Saints Row 4 Review |
Paul Fiander
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The Saints have risen all the way to the White House.
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This review will contain light spoilers; if you prefer to remain pure you may want to jump straight to the wrap up. However, for you impatient types there is a spoilery hands-on article which you can read here. Now, on with the show, as they say. We will be bringing spoiler updates as the game nears release but these will be marked.
This is the second Saints Row title I have played. I started the series with 3 and fell in love with the crazy antics of the Purple obsessed street gang, turned entrepreneurs. The mixture of over the top action with an open world setting made the game one of my top titles of the last few years (big call but I truly loved the game so much so I own it on both PC and PS3). So it was with glee that I delved back into the city of Steelport. |
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The first and most important point of this game is the humour. It can be a breaking point for some but, personally, I love the tongue-in-cheek nature of the game. From the Testicular Manslaughter finishing move to gun wielding mascots, the nature of the game has remained true to its roots. There is room in the gaming genre for titles that challenge you, but there should also be a place for that games that make you smile. To that end I played this game with a stupid grin on my face nearly the whole way through (platforming excluded but more of that later) that was made even wider by some wonderfully placed pop culture references. Up to this point the game has managed to 'Stay on Target' (sorry could not help myself).
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Did someone say Canon?
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Aliens, Super Powers and most of Guns make this game what it is.
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The writers, in some way, know their story is not of the same caliber of games like The Last of Us or Bioshock Infinite and the self referential quips made within the story are evidence of this. This is shown up mostly with the Saints resident Tech expert, Kinzie. The interplay between her and the Boss (your character) does a great job of getting you to ignore the obvious suspension of disbelief you need to play a title like this.
As for the story itself, I would best describe it as if Saints Row 3 met the Matrix had a baby with a little Alien DNA thrown in for good measure. I know that sounds odd but it is what kept running through my mind as I was running around the city. |
Just as a very quick synopsis, the story has the Saints now in control of the United States by election to president not by a coup. Unfortunately an Alien race have decided to invade and capture everyone you know and implant them into a simulation. You manage to break with the aid of Kinzie and Vice President Keith David, the rest of your time is spent leveling up, reuniting your crew and generally being heroic.
The story is far fetched but what else would you expect form Volition?
The story is far fetched but what else would you expect form Volition?
The views of Steelport have changed although the city itself remains fundamentally the same.
As mentioned earlier the game is based around the city of Steelport, the home of the Saints for the 3rd Game. The developers have reused the same map, and by same I mean exactly the same, with a few noticeable additions. Its these differences in my opinion that make the game.
Firstly, visual glitches. These have been programmed in so you know you are in a simulation. The warping nature around some of the walls are really well created. Its a small touch but shows work was done to the environment to make it feel "realistic".
Secondly, the implementation of verticality. There were always sky scrapers in Steelport but now these have been superceded in the height department by Alien towers. These structures alter the skyline making the city feel unique as well as being a great challenge to scale.
Thirdly, the population. This is a simulation so now killing everyone is fair game. It was always a concern in the earlier game, if you run someone over you kind of felt bad, but now they are aliens so you are welcome to have at it.
These all combine to make the world an even bigger playground than before and make the city feel like an old friend you have not seen in a while. Comfortable to be around but with some surprising new tales to tell.
Firstly, visual glitches. These have been programmed in so you know you are in a simulation. The warping nature around some of the walls are really well created. Its a small touch but shows work was done to the environment to make it feel "realistic".
Secondly, the implementation of verticality. There were always sky scrapers in Steelport but now these have been superceded in the height department by Alien towers. These structures alter the skyline making the city feel unique as well as being a great challenge to scale.
Thirdly, the population. This is a simulation so now killing everyone is fair game. It was always a concern in the earlier game, if you run someone over you kind of felt bad, but now they are aliens so you are welcome to have at it.
These all combine to make the world an even bigger playground than before and make the city feel like an old friend you have not seen in a while. Comfortable to be around but with some surprising new tales to tell.
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Obviously if you are now able to decimate tonnes of aliens you are going to need some serious fire power to do the job. Thankfully, the developers have decided to not only give you an extreme arsenal of toys but also supplement you with Super Powers. From Super Speed to Telekinesis (My personal favourite), the variety of ways to kill the enemy has grown exponentially from the last game. The powers, like the weapons, are rewards for completing objectives and your repertoire grows as the game goes on. The RPG element of the game continues with the ability to upgrade both powers and weapons. For the guns the usual system of upgrading remains. You walk into a gunshop and purchase them but for the powers this works a little differently and this brings me to my biggest gripe with the game.
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Super Powers like the Freeze blast are a great evolution of the gameplay
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I hate platforming, I'm sorry I just do. However, once you are enabled with the Super Jump power platforming becomes a big part of the game. This is to complete tasks but also to collect clusters, the currency for upgrading your powers. It is not that the platforming is badly done, it feels responsive and well crafted, I just dislike the whole mechanic. The jump does have its uses, especially when combined with Super Speed, the ability to traverse the world becomes a lot of fun, so much so you don't really feel like jacking cars. Again, I reiterate this is a personal moan but something to think about if you are like me.
More jumping than flying
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In terms of challenge the enemies do increase in difficulty to try to match your awesomeness, but if you spend the time upgrading they will pale into insignificance before your God like powers. The game remedies this by throwing more enemies your way, which is not a problem as the combat is such a blast.
As always with the Saints games the variety of quests both main and side is not to be sniffed at. From saving your crew to finding weapons, your time will be taken up as you gallivant around the world. There will be times where you may find yourself repeating a challenge such as the Superhero Fight Club (as fun as it sounds) but my recommendation is to mix the challenges up to avoid the repetitive feeling. |
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Graphically the game is strong if not stellar. There are some cut scenes where you can see the linear outline of the characters faces but again this is passable.
The sound is great from the noise of a car crashing into a wall to SMG fire, everything sounds in its place. There is music in certain sections of the game and the use of real world songs like I don't wanna miss a thing by Aerosmith to Hadaways What is Love seem perfectly placed. This is also true of the voice acting with every character having a strong varied line of dialogue. Even though the Boss does repeat phrases, it does seem there is enough variety to not get too old. |
The Super Speed revolutionised the daily Commute.
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The game will have its detractors, but if you go into the game to be entertained you will not be disappointed. Unfortunately, Saints Row 4 may not go onto many people's game of the year awards shortlists but it deserves to find a home on as many shelves (or Hard Drives if you prefer digital) as is possible.
Wrap up
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The good - Crazy over the top action, Super Powers, Variety of Weapons, Use of Music and pop culture references.
The bad - Repetitive nature of challenges, Platforming (personal gripe), Graphical drop on occasion. |
Score - 4.5/5 |
Images Courtesy of Koch Media
Game - Preview copy provided by Publisher
Game - Preview copy provided by Publisher
