So I decided to give Saints Row 2 another try this past weekend, and honestly: I'm not sure what made me get rid of it the first time. Probably the fact that the Xbox was in the main living room and the game's less-than-family-friendly content was wafting into the kitchen and play areas. Now that the loft is the main location for gaming, my family scruples can be less...scrupulous.
The end result is that I'm really enjoying this popcorn game. And I've noticed a lot of features that are unceremoniously lifted from other games. The list of "borrowed ideas" is a long one. Saints Row: The Third was announced less than two weeks ago, and already the previews are citing gameplay items that have a familiar flavor to them. In the case of GameInformer's preview, the "new" weapons system seems to give homage to Army of Two: The 40th Day and Crackdown.
Aside from a neat-sounding remotely controlled air drone, and the obligatory "sex toy bat", GameInformer highlighted a weapons upgrading ability that is highly reminiscient of how Crackdown handled your agent's appearance and the Agency vehicles, while applying a small snippet of the customization seen in Army of Two's LEGO with guns.
Furthermore, some weapon upgrades will be tied specifically to certain types of missions. How cool will it be to have to do a gangbang with a certain degree of accuracy in order to receive a rifle scope? Or to bail out of a commercial jet at 1,500 feet in order to add range to your grenade launcher?
Better yet - how 'bout raiding the police station with a co-op partner to add a second barrel to your shotgun?
These scenarios are all speculative - no truth to them, necessarily - but as you can see, the prospects are exciting. Rest assured we're looking forward to getting our hands on Saints Row: The Third this year.
Source: Gameinformer.com