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Saints Row: The Third

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Saints Row: The Third box art
Developer(s)Volition, Inc.
Publisher(s)THQ
SeriesSaints Row
EngineHavok
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: November 15, 2011[2]
  • EU: November 15, 2011[1]
  • AU: November 17, 2011
  • JP: November 17, 2011
  • EU: November 15, 2011 (PC)[3]
  • JP: December 16, 2011 (PC)
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, action adventure, sandbox
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Saints Row: The Third (also known as Saints Row 3) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game being developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It is to be released on November 15th in North America and November 18th in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360[5]. It is the third title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row 2 in 2008. As in Saints Row 2, the player controls the leader of the Third Street Saints. The game world is the fictional city of Steelport, and the story focuses on the gang war between the Saints and The Syndicate, a rival criminal group.[6]

Plot

Having defeated all their rivals in Stilwater at the end of Saints Row 2, the Saints have turned their street gang into a media empire after merging with the Ultor Corporation. They have since become icons across the world, with their own energy drink, a large fanbase, and a movie deal in the works. But when they attempt to rob a bank with Josh Birk (a self proclaimed method actor who is "researching" his part for the Saints' movie) in tow, their everyday routine takes an unlikely turn when the bank tellers fight back. The Saints attempt to airlift the vault out of the building, but when Birk sets off the alarm, it alerts the Stilwater P.D. and the Saints are incarcerated.

In prison, Gat dawns on what the Saints have become and wonders if it's all worth what it is. Soon after, an international crime organization called The Syndicate, led by Phillipe Loren, bribes the police to release the Saints' leader, Johnny Gat, and Shaundi to try and negotiate a business plan with them, all aboard Loren's private jet. While in-flight, Loren tells them they will be allowed to live if they turn over two-thirds of their revenue made in Stilwater. The leader of the Saints rejects this offer and a gunfight breaks out, with the Saint's leader and Shaundi escaping from the jet while Johnny Gat holds back their enemies, only to be (presumably) killed.

In an attempt to get revenge on the Syndicate, the Saints relocate themselves to the city of Steelport, a city that was created as factories flourished with little city planning, but has since suffered from economic failure. The Syndicate has already taken control over Steelport, focusing on vices like merchandise and gambling. To extend their reach, the Syndicate had divided their control of the city through three gangs. The Morningstar, led by the DeWynter sisters and Loren personally, are typically Europeans with impeccable taste who sell guns and run the prostitution rings. The Mexican wrestler Killbane controls the Luchadores, who deal with gambling and drug smuggling. The Deckers, led by hacktivist Matt Miller, are computer geniuses who handle money laundering. The Saints see the opportunity to take control of Steelport from these groups. As the war between the gangs intensifies, government trained Special Tactical Anti-Gang (STAG) units will attempt to halt any violent activity whether it be perpetrated by the Saints or the Syndicate.[7]

Much like previous Saints Row games, several celebrities voice characters in the game. Daniel Dae Kim reprises his role as Johnny Gat, Sasha Grey voices Viola DeWynter, Hulk Hogan voices professional wrestler and Saints ally Angel De LaMuerte[8] , and Natalie Lander voices ex-FBI agent and Saints ally Kinzie Kensington. Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki also stars in the game as a playable character[9] and Burt Reynolds is slated to have a role in the game as well.

Mission structure

In previous Saints Row games, the player would be able to approach each of the three rival gangs along separate storylines that ultimately culminated into a final conclusion. In The Third, the storylines between the three gangs are interconnected, and decisions that the player makes in dealing with one faction may alter the behavior of the other factions towards the player or missions that may be available later.[7] The developers have focused on developing an open-ended storyline; the majority of storyline missions can be completed in multiple ways, and the decisions that the player makes on these missions will ultimately affect the game's ending.[10]

Gameplay

The Third retains the blend of third-person action and driving sequences in open world, urban warfare format that is traditional in the Saints Row series. The player, as the leader of the Third Street Saints, can explore the city of Steelport, performing main missions that progress the game's story, and side missions. These side missions include Activities, mini- initiated at various points in the game world, Strongholds, rival gang bases that can be taken over to control a section of Steelport and; Flashpoints, on-the-spot gang warfare. Successful completion of missions can earn the player in-game money, weapons, cars, and gang respect. Previous Saints Row games used respect as a way to unlock story missions; The Third uses respect as experience points which the player can then spend to improve specific attributes of their character, such as melee combat or firearms skills.[7] A leveling system is introduced, and the player selects these attributes, or 'perks', each time the player character is leveled-up. Money can be used to purchase clothing items, weapons and cars, or may be used to upgrade weapons and cars with unique features, such as adding scopes or extra barrels to a weapon, which are then stored in the player's arsenal.[7] Money can also be used to upgrade the Saints gang, customizing their appearance, outfits, and headquarters. The "Initiation Station" system allows players to upload their character creations to The Third's online community, and download other players' creations to use with their save-game.[11] Within The Third, the player can set up to four different appearance styles for their gang.[7] Finally, money is also used to purchase shops and other properties within Steelport, which in turn will become a steady stream of income for the gang over time

