Saints Row: The Third
By THQ and Volition
Genre: Third-person open-world action-adventure
The Saints Row series has long been compared to and connected with its better-known cousin, Grand Theft Auto; while Saints Row began with mildly over-the-top antics, and progressed on into full-blown insanity, Grand Theft Auto has remained mainly serious and mainstream through its run (at least its 3D iterations, after the first two games). But Saints Row: The Third takes the hilarity and, dare I say it, immaturity to new levels, but darned if it isn’t fun in the process.
The Boss, or the Player as he’s been known, is the head of the Third Street Saints, a gang that gained much notoriety in its home city of Stilwater. But after the events of the second game and through means that can only be attributed to the prevalence of the lowest common denominator in the game’s world, the Saints have achieved international celebrity status! That’s right: starring in movies, reality TV shows and basically getting a criminally clean slate across the country…
That is, until the Syndicate steps in. A criminal organization whose master, Philipe Loren, casts an envious eye on the Saints’ gargantuan earnings, tries to extort from the ex-gang; they don’t get far at all, but the Saints are unceremoniously dropped into Steelport, a huge, unfamiliar city with three new gangs all under the Syndicate’s sway.
The Deckers, colored in blue, handle the digital side of Loren’s criminal empire, including hacking, cyberspace and outfitting their Specialists with jet boots and high-tech Shock Hammers. The Luchadores, muscle-bound green-clad warriors, serve as the Syndicate’s shock troops, employing massive steroidal freaks as their Specialists. And the Morningstar are the business side of operations, with heavily-armed but very well-dressed minions ready to serve Loren’s every whim.
How will you fight against such unsurpassable odds? Why, nothing is beyond the abilities of the determined Boss and his Saints! Roaming the streets of Steelport or taking to its seas or skies, you hunt down where the gangs operate and take their operations down one by one. You buy businesses and real estate, taking them out of the greedy hands of the Syndicate. You gain more respect as you spend more money; your opulence (and choice of clothing, among other things) earns you the pull you need to upgrade your skills and powers within this world.
All of your activities, diversions and upgrades are handled via your smartphone, which is also how you acquire missions; no more just driving to a location when you want to start the story again. But speaking of the story, you would be hard-pressed to pick it up after you see the sheer amount of mayhem you can cause. From beating down civilians and criminals with a very questionably-shaped bludgeon (you can find that for yourself), to racing around the city in a super-cool VTOL jet, to many, many other diversions, you’ll never want for things to do in Steelport.
If you don’t mind a little (okay, a lot!) unapologetic, self-referential immaturity in your games, check out Saints Row: The Third and make yet another huge, corrupt city your own. Five out of five!