Ity. You Saints.
Saints Row: The Third
As a series I have mixed feelings about Saints Row. On a positive note the second game had some excellent co-op play allowing two players to work their way through the campaign and the side missions as a pair. The character models and various outfits were a joy to try out. Saints Row: The Third is looking to take these elements and improve on them even further; bigger, better, more insane.
However, having had some hands on time with the game many of the negative aspects of the previous games are back; the OTT swearing and sexualization of characters. On occasion the game borders on the crass, undermining an otherwise excellent co-op experience.
On a more basic level the game feels and looks better. The vehicles are far easier to handle and the gunplay is a little cleaner. Moving around and finding missions or side quests is as simple as in Saints Row 2, so co-op fans should be in for a lot of crazy two player action. I managed to play a classic style ‘insurance scam’ mission; the physics and character models felt a lot more stable this time.
From the crowds gathering around the many demo pods of the game it is clear that Saints Row: The Third should be the most popular in the series yet. I for one am planning to overlook the base humor so that I can enjoy the elements of quality gaming that work.