While completing some missions , the player may be given a choice of options to finalize the mission. For example, they may opt to destroy a rival gang's boat, including the prostitutes aboard, or instead capture it, and sending the prostitutes to the Saints' headquarters to boost the gang's morale. In another case, the player has the option of using a gigantic bomb to demolish one of the skyscrapers in the city; though they will gain a great deal of respect for the action, it will alter the city's skyline for the rest of the game and cause non-player characters to react differently the player, while leaving the building standing allows it to be used as a headquarters for the Saints.[7] New Activities have been introduced alongside many from previous Saints Row games.[7]

The player's arsenal is presented as a pop-up compass through which weapons are equipped with the analog stick. Novelty weapons are introduced alongside the traditional arsenal of handguns and automatic weapons. Players will gain the ability to call down airstrikes on encamped enemies, or to use a remote control electric bug to control vehicles remotely.[7] Unlike the first two games, there are no health recovery items in favor of improving the grenade throwing system; in exchange, the player's health will regenerate at a faster rate as long as they stay out of the line of fire.[7] Nearly all actions in the game can be sped up by holding down a second controller button, dubbed by Volition as the "awesome button"; for example, when carjacking, holding down this button will cause the player character to missile-kick the driver out of the seat in short order.[7]

In addition to the single-player mode, the game can be played co-operatively with one other player.[7] As in Saints Row 2, the second player can participate in all missions and activities, earning credit for their completion. Certain activities provide different rules when a second player is present; for example, in the Guardian Angel activity, the second player will have to control the tiger in the backseat while the first player drives.[7] Because of their focus on the single player and co-operative experience, Volition has removed competitive multiplayer from the title.[7] Co-op features will, however, require an online pass.[12]

Development

The Third was envisioned as early as September 2008, when it was in the early stages of production.[13] An investor's presentation was held by THQ in February 2009, wherein their lineup for the coming financial years was announced. The presentation announced that The Third was projected to release during financial year 2011.[14] In an interview for the December 2009 issue of Game Informer magazine, THQ vice president Danny Bilson announced that The Third would debut at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo , and that it would retain the over-the-top style of its predecessors.[15]

During E3 2010, he revealed that the game would not debut there but would instead be shown at the Spike Video Game Awards in December.[16] He also revealed that THQ planned to release a Saints Row film as well as various merchandise such as a collectible card game and books.[17] At E3, THQ announced Saints Row: Drive-By instead. It was to be released on the Nintendo 3DS and via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live as part of a marketing strategy for The Third.[18] During the Spike Video Game Awards, Volition announced inSANE, a collaboration with Guillermo del Toro, instead of The Third.[19] It was officially announced for Q4 2011 on March 2, 2011 in a press release by THQ.[20] In May 2011, THQ announced that The Third's tie-in Saints Row: Drive-By had ceased development and had been cancelled.[21]

As for the game engine, Volition representatives had to say the following: "In regards to considerations over Geo-Mod 2, we get that question a lot understandably, and the answer is yes, we considered it. But we ended up not going in that direction for two reasons. One, it would have been very, very difficult to do. It would have been possible, but difficult. Two, I think you could make the argument that delivering that level of destruction arguably creates a game that’s different to what fans of the franchise have come to expect."[22] That means Saints Row: The Third won't be using Geo-Mod in any possible way.

When THQ CEO Brian Farrell was asked if Grand Theft Auto V will affect pre-orders for Saints Row: The Third at THQ’s Q2 financial conference call, he replied that GTA V and Saints Row: The Third are in a "completely different positioning." "I went online like everyone to see the GTA trailer. As you point out, it's a high quality trailer and I think it’s going to be another fantastic game in the GTA series. That said, it also shows the completely different positioning of the two games. GTA is still serious and character driven – a very different experience. Saints Row – if you saw our video today – it shows you all the crazy stuff in the game. It's a totally different positioning, and if you read the forums it's like 'hey, I love GTA, and I love this game because it's a very different game that knows what it is and is very entertaining.'"[23]

Speaking with Spong, producer Greg Donovan said that in order for Saints Row: The Third to differentiate itself from other open world games, everything had to be "over the top this time around":

