Saints Row IV: PS3 Review

Saints Row IV: PS3 Review

Platform: PS3
Released by Volition

The Saints are coming.

Well, they're coming to New Zealand a lot quicker than Australia, where the game was banned and a side mission had to be removed for release, but let's not lord it over our Tassie neighbours, eh?

In this latest outing, you begin on a mission to take down a STAG leader who's gone bonkers; after your success at this (by riding a nuclear missile to Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing and disarming it), your popularity soars and you get elected US president.

Surging a wave of adoration comes naturally to the Saints as they overtake the Presidency - but despite getting settled in, it all goes a bit wrong when aliens begin invading the White House, spearheaded by leader Zinyak, who captures you, the Boss and imprisons you in a Matrix style 1950s replication of Steelport (from Saints Row The Third), where there's no violence and life is perfect.

However, thanks to the Saints' techno wizard, Kinzie, you get a chance to break out of the simulation and try and save the day - Saints' style.

Saints Row IV is a tremendous, free-wheeling thrill of a game, that leaves you intoxicated, stupefied and dizzy with fun.

It's craziness computerized as it plays out - recalling earlier Grand Theft Auto games, mashing it with Tron and DC Comics superhero style superpowers, it's just a great way to waste time and have a blast.

From soaring above skyscrapers thanks to flying powers, leaping up buildings because of another ability and throwing things through telekenesis, this is not a game that takes itself seriously at all - and due to that, it's totally admirable. Steelport is packed with side missions, from causing utter chaos due to all manner of weapons and abilities, it offers you plenty of escape without sacrificing any of the gameplay.

Sure, there's a story thread running through this as you try to escape Zinyak's simulation - but it's the barest of threads that's woven into a narrative and isn't really what the game is fully about. Granted, some may criticise it for that, but it's a real added bonus that you can freewheel, waste time however you want, and still come back to upgrading your powers and weapons through XP, cache cash in and generally surviving the game.

The open world is well realised, and I guess you can get away with some of the odd glitches in gameplay due to the fact you're in a simulation (but only just) and while the thrill of using the superpowers never gets old, it does detract a little from the world which has been created as you'll use super-speed or super-flying to navigate the city rather than exploring the wondrous world within.

There's anarchy aplenty in this big dumb game, but it never takes itself too seriously, nor loses sight of the fact that it's all about having a good, over-the-top time. Side missions don't take too long to complete, meaning they're not a drag and not a drain by having you complete multiple parts - from hacking control of stores to taking on waves of Terminator style mech robots to save someone, there's variety aplenty and with different levels to achieve, there's plenty of reason to re-play.

Packed in with humour and a tongue firmly in its cheek, Saints Row IV is a hellishly guilty pleasure - its gameplay is great fun and its raison d'etre is to the core of the Saints themselves. We ain't after nothing but a good time - and Saints Row IV serves that up in style and with great cheeky gusto.

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