Saints Row: The Third

I have never played a game that punched me in the mouth and then told me to like it but that’s the only way to explain what I felt the first time I played this game. The game starts off running as you take part in a bank heist gone wrong that ends with a plane crash after being pursued by no less than 100 armed swat members. That’s the first section of the game before you do a single side quest or even take your first naked run. Action isn’t a strong enough word to describe this game and stunning doesn’t do the visuals justice. Watch and see what I mean, but keep reading (well, watch first then read).

Yeah, something like that.

So the controls are the same as the last two which means they’re laid out pretty much like your standard FPS (first person shooter) and that’s a very good thing. That means the controls are tight and responsive like a Ferrari fresh off the line, only with this ride no brakes are needed - or wanted! That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing else going on here though. They add fluidity to the controls that the two previous versions lacked and those few changes make all the difference. So take a simple move like jacking a car something we’ve all done before in GTA, for example.  Now blow it up till you no longer recognize it! Run up to a car and press the jack button to dive feet first through a window (Bo-Dukin’ It) and ride off in smooth fashion. So much faster than any other carjacking in any other game (and it’s a good thing), but most of all: its fun! Oh yeah, after you jack the car and squeal the tires to get away it only takes one button to power slide around the corner, past the pigs.

Much faster in Saint's Row.

After you rob the bank, jack a car, and burn the cops, you’ll want to do the next logical step: blow **** up! Lucky thing this game makes that so easy to do and with so many options. A regular gun will let you take out almost any vehicle in the game provided you don’t die (and you’ve got enough ammo), but who wants to waste their time with a plain gun?  Instead, choose from: rocket launchers, grenade launchers, exploding remote control cars, chain guns, flame throws, or a guided missile!  Those aren’t even all the weapons, those are just the ones I can say in one breath - and to get through them all it might take at least a few more breaths. To spice it up if the regular weapons aren’t enough, each one has about 5 levels to upgrade that change the strength and sometimes properties of the item, like a gun that shoots explosive rounds. Now I know these aren’t new items to the gaming world and maybe they don’t even sound that great, but in the world of Saints Row you live by the gun, and enemies die by the gun - so yours needs to be the bigger gun.

Should I take this one, or maybe that one?  Ah, decisions.

Okay, so now you’re armed, loaded with cash, nice wheels, and a bad attitude. Sounds like a good time to start thinking about taking things over, right? The first two games all took place in Stillwater. By the end of the second game the Saints owned the town and the rivals were dead or dying Saints run Stillwater uncontested. The Third takes place in a new town called Steelport, where the only difference in the town is really the name (and that the Saints are small potatoes again), but it still feels like Stillwater. That’s a good thing for the players that have been there before because without much effort you can get around the place without even really using the map. Again, you have several options on how to take over the place, activities that earn you part of the city, rival gangs that gather and need to be ummm, "dealt with," harshly.  The activities are so fun that even when you don’t finish in time, or you die during a level, it’s still fun to play it again without causing too much stress. It feels so right in every aspect that even though I wanted to rush the experience, it was nice to take the time to mix it up.

                

Another key component that makes this game stand out over its predecessors is the leveling system. In most games of this type you level like building a cake, first you do this to get this powerup and then you do this task and you get that gun or save that person to get that money. Saints let’s you make the cake icing first and then eat it inside out. You get respect points for doing certain tasks or missions, and then those points get used to level up your character - but you can tailor it to suit you. Overall, you’ll get everything at some point but to start you might want to build up your gang, instead of improving your driving, or making your character stronger. Those are just a few options, and as you level up more will become available that can be silly/deadly - but all are functional in making sure you rule the city.

I own this town!

                 

Ok so there are a few fails with this game - and I mean just a few - but I can’t overlook them because they are so apparent. One: the multiplayer is just a series of enemy waves. Don’t get me wrong, because like everything else in this game it’s fun and oddly addictive, but it’s the only multiplayer mode available. I can see why they limited the multiplayer this time and changed it up for The Third, seeing that the last two kind of sucked in the multiplayer department. The two previous installments just had too much to offer that was never really fleshed out, and in several ways the old versions took a lot to adjust to - but it was fun and missed from this game. The other issue is the frame clipping that does occasionally happen due to the sheer speed that this game plays at, it doesn’t happen all the time but it’s noticeable. Those few things said, the game rocks! It has made me hope that instead of the originally planned trilogy they will make a 4^th followed by a 5^th. In closing, go get it! It’s that simple: go get it and thank me later.