"Scott [Phillips] and I didn’t work on Saints Row 1 – we were on SR2 and SR3 – but I’ll give you a bit of history about it all… The whole goal for Saints Row 1 was to create an open world game on the Xbox 360, because there was nothing else out there at the time. We had no idea that San Andreas was going to be this urban contemporary simulator – and when we found out we thought 'well, shit'. We could do very little about going up against GTA at the time though, so we kept on at it. In Saints Row’s defence though, it did have activities like Insurance Fraud, and other mechanics that similar games didn’t. And from there it’s seen a natural evolution, I would say for Saints Row 2. We still had some serious moments with it – we had long discussions in development over whether the Ronin should have swords on their backs or not, thinking that players would care about that stuff. But they don’t. With Saints Row: The Third, we’re doing a complete reboot of the franchise, with new technology and everything else. Everything’s just going to be over the top this time around. It works for us, it differentiates us from other open world games, we do it well, and players love it."[24]

Soundtrack and audio

See also: Saints Row: The Third soundtrack

Marketing and release

Prior to its release, Saints Row: The Third was marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. In addition, several special editions of the game is available. To promote the game in Australia, THQ had securely-fitted attire women to dispense free petrol for motorists in the suburb of Redfern, New South Wales. The event lasted only three hours until police were involved.[25] Saints Row: The Third has received heavy funding and sponsorship and has appeared at game conventions with its own booth. Saints Row: The Third has appeared at E3, THQ Gamer's Day, Comic Con, PAX '11, Eurogamer Expo '11 and Gamescom. Game reviewers received from THQ four-foot purple dildo replicas of the in-game weapon, the Penetrator.[26]

Retail editions

There are three separate "Collectors Editions" available. All contain a copy of the game, along with several extras. The "Platinum Pack" is exclusive to North America, which include a copy of the game, the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary pre-order DLC, the game's official soundtrack and a custom Saints Row headset. There's no word on European - or indeed PC - availability.[27] The "Smooth Criminal Edition" is exclusive to Australia and New Zealand packaged in unique edition packaging and includes sunglasses, a bullet-shaped ice cube tray, silver-plated Saints Crest cuff links and the game's official soundtrack. Customers who pre-order the "Smooth Criminal Edition" will also receive the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinarypre-order pack.[28] The "Maximum Pleasure" is also exclusive to Australia and New Zealand, which is packaged in Maximum Pleasure packaging and includes Hyper-Replica Professor Genki head, Professor Genki Stuntman key-ring and Professor Genki banner pen.[29]

The standard version consists of the game and an instructional manual, and is one of the only version available for the Microsoft Windows platform. In addition to the standard version, a "Limited Edition" of the game has been announced, which is available through pre-order. The "Limited Edition" features the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary pre-order DLC as a bonus. The Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary pack includes Professor Genki's Super Ballistic Man-a-pult, Professor Genki's "Octopuss" Weapon and Professor Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit. The "Limited Edition" is available at the same price as the regular game, but in limited quantities, and is available to both the console and PC version of the game.[30]

Downloadable content

The first 3000 players in North America to purchase Saints Row: The Third from the THQ Online Store on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC or Steam will receive the "Saints Row Season Pass". The "Season Pass" includes the game's first three downloadable mission packs.[31] The three downloadable misson packs included in the "Season Pass" are Genkibowl VII (available January 2012), The Trouble with Clones... (available Spring 2012) and Gangstas in Space (available Winter 2012). Also included in the "Season Pass" is The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack (available November 15), which includes Bloody Cannoness Outfit, Altar Boy Outfit, Bloody Cannoness Bike and Nyte Blayde Mobile.[32]

  • Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary (pre-order DLC)
  • The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack (available November 15)
  • Genkibowl VII (available January 2012)
  • The Trouble with Clones... (available Spring 2012)
  • Gangstas in Space (available Winter 2012)

Reception

Reviews

Official Xbox Magazine awarded the game a 9.5/10. They praised the game for its open world action, over the top action moments, self-aware sense of humor, and fun cooperative multiplayer. Their biggest complaint was that the story missions themselves do not allow for much creativity or improvisation the way that the open world does.[33]

Play Magazine awarded the game 88%, and stated "It has its issues, it has its drawbacks, but Saints Row: The Third is an utterly wanton, totally ridiculous bag of laughs. It's difficult to dislike anyway, and even harder to dislike with such an enjoyable, escalatory campaign. Great stuff."[34]

X-Play awarded the game a 5/5, praising it for its over-the-top self aware sense of humour, the surprisingly likeable characters, gameplay being very enjoyable and its incredibly fun 'Whored Mode'. The only complaints they made were that the humour fell flat every now and again and some people might be too easily offended. Regardless of the drawbacks, they've stated, "The humor is ridiculously, deliciously over-the-top, perhaps borderline offensive at times, but the best creative works always are. The gameplay is as tight as it's always been but even more fun than ever thanks to the varied set of tasks placed in front of you. This series is a knockoff no more; Saints Row: The Third is, in a word, brilliant."[35]

