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General Discussion => The Speakeasy: OOG/Off-topic Discussion => Topic started by: Mizhara on 15 Nov 2011, 21:27

Title: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 15 Nov 2011, 21:27

(http://i44.tinypic.com/29kvuyw.gif)

So, this fall there has been two major sandbox releases. One of them you simply can't be unaware of as Skyrim is quite possibly the most discussed game on the planet right now. Let's suffice it to say that Bethesda isdoinitrite and delivers a downright fantastic 'srsfaes' fantasy sandbox RPG with good story, characters and amazing worldbuilding. The other game is Saints Row: The Third. The third (surprise!) installment in the orgy of violence, bizzare, hilarity and giant 'fuck you!'s towards GTA series... Saints Row.

Does this succeed like Skyrim does? Oh you'd better believe it, but in the completely opposite direction. It's very hard not to draw parallells to the GTA series when taking a look at SR3 and SR2 before it. One is trying hard for the gritty realism of crime (and failing) while the other is just... well, it's completely beyond description. It just wants so badly for you to have an utter blast. Imagine the world of GTA's crime scene... except the various criminal gangs are technophile swordwielders, mexican Luchadores, hookers with guns and last but not least... the Third Street Saints. The streets are practically in open warfare and the authorities are flying VTOLs with Microwave Rays just to try and keep up.

(http://i41.tinypic.com/huha9k.gif)

This game is off the chains. There's practically no limits whatsoever. It absolutely refuses to punish you for any action, instead rewarding you for pretty much whatever you want to do. Do you want to just go ahead and run through the storyline? Hang on, it'll be one hell of a ride. After all, it starts with a bank job where you are hanging from a vault, which is in turn hanging from a helicopter, while the SWAT team is firing everything at you while yelling "Please make it easy for the squad, for once! Sign and then put down your weapons!". (Oh yeah, you're fucking celebrities now. Half the people love you, the rest hate you, but EVERYONE knows you.)

There's no acknowledgment of realism here. You guys want to get a decent stock of guns in Steelport, which means that of course... you're going to raid the National Guard's warehouses. Two of you. Not only is that successful, but you also helilift out a giant bomb. If you don't want to do the storyline right away, no sweat. No matter what you want to do, the game'll reward you for it.

For such an open and utterly ridiculous world, the story is remarkably solid. It's told well, it flows well and it just refuses to stop making you out to be the baddest ass around.

Oh, which brings me to an important point: You can NOT be easily offended if you want to play this. You are a bad guy. You are in fact one of the baddest, most insane, violent and sociopathic characters I have ever played in my life. Steal a shipping container chock full of hookers from another crime syndicate and put them to work? No sweat. The sex industry is just another income for you. Kill EVERYTHING in sight? Sure thing. Devise ridiculously cruel ways to kill someone, so you can break their loved ones? Absobloodylutely.

The gameplay is also rock solid. The shooting works perfectly and so does the driving. No cover system or anything like that here. You want to get behind cover, you'd better be prepared to run behind columns or walls, neither of which velcroes your spine to them. Want to shoot someone? You're going to have to leave cover.

And yes... you can have a rickshaw chase-scene where the rickshaws are pulled by gimps.
I have nothing but praise for this game, and will heartily recommend it to anyone who just wants to have some FUN. Unlike GTA and such which punishes you every time you try to do something that might be enjoyable.

(http://i42.tinypic.com/25f5dhh.gif)

So, who else plays SR3 and what does your character look like?

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: BloodBird on 15 Nov 2011, 23:07

Friend of mine got this recently and is having a ludicrously great time. I suspect I will too, once I get it, when I get it.

Right now, I'm enjoying a turn or two in Skyrim, working out some RP angles and story for my EVE toons in my head, and playing other games when I'm not at work or doing RL needed stuff. But let me tell you, if this game is even half-way an improvement of SR2 (I played it - with above-mentioned friend, it was h.i.l.l.a.r.i.o.us, despite a couple issues) then it will absolutely be a blast.

I would however like a list of whatever issues and errors or bugs and shit this game has - all games have them. Despite of this I suspect the good-old 'stack up the good, then the bad, then compare' will, just as with Skyrim, stack hugely in favor of good. Still, all I need to know now are what issues I might have, and possibly how to avoid/fix them.

