Is there really not a Saints Row IV thread yet? It's out here in eight hours!

[NeoCracker]

Yeah, the game has a weapon that you shove up a dudes ass, and it tounges them up the bum as it spreads, ripping the man apart.

How are we not talking about this yet?

[Aulayna]

It's out here....


next week.

[Jiro]

It's out here... October? Fucking delays because fucking anal probes. fucking fuck fucks.

[Vyk]

Wow. My sympathies. It's getting so many rave reviews lately, and the developer diaries talking about how much love and fun there is to be had in it. I can't wait. I wish I had pre-ordered it. I adored all the other games. Even though Saints Row: The Third was kind of a stumble for them, I still really enjoyed it. I have faith in the team

Unfortunately, I'm saving up for something at the moment, and may not be able to get this game for a while. Super-duper sad. Maybe I'll rent it for now

[NeoCracker]

Okay, Kinzie is freaking awesome in this.

Also a tentacle bat.

[Psychotic]

Not out here yet. I wasn't going to get it but then they released a video titled "Gat is back" and my response was "let me give you all of my moneys".

[NeoCracker]

I've not seen him yet, and I put 9.5 hours in. However, I only did like, a few story missions and had just been collecting data clusters and doing side missions.

I do however have a 36% completion. Gat has been mentioned though, but I'll save spoiling the way they describe him for those not yet there or not with game yet, cause it's pretty fucking awesome.

[Pike]

You guys have gotta learn to get around this limited release stuff like Huxley did. He's been playing this nonstop since yesterday. I'm actually kind of surprised he eventually went to bed :shobon:

[Jiro]

I don't even know if the watered down version has been approved for sale in Australia yet, tbh, it's making me sad because everything I see is making me so happy and I just wanna play it :(

[Madame Adequate]

Everything that was wrong with 3 is not wrong in 4 it is the Game Of The Infinite Vortices Of Time and welp it's a bit late now because it's out in EU in like 7 and a half hours but VPN bitches, learn to use them.

The shipboard romance options are literally the best thing. That's not a misuse of literally - they are the best event that has ever transpired in the entire course of our universe's long history.

Saints Row 4 = (Citizen Kane x the collected works of Shakespeare)hagia sofia

Edit: holy shit my set's even purple, Pike is a wizard :cool:

[Vyk]

Yeah, I wasn't able to afford the game at the moment, so we rented it instead, and its one of the most entertaining pieces of gaming history in like ever. The Citizen Kane thing may be a stretch, as its not really a dramatic piece of gold. But it is a FUN piece of gold. Had I the money, I would have easily paid $100 or more for this kind of entertainment. They have refined the craft they were fumbling around with in SR3, and now I'm not even mad that its not enough like SR2 anymore. It's its own thing. And it is glorious

[Quindiana Jones]

I am going to get this game because MILF mathed me into it.

Shame I'll not have glorious, glorious co-op. :(

[Psychotic]

They fixed Saints Row 3? Toot toot all aboard why isn't it tomorrow yet :colbert:

Shot in the dark but do any 360 owners who get it/plan to get it want some co-op shenanigans?

[Madame Adequate]

Afraid I have the PC version, due to the new modding potential.

PS I did a superpowered powerbomb. On a toilet.

[Vyk]

lol Hand-to-hand combat is so much fun now that you're Neo

Also Kenzie punched me in the face and jumped on me

And I liked it

[Madame Adequate]

Look out, here comes Paul!

[NeoCracker]

Oh god, Pierces Loyalty Mission. XD

DAMN YOU ZINYAK FOR BUTCHERING BIZ MARKIE!

[Aulayna]

Meh I really want to get this but the financials are a bit tight right now and early access for XIV starts the day after it's released here. :s

[NeoCracker]

...Now having romanced/Sexed everyone the game lets me, I must say Ben King's may be my favorite, if only for it's contrast to all others. This is closely followed by Kenzi and Asha.

Pretty close to finishing it now though, expecting to do so by Saturday, perhaps Sunday if I've misjudged the game length.

I also have my Rep level at 50, so the only upgrades I don't have access too are shit you need to do the bonus missions for.

[Madame Adequate]

I finished this last night and I think it might be GOTY and I say that keeping EU4 in mind.

Sacrifice whatever you need to - get this game.

[NeoCracker]

If only this game hadn't come out just before all of my weeks shifts I'd have finished it by now. :(

That said I'll finish it tonight most likely.

[Skyblade]

I am getting this game now. Never played a Saint's Row game before, no previous interest in the series, this is just based on recommendations. I hope I don't hate your taste in games in a few minutes hours (stupid download times).

