For the past few weeks I’ve been pretty much just playing Saints Row IV, Volition’s latest release to the wacky franchise that will be coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC next week.  Going back to 2006, I can remember watching friends playing the original Saints Row, but at that time the game didn’t keep me pulled in, even though most of my friends praised the game for being awesome. I didn’t own a Xbox 360 until a year later, which granted me the chance to start on many games. Fast forward to today, and I’ve had the chance to catch up with Saints Row, Saints Row 2,  and Saints Row: The Third.

Does Saints Row IV live up to all its predecessors, or does it crash like a computer system with a bad virus?

As we know the Saints Row series is an ongoing one, which started in Stilwater. After being in Stilwater (Saints Row/Saints Row 2) you progress to living in Steelport (Saints Row: The Third), and now to being the President of the United States (Saints Row IV) – what could go wrong? To catch you up to the events happening within Saints Row IV: the game starts off five years after the events of the last mission within Saints Row: The Third. If you’ve yet to play Saints Row: The Third I’ll simply refer to the mission as “Save Shaundi”. Since then the leader of the Third Street Saints has been elected the President of the United States, but soon after the Earth is attacked by aliens known as the Zin, led by the emperor Zinyak.  I would go more into what will happen after this, but spoilers. I’ll fast forward a bit to state that you’re now within a virtual world of Steelport. How? What must you do to get out? How will you defeat Zinyak? What has caused all this to happen? These are all good questions that everyone will find out August 20th.

The gameplay to Saints Row IV is very similar to what Saints Row: The Third had along with a few new buttons to learn. The main difference is due to having super powers in this latest chapter of the story. You’ll learn these controls in no time with the help of missions and pop-ups as you play telling you what each button will do. Remember when you could hold LB and run which then led you to attempt an awesome beat-down on a civilian? You can still do that, but now with super powers you can destroy them. Just picture yourself throwing them, stomping heads in and so much more. See the picture above? That’s me slamming my fist in the chest of a cop. How awesome is that? Anyways, you’ll have many side games such as Mayhem, Tank Mayhem, Super Power Fight Club, Super Power Race, and much more. The list of things to do is nearly endless, plus you don’t have to follow any set rules. Solo you can just goof off, play main story/side missions, and when playing co-op as I have the best time ever. Something else new within the game is co-op side games to play (such as cat and mouse and others) for you to find. As I’ve dabbled a little into co-op…this game is meant for both playing solo or co-op.  Having friends join you will increase your enjoyment, and is something not to pass up on.  While solo play is great, this game is definitely better played with friends since you can cause even more mayhem.

Now let’s get into the graphics and audio within Saints Row IV. What is new, what has changed, and what is there to expect as you play? With the graphics in Saints Row IV, many people state that the game looks just like Saints Row: The Third. I can agree with that, but only to a certain degree. We’ve grown used to what the city looks like, and it’s something no one should really complain over. I mean, I can name a few games that use the same crap over and over again, yet you don’t see those fans bitching. I’m not saying Saints Row IV is doing the same either, but it’s something no one should care about. Isn’t it about having fun anyways? With a game such as this, Volition kept it very straightforward and polished – more than what Saints Row: The Third showed, along with some extra awesome features that you’ll find and see as you play. An example being the rendering of the city, to outfits you wear to even the weapons you use. Plus, you can now add different skins to your weapons. What happens if you do so? You’ll be able to change the appearance of course, but also how they’re used. Example would be my pistol that looks like as if it was from Star Trek and shoots lasers. That’s only one example of things you’ll be able to change. Hell, if that wasn’t all just look at that nice glowing dildo bat in the picture below that my character is holding. The amount of content Volition included in this game is quite large, so it would be hard to go into everything since there will be so much to find and see.

The audio within the game has been amazing, and I don’t say that often when it comes to audio. This means voice acting, in-game music and possibly more. Just booting up the game you can clearly tell that the voice acting was right on with the game environment. Nothing has really changed with the vibes the characters give off as you play. When getting further into the game some attitudes change, but I’ll leave that to you to find out since you’ll be laughing, crying (in a good way), and more. As for the music I can state now that this has been the best selection of music since Saints Row: The Third. I can’t help but have Doctor P, Flux Pavilion, Datsik, Aerosmith and so much more playing. There is nothing like being in a party chat as well and having everyone break into singing, “What is Love” by Haddaway. You can clearly see that Volition hasn’t given up on the series and will continue to push with good in-game acting, and great music selections.

Overall, Saints Row IV is a game that has pulled me in within the first hour of playing. When I look back at the game Saints Row: The Third, I can’t help but see that Volition has made sure to keep true to bringing gamers a good game. This is one title that no one should pass up since you’ll be having fun from start to end. Whether its solo or co-op you’ll have so many things to do. Ever wanted to blow shit up with super powers? You can! Did you ever want to run across the city at high speeds and kill people with super powers? Now you can! Would you like to cause damage with the power of a Dubstep gun? Again, you can do all this within Saints Row IV. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind game that is over the top this is it!