Saints Row thread

[Coster]

I've played through SR2, 3, and am currently going through 4.

Honestly, to me, the height of the series was SR2. To me it offered the most in terms of character customization, story, and just plain interesting features. Stilwater in 2 was an excellent place to explore with a lot of life and character to it, really made worthwhile just by how much of a "small town" feel it had to it.

Come Saints Row the Third, and you're thrusted into Steelport, probably my least-favorite setting. 3 is a lot like if you mashed up Saints Row and night club culture to me, just due to the fact that there's dubstep everywhere and a lot of neon-ish colors. Steelport just isn't fleshed-out enough to make it fun, and it's too much of a nitty-gritty city compared to Stilwater in my opinion. Stilwater was really unique to me, and honestly Steelport feels like a Liberty City from GTAIV clone.

Saints Row IV, however, pretty much opens up all of it. Superpowers completely eliminate the need to use a vehicle outside of certain missions, and they make Steelport much, much more fun to explore and play around in. The clusters available everywhere made it worth exploring around, even though for me I've upgraded my Blast, Super Sprint, Super Jump, and that's pretty much all I need.

What are your thoughts about the Saints Row series? Are you excited for Gat Out of Hell? Also, yeah, I know Gat Out of Hell has its own thread, but I wanted one specifically for Saints Row in general.

 

[That Chris Guy]

I actually liked Saints Row: The Third the most, between 3 and 4 anyway. The thing that struck me about it was it was actually fun to drive everywhere since the vehicle controls were tight and responsive, unlike GTA IV whose cars felt like you were driving two cars tied on top of one another. Its campaign also felt like it was better-made than SRIV, and I got a lot more overall mileage out of it.

For all the cool custom weapons and additional clothing of SRIV, it felt too much like a Crackdown/Prototype/Infamous clone with the superpowers, and that's not really what I wanted out of it. I liked the cars, the tanks, the motorcycles, the jets and the hovercraft, and the superpowers render them pointless. Homies are pretty much useless too, whereas I kinda needed them for a while in The Third.

So each their own, really.

 

[spaps]

Sorry to be that guy, but...

 

[Coster]

Sorry to be that guy, but...

Actually, nah, you're not being that guy. I tried searching for "Saints Row" in the titles for threads, but didn't find it because the title of that thread is "Saint's Row." Would it be fine to bump it a year later?

I actually liked Saints Row: The Third the most, between 3 and 4 anyway. The thing that struck me about it was it was actually fun to drive everywhere since the vehicle controls were tight and responsive, unlike GTA IV whose cars felt like you were driving two cars tied on top of one another. Its campaign also felt like it was better-made than SRIV, and I got a lot more overall mileage out of it.

For all the cool custom weapons and additional clothing of SRIV, it felt too much like a Crackdown/Prototype/Infamous clone with the superpowers, and that's not really what I wanted out of it. I liked the cars, the tanks, the motorcycles, the jets and the hovercraft, and the superpowers render them pointless. Homies are pretty much useless too, whereas I kinda needed them for a while in The Third.

So each their own, really.

You should really play Saints Row 2 if you have the chance. The driving in SR3 is sort of like how the rest of the series handles it. Personally I have my qualms with it, namely that fast cars sometimes don't feel fast enough and they don't have weight to them. Like, they feel kind of like I'm driving cardboard around, as opposed to say GTA IV and V where cars have some weight behind them. Personal preference though.

I think the Crackdown/Prototype/Infamous feel of 4 was intentional, but yeah, it didn't feel like Saints Row. I really hope SRV returns somewhat to the funny but serious when it needs to be story from SR2.

 

[KingofManga420]

Actually, nah, you're not being that guy. I tried searching for "Saints Row" in the titles for threads, but didn't find it because the title of that thread is "Saint's Row." Would it be fine to bump it a year later?



You should really play Saints Row 2 if you have the chance. The driving in SR3 is sort of like how the rest of the series handles it. Personally I have my qualms with it, namely that fast cars sometimes don't feel fast enough and they don't have weight to them. Like, they feel kind of like I'm driving cardboard around, as opposed to say GTA IV and V where cars have some weight behind them. Personal preference though.