P.S - Nice toon Miz. She looks like a complete and utter maniac. good times.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 15 Nov 2011, 23:41

Well, let's see if I can find the bad then:

* Errr... there's none of the issues SR2 had, i.e. horrid port issues, speed issues and so on. Hard to think of one.
* OH! It's very demanding of your system on the DX10/11 version. DX9 version is very forgiving though.
* It's rather easy to 'get lost' in the freedom. When you have all of Steelport and tons of activities to choose from, it's almost paralyzing.
* Some of the main missions are just reskinned 'activities'. I think it's so you get to 'try them out' before you hunt them down in Steelport.
* It's designed for consoles. It's quite apparent. However, the menus and such are much less problematic than Skyrim is, and that one's not bad at all.

Honestly, I can't find any other issues. There are probably a TON of issues, but either I'm joyblinded and can't see them, or I haven't run into them. Here's some things the GTA fans might find being 'issues':

* Fuck physics. Fr srs. Hit another car with your own and it's even money which of you gets LAUNCHED TO THE MOON.
* Fuck realism. Fr srs. Wade into a bunch of elite soldiers wielding laser rifles armed with only a giant purple rubber cock... and WIN!
* Fuck... and so on. You know what I'm getting at.

I haven't found bugs yet. Oh, I spotted some very slight clipping during some cutscenes since the coat thingy Miz is wearing is apparently sliiightly bigger than they expected when she hefted her gun onto her shoulder.

And thank you. I'm very pleased with her looks myself. Properly FemJoker/CrazyPerson look which just fits perfectly in SR3.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Senn Typhos on 15 Nov 2011, 23:48

Watched the opening level review on youtube, laughed myself silly.

Not gonna lie, never liked the GTA series at all. It was called a sandbox, but when I did anything other than the main missions, I could only go a very limited distance, and it usually ended with me being shot by SWAT.

That being said, if SR3 is a true sandbox, I might pick up a used copy and at least give it a shot. Might need to delete some stuff to make room, considering my Skyrim save it taking up over 7000mb of space now...

... I need to stop buying things, Imma run out of food soon. D:

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: BloodBird on 15 Nov 2011, 23:55

Quote from: Senn Typhos on 15 Nov 2011, 23:48

... I need to stop buying things, Imma run out of food soon. D:

I've no such problems - usually have enough money for a new game or whatever each month and more than enough money for food. Freezer is holding several weeks worth of supplies.

What I'm going to run out of soon with this many possible games to play is a real life.

... fuck am I kidding, I ran out of RL a decade ago...

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Seriphyn on 16 Nov 2011, 08:09

Had an absolutely smashing time in Saints Row 2 even if the PC optimization was abysmal. Am looking to get this at some point.

So long as they have the Cockney voice for your character. East End London REPRESENT, yo.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Senn Typhos on 16 Nov 2011, 10:13

Hm. I really can't decide on this one.

The reviews are giving it an 8.5 to a 9, and most folks seem to agree with that. But if these are PS3 graphics, THQ dropped the ball somewhere... still, I guess graphics don't make a game great (lookin' at you, Rage. You #@$!&). 14 hours is a pretty short campaign to boot, but I heard they've already got DLC for sale... and the game has been out for a day.

Eh, there's a used copy for sale and I've got the cash. I got nothin' to lose for giving it a shot. vOv

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Seriphyn on 16 Nov 2011, 13:55

It's openworld, Senn, so no need to worry about the campaign being 14 hours. Plenty of things to do to just fuck around.

Also, game encourages violence by not sending the cops on you if you shoot other gang members (this was in SR2 at least). Instead, the gangs send their own forces at you.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 16 Nov 2011, 14:00

Cops will get interested in it anyway, if there are any around. You don't get 'wanted' unless you hurt those guys, though... which you will, because there's nothing as awesome as being in a three way fight between you, a rival gang and the cops all at once. Had a fight where I had four 'stars' with each (except it's not stars) and they kept sending endless hordes at me. By that point, I'd killed a few minigun wielding brutes so I could practically just stand there and mow everything down as it appeared. I literally exhausted the supply of targets after a while. Shrugged, dropped the minigun and drove off in my pimped out police car LIKE A BOSS.

