I have played Saints Row IV for many hours and even completed the game in its entirety including all of the achievements, some of them being the annoying collectible ones, for example, all of the data clusters and audio logs of the crew scattered around Steelport. This review will cover a variety of the game’s aspects.
For the most part, the story and characters carry over from the third game in the series as well as there are some new additions to the Saints’ roster including Asha Odekar, and characters returning that appeared in earlier entries such as Benjamin King. This is the entry of the series that I will admit shifted the game into rough waters with regard to the plot and over-the-top craziness. I think that Saints Row The Third walked a balance between humor and seriousness with regard to the plot and gameplay. To some, it may seem like the elements in Saints Row IV take it a little bit too far. In terms of the story, this one is wild. After you take down Cyrus Temple and stop a missile you become the President of the United States (if you didn’t know that is actually what happens), after which the story concerns you trying to stop an alien invasion from the Zin army led by Zinyak after they invade Earth. Overall, I think the story in this one is a bit stronger and more well put together than the third one, although there are some stressful moments that did annoy me a little bit. Hey, at least Johnny Gat is back though.
Moreover, It is also worth noting that most of the game takes place inside a digital simulation of Steelport, which brings the setting down; it is mostly the same recycled map that you know from the previous game, albeit with more vertical towers and other elements added along with the giant spaceship in the sky. In terms of cribs or hideouts, there aren’t really any as the ship outside of the simulation in space becomes your main crib, and you enter the digital simulation through these white gateway portals which can be used to access your vehicle's weapons and outfits that you’ve saved there. It does suck that there are no cribs in the game but I guess it makes sense in terms of the story. Once again, the setting of Steelport feels dull, especially now in this sense as it is an emulation; this just makes the setting feel more bland in many ways as there is a lack of detail in the city and NPCs. Although this is the case, I do like a few of the missions where they bring the plot full circle and acknowledge events from the first two games of the franchise, going back to Stilwater; that was a nice touch and a trip down memory lane.
In regards to the character and car customization, it is pretty much the same as in the third game, although there are a few more options from what I remember. In addition, this game also added the ability to customize the skins on your weapons, which is an element I wish had been added previously in Saints Row: The Third. In addition, it is worth mentioning that there are more vehicles in this game, although I found myself not really needing them. This is because shortly after starting the story you get superpowers and as you play through the storyline you are able to unlock more abilities for the superpowers so you pretty much just end up flying/running everywhere.
All in all, Saints Row IV still captured my interest enough to the point where over the past few years I beat the game on a few different occasions and is a nice acknowledgment of past entries in the series, even if it goes a little off the rails with the whole Zinyak alien invasion plot in the story. If you are a fan of earlier entries in the series such as the previous game, Saints Row: The Third, then this one is maybe worth checking out with your time, as I had a lot of good time playing it. Also, they recently upgraded the game to the Re-Elected Edition and I have heard from others in reviews that it breaks the game and makes it unplayable. I will have to check this at some point because I haven’t launched the game a whole lot since the update to the version with all the DLC content. In summary, I would recommend the game and as far as I know, it goes for relatively cheap Steam sales and is a well-put-together game.
For the most part, the story and characters carry over from the third game in the series as well as there are some new additions to the Saints’ roster including Asha Odekar, and characters returning that appeared in earlier entries such as Benjamin King. This is the entry of the series that I will admit shifted the game into rough waters with regard to the plot and over-the-top craziness. I think that Saints Row The Third walked a balance between humor and seriousness with regard to the plot and gameplay. To some, it may seem like the elements in Saints Row IV take it a little bit too far. In terms of the story, this one is wild. After you take down Cyrus Temple and stop a missile you become the President of the United States (if you didn’t know that is actually what happens), after which the story concerns you trying to stop an alien invasion from the Zin army led by Zinyak after they invade Earth. Overall, I think the story in this one is a bit stronger and more well put together than the third one, although there are some stressful moments that did annoy me a little bit. Hey, at least Johnny Gat is back though.
Moreover, It is also worth noting that most of the game takes place inside a digital simulation of Steelport, which brings the setting down; it is mostly the same recycled map that you know from the previous game, albeit with more vertical towers and other elements added along with the giant spaceship in the sky. In terms of cribs or hideouts, there aren’t really any as the ship outside of the simulation in space becomes your main crib, and you enter the digital simulation through these white gateway portals which can be used to access your vehicle's weapons and outfits that you’ve saved there. It does suck that there are no cribs in the game but I guess it makes sense in terms of the story. Once again, the setting of Steelport feels dull, especially now in this sense as it is an emulation; this just makes the setting feel more bland in many ways as there is a lack of detail in the city and NPCs. Although this is the case, I do like a few of the missions where they bring the plot full circle and acknowledge events from the first two games of the franchise, going back to Stilwater; that was a nice touch and a trip down memory lane.
In regards to the character and car customization, it is pretty much the same as in the third game, although there are a few more options from what I remember. In addition, this game also added the ability to customize the skins on your weapons, which is an element I wish had been added previously in Saints Row: The Third. In addition, it is worth mentioning that there are more vehicles in this game, although I found myself not really needing them. This is because shortly after starting the story you get superpowers and as you play through the storyline you are able to unlock more abilities for the superpowers so you pretty much just end up flying/running everywhere.
All in all, Saints Row IV still captured my interest enough to the point where over the past few years I beat the game on a few different occasions and is a nice acknowledgment of past entries in the series, even if it goes a little off the rails with the whole Zinyak alien invasion plot in the story. If you are a fan of earlier entries in the series such as the previous game, Saints Row: The Third, then this one is maybe worth checking out with your time, as I had a lot of good time playing it. Also, they recently upgraded the game to the Re-Elected Edition and I have heard from others in reviews that it breaks the game and makes it unplayable. I will have to check this at some point because I haven’t launched the game a whole lot since the update to the version with all the DLC content. In summary, I would recommend the game and as far as I know, it goes for relatively cheap Steam sales and is a well-put-together game.