Saints Row the Fourth

[sea]

To be fair, there's an argument to be made that Saints Row is now too dumb, like being set on eleven all the time. I know a lot of people preferred Saints Row 2 because when it did crazy nonsensical crap, it contrasted much better with the otherwise slightly more low-key setting and action.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

SR4 actually manages some legit ~emotional engagement~ that SR3 didn't. Hard to explain why except the obvious love that's gone into it and a bit of heart that SR3 lacked. Basically I don't want to be friends with anyone who doesn't spend every moment of this game with a big stupid grin on their face

 

[DeepOcean]

To be fair, there's an argument to be made that Saints Row is now too dumb, like being set on eleven all the time. I know a lot of people preferred Saints Row 2 because when it did crazy nonsensical crap, it contrasted much better with the otherwise slightly more low-key setting and action.

That depends of who you ask, personaly, I just found jarring that you invade a nuclear power plant to steal a radioactive sample to just burn the face of one of your enemies that don't die by radioactive exposure and only get his face a little burned, that is ridiculous but become jarring as in the next cutscene you have to save one of your gang members but fail and there is awkward emotional engaging moment where you are supposed to feel something for his death. Saint 2 is half GTA grimdark and gang cruelty, half cartoon with ridiculous stuff. I just prefer one way or the other.

 

[baturinsky]

GTA is not quite grimdark too. Except GTA4, probably.

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

Always wondered why Niko didn't just kill himself and get it over with.


Anyway, while I do consider Saints Row 2 to be the series high point, I still thoroughly enjoyed SR:TT. Hell I'm replaying it right now doing all the opposite choices that pop up and playing someone other than my usual red-haired British fellow (a tradition since SR2). Lack of Tobias or Laura is a bummer and I hate what they did with Shaundi's character.

 

[Indranys]

To be fair, there's an argument to be made that Saints Row is now too dumb, like being set on eleven all the time. I know a lot of people preferred Saints Row 2 because when it did crazy nonsensical crap, it contrasted much better with the otherwise slightly more low-key setting and action.

This, pretty much this.
I heartily agree, though I understand why people prefer SRTT lols and all.

Saint 2 is half GTA grimdark and gang cruelty, half cartoon with ridiculous stuff.

That's what makes Saints Row 2 great IMO, they adopted that GTA San Andreas formula and even managed to enhance it a bit.
I stand by my point that San Andreas approach is the best thing to copy if you want to make the best GTA/GTA clones.
Except if the game is suppose to be grimdark and serious like The Godfather or something, which isn't GTA clones IMO.

 

[Zed]

GTA is never grimdark, is it? It's a little dramatic, but hardly "oh no a close friend died let's be sad." More like "oh no I was betrayed by a close friend let's kill him."
Also, if you think Saints Row has better humour than GTA (especially Vice City), then there's something wrong with your funny-bone. Vice City is pretty much only second to... Grim Fandango, perhaps? Saints Row isn't even that funny. It has jokes anybody with some sense of humour could come up with.
"lol slapped a fatso with a dildo." vs. spot-on satire and greatly written characters.

 

[Bilgefar]

GTA is never grimdark, is it? It's a little dramatic, but hardly "oh no a close friend died let's be sad." More like "oh no I was betrayed by a close friend let's kill him."
Also, if you think Saints Row has better humour than GTA (especially Vice City), then there's something wrong with your funny-bone. Vice City is pretty much only second to... Grim Fandango, perhaps? Saints Row isn't even that funny. It has jokes anybody with some sense of humour could come up with.
"lol slapped a fatso with a dildo." vs. spot-on satire and greatly written characters.

Eh, I dunno. San Andreas had a bunch of "let's be sad" moments revolving around CJ's mom or Sweet being in jail. It also, people seem to forget when comparing SR to GTA, had a dildo as a weapon.

 

[Zed]

GTA is never grimdark, is it? It's a little dramatic, but hardly "oh no a close friend died let's be sad." More like "oh no I was betrayed by a close friend let's kill him."
Also, if you think Saints Row has better humour than GTA (especially Vice City), then there's something wrong with your funny-bone. Vice City is pretty much only second to... Grim Fandango, perhaps? Saints Row isn't even that funny. It has jokes anybody with some sense of humour could come up with.
"lol slapped a fatso with a dildo." vs. spot-on satire and greatly written characters.

