While we were putting Saints Row: The Third though its paces for this review, we were greeted by a vast number of outrageously humorous, sometimes disgusting and often shocking gaming moments that are nevertheless expected from any Saints Row title. But this new game does the honors of presenting you with a spectacular gameplay model that leaves you holding more control over the open world and all its elements than any of its other predecessors. A straight-up gang war based story, with no scads of emotional drama but high amounts of astounding elements, captivates you till its concluding moment. And that’s not all. There’s a whole new world to be explored in this game’s side missions, even after you’re done with the entire campaign.
A little prelude to the game’s story is explained vividly by the Star Wars parodied intro at the start of the game. After their heroics in the previous title, the 3rd Street Saints have become outright celebrities in Stilwater, signing autographs and even swanking an energy drink named after them. Suddenly, from nowhere, an international corporation called The Syndicate steps into the picture with an aim to dethrone the Saints. A brilliantly crafted free-falling action sequence later, the gang parachutes into the Syndicate controlled city of Steelport. Faced with tough opposition from three main gangs, the Saints are now tasked with taking charge of the new city to bring things back under their control. To do that, the player must assume the role of the Saints’ leader and venture upon a ridiculously whacky journey called Saints Row: The Third.
The prime focus of developer Volition cannot be traced on the game’s graphics or its character designs, but rather on the amount of enjoyable moments it renders for you with every gaming session. If you’re wondering how insane a game can actually get, try escorting a tiger in your car or shooting battle tanks as they free fall from miles high in the sky, or for that matter, try entering a virtual reality world while dressed as a toilet seat. These antics and a lot more such bizarre activities await you in Saints Row 3. The enormous universe that spans through this game has been constructed to brilliance by the developer. However, during certain sequences the world suddenly goes inert, with almost no pedestrian in sight. This can be particularly frustrating when the missions require you to interact with the environments.
Everything from a VTOL to a fighter jet, from a helicopter to a ‘hoverbike,’ can all be crammed into your garage to access them whenever and as often as you like. So there’s really nothing to worry about if you bulldoze any of your vehicles even in the darkest corners of Steelport, as they’re back to where they belong the next time you want to retrieve them. Unlike its obvious competition GTA IV, Saints Row: The Third makes a much better use of the character’s smartphone, by inducing it with varied elements that prove vital during gameplay. Whether you need to withdraw money from the bank, call your ‘homies’ to help you with the enemies, have a particular car delivered to where you are, manage your music, activate GPS or browse through your missions, pretty much everything can be done using the device.
Player customizations form a large part of this game, furnishing you with the liberty to make your character look as lunatic as possible. A wide array of pop references and parodies can be found in these options. Chuck Norris, John Cena, Elvis and Ric Flair were the few that we managed to spot. Once your character is out on the streets, pretty much everything you do earns you ‘Respect’, which forms a critical part of this game’s stout reward system. As you progress, the money you earn can be exchanged for buying ammunition, modifying your vehicles, purchasing clothes, changing your attributes and stuff like that. Moreover, new abilities can also be bought by gamers for their characters, which turn out to be rather crucial during the latter parts of the game. This title’s driving mechanics seem so good, that they can even be employed in a racing game. The sense of control that the vehicles grant you, manages to absorb you deeper into Saints Row: The Third.
Now speaking about weapons, those on offer in Saints Row 3 are just inviting players to embark upon ruthless killing sprees. The usual band of enemies has been divided into standard and special classes. Although both are not that difficult to kill, the umpteen ways in which you can slay or sometimes blast them is really commendable. The graphics in this game are a point of concern though. The mediocre visuals that often seem textureless might give the impression of a PS2 game. But looking at the bright side, this may be the driving force behind the title’s extremely less load times. The cutscenes are well directed and brought to life brilliantly by the excellent motion capture and voice-acting by the characters.
Final Word: Saints Row: The Third is the kind of game that has solely been designed to delight those seeking to leisurely spend hours in front of their television screens. There are times when you’ll just burst out laughing and once in a while, there will also be moments that will keep you right at the edge of your seat. As mentioned above, the game’s graphics aren’t what we’d call extravagant. Moreover, voice lags too are a frequent issue all throughout Saints Row 3. That said, here’s our score for this title.
Graphics: 7.5/10
Sounds: 8/10
Environments: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Overall (not an average): 8.5/10