What is hard to get across in a post is the sheer amount of hilarity in this game. The cutscenes are fantastic. The interaction between the characters and yourself is a marvel to behold, especially when the plans get so utterly bizzare that any movie maker would go "... wat?" at the premise alone.

Edit: This might help, though. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IXt2gDi__x4)

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Z.Sinraali on 16 Nov 2011, 14:13

Every time you type 'SR' I can't help but think of Shadowrun.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 16 Nov 2011, 16:14

Taking down luchadores with a chainsaw and a grin, while wearing a tightfit wrestling costume and listening to "You're the best! Arooouuund!". This may very well be the BEST sandbox I've ever played. Skyrim still being superior in the Sandbox RPG department, but for sheer insanity, this is my favorite game ever by now. I also beat the biggest damn wrestler I've ever seen with a blown up sex doll. It's... SUPER EFFECTIVE!

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Senn Typhos on 16 Nov 2011, 22:55

MURDER TIME IS FUN TIME! :D

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 16 Nov 2011, 23:17

ETHICAL!

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Senn Typhos on 18 Nov 2011, 05:26

Aright, I can admit when I was wrong. I love this game so much it's a little unhealthy.

Also, I appreciate that half the songs on the electronica station, were already on my iPod.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 21 Nov 2011, 18:49

Saints Row: The Third review.

Okay, now I've played through the main storyline twice, seen both endings and done most of the structured activities in the game. I still have at least a hundred hours of gameplay ahead of me since there's the random sandbox fun part of the game that there's just no conceivable way to 'finish' and I still want to do the storyline with more characters looking rather different. Still, I think I'm in a position where a review won't be unfair in either the OMGAWESOME or Eeeeh directions.

Let me start by saying that I will be comparing this game to the baseline of two other games. Saints Row 2 is the most applicable baseline, and the GTA games, 4 in particular is the other less comparable baseline I'll be referencing. So, let's start ripping into it. First category, graphics.

Graphics:

Eeeh. I've seen a lot better. This is not to say that it's in any way bad. It's just far from the current cutting edge. I can understand that, though, since a huge sandbox game where you -can- cross the entire city with ridiculous speeds at ranges where everything gets rendered well (just try flying an assault jet five meters off the ground through the entire city) would be instantly crippled when your graphics card explodes from the strain. There's simply limitations to how awesome it can look when the game mechanics allow for these kinds of things. Skyrim being a much better looking game is primarily because you'll never cross the Skyrim continent in five minutes, forcing the engine to render the entire continent that fast. It's got TIME to render all the shit you want to see being pretty.

Now, as screenshots above shows, it's far from a bad looking game, though. I've yet to see something in that game I'd call Ugly by any stretch of the word. The animation is good, the textures are good and everything is... well, good. It's a good looking game, as far as the genre is concerned. Just don't go into it expecting the visual glory of (insert latest graphics whoring AAA title out there.).

8/10, allowing for the genre's limitations. If not allowing for that, 5.5/10 due to high performance requirements compared to visual output.

Now, let's see if we can't talk Story.


Storyline/Presentation:

So, can I just say 'batshit insane' and leave it at that? No? Okay. This game does not in any way, shape or form even bother trying to be realistic in any way, shape or form. Consistency, realism and political correctness is thrown out of the window. For that matter, so is the RP element of writing your own story. You're the head of a streetgang that back in SR2 fought off a bunch of rival streetgangs and a giant corporation named Ultor. You are now major celebrities and the Third Street Saints basically owns all of Stilwater and the law is their bitch.

The SR3 story begins when you and your boys (and a dipshit actor. Yeah, just go with it.) hit a bank expecting the same reaction as you normally get. I.E. the entire staff brownnosing the celebrities. What you didn't expect was that the staff would break out military grade hardware and fight back. After a great introductory mission fighting off them, SWAT and a heavily armored assault helicopter while dangling from a vault which is in turn dangling from a helicopter, you find yourself thrown in jail rather mystified because you paid up this month. Someone else paid more.

Enter the Syndicate, another criminal organization from a different city, trying to muscle in on Stilwater. After rejecting their offer that cannot be refused, there's one of gaming history's most badass skydiving/gunfight moments and you and Shaundi lands in Steelport with your funds frozen and have to begin from scratch again.

