Saints Row: The Third
Overview -
If there’s one thing we know about the Third Street Saints, it’s that they aren’t shy. In fact, the purple clad gang is about as shy as a good salesperson. Criminals, they may be, but they aren’t going to hide and keep their names out of the limelight. No, that certainly won’t do.
After running rampant through their gang-filled hometown of Stilwater, the group is riding high. Actually, high might be an understatement. You see; the Saints have become celebrities, known all over the area for their over-the-top antics and unadulterated humour. Constantly being treated like rock stars and followed by autograph-seeking fanatics, they’re living the life that they once dreamed of having. However, getting rich off of clothing stores, energy drinks and movie licenses, just isn’t enough.
Video Review
The brand new city of Steelport would be a picturesque place to live if it weren’t for the out-of-control crime within its streets. Featuring varied regions and some solid detail work, it provides some quality scenery to look at as you kick motorcyclists off of their rides. Plus, it’s located near the water, with a stocked airport. Land, sea and air are all pretty well designed and detailed within.
Those who inhabit the city come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Of course, the latter description is in relation to mascots who freely roam the streets. You’ll come across all sorts of characters throughout this game, each one weirder than the next. They’re all quite well designed, with unique traits and comedic details. There are a good variety of models used for the area’s everyday inhabitants, meaning that you won’t see the same one too often. It helps add immersion that way.
For the most part, Saints Row: The Third looks pretty good. It’s colourful and intricately designed, with the small touches added in. Its visual aesthetic occasionally changes during missions, giving players a nice change of pace. However, there are graphical glitches that will pop-up on occasion. Screen tearing is one of them. Environmental pop in and a clarity issue while driving, were the other two prominent visual issues that I noticed. None of them are anywhere close to game breaking or debilitating though.
Audio Review
As those familiar with the series would expect, the included dialogue is of the not safe for kids variety. It’s well written and humorous, while incredibly adult. The utilized voice cast does a great job of portraying each character and his or her outrageous lines, without making things too campy. Also impressive, is the fact that your created avatar has a few different (and fully-featured) voice options. The three I tried out were impressive, unique and well recorded.
What really stood out most was the game’s soundtrack design. Unlike most games, Saints Row: The Third incorporates its licensed soundtrack into some of its missions, adding extra character and emphasis. This works very well. Of course, having boisterous audio and solid sound effects, also helps.
One of the only genres missing on the featured track list is country. Almost every other major genre of music is included. The list features rock, metal, rap and classical, among others. There’s something for just about everyone. What’s great is that you can create your own mix tape for use while driving, to customize your listening experience. Volition gets high marks for that idea.
In a time where gamers are complaining about not having enough unique content to play, Saints Row: The Third is a perfect option. It’s crass and unique, delivering an experience unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. This outing turns the knob up to eleven and never looks back, without fear or repercussions. For that, as well as its incredibly addicting and fun content, I applaud Volition Inc. Great job, guys. This is easily one of the best games of the year.