I think the Crackdown/Prototype/Infamous feel of 4 was intentional, but yeah, it didn't feel like Saints Row. I really hope SRV returns somewhat to the funny but serious when it needs to be story from SR2.

Dildo Bats and random access humor sells better than well written stories, sadly.

 

[Clown Doll]

I've been playing Saint's Row 2 and 3 and here are the top things that annoy me :

• Traffic popup in 2
• Missions in 3 go sometimes on for too long, especially if they're just shooting segments
• Relative lack of customization in 3(like why the hell couldn't you choose any car you own for your gang car?)
• Weak sounding guns in 3 and lackluster melee weapon options
• Shit music in both(I know, getting licensed tracks would cost a lot of money)

Other than those issues, the games are pretty damn fun, especially the random hijinks on the town and the side missions.

 

[Coster]

• Relative lack of customization in 3(like why the hell couldn't you choose any car you own for your gang car?)
• Weak sounding guns in 3 and lackluster melee weapon options

Yeah, these are both problems I had in SR3. The customization got seriously neutered compared to SR2. What made SR2 awesome was how in-depth the customization was - I could pick how I walked, talked, fought with my hands, looked, etc. The different fighting styles you could unlock from taking down other gangs made it worth playing through them as well as the story.

Dildo Bats and random access humor sells better than well written stories, sadly.

Sadly.

 

[KingofManga420]

I'm going to admit I've only played 3, and I did enjoy how stupidly over the top it was. I'm aware that 2 had a balance but I feel there is a place in the market for jumping the shark silliness but SR really isn't the one that should be filling that place.

 

[Coster]

I'm going to admit I've only played 3, and I did enjoy how stupidly over the top it was. I'm aware that 2 had a balance but I feel there is a place in the market for jumping the shark silliness but SR really isn't the one that should be filling that place.

SR3 took the stupid "oMg So ZaNy!1!!" shtick and ran with it bigtime. SR2 did have a balance - between relatively serious missions and story, you could do shit like find a UFO, get a foam finger that sent people flying with a single hit, get a pimp cane that would change your walking animation to walk, well, like a pimp with a cane while it also doubled as a shotgun, etc. It was these absurd things that really stood out.

I did enjoy SR3 to an extent, but the first time I played through it my thoughts were that it didn't feel like a Saints Row game anymore. It was so over-the-top that I still enjoyed it, but still wanted something more like SR2. SR2 can still make me laugh and cry, like during the Brotherhood missions (if you played or watched SR2, you know what I'm talking about), or during the Ronin line of missions. In the Sons of Samedi missions, the cutscene after you beat Mr. Sunshine is one of my favorites in the game.

 

[_blank_]

I fucking love Saint's Row-- in all of its iterations. Except the first game. The first game just sucks.

Saint's Row 2 is a watershed game for me on a lot of levels. It's one of those games that is broken on a lot of levels (graphics are washed out, constant pop-in, wonky driving physics, frequent glitches), but it the end it still works because it's a very full game. Taking over gang territories actually feels like an accomplishment, riding with homies feels necessary, the side activities are -mostly- fun, and it has a sneering sense of humor that you don't see much of anymore. One thing above all though that stands out for me is the character customization, which has only been surpassed by maybe a handful of wrestling games. Seriously, I cannot fathom why games like Sunset Overdrive (which I swear stole the character builder from SR3 and watered it down) cannot give me the same amount of customization that I could from a game that came out in 2008.

But for as much as I love Saint's Row 2, Saint's Row The Third is probably my most favorite on a gameplay level. The story is lacking, but I think this is where Saint's Row finally broke away from the idea that it was just a GTA clone, and not only that, but pretty handily bitch-slapped GTA IV. Instead of being a drab, mopey game like its contemporary, it was a bright and boisterous game that actually made you want to explore and run wild. SR3 is a game about causing mayhem and most importantly having fun. SR2, while a great game, could be incredibly frustrating at points because of random ragdoll behavior or the game just up and being broken. I never had that problem in SR3. I felt like I had the ability to improvise a hell of a lot more and was able to adapt to whatever the game threw at me. There are some glaring drawbacks of course, namely the character customization. While I like the model's face a lot more, I do miss the fact that I could no longer play as my SR2 characters, Drugs, which was a goblin-faced meth-addict that looked like he was all of 60 pounds soaking wet. Further, the wardrobe was still very varied, but not as much as SR2.