From this point on, it's basically Saints Row 2 all over again. The plotline is almost completely copypasted. You build up power, you recruit new homies, you fight the streetgangs and instead of the Ultor corporation you find yourself in all out open warfare with the Special Tactical Anti Gang initiative, STAG. Who by the way have tanks, VTOL Jets with Microwave lasers, aircraft carriers and depending on your chosen ending a giant fucking SHIELD aircarrier. On the way there's all kinds of hijinx and the entire game just goes off the bloody chain from the get-go.

This might sound fairly straight forwards, but the game's missions utterly refuse to stop throwing you curveballs. While the objectives are always fairly straightforwards (find and obtain a resource, or destroy the assets of your hostiles) the choices in HOW to achieve this is always a hilarious testament to the game devs' utterly insane imaginations. Your main character and supporting cast are in a word insane. It's not enough to achieve something, it has to be fun at the same time. Fun being defined either as complete mayhem and insanity, or as something so utterly ludicrous that it HAS to work.

The thing that keeps it all together is the characters who are amazingly voice acted and have a fantastic chemistry. When they act as if it's all perfectly normal and expected behaviour, -you- believe it's perfectly normal and expected behaviour. By the way, this is not an RPG. Your own actions, speech and so on are scripted ahead of time, which helps make everything somewhat believable. The only choices you really have are in the beginning and at the end when you make some fairly game-defining choices. Your appearance, which is then used in every cutscene thereafter, only modified by the clothes you buy and wear during the game, and most importantly... your voice.

When you choose your voice, you have seven to choose from. Three male, three female and... well, Zombie. I'll get back to the latter. While you -can- choose a female voice for a male toon and the other way around, I'm not entirely sure my own brain would be able to stay together during gameplay. I'd spend the entire time giggling inanely at the screen. However, even sticking within your character's chosen gender, your choice have fairly major impact, since they change the very tone of the game. My first playthrough was with Mizhara, caucasian woman choosing the normal caucasian voice. The tone of the game, through both the looks (which you can see in the first post) and the voice became rather... insane. Funny insane. Supervillain insane, as it were. Likable, funny, tough as nails and not too srsfaes.

The second playthrough was with a male using the British dialect, reminiscent of Jason Statham for instance. The tone of the game changed immensely. Going from funninsane supervillain to badass british gangster (who is still somewhat over the top) changed the entire experience by quite a bit. The gameplay is the same, but you see the entire game slightly differently. There'll also be somewhat different interactions between your character and the rest of your homies, even though the main gist remains the same. Amazingly, the chemistry between the characters remain, even with different voice actors and somewhat different lines.

Is the storyline good? Well, if you've played SR2 then the PLOT is exactly the same. The storyline itself is different, of course, but follows the same general plotline. Is it better than SR2? I wouldn't say that, no. The individual missions and representation of them are better in SR3, once you get past the initial introductory missions to the out-of-storyline activities you can shoose from, but the overall storyline is not as good as it was in SR2. SR2 simply gave a deeper experience with greater highs and greater lows, and more emotionally powerful scenes. I will still rate it as massively superior to GTA3, expansions and GTA4, though simply because it's so much better acted and told. Timing, humor and representation is vastly superior in SR3 than the GTA games, even though it just can't beat SR2.

Another 8/10 with points subtracted only because it's an overall step back from the previous installment in the series.


Gameplay:

Well... if you're familiar with SR2 and GTA4 (or either of the two) I really can't say much. If you're not familiar with them, I can't really say much either because it'd be rather incomprehensible. Let's just say it's solid as a fucking rock. Everything just works perfectly. Gunplay, driving, shopping, just running around causing mayhem, doing side-activities... everything just WORKS.

There's quicktime events in the game, but they're rather non-intrusive and doesn't -replace- gameplay like in a lot of other titles (CoD/BF3 'bossfights', I'm looking at you here, along with God of War/Gears of War and a fuckton of other game franchises like them) and instead just tries to augment the gameplay. For the very most part, they succeed, and the game doesn't punish you by instakilling you if you fail one. You just have to try again. Bossfights are bossfights in this game, something which I am infinitely grateful for.

