Saints Row 4 Review

Although the Saints Row franchise has been around for almost a decade now, a strong case could be made to say the series came into its own with Saints Row the Third. Sure, a lot of the key elements of Volition's open world crime game have been there from the beginning, but the way in which Saints Row 3 packaged it all was rather remarkable.

As a result, anticipation is high for Volition's followup, Saints Row 4, not simply because SR3 was so good, but because Volition seemed to know exactly where they were headed in the future. So, with that mind, is Saints Row 4 everything fans hoped it would be or is it a disappointment?

To be honest, Saints Row 4 is a little bit of both. It's more of what gamers loved from Saints Row the Third, but without that same refinement and attention to detail. The trademark humor of the series (goofy, self-referential) is present from the very beginning, and that helps make up for a lot of the game's shortcomings, but it's still a product that feels a little less-than. Allow me to explain.

Saints Row 4 picks up shortly after the events of SR3. The player character, now in complete control of Steelport, is working a covert mission when he or she, almost by mistake, ends up saving the White House. As a result, the player character is offered the presidency (or do they take it?) and enjoy a solid 5 years as the leader of the free world before an alien race known as the Zin invade. The Zin leader, Zinyak, kidnaps all of the President's staff - made up of fan-favorite crew members like Shaundi, Pierce, as well as Vice President Keith David - and puts the President in a virtual version of Steelport a la The Matrix.

Saints Row 4 Review - Zinkyak Attacks

From that point forward, Saints Row 4 settles into an open world formula similar to what was on display in Saints Row the Third, but with one key difference: superpowers. Because this is a virtual version of Steelport, players have access to a pretty diverse selection of powers, including the ability to run at super speed, leap higher than buildings, and dole out elemental blasts like a fighting game character.

As we explained in our hands-on preview of the game, any time the player gains a new power, or levels up a current one by collecting a set of "data clusters," Saints Row 4 shines. And that's without taking the game's absolutely absurd weaponry into consideration. Let us just say that the dub step gun is a brilliant invention, and deserves to be in more Saints Row games going forward. In a way, Saints Row 4 is the Crackdown sequel we never got, but done bigger and better, and with a zany sense of humor.

However, those superpowers work more so in the open world than they do in the game's individual missions. In fact, a lot of the story missions restrict or eliminate the player's powers altogether. On the other hand, side missions like "Professor Genki's Mind Over Murder," where the player has to telekinectically throw objects (people, cars, etc) through hoops, or "Blazin," SR4's version of the super-powered race, take full advantage of the super powers, and are some of the most engaging activities in the game.

Saints Row 4 Review - Power Stomp

That isn't to say the single player missions, wherein the player character tries to rescue his staff from their biggest, and most absurd fears, are bad. They are just hit or miss. Without spoiling the more surprising and inventive gameplay opportunities, let me say that some  levels are pitch perfect and will instantly remind fans why they love the Saints Row franchise, while others are little more than repurposed levels from Saints Row the Third.

There are some truly brilliant ideas at play in Saints Row 4, like the way in which the game constantly calls back to the franchise's entire history, but a lot of those ideas don't feel fleshed out, or part of a cohesive whole. We knew going into the game that Saints Row 4 was comprised of the Enter the Dominatrix DLC and early developmental work on SR4, but we didn't expect to see the seams — to see where one piece is stitched to another. Several audio and visual hiccups were prevalent during my PC playthrough, but they works (strangely) within the context of this rapidly decaying virtual world. Still, I'm sure more than a few of the audio and video issues I encountered were not intentional.

Saints Row 4 works towards a spectacular, over-the-top finish, but the journey is more like a series of vignettes than anything else. Vignettes that, at times, are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and parody popular video game tropes and franchises in some smart ways, but are also completely independent of one another. Had the game featured only one or two familiar characters or levels, we might have looked the other way, but the amount of re-purposed assets and even gameplay mechanics is noticeably high.

Saints Row 4 Review - Dubstep Gun

Still, a Saints Row game with a truly great soundtrack, cool superpowers, and engaging side missions may be enough for a lot of gamers. Playing around in Virtual Steelport is, in and of itself, a wildly entertaining game, and there's plenty to do within that sandbox. Yes, it's practically the exact same Steelport from Saints Row the Third, but projected through a completely different lens. Had a little more diversity been put into the single player missions, this would have been a great leap forward for Volition, and proof that they are ready and willing to push the envelope whenever possible.

As it stands, though, Saints Row 4 is a slight step down for the franchise, which feels odd considering the story set-up and gameplay possibilities. And ultimately a nagging sense of déjà vu and far too many repurposed assets were hard to overlook, and left me with the sense that Saints Row 4 was a case of too many ideas and not enough time. Fans of the entire Saints Row franchise, present company included, will find a lot to like about the game, as it calls back to previous entries in some pretty enjoyable ways. It's just a shame the overall package doesn't completely justify the retail price tag.

Are you excited for Saints Row 4's release next week? Do you have any questions about Saints Row 4 you want answered? Let us know in the comments below.

Saints Row 4 releases August 20, 2013 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Game Rant was provided a PC build of the game for this review.

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Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina.