Saints Row 4 Super Power Details

It should be common knowledge by now that Saints Row 4 wasn't always Saints Row 4. Developer Volition was in the finishing stages of what was to be an expansion for Saints Row 3 — titled Enter the Dominatrix — before folding the whole thing into the early developmental work on SR 4 in order to deliver a 2013 retail release.

However, while that might seem like bad thing, Volition believes it was actually the smarter move. Instead of a thinly veiled expression of certain ideas, Volition was now going to be able to expand their superhero-fueled bonanza into a full retail release.

But after THQ declared bankruptcy, and was forced to auction off its IPs and developers, questions arose as to whether Saints Row 4 would miss its presumed 2013 release date. Luckily that is not he case, as highlighted by the dozen or so previews of the game.

In OXM's recent preview of Saints Row 4, Volition talked a little bit about the game's set-up, its enemies, and how the general gameplay has changed thanks to the superpowers. For those that might not know, Saints Row 4 puts players into a virtual world where superpowers are the norm, and combat encounters are plentiful. Think of the game as a spoof on The Matrix — with players taking on the Neo role.

In direct opposition to players are the Zin, Saints Row 4's key enemies. The Zin will capture various members of the Saints and trap them in virtual prisons. One can only assume it is up to the player character to break them out.

No Saints Row 4 Wii U

While Volition hasn't talked about the Zin all that much, they do reveal the enemies come in different flavors. For example, the Zin grunt will be your general, low-level enemy class — perfect fodder for player's super powered abilities.

There is also the Warden, a Zin with telekinesis and a super jump ability. Volition says that these enemies will pose a greater challenge for players and should be difficult to beat.

The game's super powers will also factor into traversal. While players can still get from point A to point B by car, they can also get their simply by running. However, as with any good super power, there are some inherent limits.

"Early in SR4 players will have super sprint allowing them to run faster than a car! However, this ability will run out of energy after a short duration. Some players may opt to keep driving cars in order to have a sustained journey. Other players may want to stick with super sprinting just because they love the feel of it. Either is a perfectly valid way to go."

With only four more months until Saints Row 4 hits store shelves, Volition should slowly revealing more and more. While some have seen enough to be sold on the game — that first trailer made quite the impression — more in-depth gameplay videos should do the trick.

And if you want to pre-order the game now Volition has just announced the Commander-in-Chief edition — a fitting moniker considering this game casts the player character as the president. Included with this special edition are the 'Merica weapon, the Uncle Sam suit, and the Screaming Eagle jet. What's even better than this over-the-top America swag? Volition will automatically upgrade any pre-orders to the Commander-in-Chief edition for free.

What do you think of Volition's approach to Saints Row 4? Do you think the superpowers add a new dynamic to gameplay or do you see them as a gimmick?

Saints Row 4 releases August 20, 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

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Source: OXM