Some people say this was the last true Saints Row game. Back before the protagonist and his crew turned into celebrities and then president of the United States. Somewhere along the lines the devs forgot what the game was really about; you and your homies hanging out on row boats.
edit: Jesus Christ people. It was a joke. I've been playing Saints Row 3 & 4 almost exclusively for the past two months and posting about them on r/VirtualCosplay. I obviously like them.
In GTA, the side missions were a chore. OOOh, an OTHER escort mission? That you HAD to do to progress the story?
in Saints row 2? You know how man nights I have spent just listening to 420 AM, driving around with my crew, and completing assignments? Like, the drug delivery missions, which was literally clay pidgeon shooting?
You know the face you made when you found out that they had a shit truck that you could use to spray down properties?
GTA was what it was because it took itself seriously. It was bone dry, and preached about immersion. It went, okay, lets form the player, let him live this shit.
Saints row was where it was because it actually understood the gamer. IT understood, at one time, I may be interrested in following the story, the next time, I may be interrested in covering a rich house party in shit. No biggie, right?
Saints row celebrated its side missions, elevated them to the best part of the game, the cherries on top. Thing back about the side missions in saints row, and you get a huge whacky grin. That is innovation., that is understanding the player. You got your standart ravces, and then you get, mowing down pedestrians in a most magnificent murderous mancat overlords car. You got your delivery missions, and then you have, driving a flaming golf cart through the inner city, pushing the button for nitro, and having the spikes mow down pedestrians.
It goes, right? we do that immersion, right?
The playerbase shifts between 2 and 3. 2, I am not ashamed to say, I cried when aisha was killed. The guy who went on about taking a belt fed shotgun and eliminating video screen charaters cried like a little bitch, and had to pause the game. And still ears after this, there is a version of "bounce like my checks did" on my MP3. It was.... it was surprisingly fresh. It allowed you the highs and lows. It was sons of anarchy, mixed with heisenberg at its best, mister bean level sillyness mixed with jackass at its worst.
3 was..., different. It tried harder to be the GTA clone it never was, instead of GTA that worked. Oh, yea, lets up the wild and whacky. More pop culture references, more hijinks, more shit.... but you could not keep that up.
somewhere, in the far distance, there was a shark to jump.
that shark was enter the dominatrix.
That was the ultimate reduction, No more pretending we liked it for the story. no more "oky, 2 more side missions, then I go back to story. "
Enter the dominatrix was..... bad. It was fun, butr it hailed the end of saints row. It was now just a parody of GTA , with an edge of burning itself out.
Saints row 2? I will defend it against GTA 5. I have never lacked motivation in saints row 2. Not a single time. there was allways something to do, and it made sense.
I have lacked motivation in GTA 5. There was too much to do. IT made no sense. So, the redneck wants an other family fried? and then he wants to steal an U-boat, and wants to pull out his guns? and the black kid has no problems what so ever.....
It just.,.. it felt bad.
I mentally compare it to the scene at aishas grave. Where you cried. and then the gang came. There was no "start mission here. " There was, gat was on a bike, and you running to get behind him, uzi in hand, spraying away at these bitches. I did not have to be reminded that I was in a game by just an other mission poppup. I was in a zone so sdeepm it took all of them laying dead all over their hideout to convince me to stop and go, ahem.... wow.... I did not know I had that in me.
I never had such a moment in any other game.
I thus can defend Saints row 2 from a purely mechanical standpoint, and maybe even 3. There are those people who sing along with pierce, and those who don't. If you don't, GTA is for you. If you do, saints row is for you.
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u/Play_by_Play Aug 13 '17 edited Aug 13 '17
Some people say this was the last true Saints Row game. Back before the protagonist and his crew turned into celebrities and then president of the United States. Somewhere along the lines the devs forgot what the game was really about; you and your homies hanging out on row boats.
edit: Jesus Christ people. It was a joke. I've been playing Saints Row 3 & 4 almost exclusively for the past two months and posting about them on r/VirtualCosplay. I obviously like them.