Out of all of the video game franchises that boomed during the end of the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, Saints Row is definitely one of the biggest. With each entry, the Saints Row series has grown bigger and more ridiculous.
There hasn't been a new entry in the series since the Gat Out of Hell expansion dropped in 2015, so players have been waiting to hear when the next game will come and what it will bring to the table. It's possible that Saints Row V will be announced this year, so here are a few things that Volition could improve upon from Saints Row IV.
10 Better Setting
Unlike Grand Theft Auto, the Saints Row series has never been known for its immersive locations. Most of the series takes place in similar, generic city landscapes that are fun enough to run around in but leave little impact.
Despite having four main entries, the series has only used two seperate locations in non-DLC content. It feels like the perfect time to make a major change and introduce a new and interesting environment. Offering players a more diverse location—such as Los Santos in GTA V—would be a step in the right direction.
9 A Fresh Start
After the events of Saints Row IV, the story of the main cast has reached a point of no return. The Earth has been destroyed and there's no way to restore it.
While players love the cast of Saints Row, it may be time to offer a story for new characters. If the narrative remains canon, it could take place before the events of Saints Row IV. This would also allow Volition to add cameos from the original cast in the game. With how crazy SR IV turned out, it feels like it would be really tough to continue that story without making the game completely uncanon.
8 Destructible Environments
Adding destructible environments to Saints Row would be a perfect way of increasing player interaction with the landscape. This would also make sense as an evolution to the gameplay, as destructible environments were a cornerstone of one of Volition's other series: Red Faction.
There are some destructible elements in the games but they're very minor. Allowing players to use the onslaught of wacky weapons to level some of the buildings and structures in the game would be incredibly satisfying. This is also another simple way to make combat much more interesting.
7 Ground The Gameplay
Although it was still tremendously fun, it's hard to see Saints Row IV as a traditional Saints Row game. The game gives the player superpowers that they can traverse the city and fight with, much like the Prototype or Infamous games.
This left the last game feeling like a spinoff more than an actual sequel. It would be great if these options were scaled back to bring Saints Row more in line with the traditional gameplay of the second and third entry. There's still a lot that Volition could do with a more traditional sequel that we would love to see.
6 Next Gen Upgrade
With the release of Saints Row: The Third Remastered, players have been given a glimpse of how good minor upgrades can make Saints Row look.
With a new entry in the series coming to next gen platforms, it's time for Volition to revamp the visuals of the series. The last major Saints Row release was over 5 years ago. The franchise looks dated by today's standards. A new engine or visuals could be the perfect way to launch the series on new hardware.
5 Keep The Crazy Tone
As the Saints Row series has evolved, its tone has become much more light-hearted. The first game was a fairly serious GTA-style game about gangs, while the last expansion for Saints Row had the main character fighting Satan.
This tone has always been the thing that set Saints Row apart from the other games in the genre. The series doesn't take itself seriously, and the newest game should be no different. Saints Row should always be the weird one. It's what we like about it.
4 Bigger DLC
While the Gat Out of Hell expansion left much to be desired, the idea of bringing bigger DLC expansions to the series is still a great one. Many of the game's DLCs feel scaled back and uninspired. With Saints Row V, it would be nice to see standalone story DLCs that add to the characters and story.
This would be another great way to set Saint Row apart from GTA. GTA moved away from single player DLC in favor of online content with GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2.
3 Make Vehicles Important Again
In Saints Row IV, vehicles quickly become obsolete once the game offers the player superpowers to traverse the world. While the missions were still fun, this took away a lot of the fun of the gameplay, as the crazy vehicles featured in Saints Row always stood out from other open-world games.
By scaling back the gameplay, Volition would make vehicles an important part of the franchise again. This would give them the opportunity to expand the role of vehicles in the series even further by adding extra customization or even more variants.
2 Better AI
When going back to Saints Row IV and Saints Row: The Third Remastered, players will be quick to note how bad the AI seems. While some may say this adds to the game's charm, the AI for companions and enemies could do with some improvement.
A lot of the combat in Saints Row seems to boil down to standing around shooting other people that are standing around. Updating the AI to allow for better enemy movement and use of the environment would make the gunfights feel a lot better and add to the difficulty of combat.
1 Bring The Series Back To Its Roots
Remember when this series used to be about gangs? While many players have enjoyed the ludicrous romp that the 3rd Street Saints have taken over the last decade, it would be great to see the series go back to the style of Saints Row 2.
The second game had the trademark wackiness of the series, but the gameplay and story still somehow seems to stand out from its successors. Combining the enhanced gameplay features and customization of the newer games with the style of SR 2 could be a recipe for the best Saints Row game yet.