Saints Row 3 or rather Saints Row: The third is the newest and probably one of the more awaited releases of 2011 and as I rather big fanboy of the previous two games I must say it was a long wait for the game myself however I did eventually get my grubby little hands on it and have put quite a few hours into it and here I return with my findings just for all of you who might still be on the fence over it.
As most of you may have already been made aware the game no longer takes place in Stillwater, rather a city known as Steelport which is a rather impressive city at night but nothing much outside of the dull monotony that is GTA4 during the day which is rather depressing. At first glance the game can seem a little odd from the get go, exchanging your immediate character creation for some bizarre bank robbery scenario where everyone is dressed up as Johnny Gat - Quite humorous to say the least. The graphics are clan and I cannot really make a complaint about the sound however I did notice some frame chop on the X360 version which was laden in the second game though I fear that may just be the old consoles running at their limit. Once you complete your little bank heist scenario however the game really begins and you are finally greeted with your character creation screen.
The game starts and ends with more action than a Die Hard movie and isn’t afraid to throw it in your face at any opportunity it gets. For a Saints Row game it can be rather fast paced and this was a little disconcerting for me. I am well aware that the Saints Row series have never taken much seriously before and that it is a game with little-to-no shame what-so-ever but still it all seems a little too much at times. You’re meant to be a ganger not a bloody super-soldier! That aside the little things they’ve added in are amazing, wresting moves for your standard melee, which add even more comedy to the game (Unless you’re in the middle of a fire fight and you accidentally pull one of these moves off), even the built-in achievements are a nice change as they show us on screen each time you hit a point in its progression. Fast cars are now easier to find and only get faster as you do them up and nearly every weapon is upgradeable; for a substantial fee of course. Enemies also come in different flavours now which is a nice change aside the same old thing each time but on the flip side of this some of them are incredibly painful to take down so be careful how big a fight you pick if you’re running low on ammo.
Touching base on the city before I stray too far away though; the city of Steelport itself if probably no larger than Stillwater was in the second game. The roads at times can be incredibly confusing and often you find yourself having to go backward before you can travel forward which is annoying if you’re trying to get anywhere in a hurry. Although I haven’t dedicated time to it as yet I was unable to find a number pad for your phone and as such are unable to dial city services as you could in the second game which is also a little annoying. Some normal buildings such as service stations can now be purchased however to increase your hourly income on top of the regular shops however these building do not act as much more than income from what I could work out. Unlike the second game only a couple of your cribs can be upgraded though the upgrades are extremely pricy but very noticeable and give extra bonuses which are listed as you upgrade.
Now to the nitty-gritty, the best part for some! Clothing options are minimal, which the stores list huge selection they are simply the same shirt with a different texture - Hopefully something that will be fixed come some DLC. The storyline is obnoxiously short, I’d have to double check my same however I think it only took me a measly 19 hours to complete a few distractions and the main plot which to me is pathetic since I’m 70% through the game versus the huge amount of time I poured into the second game to get 100%. The weapons I can honestly say I didn’t much like either. Assault rifles are good once you start shooting things in the head but outside that they aren’t so great, SMG’s are laughable weapons at best.
Cons however cannot be without some pros and I will say the new upgrade system has its good and bad side but I did like it for the most part. If you end up in an all-out war your gang with start to show up and help once you have purchased the upgrade, homies are on call as well as gang reinforcements now; it’s all a very nice, new and shiny system when it comes to your phone now. There seem to be more diversions now than there were before though instead of having to complete a set of six each time you only need to complete one to take over that area of the city, easier and harder diversions are scattered throughout the city for you to discover and tackle. Also there are hidden events around the city for you to find and conquer - Photo chances, collectables (Which I will leave unnamed), and gang operations, it’s all there for you to discover and complete. And of course I cannot forget the new VTOL jet you get partway through the main plot or the colourful selection of people you meet during the duration of the game.
Now this game isn’t really what I would call a “true” sequel. Some characters personalities are different to the point where it’s scary and the game seems to have a different feel about it. The Saints are now a sell-out marketing brand name rather than a gang who want to own something. It’s all rather sad to see the mighty fall in such an obscure way but there is no changing that now. The dark humour is constant through the games less serious parts and even during the serious parts there is often something said that is a step too far as far as the situation at hand goes but that’s just Saints Row. If you wanted a serious game you’d be more drawn to GTA and while usually I’m happy to make the comparison between the two I don’t believe Saints Row: The Third can be compared to any GTA game that is out or will be coming out. It has finally achieved a league of its own in my opinion.
If you enjoyed Saints Row 2 because it was simply a better game than GTA4, I’m not entirely sure this release will be for you. It still has those basic elements but it’s hardly what the game focuses on. If you liked the second game for all this silly little things you could get up to then this IS the game for you. And for anyone who has never played the game, I’d call upon your sense of humour. If you love a good laugh, go on and buy it, I doubt you’d regret it aside its short main arc, but you need to keep in mind the game is a joke as a whole. The second you start to take it too seriously I think it will lose its novelty.
