An awesome game that does reflect GTA's best qualities. Worth buying and beating. Insane, violent fun throughout.
Saints Row, the product of developer Volition Inc. and THQ, will seem very familiar at a glance to anyone who has played Grand Theft Auto, in that you have a character, he has a gun, and you can make him do what you want when you want to. The similarities end there. Once your character is ready, you will immediately be plunged into an in-depth and immersing world, led by many respectable characters, whose voice-overs are very professionally done by such B-Lists as Michael Clarke Duncan, Freddy Rodriguez, Keith David, Michael Rapaport, Tia Carrere, and David Carradine, among others.
Upon beginning the single-player mode of Saints Row, you will be prompted to create a character. This precise and impressive process allows you to create a mirror image of yourself after enough work. Throughout the game he will remain the silent protagonist (except for a few hilarious lines) as you complete missions for the 3rd Street Saints, one of the four gangs in the city.
While the story mode missions are a strong focus of the game play, those with shorter attention spans may completely ignore them should they choose to simply wander the streets instead. There is never a shortage of things to do in the fictional city of Stilwater, an industrial cross between Boston, Los Angeles, and New York. The field of play is huge, taking ten minutes to cross in the fastest car you can find.
Scattered all over the city are side-missions, which serve as ancillary entertainment, a source of money and, most importantly, respect, which, when earned, will unlock new story missions. These side-missions include working for a chop shop, as a hit man, or just creating havoc in the streets. My personal favorite, “Insurance Fraud”, involves throwing your character in front of traffic to earn money from lawsuits. This, combined with the Havok physics engine, creates hilarious collisions which send your character hurling through the air like a rag doll.
Each of the three main story mission arcs involve a different rival gang, each with their own colors, weapons, cars, and major characters. The West Side Rollerz gang is involved mostly in car racing and trading, the Los Carnales gang specializes in weapon and drug trade, and the Vice Kings gang operates like a mafia, infiltrating the police force and music industry. Throughout the story missions, you will dismantle each of these gangs and claim their territory in the name of the Saints.
Game play is outstanding, with several improvements over similar games, such as an enhanced weapon aiming system, responsive driving controls, and a brilliant health system, which allows your character to heal gradually once out of combat. Also, with respect earned, you can recruit “homies” that will follow you and fight with you. These features make for a very impressive and entertaining experience that remains fun long after the story missions are completed.
Multiplayer over Xbox Live is fun for a time, but does grow tiresome once it has been experienced throughout. With up to 12 players in an online game. There are various modes that can be played, from a battle royale gang war, to a mode entitled “Protect The Pimp”, in which one player on each team is protected by the other players, and the round ends when one team assassinates the other’s pimp. The multiplayer game play is interesting and original, but becomes frustrating, with lag being common in large games.
Graphically, Saints Row is amazing. You can traverse the entire city without seeing one loading screen, not even when entering buildings. Every character, even civilians walking the street, is incredibly detailed, so much that you can see their eye color and individual teeth. There were some rare glitches in the graphics that would require a restart in the mission, but nothing too serious.
The game’s audio may go unnoticed, but lend an ear and it will impress. Aside from the wide variety of music, announcements and commercials will reflect what is happening in the city. When the radio says there is a sale at “Friendly Fire”, the neighborhood gun shop, then there is one, and you can get 15 percent off that RPG you’ve always wanted. Accordingly, if you rob a store or destroy a subway, it will make the news on the radio.
Overall, Saints Row is an incredibly impressive game. The game will establish itself not so much as a mimic of GTA, but will hold its own, and in many ways, surpass GTA. Saints Row is released on Xbox 360 and will be released on PS3 soon. Saints Row is rated Mature for violence, blood, strong language, and suggestive themes, so if you are not easily influenced and can relax your conscience for 20-30 hours of game play, Saints Row may just be what you’ve been waiting for. At the very least, it can hold you over until GTA IV.
SAINTS ROW - 9.1