Collaborate with a friend to create your own dynamic duo for co-op play
Completing missions earns respect and cash which can then be spent on new weapons, cars or businesses that can help further swell your bank balance. Volition has also moved with the times and integrated a smooth social networking option where you can upload characters and share them with the community. Indeed, customisation options are in-depth across the board, so there’s a lot you can do to improve the look and performance of your weapons and cars. The EXP system locks everything in place very nicely too and progression feels well paced as you recruit new members and slowly gain more influence.
Weapons are great fun to use and what starts out with a pistol and a machine gun soon leads to the likes of the Annihilator RPG, predator drones and the brilliant fart-in-a-jar; gaming's first true dirty bomb. There are a great range of weapons and an enjoyable upgrade system that has been revamped from previous games, with new perks and bonuses allowing you to change the likes of the Shotgun into the Gravedigger, a powerful triple-barrelled weapon.
Driving around the city is entertaining, thanks mainly to the superb design of Steelport and the sheer number of side missions that can be triggered, but the loose car handling is a far cry from the smooth controls of GTA's vehicles. Nonetheless, the city is impressively rendered, while the ability to set way-point locations and move quickly and smoothly from 'A' to 'B' ensures there's little hassle finding what you need, despite the abundance of options.
While you could argue that Saints Row: The Third is a game aimed mainly at immature teens that are likely to snigger at the mere thought of a giant wobbly dildo, we've also had a cheeky giggle here and there at Volition's tongue-in-cheek, risqué sense of humour - and we're over 30 (and possibly still a little immature.) Considering we've just hit a period of the year where we've been inundated with "serious" games, such as Battlefield 3, Skyrim and Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third, turns out to be a refreshing alternative and a game that you can dive into without having to think too much about tactics and strategy.
Bottom line: Saints Row: The Third is a celebration of everything taboo and if you have an immature bone in your body, you too will laugh along and thoroughly enjoy the ride.
The Good
Eccentric characters
Crazy scenarios keep things entertaining
Great weapon variety, upgrade and customisation system
The Bad
Not particularly challenging; run-and-gun mentality wins
Driving could be slicker
HEXUS Rating
Saints Row: The Third
HEXUS Where2Buy
Saints Row: The Third is available to purchase from Play.com
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
