The free-roaming portion of Saints Row is where it’ll speak to a lot of its audience. I wasn’t able to test out co-op, but the idea of it involving drop-in and drop-out play makes returning to these open-world sprees more enticing. It eases you into collecting pins on a map without forcing you into it. Instead of being bombarded with icons, you’ll discover some through doing activities on the map. The way the open world naturally progresses is nice, too. Even seemingly random locations can have backstories by way of the in-game lore tidbits, and every major zone (which includes shades of rural, town, and city areas) has something unique to offer. The open world is where I spent most of my time with Saints Row, because Volition clearly put a lot of work into it. It’s a cascade of upgrading, but it comes swiftly and easily. Money can be earned over time through missions or the in-game Cash App, which provides a flow of income based on progression. Through challenge completion - which is usually attainable stuff like “ near misses” while driving - you’ll earn more perks, or buy more perk slots with cash. There’s still a good amount of “endless goons spawn through door” scenes, alongside the classic “multi-level-shootout” arenas.Įxtra unlockable abilities (like smoke bombs) and more weapons lead down the path of customizable builds and options. You won’t really think about the cracks during open-world combat (which is a plus), but some of the mission layouts, coupled with the lack of weapon variety, can lead to some low-impact shootouts.
#SAINTS ROW 2 MAP ACTIVITY ALL LOCATIONS SERIES#
On Xbox Series X aiming felt smooth, and the tried-and-true weapon wheel mechanic hasn’t failed me yet. And most of this can be accomplished simply by roaming around and enjoying the open world.Īs a shooter, Saints Row plays it safe, and it pays off. It’s still possible to shoot a rocket launcher at a car and watch it fly 100 feet into the air, or use a piece of construction equipment to destroy buildings. Fighting droves of enemies by yourself does still feel fun, as do the ragdoll bonus games that involve insurance fraud. That classic Saints Row absurdity is present nearly everywhere, including bits of the campaign (though I wish those portions were presented in a less “on-rails” fashion).
Like a situational comedy, you’re going to like some characters more than others, but “background noise” is how I’d classify some of them at worst. There are clear roles for each of them, and they’ll mostly work within the confines of that archetype. From there a mini-mystery is concocted for the boss, but the focus mostly zips into you and your gang’s personal struggle and humble origins.Ĭompared to your fully customizable boss with multiple voice options, the core crew is static each run, and can often sink into the background. Working as a henchman for a private military contractor, you quickly attempt to rise in the ranks and meet an abrupt end at the company. The meat of Saints Row involves the rags-to-riches story of the “boss” (that’s you), and how the titular gang was started. It runs the risk of alienating portions of both audiences, but for me, it mostly worked because of the way said silliness is worked into the core of the game. In what I would call a mix of Saints Row 2 and 3, there’s a push and pull with dramatic cutscenes that ingratiate the audience to the team of heroes through hardship - and scenes where you drive a property manager around in a car in a silly fashion (and hit sick jumps) until he coughs up a deed. Saints Row (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X )Īlthough it has a mostly comedic tone (and maintains the series’ signature over-the-top nature mostly by means of gameplay), the new Saints Row does attempt to ground the story foundationally. The decision to marry both new and old-school Saints Row concepts is a little bolder. That strategy isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but there’s plenty of wackiness to find in the open world. So when they revealed they were rebooting the series seven years later, it made perfect sense.
At that point, they had gone so far down the well of absurdity that it was impossible to climb back out. Volition was kind of between a rock and a hard place with Saints Row by the time Gat out of Hell came out.
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