In totally unplanned fashion I went and played Saints Row. No, not the reboot that seems to be getting rather terrible reviews all-around, but the original 360 title that started it all. It's also been two months since my last Report and I accidentally tackled another open world game. These things just happen, I guess. Enjoy the read and share your thoughts if you've had any exposure to Saints Row as a franchise.
Saints Row
( XBox 360 – Action, Adventure – 2006 ) + TRAILER
Something immediately evident with Saints Row is how heavily it draws from GTA. Specifically San Andreas when you get into the whole gang warfare for respective territory. Keeping the whole “open world crime action” in mind Saints Row still puts its own spin on things, though. Let's see how it all goes down, playa.
Looking at it strictly from a story standpoint you realize protagonist of Saints Row isn't really a defined character in the style of aforementioned GTA series. You could say it has more common with GTA3 because we're dealing with a de facto mute protagonist who is a really good listener as far as other characters are concerned, but premise itself concerns itself far more with Third Street Saints and their rise to power. So who are they? Well, city of Stillwater is torn between three established gangs and the Saints see how much this is destroying the city so their leader Julius decide to officially form a new gang using a local church as their headquarters. He and others also just so happen to come across the protagonist, save his ass and canonize him into the gang. So begin your adventures pretty much doing what all the other gangs were up to, but looking stylish wearing purple as your colors.
It's a good thing that whatever game finds lacking in protagonist backstory or even story proper to follow it more than makes up for with three story arcs you'll be tackling along the way. As you can surmise, each rival gangs gets their own as well as a handler within the Saints who you'll be interacting with to advance said story. This is where your compatriots' personality comes into play and what a job Volition has done here. It's actually impressive how natural and believable all characters come off as despite their exaggerated natures. Johnny Gat, for example, just wants to whack everyone as his go-to solution, while Lin is working undercover to deal with the Rollerz. They all make for amusing cutscenes while never losing that gangbanger edge because the Saints don't wear kid gloves. Surprisingly enough even antagonists are not portrayed as some over the top inept caricatures, but rather as legitimate threats and you can see how they achieved their status. As missions progress you also see some cutscenes from their end further fleshing their organizations out.
That's enough about the story department as it really isn't a huge focus of the game to get invested in. Each gang gets a dozen or so missions + stronghold takeovers you must undertake for the finale. Last bit I'd like to add is how having a mute protagonist lets other characters shine more through sheer virtue of needing to communicate without pointless banter. As a result it's a very lean script with pinpoint accuracy on what it wants to convey with plenty of personality to go around. None of that political correctness will be found here.
Gameplay-wise we're once again stepping into familiar GTA territory with one distinction that gets the player out there, so to speak – Respect.
Demolition squad about to get righteous. Driving a stolen taxi.
Almost-mute protagonist's lines take everyone aback when he actually speaks.
Decked out in purple our man engages in a hold-up, just another one of unadvertised features in the game.
Respect is a resource you generate by doing activities in the game, and you use it to begin story missions. In practical terms this means you have complete freedom to go about the game however you want because even simple things like tagging graffiti or assassinating targets grants you Respect. Don't want to hooker snatch missions because Kings blast your car to kingdom come? You don't have to. Sure, you'll miss out on the reward you get for completing all eight of snatch difficulty levels, but you're not forced into it. Saints Row gives the player a nudge and lets him go about however he wants very early on. Given this is a somewhat less than a dead serious game you can get away with shenanigans aplenty.
What can you actually do in this third-person crime shooter? Well, I think you know the answer and just want some specifics. You'll be doing the usual the fare of chasing cars, taking out targets, following people, and some more unique scenarios like using a bulldozer to push cargo into the ocean or driving fast to extract information from a Eurotrash fashion designer. All in all, fun times ahead. There are “mechanics” game doesn't bother with much like robbing stores or customizing your cars, but Saints Row has enough confidence in the player trying things on his own to dope this out. Amusing tidbit is how your entirely customizable character can only be a dude, but you do get rather extensive freedom in how he looks going beyond just body and hair as you have access to clothing, jewelry and tattoos if the price is right. These are not merely cosmetic as they affect the Respect bonus you get. Fittingly, wearing the Saints' color purple nets you a larger bonus.
As is customary, now comes my “everything that's wrong” paragraph.
Biggest problem with Saints Row is it draws heavy inspiration from, at the time, last-gen GTA titles so it's stuck in an awkward transitional period where you have actual aiming while featuring generous auto aim rather than letting the player aim. Mission design also airs on utilitarian side with comparatively few unique scenarios... and those that exist, like taking down an airplane about to take off as enemies fires RPGs at your vehicle, could've used some serious thought. Overall impression is a game that makes use of Xbox 360's technological prowess, but is at times kept in check with PS2 mentality. Not to mention inability to drive anything other than cars when your inspiration offers all modes of transport.
Final Thoughts and Rating?
Heavily inspired by GTA: San Andreas, Saints Row manages to make a mark of its own despite very light offering in almost all things. In effect, you could say this third-person shooter set against a backdrop of urban gang warfare was a testing ground for more to come. What's included, however, is a competent game encouraging the player to go out, do whatever he wants to earn Respect and spend it on progressing through all of three main story lines. Betrayals and shootouts aplenty when rival gangs show up on your turf and cut in on your daily income. Build-your-own protagonist is sadly almost a mute non-entity in the story, but that just makes everyone else have WAY more personality in return and makes his very few lines all the funnier. Playa needs that green for his threads and bling.