Saint's Row IV is... an interesting game. It feels like it was pretty much a giant weird backwards speaking schizophrenic that will punch you while saying at the same time they love you. I enjoyed the superpower gimmick as it felt like a hail-up to the defunct Prototype series, and actually made traversal a ton of fun, but at the same time, it made using vehicles completely pointless. I liked the new alien enemies, but the fact is that they are the only real adversary in the game as opposed to the three or four gangs the previous games would throw at you. I liked how it remembered the previous games and brought back ol' stoner Shaundi and Gat, but at the same time, it felt forced and unimportant to the story as a whole.

With Gat Out of Hell coming out next month, I'm probably going to get it as well, as I want to continue to support Volition's effort. However, I am hoping Saint's Row V does take things back to SR2 territory, with more gangs and more solid storyline, while accompanying it with the gameplay mechanics of SR3, and maybe the superpowers of SR4, but only as cheats/ end game bonuses that you have to work for.

Annnnnd yeah, wall of text.

 

[Coster]

With Gat Out of Hell coming out next month, I'm probably going to get it as well, as I want to continue to support Volition's effort. However, I am hoping Saint's Row V does take things back to SR2 territory, with more gangs and more solid storyline, while accompanying it with the gameplay mechanics of SR3, and maybe the superpowers of SR4, but only as cheats/ end game bonuses that you have to work for.

I really did enjoy SR3's gameplay over SR2's, but SR2 has undeniably the best story. I really hope Volition brings back the kind of story present in the first two games. The Syndicate from SR3 was a joke, and I'm not really taking SR4 seriously.

Like, the gangs in SR3 just felt so shallow to me. SR2's gangs were so fleshed out with interactions between the gang leaders and their people. I loved the Sons of Samedi, the Brotherhood, and the Ronin. I pretty much didn't give a fuck about the Deckers, Luchadores, and the Morningstar.

 

[_blank_]

I really did enjoy SR3's gameplay over SR2's, but SR2 has undeniably the best story. I really hope Volition brings back the kind of story present in the first two games. The Syndicate from SR3 was a joke, and I'm not really taking SR4 seriously.

Like, the gangs in SR3 just felt so shallow to me. SR2's gangs were so fleshed out with interactions between the gang leaders and their people. I loved the Sons of Samedi, the Brotherhood, and the Ronin. I pretty much didn't give a fuck about the Deckers, Luchadores, and the Morningstar.

I can agree with that. I think it's because that while they were over the top, the gangs in SR2 felt more grounded in reality and based on actual known gangs (Samedi=Jamaican drug cartels, Brotherhood=Biker gangs, Ronin=Yakuza), while the gangs in SR3 felt more fantastical than real (Deckers=Super Hackers? Morningstar=The porn industry?). Plus there is the fact that SR3 went out of their way to make the gangs had some national hold, but apparently you were able to topple them on your lonesome in one city, which dilutes their importance overall.

Plus none of the gangs in SR3 drove around on motorcycles that defied the laws of gravity.

 

[Coster]

I can agree with that. I think it's because that while they were over the top, the gangs in SR2 felt more grounded in reality and based on actual known gangs (Samedi=Jamaican drug cartels, Brotherhood=Biker gangs, Ronin=Yakuza), while the gangs in SR3 felt more fantastical than real (Deckers=Super Hackers? Morningstar=The porn industry?). Plus there is the fact that SR3 went out of their way to make the gangs had some national hold, but apparently you were able to topple them on your lonesome in one city, which dilutes their importance overall.

Plus none of the gangs in SR3 drove around on motorcycles that defied the laws of gravity.

