Saints Row: The Third did not win me over right away. Having only played the demo of the first game before and hating it, this from a gameplay mechanics perspective felt as derivative and janky as its predecessor. Having said that, it becomes readily apparent that gameplay is not the focus here. Instead, this is all about playing a Grand Theft Auto-like experience with the humor and ridiculousness pushed to extremes. Once the game heats up, it manages to dress up relatively unremarkable mechanics and turn them into a title that’s arguably more fun than it should be.
With this being my first real Saints Row, I have no idea how the story got to this point. In any case, your gang has hit celebrity status. You’re stopped on the streets by fans who want to take your picture, and you’re in the midst of making your own movie. Unfortunately for you and the Saints, filming of a scene goes sideways when you inadvertently mess with The Syndicate, a gang whose power and reach is far greater than the Saints can cope with. After a terrible first encounter, it’s up to you to lead the Saints and take out the Syndicate once and for all.
Featuring safes lifted up by helicopters and free falling from planes, the first act of the game hits the nail on the head. However, there’s a definite lull that proceeds it. At this point, the game takes its sweet time to introduce you to its many supporting characters and mission types. I have no problem with cast. Quite frankly, they’re one of the strongest aspects of the experience, as they add a ton of personality. In particular, Zemos, the pimp who only speaks in Auto-Tune is, a non-stop source for hilarity. However, they’re used as the context to clinically introduce you to each of the different mission types. Most of these early missions do little to push the narrative forward and feel very tacked on.
Thankfully, working through them will open up more dramatic missions within the main story arc. Without going into spoiler-territory, it is awesome to see how insane the levels get and how much crazy weaponry you get access to. These crazy scenarios make up for any sort of mechanical shortcomings it has to provide a memorable experience. One of my favourite moments doesn’t even involve any sort of explosions or adult humor to make an impact. It’s simply a funny exchange between two people in a car that happens in real life, yet I’ve never seen recreated in a video game before.
Saint’s Row: The Third is still very much cut from the same Grand Theft Auto cloth, but it’s focus on a strong narrative, genuinely funny humor and an attempt to get crazy from the start sets it apart from the pack. At first, I was turned off by a few of its downfalls, though the game quickly settles into its rhythm and provides a great main story experience.
In Third Person 