Idk, the games used to take the GTA theme and crank it up to 11. They profited off of being as ridiculous and over the top as possible. By what I saw of the newest installment it seemed to take itself too seriously? I got the game for free when I got my last graphics card, installed it, and it just didn’t hook me at all. It’s like they were trying to appeal to too wide of an audience instead of keeping to its roots and making it obscene and over the top. Maybe I’m just nostalgic and those games arent going to happen anymore.
First 2 were great and then it just got too ridiculous. 3 and 4 should have been a separate franchise. The new one is bland too. I’m playing through it now but it is nothing to sneeze at. The characters are forced and its like a Disney game. I got it for free at least
I never played one but SR2 was so much fun. They nailed the mini games in that one. The insurance scam and kidnapping (hijacking?) mini games were the best. Also I enjoyed the over the top antics mixed with seriousness that I felt got lost after 2.
I played 3, 4 and some of the dlc. They definitely went downhill after 2 though I enjoyed 3 a good amount.
Nah, management was too expensive
Saints row the third is amazing
god, i 100% the SR the third… .and i cant remember a single thing about it.
They had me at the penetrator.
I had to pause the game because I was laughing too hard to play when this happened.
Important to note that immediately after that cutscene, you massacre your way through dozens of luchadores while “you’re the best” by Joe Esposito plays.
Though to be fair, saints row was always a game that set the bar of ridiculousness very high, then one upped itself in the next game, and it was gonna be pretty tough after defusing a launched nuke while riding it, then smashing through the white house to land at the desk. Which is fine, by the way, because you’re already the president. And the matrix stuff but we don’t talk about that as much.
“Shareholders want them to pump out loot boxes, not novel content!” -Exec, probably
Saints Row is a very standard franchise in today’s video game market. Despite a few glitches, they release a fantastic initial game that is entertaining. After that, they release a fantastic second game in the series, improving on the first one. They decide to increase staff, broaden the scope, and develop a larger third game as it sells well. Although it still sells well, it seems inconsistent and hollow in some way.
It’s almost like there’s a limit to how many times you can return to the same creative well until you hit diminishing returns and run out of steam.
Having a successful series is one thing, but AAA studios don’t seem to know when it’s time to stop - they drive franchises into the ground because they’re too scared to try something new.
It’s almost like there’s a limit to how many times you can return to the same creative well until you hit diminishing returns and run out of steam.
GTA, which SR was derivative of, is still going strong, and 6 will almost definitely make bank. I think the SR problem was keeping the same cast too long… and maybe expanding scope. Three was goofy but still fun, four got a bit too stupid. That’s something the SR reboot should have resolved inherently via a new cast and locale but they dropped the ball.
CEO and corporate bullshit aside, it’s sad what the series became before Volition was eventually shut down. The first game could probably be described as a GTA clone, without being harsh. The second game was fantastic, at least if you disregard the flawed PC port. I played it on Xbox 360 back in the day and to this day, the cut scenes are some of the best I’ve seen in a video game. The side activities were bonkers, overall just a great game. Saints Row: The Third was pretty ambitious and I didn’t like the over-the-top scenario with aliens and whatnot. Saints Row IV was okay-ish, but lacked focus and direction. I was glad that I played it several years after its initial release for a very low price.
Saints Row as a franchise is pretty much exemplary for the game industry in this day and age. They release a good first game, which is fun despite some flaws. Then they improve on that and release a fantastic second game in the series. It sells well, so they decide to hire more people, expand the scope and make a more over-the-top third game. That still sells well, but somehow feels erratic and hollow. Then they continue the downward spiral until the suits pull the plug after five games and the studio is disbanded. Money is killing the game industry, but not the way the corpo from the article thinks.
He’s not wrong, the insane blockbuster gold rush business model is unsustainable.
I personally think that the Saints Row 2022 title specifically was just really bad, and the studio was in turmoil even before all of that.
FR I’ve never heard anybody have a positive opinion of that game, the 2022 title specifically. It was truely unintelligible garbage.
The rightwing called it woke, but it wasn’t even woke, it was just pandering without substance. It insulted everybody on every side of every issue, like a bootleg GTA title.
EDIT: to clarify that I’m speaking of the Saints Row (2022) and not the franchise, as is the article.
like a bootleg GTA title.
You have correctly grasped the SR franchise. The first 3 titles were great and the 4th was playable at least. It actually outperformed gta in a lot of ways like car customization, and the ability to actually run, customize, and expand a gang.
No, I haven’t. That’s the whole point of my edit, that I’m talking specifically about how the 2022 title failed. I’ve not made a single statement about any other SR title.
I know, I’m just saying that has indeed been the whole deal of the franchise. Basically a more unhinged gta.
