Saints Row the Third

With a third iteration of the Saints Row series, Volition has stepped things up even more to the point that they've created one of the most ridiculous and hilarious games I've ever played. It's also one of the least re-playable games I've ever played because of one crucial mistake. While Grand Theft Auto IV had 2 endings and several people you could choose to kill or keep alive, Saints Row the Third allows you to repeat the final mission whenever you want to get the alternate ending. This cheapens the replay value of the game tremendously and lessens the incentive to start the game all over again.


You can change your sex whenever you want. You can change your character's voice/personality whenever you want. There is literally no reason to play the game more than once other than picking the "other" option when given a choice through various points of the game, most of which have no effect on the plot.


Despite that, the game is a lot of fun and is rarely unenjoyable. There are maybe 2 or 3 story missions that are incredibly difficult if you don't upgrade your health and damage taking abilities,  but few of them are difficult enough to make you throw your controller at the TV. When their ad campaign talks about "Out GTAs GTA," they're referring to how absolutely ridiculous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was, rather than how realistic Grand Theft Auto IV was. Just by progressing through the story, you get to permanently store a VTOL in your heliports.


Story: 7/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Presentation: 8/10
Replay Value: 5/10


Average Score: 7.1/10


Just because I gave it a 7/10 doesn't make it a bad game, per se. The story is incredibly predictable (save for one weapon used against you late in the game), the gameplay is nothing special, the graphics are really bad, and the game is impossible to play through twice. But besides those flaws, the game is FUN. Too many games are concerned with revolutionizing the video game industry; why can't we just enjoy a game that is nothing new and does that well? Saints Row the Third is easily one of the best GTA clones out there, for reasons of how much fun one can have playing it. It'd be nice if they fixed the replay value though.


I can't emphasize enough how much fun I had playing this game despite the flaws. Just don't buy it. It's a game you can finish in under a week, so it's a great rental.