Flawed and obviously rushed as it is, I have endless affection for Saints Row 4. I played the Third and thought it was decent, a fun little game with some unique aspects. Then I saw that SR4 was jumping the shark entirely, realism be damned. This, for me, got me way more invested in the series. I hated when the games pretended to be cool and hip, when it's entire appeal was if GTA didn't have a stick up its ass.
Saints Row 4 is completely off the rails both story and gameplay wise. It knew it had to go bigger than Three, and I imagine the fact that they knew the company was burning down around them meant they were just going to go balls to the wall. How much more powerful could you be than running Steelport? Fuck it, make him president and now the Saints are in the cabinet. Some think it's stupid, I think it's hilarious. Aliens invade and put you in a parody of the Matrix where you have superpowers? I'm down. People complain that the superpowers make the rest of the open world aspects useless? I thought those aspects were always competent but not great anyways, so blowing it to smithereens to be able to jump 500 feet in the air, shoot fire out your hands, run up buildings and use telekinesis was a marked improvement in my eyes. There's a fuckin mech at some point in this game, and I can't even remember if it ever gets used again. Think about insurance fraud where when you get hit by the car you spin away like Team Rocket!! This game has so many memorable moments because it felt absolutely zero commitment to being grounded, and I love it.
The story is absolutely absurd, as you go from the 1950's suburbia, to fighting SR2 Shaundi, a giant can of soda, piledriving aliens at 100km, the works. I was thoroughly entertained at all times, and there were some decent moments of emotion here that made it not a complete madhouse. I thought this was a more than pleasant way to end this arc for Saint's Row.
I think this game gets hated on because people miss the serious and fun balance Saint's Row 2 had, which I agree with. That game does things I didn't think you could with tone. But god damn, if you look at what happens and what you can do in this game and tell me that there is nothing fun here, I worry for you.
Saints Row 4 is completely off the rails both story and gameplay wise. It knew it had to go bigger than Three, and I imagine the fact that they knew the company was burning down around them meant they were just going to go balls to the wall. How much more powerful could you be than running Steelport? Fuck it, make him president and now the Saints are in the cabinet. Some think it's stupid, I think it's hilarious. Aliens invade and put you in a parody of the Matrix where you have superpowers? I'm down. People complain that the superpowers make the rest of the open world aspects useless? I thought those aspects were always competent but not great anyways, so blowing it to smithereens to be able to jump 500 feet in the air, shoot fire out your hands, run up buildings and use telekinesis was a marked improvement in my eyes. There's a fuckin mech at some point in this game, and I can't even remember if it ever gets used again. Think about insurance fraud where when you get hit by the car you spin away like Team Rocket!! This game has so many memorable moments because it felt absolutely zero commitment to being grounded, and I love it.
The story is absolutely absurd, as you go from the 1950's suburbia, to fighting SR2 Shaundi, a giant can of soda, piledriving aliens at 100km, the works. I was thoroughly entertained at all times, and there were some decent moments of emotion here that made it not a complete madhouse. I thought this was a more than pleasant way to end this arc for Saint's Row.
I think this game gets hated on because people miss the serious and fun balance Saint's Row 2 had, which I agree with. That game does things I didn't think you could with tone. But god damn, if you look at what happens and what you can do in this game and tell me that there is nothing fun here, I worry for you.