Eh, I dunno. San Andreas had a bunch of "let's be sad" moments revolving around CJ's mom or Sweet being in jail. It also, people seem to forget when comparing SR to GTA, had a dildo as a weapon.

Barely played San Andreas. You're probably right.
To me, GTA = Vice City. It's simply the best in the series, by far.

 

[baturinsky]

SRTT has plot like hollywood blockbusters - it exists just to string together over-the-top action scenes. Which is especially sad, considering that it's characters are very interesting.

As for "which GTA 3 is better" - I like all of them, each has very distinct feel and mood and worth to be replayed once in three years or so. SA story is somewhat weak, but it lets you do drive-by on a bycicle. You can't beat that.

 

[DalekFlay]

Based on the opinions of people I've read and heard that does seem to hold true. Friend was enamored with parodying of games, even if it seems to be done with Scary Movie subtlety

Well I didn't find 3 to be funny, so I doubt I would find this game funny. I'm not a prude or anything I just like dry humor, not silly stuff. And it's great the game appeals to other people, not every game needs to appeal to me, I just find it amusing that every game journalist out there seems to think this kind of humor is the best ever for everyone.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Lack of Tobias or Laura is a bummer and I hate what they did with Shaundi's character.

Saints Row 4 has you very much covered. There's not just one Shaundi in this game.

Also I just had a mission where Kinzie was inputting console commands/passwords while I was in a VR simulation. One of the commands was "RELEASE FREESPACE 3" and the response was "NOT A CHANCE"

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

I only tried SR3 and uninstalled it after three hours in disgust: the game is clearly designed by and for douchebags, white nerds trying to sound "gangsta". I'm much too old now for this retarded shit.

 

[evdk]

I only tried SR3 and uninstalled it after three hours in disgust: the game is clearly designed by and for douchebags, white nerds trying to sound "gangsta". I'm much too old now for this retarded shit.

Almost 15!

 

[deuxhero]

I only tried SR3 and uninstalled it after three hours in disgust: the game is clearly designed by and for douchebags, white nerds trying to sound "gangsta". I'm much too old now for this retarded shit.

Saints Row 2 is REALLY good. It actually manages to play multiple conflicting moods with the 3 storylines (you can tackle the 3 enemy gangs in any order).

The Ronin (Japanese biker gang employed by a megacorp) is a mostly serious story where close friends die or get horribly injured and the villains are sympathetic. It still has some good jokes in the quiet moments, including my favorite gag in the game, but is pretty dark overall.
The Brotherhood (Overly muscled tatooed punks with modifed trucks) is a mix with the main character driven by revenge, but with the execution is some pretty nice black comedy.
The Sons of Samedi (drugy college kids) is mostly comedy, but actually pulled off well. Missions include destroying drug farms by helicopter mounted machine gun and being stuffed into a hotbox limo and having to kill a bunch of guards while stoned.

You should try it (you will need mods to fix the terrible porting though)

 

[Metro]

Eh, it's okay. Haven't played SR3 yet but SR2 didn't strike me as being any less of a game written by white nerds trying to act gangsta.

 

[kazgar]

"Saints Row IV is full of shit and deeply honest about it "

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

I only tried SR3 and uninstalled it after three hours in disgust: the game is clearly designed by and for douchebags, white nerds trying to sound "gangsta". I'm much too old now for this retarded shit.

Saints Row 2 is REALLY good. It actually manages to play multiple conflicting moods with the 3 storylines (you can tackle the 3 enemy gangs in any order).

The Ronin (Japanese biker gang employed by a megacorp) is a mostly serious story where close friends die or get horribly injured and the villains are sympathetic. It still has some good jokes in the quiet moments, including my favorite gag in the game, but is pretty dark overall.
The Brotherhood (Overly muscled tatooed punks with modifed trucks) is a mix with the main character driven by revenge, but with the execution is some pretty nice black comedy.
The Sons of Samedi (drugy college kids) is mostly comedy, but actually pulled off well. Missions include destroying drug farms by helicopter mounted machine gun and being stuffed into a hotbox limo and having to kill a bunch of guards while stoned.