Sales

On November 2, 2011, THQ CEO Brian Farrell announced that Saints Row: The Third is already the most pre-ordered title in series history. In fact, the game has four times the number of pre-orders Saints Row 2 had two weeks before its launch.[36] THQ estimates the game will ship over 3 million units before the publisher's fiscal year ends in March 2012. By comparison, Saints Row 2 launched in October 2008 and sold 2.6 million by the end of the fiscal year.[37]

Sequel

During an interview with X-Play, THQ executive VP Danny Bilson revealed that Volition is already working on Saints Row 4. "Like any game, if you have a great creative core to it you just keep exploiting that core," he told G4. "For instance," he went on, "I know what Saints Row 4 is about and it is wilder than this one. It's a good example of how you take what you have and you ask, 'what could happen in the next?" added Bilson, without giving up any actual details.[38]

References

  1. ^ "SAINTS ROW : The Third - released". Micromania (video game retailer). Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  2. ^ "Saints Row 3 Release Date Announced". G4 TV. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  3. ^ "SAINTS ROW : The Third - released". Micromania (video game retailer). Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "Saints Row: The Third system specs announced". New Game Network. November 2, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  5. ^ Purchese, Robert (9 June 2011). "European Saints Row release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (3 March 2011). "'Saints Row: The Third' To Feature New City, Tank Skydiving". MTV Multiplayer. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Ryckert, Dan (2011). "Embracing The Crazy: Saints Row The Third". Game Informer. GameStop Corporation: 48–57. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "Celebrities? I Got Your Celebrities Right Here". Saints Row: The Third official website. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "TGS 2011: Saints Row: The Third Hands-On Preview". Gamespot Australia. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  10. ^ Channell, Mike (2011). "Holy Inappropriate: Saints Row The Third". Official Xbox Magazine UK (72). Future plc. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Announcing Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station!". Saints Row: The Third official website. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ http://www.tqcast.com/2011/11/04/saints-row-the-third-will-require-online-pass-for-online-game-modes/
  13. ^ Guttridge, Luke (25 September 2008). "Dan Sutton on Saints Row 2". Play.tm. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  14. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (April 2, 2009). "THQ planning Red Faction 4, Darksiders 2". GameSpot. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  15. ^ Haas, Peter (December 21, 2009). "Saints Row 3 Debuting At E3 2010". Blend Games. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  16. ^ Robinson, Andy (16 June 2010). "Saints Row 3 skips E3 to 'rebuild tech'". CVG. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  17. ^ Magrino, Tom (15 June 2010). "THQ confirms Saints Row film". GameSpot. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  18. ^ Brightman, James (29 June 2010). "Nintendo 'Really Wanted' Saints Row on 3DS, reveals THQ". Industry Gamers. Retrieved 30 June 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Press release (13 December 2010). "THQ and Oscar-Winning Writer and Director Guillermo del Toro to create inSANE Trilogy of Original Video Games". THQ. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  20. ^ Press release (2 March 2011). "STRAP IT ON THIS HOLIDAY WITH SAINTS ROW®: THE THIRD". THQ. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  21. ^ Fletcher, JC (4 May 2011). "THQ: 'We are not developing Saints Row: Drive By'". Joystiq. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  22. ^ http://www.nowgamer.com/news/996135/saints_row_the_third_studio_considered_red_faction_engine.html
  23. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/324846/saints-row-the-third-has-no-reason-to-fear-gta-5-says-thq-boss/
  24. ^ http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/08/with-sr-the-third-everything-had-to-beover-the-top-this-time-around-says-volition/
  25. ^ Booker, Logan (2011-11-06). "Redfern Host To Skin-Tight Saint's Row Marketing Stunt". Kotaku.
  26. ^ Crecente, Brian (2011-11-11). "THQ Maintains It Knows Exactly Where All Its Dildos Are". Kotaku.
  27. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/311525/saints-row-3-gets-99-platinum-pack/
  28. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/316305/saints-row-the-third-smooth-criminal-edition-spotted/
  29. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/316342/australian-special-editions-for-saints-row-the-third-revealed/
  30. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/311147/saints-row-3-hyper-ordinary-pre-order-trailer-is-bonkers/
  31. ^ http://www.newgamenetwork.com/news/2953/saints-row-the-third-preorder-bonuses-include-dlc-season-pass/
  32. ^ http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-360/add-ons/saints-row-the-third-season-pass-dlc/97709
  33. ^ http://www.oxmonline.com/saints-row-third-review
  34. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/saints-row-the-third/critic-reviews
  35. ^ http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/64977/saints-row-the-third/review/
  36. ^ http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/10105.html
  37. ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/saints-row-the-third-pre-orders-surpass-those-of-the-second/
  38. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/325513/saints-row-4-confirmed-even-wilder-than-sr3/
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