It was that too, how supposedly the Syndicate was worldwide and yet taking them down in Steelport instantly stopped them. I think the gangs would've been easier to buy into if we actually saw shit involving them other than Killbane smacking Miller around and Viola looking shocked. Like, if Miller had an assistant or lieutenant that was adept with hacking too, or if Killbane had like an event manager that was his lieutenant.

The gangs in SR2 actually felt like, well, gangs. The Ronin had interactions between Shogo and Jyunichi, then Kazuo showed up and shit got real. The Sons of Samedi had dealing with Veteran Child and then watching The General have very unsettling talks with Mr. Sunshine. The Brotherhood had Maero with Jessica, Matt, and Donnie, and you got to see a good friendship (and tear it apart lol). The Deckers just have Miller, the Morningstar just had Philippe and to a much larger extent Viola and Kiki, and the Luchadores just had Killbane. And in-between missions, as opposed to seeing the different gangs further their development with interactions between them, you have, like I said, Killbane yelling and hitting Miller while Viola looks on in horror.

 

[Count groudon]

I can agree with that. I think it's because that while they were over the top, the gangs in SR2 felt more grounded in reality and based on actual known gangs (Samedi=Jamaican drug cartels, Brotherhood=Biker gangs, Ronin=Yakuza), while the gangs in SR3 felt more fantastical than real (Deckers=Super Hackers? Morningstar=The porn industry?). Plus there is the fact that SR3 went out of their way to make the gangs had some national hold, but apparently you were able to topple them on your lonesome in one city, which dilutes their importance overall.

Plus none of the gangs in SR3 drove around on motorcycles that defied the laws of gravity.

I actually really liked the design and the concept of the deckers. I liked how they were supposed to be a gang about fucking around with people and using technology as opposed to being like the more violent gangs in the old game, but I was really dissapointed that up until their last level they were just typical run and gun thugs. And I really really liked their outfits, I actually wore the decker outfit you get from the hitman mission more than any other outfit.

 

[KingofManga420]

I fucking love Saint's Row-- in all of its iterations. Except the first game. The first game just sucks.

Saint's Row 2 is a watershed game for me on a lot of levels. It's one of those games that is broken on a lot of levels (graphics are washed out, constant pop-in, wonky driving physics, frequent glitches), but it the end it still works because it's a very full game. Taking over gang territories actually feels like an accomplishment, riding with homies feels necessary, the side activities are -mostly- fun, and it has a sneering sense of humor that you don't see much of anymore. One thing above all though that stands out for me is the character customization, which has only been surpassed by maybe a handful of wrestling games. Seriously, I cannot fathom why games like Sunset Overdrive (which I swear stole the character builder from SR3 and watered it down) cannot give me the same amount of customization that I could from a game that came out in 2008.

But for as much as I love Saint's Row 2, Saint's Row The Third is probably my most favorite on a gameplay level. The story is lacking, but I think this is where Saint's Row finally broke away from the idea that it was just a GTA clone, and not only that, but pretty handily bitch-slapped GTA IV. Instead of being a drab, mopey game like its contemporary, it was a bright and boisterous game that actually made you want to explore and run wild. SR3 is a game about causing mayhem and most importantly having fun. SR2, while a great game, could be incredibly frustrating at points because of random ragdoll behavior or the game just up and being broken. I never had that problem in SR3. I felt like I had the ability to improvise a hell of a lot more and was able to adapt to whatever the game threw at me. There are some glaring drawbacks of course, namely the character customization. While I like the model's face a lot more, I do miss the fact that I could no longer play as my SR2 characters, Drugs, which was a goblin-faced meth-addict that looked like he was all of 60 pounds soaking wet. Further, the wardrobe was still very varied, but not as much as SR2.

Saint's Row IV is... an interesting game. It feels like it was pretty much a giant weird backwards speaking schizophrenic that will punch you while saying at the same time they love you. I enjoyed the superpower gimmick as it felt like a hail-up to the defunct Prototype series, and actually made traversal a ton of fun, but at the same time, it made using vehicles completely pointless. I liked the new alien enemies, but the fact is that they are the only real adversary in the game as opposed to the three or four gangs the previous games would throw at you. I liked how it remembered the previous games and brought back ol' stoner Shaundi and Gat, but at the same time, it felt forced and unimportant to the story as a whole.

