The revival of Saints Row?

The new Saints row has been released, is it the revival we were waiting for?

We delved into the city of Santo ileso and the main thing I notice is, that everything feels like Saints Row 2. This is a bad and a good thing. It's good because the game feels smooth and the shooting while having an aspect of Saints Row 4 about it, feels good in its true “saints row fashion”. We get the flashy shooting mechanics with the absurd takedowns, amazing. However, everything in the game screams Saints Row 2 to me, and I have played a lot of that game and the similarities are quite high.

To start with, every car name and even looks of the cars are the same but just updated, even the car sounds and police sirens are the same. While yes this is a new city, new missions, and new people which makes it feel new and fresh, it is lazy and it doesn’t sit right as it isn't all new content. If the game was sent to me by a friend on PC, I would think it was a fan-made Saints Row 2 Mod Engine game. While yes, this is not a bad thing as Saints Row 2 is probably the best game in the franchise but it makes this game feel like a sequel. Saints Row 2 came out in 2008. This is now 2022. I do not want to make it seem the game is bad as the game is a lot of fun, but in the eyes of a fan, it is lazy work and something I wouldn’t expect for such a large franchise.

We do get some new fresh gameplay though with wingsuits. Wingsuits bring that tiny feeling of Saints Row 4 but do it better. You cannot just simply wingsuit anywhere, you have to find a wingsuit jump station or apply an eject seat vehicle perk. You can also wingsuit from the top of your own car but it’s a little harder to do and doesn’t actually save you much time, giving back a use to actually driving around the city again. You also have to balance momentum so it all evens out nicely.

Customisation is also a key thing in the Saints Row games, and this game does not lack. Car mechanics are back with all new customisations with brighter under glow and proper street race customisable options. We also get back the full clothing store in Saints Row 2 style, being able to customise the colour of the clothes at will. We also see new changes to add, like being able to add breasts to any gender or any genitalia to any gender.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Saints Row Reboot feels good to play, but is plagued with not being new enough and also the launch crashes. The games optimisation has been made awful however, it does not feel bad or clunky in anyway meaning the game is fully playable. I myself have not experienced any crashes but I know the PC port had some and there was a patch at the time of writing this to solve it, which is a good sign as it proves the producers are ready to bring in hot fixes as soon as possible. With that being said, the game seems to cater to the newer audience. The long-term fans will be able to see that they have just used old assets but, as the saying goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and for that, I applaud Deep Silver Volition. Personally, I thought with the absolute abomination in what was Saints Row 4, there was no way back for the franchise, but they have proven me wrong and I am very grateful.

Do I think this is a revival? Yes, I do. We have got in front of us, the best assets of each game all smashed into one. While I agree it is lazy and a little painful for me, it works and it’s a decent game you can enjoy. The full game is £60 and in true honesty, is and isn't worth that amount and let me digest.

If you have never paid for a Saints Row game, that price is a steal as you have the best parts of each game into one. You also learn the history of the game with a few of the activities you can do (but I won't spoil anything). If you have got every game, it’s a little overpriced as it's just going to feel like a stand-alone DLC.

Taking everything into consideration, I rate this 7.5/10. A good middle of the table entry into the Saints Row franchise.

On that note, thank you everyone for reading,

Xeco_Reece

Volcreation

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