You should try it (you will need mods to fix the terrible porting though)

I'll try it and get back to you. Why not? I don't forget that Bethesda went from Morrowind to Oblivion. But then for me SR3 was so abysmal (not talking about the gameplay but of the writing and of the vibe the designers wanted to achieve) that I don't expect anything. Even Rockstar games, who for me try way too much and are still dumb as a brick, are much less moronic than this abomination. At the same time, I don't want to trash anybody who had fun with SR3: to each his own, you can like shit and at the same time like much more monocled stuff, I love 70s/80s italian zombie/cannibal/other assorted shitty genre movies and they're dumb as hell. But I just couldn't stand SR3, I felt like being spat on and there are limits to my masochism.

 

[deuxhero]

Saints Row 2 really is one of the 3 games from this gen I can safely say are on my "favorite games" shortlist alongside the Souls games. It's the perfect Grand Theft Auto and my only complaint (aside from the PC port) is it could be a bit longer and one (and only one) of the side missions is pretty bad (and of all the side content they cut in 3, it is somehow one of the ones that returns).

(Oh, and it isn't mentioned explicitly, it might be in the manual but I got it digital both times, but you can ride taxis by calling the cab company. Took me forever to realize it)

 

[DalekFlay]

I played like 10 hours of Saint's Row 2 and it was pretty much just as stupid and filthy as the new ones. It might have had marginally better writing and more serious moments, but it's not so radically different that someone who hates the tone of 3 would enjoy 2.

 

[Menckenstein]

This game is amazing fuck all yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'll.

 

[Caim]

My problem with Saints Row 2 on PC is that it controls like ass.

Try getting yourself a fast car and drive from one point to another without crashing into everything along the way.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

To be fair, there's an argument to be made that Saints Row is now too dumb, like being set on eleven all the time. I know a lot of people preferred Saints Row 2 because when it did crazy nonsensical crap, it contrasted much better with the otherwise slightly more low-key setting and action.

That depends of who you ask, personaly, I just found jarring that you invade a nuclear power plant to steal a radioactive sample to just burn the face of one of your enemies that don't die by radioactive exposure and only get his face a little burned, that is ridiculous but become jarring as in the next cutscene you have to save one of your gang members but fail and there is awkward emotional engaging moment where you are supposed to feel something for his death. Saint 2 is half GTA grimdark and gang cruelty, half cartoon with ridiculous stuff. I just prefer one way or the other.

Yeah, I can see why people like SR2 most and it certainly has the best world of the series, but the mood whiplash really bothered me. It's like, one scene has my character being a puckish rouge and pimp walking and cracking clever jokes, in the next we have a prolonged scene of him and Gat brutally torturing a screaming, begging, unarmed man half to death then burying him alive while he sobs for mercy. I wouldn't mind shooting the guy but Jesus this just lost all license to be a lighthearted funny-game.

Also humour isn't completely mindless just because it's absurdist. I definitely understand preferring SR2's approach, but there's plenty of wit in a Pythonesque manner, especially in SR4 - SR3 did fall flat a lot of the time. The evil alien overlord is gold, doing dramatic readings of Pride and Prejudice and scorning my character as a plebeian for thinking Iago is Shakespeare's best villain (the "stock answer of ill-read buffoons trying to fit in with their superiors") when Aaron from Titus Andronicus is by far the most diabolical. There's also stuff like getting a mech suit and immediately dissolving into a running debate about whether it counts as a robot or power armour. It's all utter nonsense, but it's fun nonsense - I guess you like it or you don't, but I'd compare it more to Python than Adam Sandler, in style if not necessarily in quality.

 

[baturinsky]

You should try it (you will need mods to fix the terrible porting though)

Oh, I just knew people don't actually play that lagging on every setting shit which is vanilla SR2. I suppose that mods also fix worst vehicle handling I ever seen too?

 

[evdk]

You should try it (you will need mods to fix the terrible porting though)

Oh, I just knew people don't actually play that lagging on every setting shit which is vanilla SR2. I suppose that mods also fix worst vehicle handling I ever seen too?

The only thing I had to fix in SR2 was the game running at superspeed, making vehicles impossible to steer.