Saints Row IV – PS3
This is a game that comes heavy with history before it reaches the shelves. It is the fourth in a franchise series that has titillated, offended and entertained us in the past and it comes to the Australian public, edited and partially crippled a month later than other places in the world.
By Wayne Webb
This is a game that comes heavy with history before it reaches the shelves. It is the fourth in a franchise series that has titillated, offended and entertained us in the past and it comes to the Australian public, edited and partially crippled a month later than other places in the world.
Before the game could be released in Australia it had to go through three separate proceedings for classification (from what I can gather) – removing a weapon from the arsenal that was deemed too offensive, cutting a side mission with references to alien narcotics in it and then finally getting approval after these tiny changes. However due to the aforementioned issues, the international multiplayer mode is no longer compatible and Aussies will only have themselves to play with instead of the global gaming community.
I reviewed the previous effort in January last year and found it to be fun, exciting and far too silly to be taken seriously. I mentioned at the time that it was not for the easily offended and that it got a little boring in trying to shock too much. Cue this latest version and the new Alien Invader/Matrix storyline and the over-the-top factor has increased once more. This time it's so farcical and so unbelievable that it works better than the previous one. The bulk of this game is not real even by its own standards. The game you play is a virtual reality prison where your actions are simulated and have no real-world consequences and played for fun. All of which makes its confusing as to why this was refused classification.
The game itself has some nifty new additions that lay over the top of a carbon copy of Saints Row the Third. The City of Steelport, the vehicles, weapons and the missions are done the same way, the layouts and the buildings look identical to the previous ones. Except now they are not 'real' and you can upgrade yourself Neo-Style with super speed, telekinetic powers and the ability to leap tall buildings. The resulting alien invader battles, armed with super powers, are massive fun and I cannot see how anyone could take this seriously. Saints Row IV is a hoot and so much more engaging, entertaining and intelligent compared to its predecessor.
Crippled by a few surgical cuts, which reduce the multiplayer to local only, and a delayed release date of September, this is actually a decent game and one I am much more likely to power on through to the finish and enjoy every step of the way. Definitely not for kids, but for adults with a good sense of humour who want an open world, sandbox style game to occupy them until GTA V comes along in a few weeks.I can definitely recommend this one.
Pros: Loads of action, Humour, brimming with missions and collectibles, super powers and upgrades.
Cons: Classification issues, unnecessary cuts, compromised multiplayer for Australia.
4.5 Shacks Out Of 5
