r/SaintsRow 18h ago

Saints Row The Third Retrospective

33 Upvotes

Me and my wife just replayed the entire series together, and what stuck out to me the most, was how abysmally bad SR3 is. I'm gonna pick it apart, mostly just to get my own thoughts out, but also to see if anyone feels the same about this overrated mess.

And that's just what it is, right? Overrated. SR fans hold it up as some kind of wonderful compromise between 2 and 4, when it's really the worst of both, a game that does nothing uniquely well. It's characters are just ugly caricatures of the 2010's, it's story is nonsensical and borderline non-existent, and it's open world is, no contest, the most lifeless, boring, personality-less, dead thing I've ever seen. The whole game is a hollow vehicle for the dev's cornball GenX chungus humor and very little else besides.

I'm not bound to nostalgia by any means, but playing it right after 2, it's impossible not to compare. Impossible not to notice just how much less there is to do in 3. The effort from the devs is just not here. The activities are incredibly dull and frustrating, the customization is half what it was, the interiors and map variety are gone, the illusion of freedom in a big sandbox is lost. Not to mention, it's buggy as all hell, especially in co-op.

What surprised me though, is how even 4 was a step up. 4 at least KNOWS what it is. It gives you some fun stuff to fool around with, and despite how absurd it is, actually takes its premise and characters seriously at times. Weirdly, it treats the OG games with much more reverence than their direct sequel did. It also at least remembers to be a fun game first, rather than JUST a parody, which was such a relief after toiling through 3.

I couldn't believe how much time and, I guess, nostalgia had warped my perspective of SR3. Couldn't believe what a chore it was. It's a crass, gray, ugly dick joke wrapped up like a video game. It peaks in the first hour and then nosedives off a cliff, never to recover. What a sad hunk of shit. Should've turned it off as soon as "Power" wrapped up.


r/SaintsRow 22h ago

SR1 After coming back and playing the saints row franchise again and trying all of them for the millionth time sr1 was so bare bones it felt like an arcade game. (Still love it)

14 Upvotes

Don't attack the messenger here I had fun today for a few hours. I will honestly say once I hopped onto saints row 2 I felt a world of a difference. After playing all of them it reminded me how much saints 1 felt like an arcade game. But still very much an amazing game.

The map is relatively small most things in the game are basic and yk it actually is fun but I can't feel myself getting the entertainment level of any other sr. It reminds me of gow 1 where you have fun it's playable but man I can't grind it out.

What games do you find that are fun to play but just doesn't have a lot of sustenance?

(Edit) Sr3/4 pmo with how much they unnecessarily put things in b they just had no business putting in. Sr3 unfortunately was where the game lost the plot.


r/SaintsRow 4h ago

General Saints row 1-2 Xbox series x

5 Upvotes

How often do these games get discounted on Xbox store?

About a year ago I could have gotten these games as a buy one get one free deal but I didn’t. (I regret it so much)

Which is making me not buy it full price. Since then game has not gone on sale.


r/SaintsRow 14h ago

SR Any power fans here?

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16 Upvotes

Made the ghost and tommy from the power series


r/SaintsRow 8h ago

GoH Kinzie Kensington is one of my favorite supporting characters ever.

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81 Upvotes

r/SaintsRow 23h ago

SR2 2 johnny’s

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152 Upvotes

r/SaintsRow 17h ago

Saints Row 4 GOG Handler for Nucleous coop

2 Upvotes

Pls :)


r/SaintsRow 19h ago

SR1 What yall think

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11 Upvotes