As most of you may have already been made aware the game no longer takes place in Stillwater, rather a city known as Steelport which is a rather impressive city at night but nothing much outside of the dull monotony that is GTA4 during the day which is rather depressing. At first glance the game can seem a little odd from the get go, exchanging your immediate character creation for some bizarre bank robbery scenario where everyone is dressed up as Johnny Gat - Quite humorous to say the least. The graphics are clan and I cannot really make a complaint about the sound however I did notice some frame chop on the X360 version which was laden in the second game though I fear that may just be the old consoles running at their limit. Once you complete your little bank heist scenario however the game really begins and you are finally greeted with your character creation screen.
The game starts and ends with more action than a Die Hard movie and isn’t afraid to throw it in your face at any opportunity it gets. For a Saints Row game it can be rather fast paced and this was a little disconcerting for me. I am well aware that the Saints Row series have never taken much seriously before and that it is a game with little-to-no shame what-so-ever but still it all seems a little too much at times. You’re meant to be a ganger not a bloody super-soldier! That aside the little things they’ve added in are amazing, wresting moves for your standard melee, which add even more comedy to the game (Unless you’re in the middle of a fire fight and you accidentally pull one of these moves off), even the built-in achievements are a nice change as they show us on screen each time you hit a point in its progression. Fast cars are now easier to find and only get faster as you do them up and nearly every weapon is upgradeable; for a substantial fee of course. Enemies also come in different flavours now which is a nice change aside the same old thing each time but on the flip side of this some of them are incredibly painful to take down so be careful how big a fight you pick if you’re running low on ammo.
Touching base on the city before I stray too far away though; the city of Steelport itself if probably no larger than Stillwater was in the second game. The roads at times can be incredibly confusing and often you find yourself having to go backward before you can travel forward which is annoying if you’re trying to get anywhere in a hurry. Although I haven’t dedicated time to it as yet I was unable to find a number pad for your phone and as such are unable to dial city services as you could in the second game which is also a little annoying. Some normal buildings such as service stations can now be purchased however to increase your hourly income on top of the regular shops however these building do not act as much more than income from what I could work out. Unlike the second game only a couple of your cribs can be upgraded though the upgrades are extremely pricy but very noticeable and give extra bonuses which are listed as you upgrade.
Now to the nitty-gritty, the best part for some! Clothing options are minimal, which the stores list huge selection they are simply the same shirt with a different texture - Hopefully something that will be fixed come some DLC. The storyline is obnoxiously short, I’d have to double check my same however I think it only took me a measly 19 hours to complete a few distractions and the main plot which to me is pathetic since I’m 70% through the game versus the huge amount of time I poured into the second game to get 100%. The weapons I can honestly say I didn’t much like either. Assault rifles are good once you start shooting things in the head but outside that they aren’t so great, SMG’s are laughable weapons at best.
Cons however cannot be without some pros and I will say the new upgrade system has its good and bad side but I did like it for the most part. If you end up in an all-out war your gang with start to show up and help once you have purchased the upgrade, homies are on call as well as gang reinforcements now; it’s all a very nice, new and shiny system when it comes to your phone now. There seem to be more diversions now than there were before though instead of having to complete a set of six each time you only need to complete one to take over that area of the city, easier and harder diversions are scattered throughout the city for you to discover and tackle. Also there are hidden events around the city for you to find and conquer - Photo chances, collectables (Which I will leave unnamed), and gang operations, it’s all there for you to discover and complete. And of course I cannot forget the new VTOL jet you get partway through the main plot or the colourful selection of people you meet during the duration of the game.
Now this game isn’t really what I would call a “true” sequel. Some characters personalities are different to the point where it’s scary and the game seems to have a different feel about it. The Saints are now a sell-out marketing brand name rather than a gang who want to own something. It’s all rather sad to see the mighty fall in such an obscure way but there is no changing that now. The dark humour is constant through the games less serious parts and even during the serious parts there is often something said that is a step too far as far as the situation at hand goes but that’s just Saints Row. If you wanted a serious game you’d be more drawn to GTA and while usually I’m happy to make the comparison between the two I don’t believe Saints Row: The Third can be compared to any GTA game that is out or will be coming out. It has finally achieved a league of its own in my opinion.
If you enjoyed Saints Row 2 because it was simply a better game than GTA4, I’m not entirely sure this release will be for you. It still has those basic elements but it’s hardly what the game focuses on. If you liked the second game for all this silly little things you could get up to then this IS the game for you. And for anyone who has never played the game, I’d call upon your sense of humour. If you love a good laugh, go on and buy it, I doubt you’d regret it aside its short main arc, but you need to keep in mind the game is a joke as a whole. The second you start to take it too seriously I think it will lose its novelty.
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| Category: | Game Reviews |
| Posted: | 23-Nov-11 4:45:55 pm |
| Author: | KelesK |