Game of the Year, ha. It still has to beat Fire Emblem Awakening

[Vyk]

They don't shoe-horn exposition, but they generally give enough that I doubt you'll be very lost regarding the motivation behind much. Just don't expect them to introduce characters with full back stories, they presume you do know them, or at least know OF them. But you'll get the general idea behind everyone regardless. So I think it's okay to just jump right in. But the previous games really aren't too bad. I'd recommend them too, for just simple fun. The second one is really highly regarded for managing to get out some believably good drama as well

[Madame Adequate]

I'm not sure if it'll be quite as good to people who haven't played the previous ones, but yeah it's still gonna be pretty amazing.

Especially if you've read your Poe.

[NeoCracker]

Well, before I clear out the final mission, I must say Kinzie pretty much stole this entire game for me. There was not a moment involving her that wasn't just wonderful, especially her simulated nightmare. XD

Edit: Unless something happens post credits.... This ending is kind of disappointing.

[Skyblade]

So, I spent most of last night with the game, and I thought I'd give my impressions.

I won't deny that it's a good game. But it has a ton of problems that keep it from being a great game. I'll be talking problems first, then I'll discuss what I like about the game at the end.

First, it suffers from Assassin's Creed syndrome. It has a huge selection of weapons that it gives you tons of control over, and then it makes all of those useless by giving you access to the game's best weapon within the first twenty minutes. In AC, it was the Hidden Blades. Here, it's the Super Sprint Beatdown. Saint's Row also applies this to a fairly interesting vehicle customization and collection system, which would otherwise be a fun and interesting sidequest, by making Super Sprint and jumping far better than cars anyway, to the point that you'll never use them.

Combat with weapons is at its strongest in the very first mission of the game (which is good, because that's probably the only time, outside of lieutenants, that you'll use guns). The intro level shooter, due to the fact that it's an indoor area, had lots of cover, good choke points, and some excellent high ground spaces. Unfortunately, most of the game is open world exploration and combat on the cityscape, so we get none of that, turning weapon combat into just mass firepower tactics between the sides, and you're usually outnumbered. So, again, ignore weapons, and just use your superpowers.

I'm also not a fan of the game's story presentation. I can't really tell any difference between story missions, and the simple sandbox objectives that I complete as I explore the city naturally. There are no memorable bosses, no really fun objectives. I do like the game's sandbox, but the campaign is way too much of the same sandbox, and they missed an opportunity for some impressive missions and set pieces. At least thus far.

This is further punctuated by a lack of enemies. There are, as far as I can tell, three enemies in the entire game. Policemen, Alien Soldiers, and Lieutenants. None of them speak, or have any personality whatsoever, even with the Lieutenants show up in cutscenes. They have an incredibly fun main villain, but they surround him with boring, forgettable henchmen who have nothing to distinguish them from any other in your mind.



That aside, the rest of the game is really swell. The superpower mechanics are great, the writing is incredibly enjoyable, the characters are memorable, the customization options (even for weapons and such which you'll never use) are diverse and fun to play with, and the sandbox objectives are all solid (well, except hacking).

So it's a fun game. But it's nowhere near as good as it could have been, and it is definitely not the Game of the Year.

[Madame Adequate]

I can't refute that by saying you're simply wrong, but I will say that you're approaching Saints Row with the wrong attitude in mind. This is NOT a game which revolves around, or even requires, any sort of optimum play style or digging up powerful weapons in obscure places or anything like that. You get the Super Sprint Beatdown early on because it's fucking awesome and in Saints Row that's really all that matters - and as great as it is it's far from the best weapon in the game, as it's not the Dubstep Gun, 'Merica, the Black Hole Gun, a Laserarm, a Void, or fully-upgraded Death From Above. But that's the thing, just about any weapon in the game right down to your bare superpowered hands is viable because it's about dressing how you want, driving what you want, and using whatever weapons/powers you want to fuck up Zin. If you're playing SR and looking for the most powerful weapon and most efficient way to kill enemies then you're doing it wrong, because what you should be doing is using the Dubstep Gun to make everyone dance while explosive wubs deal with enemy vehicles, and then you run up to an alien and hit him in the balls so hard he flies 30 feet, then you Freeze the area, run straight up a skyscraper in a couple seconds, jump off, and Stomp the intersection you were just at so hard that everyone and everything shatters into shards of ice.

I will agree that enemy types are a bit lacking in the early game, though that gets better as you progress. (Then those rolly robot bastards show up and you quickly regret wishing for more enemy types.)

[Skyblade]

Well, these are early impressions. I don't have most of those weapons or abilities. My newest acquisitions are the Rocket Launcher and Sniper Rifle, and Freeze Blast is new too.

The Sniper Rifle does get a ton of use for me, even without upgrades, so as I get more weapons, or the cache to upgrade others, it'll probably shift my opinion.

Is there an alien shotgun?

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah, the Thumpgun, though I rolled with the Auto-Shotty so I can't tell you how it performs.

