Saints Row: The Third is an open world adventure game developed by Volition and published by THQ. Saints Row: The Third was the third game released in the Saints Row series on November 15, 2011.
Saints Row: The Third is set years after the setting in Saints Row 2. The story mode of the game starts out with the 3rd Street Saints robbing a bank in Stilwater. After the bank robbery goes wrong, the player, Shaundi, and Johnny Gat are thrown into prison and bailed out by Kiki and Viola DeWynter. The Saints find out the bank belonged to the Syndicate. Johnny Gat refused to turn over anything to the Synidcate and was killed while the player and Shaundi parachute to Steelport.
Steelport is controlled by 3 gangs at the beginning of the game – The Deckers, The Luchadores, and the Morningstar. During the later missions in Saints Row: The Third, Special Tactical Anti-Gang unit (STAG) attempts to end all gang activity. At the end of the game during the Three Way Mission, the player is giving a choice that affects the ending of the game. The choice is to Kill Killbane (Shaundi, Viola, and Burt dies) or save Shaundi (Killbane escapes).
The story missions really showcase the funny characters.
Part of the game play that is prominent (and fun) in Saints Row: The Third is the activities. Completing activities supply respect, cash, and gang district control. The following activities are available in the game:
Mayhem:
During Mayhem activity, the goal is to use explosive weapons available to cause as much damage to the surrounding area as possible. Damaged is measured by the cost racked up. Each Mayhem mission has a goal for the amount of damage caused by the time limit.
Tank Mayhem:
Similar to Mayhem but the player uses a tank opposed to explosives.
Trail Blazing:
Drive around on an ATV to cause as much damage and arrive at the finish within the allotted time. In Decker territory, the player “drives” through cyberspace to assist Kinzie’s hacking efforts.
Guardian Angel:
The goal is to protect your homie from afar in a helicopter or on a roof while they complete their objectives. During co-op, both players protect the NPC instead of one flying the helicopter.
Snatch:
The object is to take a certain amount of prostitutes from other gang’s pimps before the time limit. Another variation of this activity is freeing the FBI informants from gang members.
Escort:
The object is to drive around town while an escort entertains a client in the backseat while avoiding anyone obtaining footage of the entertainment. During co-op, one player drives while the second player entertains the client. Another variation is driving around town with a tiger without angering the tiger.
Heli Assault:
The player flies an attack helicopter with heat-seeking missiles to protect the crew members who are making stops below. The object is to prevent the crew member from taking too much damage.
Trafficking:
The player rides alongside an AI controlled dealer and protect the dealer from police and rival gang members while they sell illegal items.
Insurance Fraud:
The player is given unlimited health to throw themselves into a busy intersection or cars to rack up the insurance money goal during the time limit.
Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax:
Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax is a game show activity where the player is a contestant up against mascots in a maze-like arena. The arena has electrical and flame traps as well as bonuses.
Saints Row: The Third also has a survival mode called “Whored” mode. The objective is to survive as long as possible during multiple waves of enemies. Each wave has different conditions, weapons, and enemies to fight and survive against.
In Saints Row: The Third, the entire campaign can be played cooperatively. All progress completed during co-op is carried over to single player which is a huge plus. The downfall is that some missions and activities seem more hectic than they should be with the additional player. Joining and setting up co-op is easy.
Saints Row: The Third is a very entertaining game. The game is not serious at all but not too silly. The story missions are kind of short, but even after the story is over, it is still fun to play and complete the remaining activities. I was still enjoying this game years after the release. The soundtrack and voice acting is great. The character customization options are decent. Steelport looks good graphically however I did come across some graphical glitches and jerky animations. Overall, Saints Row: The Third is crazy, over-the-top fun.
Note: This game is aimed for an adult audience and has sexual references and strong language.