The leveling system works great, mostly because unlike games like GTA which punish you for fucking around too much, this game awards you 'respect' (which is basically exp) for EVERYTHING you do. There's pretty much nothing you can conceivably pull off within this sandbox that doesn't give you cash, respect or something else as a reward for doing it.

10/10.


Conclusion:

The game itself isn't quite as good as SR2 was. It's got less bugs, less 'issues' and is generally a more polished affair than it's predecessor, but it also got less content and falls slightly short storywise. It presents the story far better and it's got a ton more spectacular events happening throughout the storyline than SR2, but doesn't give the same overall experience. It's still the best damn 'fun' purchase I've made since I bought SR2 and is a serious contender for Skyrim in the battle for GOTY. I absolutely love and adore this game and will recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a complete disconnect from realism or a pile of political incorrectness that would reach the moon. It's a solid sandbox game with solid gameplay and the greatest spectacles I have -ever- seen a game character go through.

Play it for the sheer random fun of just creating mayhem in a sandbox. Play it for the story. Play it for the gunplay, driving, outfits, character customization and the rampant violence, humor and political incorrectness. Play it for whatever... but just play it.

I realize I said I was going to get back to the Zombie option, but let's just say that you can play as a zombie and you WILL unleash the zombie apocalypse during the storyline, whether you do or not. The inherent hilarity in this being taken as perfectly understandable and normal by the rest of the crew just cranks the hilarity knob to eleven.

Overall score: 9/10, one point subtracted for just not quite measuring up to SR2.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Senn Typhos on 29 Nov 2011, 00:13

More than anything I can say this game knew exactly how to make me laugh. There's some scenes in the campaign that will stay with me for the rest of my life, probably.

Not least of which are the punctual appearances of songs which I often thought, seconds before they began playing, would make these scenes perfect; "You're the Best," "I Need a Hero," and the oft-used "Power."

I was wrong to doubt.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 29 Nov 2011, 01:38

Yes, yes you were.

The campaign is marvelously presented and it contains some of the most amazing displays of badassery, vulgarity, violence and hilarity I've ever seen in a game. While it doesn't have the same emotional impact that SR2 does, it gets higher scores in content.

(Srsly, I almost teared up at that SR2 bit where you finally catch up to the Brotherhood car, disable it... hold your homie's hand and then puts him out of his misery. And of course, that absolutely horrific scene where you bundle your arch enemy's girlfriend into the trunk of a car without him knowing it, then watch as he runs a monster truck over it. I kind of miss those moments in SR3.)

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Vieve on 29 Nov 2011, 07:30

Quote from: Mizhara on 21 Nov 2011, 18:49

VTOL Jets with Microwave lasers

I hate these things.  Can't wait until I get the opportunity to steal one.  (Just got the game this weekend.)


Is it just me, or do some sections of the city map look a lot like APB?  I swear one of the gas stations I plowed into with a stolen police motorcycle passed was lifted right from that game map.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Myrhial Arkenath on 02 Mar 2012, 08:17

Necro time because this is on Steam sale (50% off) and people may want to know. Thanks for the great review. I'm still a bit on the fence about getting this or not, I was never really into GTA but the over the top absurdity style kinda appeals to me. Wishing there was a demo now. Off to youtube for some gameplay videos.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Mizhara on 02 Mar 2012, 08:42

Here you go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD04TfRIi5w)

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: BloodBird on 02 Mar 2012, 10:32

One thing I absolutely adore about SR3 is how the game don't even try to take itself seriously. I quite literally laughed out loud from the [spoiler]SW-esque entry credits until they robbed the bank disguised as themselves...[/spoiler] I mean, come on. That's incredibly bad-ass right there.

Damn, now I want to get a hold of my friend again to continue to play the SR3 campaign with him, we are not done yet.

Title: Re: Saints Row: The Third
Post by: Orthic on 02 Dec 2012, 18:53

Giving this a friendly bump because it is included in the THQ Humble Bundle (https://www.humblebundle.com/) and can be yours for less than $10 given to charity. I picked it up and promptly cancelled plans to hang out with my gf.


I then got bitched at and realized that was a mistake. Amends have been made. None the less, fun game (if a blatant and less than perfect console port) for not much money.