[NeoCracker]

Auto-Shotgun is pretty much my weapon of choice in that game, though I had a lot of fun with other weapons. :p

[Skyblade]

Auto-Shotgun is pretty much my weapon of choice in that game, though I had a lot of fun with other weapons. :p

I've never really been a shotgun fan, to be honest. I rarely use them in any game.

But I found myself with the Alien Rifle, SMG, and Pistols, so I was hoping there would be a shotgun to use somewhere.

The Sniper Rifle is great because it lets me approach fights differently. Especially the Flashpoints. I run up to a building above them and can eliminate the entire group with no trouble in moments.

I've played around with Dual Pistols and the Rifle some, and both are decent, especially if you can get headshots. But I really need to start upgrading to get some real use out of them, I think.

I think the Sprint Beatdown is a bit overpowered though. I mean, you're invincible during it (kind of necessary, since it steals control from you), it instantly kills almost everything, and you can absorb any drops from enemies before your invincibility even ends. It's also extremely easy to target. I dunno, it just feels a bit imbalanced.

[NeoCracker]

I can clear out of room of dudes using nothing but pistols, one shotting them all with an easy to land head shot.

Sprint Beat Down doesnt' really compete with Pistol Efficiency. :p

[Psychotic]

I don't wanna cloooooose my eyyyyyyyyyyyes!

I don't wanna faaaaaall asleeeeeep cause I'll miss Saints, baby

And I don't wanna miss a thiiiiiing.

[Skyblade]

Are the other channels as completely awesome as the classical station?

I can't really imagine how that could be possible, but I haven't really tested them more than a few seconds.

[Psychotic]

Look out, here comes Paul!Indeed.

Also I love and hate the Dubstep Gun. Love because it destroys worlds, hate because it plays one of the worse genres of music known to man.

Good game so far, probably better than 3 and the Superpowers are immense. It is a bit repetitive which was a weakness of 3 though. Also cars are kind of... obsolete now, haha.

[Madame Adequate]

Also I love and hate the Dubstep Gun. Love because it destroys worlds, hate because it plays one of the worse genres of music known to man.

But that's why it's so great? I mean I'm waiting for the O Fortuna mod, sure, but still.

[NeoCracker]

The Dubstep gun needs to work to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar.

Edit:

Also, I might be in the minority here, but I enjoyed this just a bit more then Saints Row 2.

*prepares to run*

[Madame Adequate]

I don't think I rate this quite as highly as 2 but it's really not very far off. I don't know though, 2 didn't have Super Sprint Beatdowns.

[NeoCracker]

Inevitably while 3 was my least favorite, I loved Kinzie in it. And considering she's all over this game? That's a huge bonus for me.

Also, oh god the Romances. XD

Between Asha and Kinzie I don't know who I liked more. Mind you the joy from both stem from Kinze.

Asha's is all 'I want rough sex but Kinzie Might kill me so I came here'.

THough Ben Kingsly steals it for Romance's. You get all that smooth talk and bashfulness, all just for him to not sex you, but sign your copy of his book. XD

Gats was... Just plain bad though.

I also don't think there was a side quest in this I didn't enjoy doing.

As far as actual serious Plot moments, up until now my favorite SR moments were the Brotherhood killing Carlos in 2, the 'Kill Killbane' ending in SR3, though now? It was the scene where...

Matt says it's a bad Idea to save Gat, then Kinzie basically rips you a new asshole as to why it's a bad Idea, but they are going ahead and doing it anyway.

The ending though was leaving a lot to be desired. If just kind of stopped.

[Skyblade]

Also I love and hate the Dubstep Gun. Love because it destroys worlds, hate because it plays one of the worse genres of music known to man.

But that's why it's so great? I mean I'm waiting for the O Fortuna mod, sure, but still.

Man, now I want the Dubstep gun to change depending on what radio station you select.

[Psychotic]

AND YOU SAY HE'S JUST A FRIEND

I beat the game. It was a fun experience. I wish I had a co-op bro though. Maybe more thoughts later.

[Vyk]

I was completely satisfied with the ending. Makes me wonder if they'll actually use that aspect in a future Saints game. Kinda hoping not. But these days, I trust their zaniness. So if they want to try it, I imagine it'll still be fun. All-in-all, it was one of the most fun weeks in gaming I've had pretty much this generation. The game did everything right for me, so it kind of resonated in a way it might not for people with different tastes, or of different age ranges. Loved all the references implemented.

[NeoCracker]

They pretty much said this is the last in this line of Saints Row games, as they don't think they could top the Zaniness. Not that it's the last Saints Row, but that it seems likely the last with the Third Street Saints as we know them.

[Skyblade]

If you are still playing this game, play Offline. DO NOT DOWNLOAD TODAY'S PATCH.

