Saints Row 4
Producer: Deep Silver
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: Mature
Genre: Action-adventure
Saints Go Marching
Written by Josh Schilling
It is always fun to see how much imagination and creativity can be poured into an artistic endeavor, and from a “what-the-hell-did-I-just-see” perspective, Saints Row IV delivers in many different ways. Over-the-top is almost too tame a term to describe this game, and if you enjoyed its predecessors, particularly the third installment of the series, then you will probably be able to squeeze some enjoyment out of this one. Unfortunately, there are a great many flaws to this game that no amount of splash, color, pixilated nudity, or movie spoofing can cure. This is a game of extremes, and while there are definitely some memorable moments, the overall experience was disappointing.
Saints Row IV is a third-person shooter that borrows heavily and liberally from the Grand Theft Auto-style of gameplay. It takes place in an open city, and you progress the story and your character by completing quests and performing well in a bunch of different types of challenges. The story takes place a few years after the events of Saints Row: The Third where the 3rd Street Saints, the protagonist gang of the series, emerge from chaotic craziness to become the famous, unquestioned heroes of the city of Steelport. From there, the antics continue in this newest game, and in the first half-hour you fight terrorists, ride a nuclear missile, and become the President of the United States. Then it all gets really nuts as the world is invaded by a hostile alien race, and you and your compatriots are thrown into a virtual world where you have superhuman abilities. That’s just the table-setter, folks, and from there you struggle to free your friends, build your abilities and eventually try to save the world.
You spend the majority of your time in the virtual version of the previously mentioned city of Steelport. This is where the first problem lies, as this is the same location you spent the majority of your time in the previous game. To be fair, there are subtle differences to the now-alien-controlled city, but the similarities to Saints Row: The Third do not stop with the location. With a few minor tweaks, the character building is the same, the challenges are the same, the game mechanics are the same, and the overall outlandishness is the same. In all actuality this feels more like a good solid DLC addition rather than a full $60 title, which actually was what it was supposed to be. “Enter the Dominatrix” was the working title of the expansion to Saints Row: The Third, but when THQ folded, the game’s developer Volition was bought by Deep Silver, which I guess wanted a full title cash-grab rushed to the stores. The haste in production shows, as while the game’s story is truly interesting, it is choppy and sometimes incoherent. The load screens are plentiful and there were many times when I would wonder what just happened. The flaws in the flow of the story sap the humor from a lot of the situations and a little polish in the storytelling process could have overshadowed the similarities between The Third and IV. Timing is everything in comedy, and in this game, the timing is off.
When I played Saints Row: The Third, I had a great time. The main thing I liked is that was unconventionally comical and completely original. While the humor and jaw-dropping moments are still there in IV, the originality is lacking. I feel that it was just a tad too soon to release this game on the heels of the success of the previous title. As DLC, it could have been the best addition ever, but as a full title it just feels forced and unfinished. It’s worth a play-through because there are some great moments, just make sure to tether your expectations.