Fair or not, the Saints Row series is inexorably linked with Grand Theft Auto. At its beginning, Saints Row was a slightly less serious version of GTA. The critically acclaimed sequel seemed like the perfect mix of both worlds with its over-the-top action and compelling story in the world of Stilwater.
Then Saints Row the Third came along, and it seems like that’s the exact point where fans of the series are split.
Some folks say everything that’s happened since the second game has been subpar, wishing for a return to the semi-serious days before The Third took everything into the realm of the absurd. Others say that they relish the new direction, especially since GTA continued to get so serious that Niko Bellic’s adventure was almost tedious to play.
Saints Row IV isn’t going to placate fans of the serious style — it’s as ludicrous as ever. But by diving into a world of superpowers and becoming a parody of itself instead of GTA, IV suddenly has become the most fun game in the series so far.
THE GOOD
Superpowers: Without going into anything more than mild spoilers, you develop superpowers very early on in the game. These include super-fast running, ridiculously high jumping, elemental attacks and more. It’s sort of like Crackdown, except it’s not bland and boring. Essentially, once you get through the first couple story missions, you’ll be able to go where you please in this version of Steelport. No longer will you be restrained by tall buildings — you can jump right over them. Tired of having to take a car from one side of town to the other? Not a problem; use your super speed to sprint there and watch vehicles bounce off you along the way. The powers feel fun and fluid, and they’re the main reason that IV is such a blast to play. Hell, even some familiar activities like Insurance Fraud feel like brand-new minigames because the mechanics have changed so drastically.
Collectibles: Saints Row has never been shy about throwing collectibles everywhere, and IV is no exception. The difference here is that you have the aforementioned superpowers, which matters for two reasons. First, it’s easier than ever to grab power boosts and character audio files because you can leap 100 feet in the air instead of needing to fly up there in a plane or copter. Second, the majority of collectibles are clusters that allow you to unlock more powers (a surprisingly addictive process). Earlier games in the series gave you CDs for your radio stations or small amounts of cash; Saints Row IV uses them to boost its most fun feature.
References: Because you spend most of the game in a constructed alternate reality, the developers have plenty of chances to make fun of themselves and the world they’ve created. This goes beyond just slamming Pierce the entire game — Shaundi has to deal with the visage of her past, for instance, in a way that you might not expect. There’s also plenty of pop culture references beyond the world of Saints Row, and while a few feel forced, most are pretty funny. Hell, there’s even a few huge on-the-nose selections that you’ve probably already heard about, like Keith David playing himself as the vice president or one of your seven voice options being simply known as “Nolan North.”
Customization: This game was built on the same engine as its predecessor, so a lot of clothing options and weapon upgrades will seem familiar at first glance. But there are quite a few new options as well, and some of the choices will surprise you. For example, the hilarious dubstep gun has three different appearance options — par for the course — but each of those options has its own song to go with it. (Personally, I’m partial to this one, although all three are pretty good.) The good news is that The Third’s options were pretty robust to begin with, so small expansions on that system just make things a little bit better.
THE BAD
Familiarity: On the flip side of those new customization options is the fact that this is a very similar game to Saints Row The Third. That’s not surprising, considering that some of this content was originally supposed to be part of the Enter the Dominatrix DLC for the third game, but I’m sure some people are disappointed that this isn’t a completely new game. To me, there are enough new things happening that I can classify this as “familiar” and not “stale.”
Glitches: I’m sure it was bound to happen when a bunch of exciting superpowers were introduced. But Saints Row IV has become more glitchy than ever, especially in the co-op mode through system link or online. Characters who appear in a location for one player will either be somewhere entirely different — or nowhere to be found at all, locking out quests at times. If you get hit by a car while launching off on a super jump, you might end up stuck in the underside of a bridge. These glitches are pretty frequent, but none of them were particularly game-breaking.
OVERALL
I don’t really care for the debate between the older and newer Saints Row games. I could see the argument between the second and third titles, but IV essentially embraces its over-the-top nature and the end result is a game that is just fun. To me, that’s all that really matters. I have a blast playing Saints Row IV, and there aren’t a ton of games left that can elicit that same reaction from me these days. Even though the game recycles some resources and runs into some awkward errors at times, it’s hard to imagine players who won’t enjoy the ride.
Gray Areas 