Saints Row: The Third [Game][PC]

Amount Completed: All on-map side missions and the main story line (not all Saintsbook, barnstorms, or other side items).

Story: Saints Row: The Third (SR3) follows the leader of the Saints gang as they re-rise to power in the city of Steelport. The Saints are already well established with legitimate, albeit humrous, businesses. Essentially their business is to hock their image and glorify gang activity and lifestyle. Arguably they are selling a slick high-class lifestyle not necessarily the rough gangs I imagine the world is actually full of. The Saints are pitted against a conglomerate of three gangs known as the Syndicate: Morningstar, Luchadores, and the Deckers. Each one has their own unique style and capabilities. The story is primarily the removal of the Syndicate from the city. Along the way a major military presence, known as STAG, creates essentially a fourth gang to fight with. The story in SR3 is rough and unpolished. It mostly comes across as rushed and/or confusing with weird leaps in logic that even in this bizarre in-game world seem out of place. One of the major issues is simply pacing. In one long mission three brand new characters are introduced with little fanfare and back story. If there is another game I hope they give the story a bit more time to develop.

Art: SR3 looks very good in my opinion for this type of game. I am not a graphics snob so my only concern was with whether any of the art detracted from the overall theme or experience. The character clothing was fairly limited. There were numerous items I would not even consider. Although to each their own... hopefully someone out there actually likes what some artist poured their time into. The character creation was extensive. Unfortunately my character looked a bit different once in different lighting. She looked more like an albino than just some pale woman.

Soundtrack: The music of SR3 was fitting and enjoyable. I did not hear anything that I am a new fan of, but did not find the music grating either. Only rarely would I change the radio station specifically because I did not want to hear a song.

Gameplay: SR3 consists of core storyline missions and a number of side missions/activities to earn money. Money is used mostly to buy upgrades to make the game easier/more fun. You can also buy ammunition which is critical because you will be using a lot! In the beginning of the game you can fairly regularly afford to purchase upgrades to weapons making the experience completely different (easier!). The explosive shells in the pistol seemed like a must in my opinion. For the most part SR3 plays like GTA with a slightly different feel. The driving takes a bit to get used to and in the end works fine (unlike Just Cause 2!). My only complaint would be that the non-helicopter airborne vehicles are way too slow. The VTOL (a jet) feels like it moves like a car. (Jets can go 70mph max right?)

Gut: SR3 is a lot of fun and delivers a unique and rarely frustrating experience. The soundtrack is fitting and provides a good backdrop both in scripted form and randomly.

My playthrough blog: http://sr3play.blogspot.com