Daniel Konicek Staff Writer
The Saints’ row series has kept gamers laughing since the first game was published in 2006. After a troubled development, Volition studios have delivered their swan song and finale to the series. It’s a mess, yes, and lacks a lot of polish, but the grin on my face was genuine. It may not be worth the full price, but it is an experience gamers should not miss out on.
After a short prologue in which he (or she) saves the world from terrorists, the leader of the Third Street Saints is elected President of the United States. His term is interrupted by an attack by aliens on the White House. Though the president puts up a valiant fight in the presidential gun turret, he is abducted by aliens and imprisoned in a virtual version of Steelport, where the player quickly acquires superpowers, and the story kicks off for real.
From there it plays like a wackier version of other superhero simulators like Prototype or Crackdown, running around the city completing activities with your powers and running through colorful missions lampooning games like Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Mass Effect and even the arcade brawler Streets of Rage. Someone who hasn’t been following the popular game releases of the last year might not get some of the references, but there are still a lot of laughs to be had and the gameplay is typically frantic and energetic enough to keep someone interested.
As messy as it is, this game is legitimately funny. Instead of randomized craziness, most of the humor and insanity is focused on the characters, ascending less successful characters to some great high-points and fan-favorites like Johnny Gat to comedy godhood. Every character on the ship gets multiple missions dedicated just to them, and you can even romance most of the people on the ship in a parody of Mass Effect. It still keeps the inane, crude tone of the series thus far, but I found the writing to be funnier and more enjoyable on its own merits than in previous games without sacrificing the spirit of the series.
For all the care the writers put into the game, it is a shame the gameplay doesn’t entirely live up. The superpowers essentially make the cars only useful for fire-power and stylistic reasons, and I feel bad for the people responsible for the huge variety of vehicle upgrades because cars will likely be ignored by most players, which is sad because it was such a central dynamic to the previous games. The game just plays like a Saints’ Row expansion pack with superpowers rather than the central mechanic of a stand-alone game. I used to hope that the title of president would also mean rallying humanity under the Saints banner, but that doesn’t really happen either. This game is a very entertaining rental, but someone expecting the new content to validate the $60 price tag will be disappointed.
Despite these flaws, gamers should not ignore Saints’ Row IV. The cooperative mode is back, with the superpowers breathing new life into the classic mode, and even sitting through and watching the craziness on screen while another plays is pretty enjoyable. If you can look past the seams and faults, and you are a fan of the crude, violent humor the series is known for, this game is good for plenty of entertainment.