With Gat Out of Hell coming out next month, I'm probably going to get it as well, as I want to continue to support Volition's effort. However, I am hoping Saint's Row V does take things back to SR2 territory, with more gangs and more solid storyline, while accompanying it with the gameplay mechanics of SR3, and maybe the superpowers of SR4, but only as cheats/ end game bonuses that you have to work for.

Annnnnd yeah, wall of text.

Show us Drugs.

 

[Coster]

I actually really liked the design and the concept of the deckers. I liked how they were supposed to be a gang about fucking around with people and using technology as opposed to being like the more violent gangs in the old game, but I was really dissapointed that up until their last level they were just typical run and gun thugs. And I really really liked their outfits, I actually wore the decker outfit you get from the hitman mission more than any other outfit.

Not gonna lie, I really liked the Deckers' aesthetic. The neon blue and black look was awesome, especially how their outfits lit up.

 

[Adamska]

As a guy who's played only 2 and 3 so far (I own 4, but I haven't gotten around to playing it yet), I actually like 3 more. The big reason I prefer 3 over 2 is that while the insanity in 3 occasionally was too much and 2 balanced "realism" and "wackiness" better, I played 2 on the PC, and it was a very shitty port. 3 controlled beautifully and thus was legitimately more fun to play.

As for the fleshed out natures of the gangs, try the first game then. All three of those gangs were even more realistic and did the same thing. In fact, the power structure visibly changed for all three of them rather than in 2.

 

[TheRedRanger]

I've said it before, but I hated what Saints Row the Third did to Shaundi.
She was by far my favorite character in the second game, hell, the entire series. She was funny, she was adorable, and, despite what a lot of people say, wasn't useless. OK, the mission where she got captured by Veteran Child was memorable, but she did a lot besides that. And on the subject of getting captured and needing rescue, let's not forget where we found Gat at the start of the game.

And then The Third went and turned her into attitude-wielding action girl #8972. I wasn't even sure it was here until someone used her name, and I wondered what the hell had happened. OK, I could understand the Saints' new found fame having an effect on her, changing her, but this drastically? Without even an explanation or transition? Just 'BOOM! Your cute stoner waifu is now a 'badass' in impractical high heels!'

That, and I really wish the series would take Gat's dick out of its mouth. Yeah, he was cool, and his death was one of part of SR3 that really made an impact, but seriously?

 

[Adamska]

Yeah, Shaundi's complete 180 was really weird for me. I mean, It wasn't a dealbreaker for me, since like I said, I was actually able to use my akimbo pistols without hiccups and I can coop without using an unstable and psychotic connection now, but it did mess with me on a story level. My friend actually really didn't like Gat's death in 3, mainly because it was an off-screen death; I think it felt like throwing a bridge on him for my buddy.

As an aside, I kind of liked the protagonist a bit more in the first game based on the LPs I've seen of it, mainly because the stuff they'd say was brief, but hilarious.

 

[Burned Man]

Yeah, Shaundi's complete 180 was really weird for me. I mean, It wasn't a dealbreaker for me, since like I said, I was actually able to use my akimbo pistols without hiccups and I can coop without using an unstable and psychotic connection now, but it did mess with me on a story level. My friend actually really didn't like Gat's death in 3, mainly because it was an off-screen death; I think it felt like throwing a bridge on him for my buddy.

As an aside, I kind of liked the protagonist a bit more in the first game based on the LPs I've seen of it, mainly because the stuff they'd say was brief, but hilarious.

I remember I assumed Gat was still alive the entire playthrough because he died off screen, you don't see his body at the funeral and when the hearse sinks to the bottom of the river no one cares. I also didn't notice Loren actually die so I kept thinking the two of the them would come back. I loved how they made the silent protagonist talk in the final missions of Saints Row 1 it caught me off guard and made me laugh. I also thought STAG was a little over the top. I liked the idea of an anti gang military task force just not laser space marines.