*This review is 100% spoiler free. Feel free to read freely*
For nearly a month, Australians have waited to get their paws on a copy of this game. Some did by eBay, ordering overseas and multitudes of other ways while the Attorney Generals fluffed around with "issues" with the game. But finally, gamers rejoice as Saints Row IV finally makes its way to our consoles. It is no secret that I've been a massive fan since the very first game, especially so since it was my first game ever played on my Xbox 360. The first Deep Silver game in the series, it's obvious to see that no matter the outcome, you'll definitely have a dropped jaw at one point.
Saints Row was all about making a name in the gang community, it's sequel was rebuilding that reputation. Saints Row The Third enhanced on that by making their name worldwide with ever more ridiculousness and then there's Number 4; compared to the last installment, they took everything about the previous title, grabbed several cans of energy drinks and other random items and churned them together in a giant blender. Let the adventure begin!
Saints Row sees players begin on an international assassination of a deadly, and recognisable foe. With this person no longer a threat and the US saved by the protagonist, the Saints become beloved by all and the leader becomes the President. Five years later, right before a press conference, the Zin Empire and their Emperor Zinyak invades Earth and takes all the best and brightest humans prisoner. But I shall reveal no more!
While it's well know that SR4 was a double crossed joke (April Fools joke which later turned out to be a real DLC in production), the production eventually became so big that a sequel came into works, much like many other DLCs in the industry. Because of this, gameplay is very similar to the predecessor; This applies to many of the key components of the game such as sound effects and the obvious likeness to other small time games such as Prototype and Crackdown (For power bases). The menu bar holds all of your needs in game and is simple to use. The Back button will lead you to the multitude of the game's features such as the Map, Powers, Upgrades, Cache and of course, the Options and Cheats menu. In that retrospect, the game is quite familiar to the touch and easy to handle, even with the usage of powers and abilities.
Super powers are definitely a massive plus in the game, adding a definite edge to the game entirely.
Where escaping or weaponry doesn't help, Powers will become your best friend in combat as well as travel. This however is a hindrance to some of the game mechanics. With Super Speed and Super Jump (The very first two powers you get), it definitely makes travelling and exploration fun but makes driving pointless and only as a leisure or task assessed usage. The same goes with your powers; they can be utter devastation to enemies but make most weaponry useless. Alien weapons will quickly become your most used weaponry, doubly so for your specialty weaponry such as the Disinegrator, the Dubstep gun and so on.
The storyline is one of ridiculousness but is quite decent and holds together well. Fans will welcome the craziness and often cheezy punchlines but as the story progresses, it turns into one of revenge, justice and a massive "f**k you" to Zinyak, the added Shakespeare was just the cherry on top for me. Gamers should expect 41% of Storyline gameplay without playing any side missions. The voice acting was, as always, over the top and utterly crazy. Troy Baker makes his return to main role (A first for the SR series), while many others also make an appearance, even the legend Nolan North. This being said, a lot of the older cast from the original game return, whereas some could not. Benjamin King was originally voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan (RIP) but was replaced with Terry Crews. Tonya Winters originally voiced by Mila Kunis, however she too was replaced with Ursula Taherian and so on. Many new and old faces make an appearance but I'll leave that as a surprise for you. Just remember to keep an open mind and enjoy the nostalgia.
Sound effects aren't something you can boast much about as a lot of the weaponry is similar if not tweaked slightly, the only fresher sounds being Powers or alien weaponry. As a man who doesn't like Dubstep, even the Dubstep Gun was fun to use. Speaking of which, the musical score is a nice touch of both modern and classic music, with fans happy that this includes the return of Reggae radio station. Mixtapes also make a return but what makes this even better is a feature returning from the very first Saints Row. Mixtapes and now even radio stations can be played without being in a car. Jumping rooftop to rooftop while playing "Opposite's Attract" will definitely fill in some of your free time.
With extra customisation, a mass amount of side missions and plenty of things to do, this will equally kill some time on par to most games over 20 hours of gameplay. And while the game is fun, addictive and great to play, it's also saddening to a degree, especially so with the amount of audio, visual and console freezing. Saints Row IV is a game of a lifetime that bars no hold on the insanity, yet it's difficult to think of how Volition will be able to top themselves here or where to go from here. Saints Row has come far from gangas killing each other to a universal killing spree of all things that stand against the Saints. The depth and sincerity of Saints Row is long gone but in this gamer's view, let the madness continue!
Out of 10, I give Saints Row IV a 8/10
+So much nostaliga...
+Musical score was brilliant
+SUPER POWERS
+Shoutouts to Star Wars/Trek and Mass Effect
+Unlike SR3, tutorial won't be 3/4 of the game
+Effective and cheezy jokes are awesome
-Powers overdone and make weaponry/vehicles useless and pointless
-So many damn glitches for a delayed game
-Two rescue missions, none for the other four? =/
-Many of the new faces from SR3 don't/won't return
-Narration gives away a lot of the main plotlines
Saints Row IV is out now for the standard price of $80
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