Saints Row The Third – Review (PS3, 360)

written by gazzara on 24.11.11

There’s a few things that you need to know about Saints Row The Third straight off the bat.  1. Saints Row The Third never takes itself too seriously. 2. If walking down the street naked, wearing only a ball gag and beating people up with 2ft dildos is you sort of deal then read no further and just go and buy the game and 3. Saints Row The Third tightens up every aspect of the previous games and utilises the game engine like never before to provide a rip roaring wail of a time that will have you in stitches from start to finish and probably beyond.

Yup, the Saints are back, bigger, badder and more famous than before but unfortunately their fame has pissed off a few gangs but more importantly The Syndicate, a group that has more fingers in more pies than Ron Jeremy in a gang bang!  After the Third Street Saint’s escapades in Stilwater has brought them more fame and fortune, the Syndicate are looking for a tickle of the profits and a little respect, something that the Saints in their new found fame are not prepared to give.  Cue some crazy opening sequences which end with you landing in Steelport, trying to get a foothold in the city and fighting back by any means necessary.

• Likes

  • Fluid control system
  • Outlandish gameplay
  • Enhanced customisation
  • Oh, the comedy!

• Dislikes

  • What’s not to like!

You see, the concept of Saints Row as a franchise is pretty much unchanged.  Winning territory over your rivals is as big a part of the game as ever and progressing through the storyline is as hilarious as it is immersive.  You start out by getting your car, grabbing some weapons from the local armoury as well as recruiting your Saints gang all over again breaking people out of trouble and stamping your authority all over the city.

As with any sandbox action game, after the initial tutorial missions are over you are pretty much free to explore wherever you want, within reason, and take on the multitude of side missions and crazy mini tasks that are available as well as proceed through the story itself.  Saints Row The Third is huge and almost every aspect of the title with the go anywhere, do anything moniker being taken to the next level.  The ability to now fly aeroplanes as well as helicopters and even base jump from buildings provides not only a horizontal playground to get your kicks in but also a vertical one now with plenty of rooftops and building to explore.

One thing that has always stood out in Saints games is the level of customisation in them and going on the theme of huge, Saints Row The Third again stands head and shoulder above the rest.  From costumes, to weapons, individual items, skin colour, tan lines, cars, characters even to the sex appeal slider that is new to the game, Saints Row The Third is never backwards in coming forwards and with the Initiation Station on the Saints Row website coupled with a whole suite of options in the game you can easily spend hours on end uploading and downloading outrageous characters.

Of course, a lot of the customisation options are unlockable and this comes in the form of earning respect points to level up your character and pay to unlock stuff along the way.  Everything you do in Steelport will earn you points and as you grow your character through the main missions as well as side missions like the new Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax game show which runs like a cross between madcap Japanese game shows and Arnie’s 80′s, um, “classic” The Running Man.

Combat has always been a bit of a bugbear in sandbox games with it always feeling  little woolly and weapon selection not quite hitting the mark when you need it most.  Saints Row’s attempts in the past have been good but not great but Saints Row The Third shines with a responsive set of controls that will have you locking on, shooting, kicking, punching and cock slapping your way through the city, always in the knowledge that a flick of the thumbstick will give you the desired weapon selection to scroll through.  The button mapping has also been well designed, although you can change them, and helps you to deliver that knock out blow via combos more efficiently than before.  This aids in the game not feeling like a slog and allows you to feel comfortable in how your character will attack at any point.

A nice new addition to the control setup is the now nicknamed “Awesome” button.  This button, whilst being the run button as default will transform other moves into stunning set pieces that make you go “awesome!”.  Being able to jack a car is now made faster and simpler by utilising the awesome button, allowing your character to jump straight through the windscreen and kick the driver out rather than the standard opening the door, throwing the driver out, getting into said car, blah, blah, blah.  The “Awesome” button has a wealth of funny and wow moments and should be encouraged to be pressed wherever possible.

In typical sandbox fashion the playground is huge with plenty to do and plenty to see as well as having the freedom to do whatever you want wherever you want but Saints Row The Third has also added a handy co-op mode where you and a buddy can roam around the city of Steelport together creating carnage.  This is not limited to free play though as you can also follow your storylines and sub missions at will with a drop in, drop out mechanic that adds a little something, something to an already enjoyable game.

What game would be complete nowadays without a traditional helping of some kind of horde mode in the game.  Yup, Gears Of War 2 has a lot to answer for in that department and with zombies in Call Of Duty and a lot of games copying a very successful formula of fending off waves of enemies on a particular map.  Saints Row The Third has its very own take on this gametype called, wait for it! Whored Mode.  Yup, you’ve read that right and as comical as it sounds and also a superb play on words, Whored Mode delivers exactly what you would expect from a Saints take on the mode.  Fending off waves of enemies with singular weapons in either solo or co-op makes for some laugh a minute experiences and is a joyous experience that adds gravy to an already meaty package.

Visually, Volition have cranked up the volume to 11 with Saints Row The Third in terms of previous developments.  Steelport seems to have a lot more going on this time around and the city feels more alive for it.  Random acts of violence and the hustle and bustle of city life do not slow the engine down one bit here as they may have done in SR2 giving you a more fluid experience than before.  Add to that a stellar soundtrack with the right beats pumping at the right time makes for some real memorable moments.

Overall, Saints Row The Third is a welcome return to a sandbox franchise that has consistently tried to stand out from its competitors in the genre providing an outlandish storyline and over the top gameplay that is fun, never takes itself too seriously and to be quite honest, is probably the slickest title in its genre out there to date.  Refinement rather than massive moves forward are the order of the day but with some excellent additions in terms of content, a slick control scheme and an engine running a smoother game, Saints Row The Third IS the only sandbox action game you’ll require this year and probably the next!