It deleted some weapons entirely, left duplicate copies of others, removed DLC (yeah, I don't have a 'Merica anymore), prevented weapon customization of non-store weapons, forced you to rebuy some weapons, and basically broke everything related to the weapon system completely and totally.

It also was after this patch that my first game crash happened, but that might be a coincidence.

Volition is aware of the bug and is working on a fix. They're also looking for fixes for possible problems with consoles, but I didn't go to those threads to see what they might be.

[Madame Adequate]

What system's that Skyblade? I was playing just now on PC and had no problems at all.

[Skyblade]

What system's that Skyblade? I was playing just now on PC and had no problems at all.

I'm playing the Steam version.

It's apparently affecting a lot of different people in different ways, but it has messed with the weapons systems of tons of users. Not sure what affects it. Some people say they only lose a weapon or two, others have their entire system messed up.

A few people have even been unable to purchase upgrades, so it's slightly beyond the weapon system apparently.

No guarantee that you'll be affected, I suppose, since it is hitting everyone differently, but I still think it's safer to just avoid downloading the patch.

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah I've seen some people elsewhere having troubles. Guess I got lucky, hopefully they get it fixed real soon :(

[Vyk]

Aw man. I know this is frustrating for the people it's happening to, but it also makes me sad that this will mess with their momentum. They were going out with a bang. Even though companies like GameTrailers and IGN were still giving the game shit for not being "Call Of Duty" enough, everyone else was falling in love. But this completely throws a wrench into that for people who were waiting for a price drop, or just still blindly hating the game for not being "Saints Row 2" enough. Here's hoping for a good outcome in the end

[Skyblade]

Aw man. I know this is frustrating for the people it's happening to, but it also makes me sad that this will mess with their momentum. They were going out with a bang. Even though companies like GameTrailers and IGN were still giving the game trout for not being "Call Of Duty" enough, everyone else was falling in love. But this completely throws a wrench into that for people who were waiting for a price drop, or just still blindly hating the game for not being "Saints Row 2" enough. Here's hoping for a good outcome in the end

They're idiots for comparing it to Call of Duty.

If I were to compare it to another IP, it'd be Ratchet and Clank.

[Vyk]

There weren't really any comparisons. Its just the fact that IGN are complete dudebros who were bought out by big companies to give AAA rehashes better scores than they deserve. And lately I've noticed GameTrailers taking a similar trend. I can only assume a lot of good scores are bought. And a lot of bad scores are given out of biased ignorance

[Skyblade]

The ending though was leaving a lot to be desired. If just kind of stopped.

Really? I thought the ending was brilliant.

You get a multi-part mission using your entire crew, get a set of real power armor, lay the smack down on Zinyak in an epic fight scene, take over the galaxy, and then meet Jane Austin.

I mean, what more would you do? How could you possibly top that?

Or did you not watch the post-credit scene?

[Psychotic]

The only Saints game with an actually epic ending was the original and I suspect I'm the only one of you awful people to have played it. Though I guess Saints 3 was good depending on what you did.

I think my main issue with the game is that it is literally Saints 3 with shiny stuff added. I get why, it expanded out of DLC, but it just feels like a long DLC. Look at the leap between 2 and 3. Even the leap between 1 and 2 was substantial though they were on the same engine. Don't get me wrong, it was a definite and huge improvement on 3 and I absolutely loved it. I was just a bit "hang on a minute..." when even the menus were the same.

What I did like was how the "Activities as missions" disappointment of 3 was turned into a series of side-quests in 4. Admittedly the side-quests were very shallow with a couple of lines of dialogue and minimal story justification, but it just felt better to have a clear goal and to get some sweet rewards.

[Skyblade]

The only Saints game with an actually epic ending was the original and I suspect I'm the only one of you awful people to have played it.

Well, first, I was never really a fan of the whole "gang simulator" thing that Saint's Row and GTA were focused around, so I never really had any interest. Then too, the series was a relative unknown until SR2 anyway.

And, lastly, it's not my fault that Volition stuck it on the least appealing console of the generation and never gave it a rerelease or port.

That said, I fail to see how SR1's ending could best SR4's.

[Vyk]

I've been in love with the series since the first one. I wasn't drawn in by 2 or 3. I was already there :P

Having a mute character finally say some lines towards the end of everything and then get blown up by the people he trusted most, and finding out everyone but Johnny was either two-faced or traitorous was pretty dramatic. And the fact that at the time there was no gaurantee of a sequel left you to believe your character just died was certainly a twist. But it didn't feel very satisfying. I liked #2's ending where you rain hell on all those who oppose you and ride off into the sunset, the maniacally evil hero of the day

[Madame Adequate]

The only Saints game with an actually epic ending was the original and I suspect I'm the only one of you awful people to have played it.

Son.

[NeoCracker]

I actually thought 2's was damn good when you finally put a bullet in that corprate guys head. That was so god damn satisfying.