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Saints Row: The Third is a game that’s actually hard to describe without giving some kind of explicit context in regards to another game.  In the case of Saints Row, that game happens to be Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.  Many games journalists have described Saints Row as the franchise that filled the shoes of GTA when it went serious with the fourth entry in the series.  In many ways that’s true.  Structurally the game is similar and in terms of tone it’s hard to see the spirit of San Andreas in there.

But really I think we’re doing Saints Row an injustice by bringing up GTA every time we try to describe the game.  Sure, without GTA there would be no Saints Row, but with The Third, the Saints Row franchise is really starting to come into its own – it’s separating itself from GTA to the point that to suggest that the games be compared to each other is more ludicrous flame bait than anything.

This is not par for the course in GTA

I’ve been playing the game for my review which will go live early next week due to the shortened week with Thanksgiving just a few days away.  I’ve been trying to contextualize the game without bringing up GTA and it’s hard, but it can be done.  The sheer amount of freedom available to the player cannot be overstated enough.  With customizations to vehicles, cribs and the character’s avatar there is a lot you can do.  It really plays to the player with ADD, as it’s hard to get bored with a character that you can change at a moment’s notice; going from a man to a woman to a pirate to a fury to super hero to a cheer leader to a pimp etc…  Customization is key and the possibilities are indeed endless it seems.

Saints Row is the kind of game that I think could really benefit from DLC, I think.  Additional customization options could be given, more missions, vehicles weapons, etc…  It’s a game that begs to be played multiple times, specifically since on a few key missions there are different options as to how to complete them, the first of which will determine the future of Steelport’s crowded skyline.

And when I’m done I can get back to blasting through my backlog.  Before the releases start pouring in next year (which begins in early February for me with Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning) I need to get through Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3 and some older titles that go by Shadows of the Damned, Batman: Arkham, Mass Effect 2 and Gran Turismo 5.

Yeah, I’m not sure I can do it either.

Happy Gaming.