Saints Row IV

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Game Information
Release Date: 8/03/13
Developers: Volition, High Voltage Software
Publishers: Deep Silver
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows
Genre: Action-adventure, Sandbox/Open-world
Players: 1-4
Rating: 7.4/10

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Synopsis

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected & Gat Out of Hell includes the original Saints Row IV and all of its previously released add-on content, as well as the stand-alone expansion Gat Out of Hell (download code). In Saints Row IV users create a custom character and play as the leader of the Saints who also happens to be the President of the United States of America. After an alien attack players are transported to a virtual simulation of Steelport where they become infused with super powers and must defeat the evil Zinyak to save planet Earth.

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Plot

The plot in this game is very absurd and is not very serious at all. If you are the type of person who plays games for the plot this game isn't really for you. You create a character who is the president of the United States. You are at the White House, or now formerly named the White Crib, when Asha and Matt arrive warning you about a potential alien invasion. All of a sudden the aliens invade the world and the alien leader, Zinyak, is able to successfully capture the president and the rest of the members in the White Crib. You and the rest of your members are now stuck in a steelport simulation and now have to fight against Zinyak with your super powers to free humanity.

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Gameplay

Although the plot isn't something really to look forward to while purchasing this game, the gameplay sure makes up for it. Just like many of the other saints row games you are the leader of the gang, but this time you are now the president as well. This game is meant to be a non-serious game which I don't really mind at all. Some of the lines that the characters say or the things they do give me a chuckle here and there. The combat in this game is pretty enjoyable. The melee weapons range from normal baseball bats to energy swords. Using the melee weapons are great, but I mostly use them when getting out of tough situations. There are tons of unique and customizable weapons to use in this game. Not only are the weapons from previous saint row games included in this game, but new alien weapons are as well. There are also many dlc weapons to purchase as well which can be fun to use in game. The simulation of steelport is also exactly the same from the previous games. As this is a simulation your character also has super powers that he can use to get around the map and defeat enemies. You can upgrade your powers and guns the more you play which can be very useful for certain missions. Upgrading your powers and guns fully can give you things like unlimited ammo or infinite stamina. In order to upgrade your powers you will have to collect clusters scattered through out the map, this can be something fun to do on your spare time if you do not want to play missions. The main missions are a bit fun to play, and once you complete the campaign there are some mini games to play that are also nice to play every once in a while. The developers added many mini games to this game, for example, mayhem missions. In Mayhem missions you have to try your best to cause as much destruction as possible in the set amount of time. Main missions have many references to saints row the third so playing that game before hand isn't really necessary, but would make the experience better. The characters have their own funny and unique personality while playing which is worth noticing. This game though, is not something to really be played a whole lot once the campaign is done. This is why I'm not a big fan of this game as it isn't very re-playable and doesn't do enough to draw the people back to the game. Overall, this game does provide 30+ hours worth of content, but I would rather rent this game then buy it on the market.

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Graphics

The graphics in this game are pretty good and fit quite well on the certain worlds that you play on. In the simulation the world seems dark, dull, and saturated with colors at night. The city lights up with life and the aliens roam the city in their ships which look pretty cool. From day to night this game looks pretty good and the city looks even better. When traveling around the city you can see the amount of detail that they put into each and every building and scenery around the map. Guns have greats amounts of detail in them whether it be from bullets to the looks of the gun. Plant life looks realistic, but also very choppy at times. When in the simulation world the textures freeze or glitch up making you feel like you are actually in the simulation with them. Explosions look great while playing and animations are fluent. Frames can become an issue sometimes when it comes to running extremely fast through the city which I don't like. Overall, the graphics are great, but with the fixing of frame issues I think it will become even better looking.

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Controls

When it comes to controls this game does a decent job. If you have played any other saints row games it is basically the same controls. but, now with super powers there are new controls added to help the player use them more wisely. Speeding through the map feels great on consoles and I've always had a fun time doing it. But, when it comes to the super powers it's kind of hard to control where you want to actually go. Jumping onto tall buildings is a problem sometimes because the super jump makes controlling the character pretty hard. Also hitting into walls while jumping causes a lot of problems that can make you frustrated. Running is also hard when traveling across the map as it is hard to stop in place. Combat feels awesome while playing and melee weapons were probably one of my most favorite things to use. Shooting guns can be hard to do when you have super powers as you go so fast. Overall, the controls are pretty nice, but are more aggravating then actually enjoyable.

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Ratings (Personal)
Plot: 6.5/10
Game play: 7/10
Graphics: 8/10
Controls: 8/10
Overall: 7.4/10