9 mo. ago • 98%

Another Patient Recommendation: Saints Row IV

I want to make a case for Saints Row IV: it is my go-to relaxing game. I have it installed on my PS4. The game has a GTA-esque setting and gameplay style, but where GTA is a clever satire of the real world, SR IV doesn't concern itself with the limits of reality: in fact, You play as the President of the US (with super-powers) and your main opponent is an alien overlord - with a pretty good voice actor. Now a lot of people tell me that SR III is the far better title and I bet it is, but if you haven't played the 4th installment I suggest you give it a try. It has a special feel to it that keeps me coming back. Not for the story, but for the happy accident that produced an almost meditative game. I love running through the city, killing aliens and causing all kinds of mayhem. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this title.

17 comments

Wholeheartedly agree. It's such a fun game. Anyone who has missed it should give it some time.

That said, I have both Saints Row IV and III, and I replay III a bit more.

As was mentioned here, the overly over-the-top bits in IV sometimes make me question why I'm not just playing Lego Marvel Superheroes instead of Saints Row IV.

For anyone deciding which to get - get both. They're not overly stingy with getting through the plot on easy mode, the acting is fun, the silliness is constant, and they both go on sale regularly.

I would recommend starting with III. They're not super related, but IV does quickly spoil who in III is going to join your crew.

Edit: If I was forced to only own one of either Saints Row III or Saints Row IV, I would have to pick IV, because of the performances of legendary actor Keith David. https://saintsrow.fandom.com/wiki/Keith_David

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Everything about it is dumb fun. Who cares if it doesn't have the same gravitas that GTA has, it's still fun, dammit.

I know some people complain that the superpowers totally invalidates the use of vehicles, but imo it just adds to the repertoire of mayhem at your disposal.

Whenever I do play this game again, I usually try to see how much chaos I can cause before the game tries to stop me (it can't, I stomp every brute that pops up).

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- Yeah people who say that don't mention that the game also gives you superpowered vehicles too.
  
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  An actual flying saucer, a jet that looks like a bald eagle that can destroy an entire city block in seconds (that one is technically DLC, but still)
  
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- I think the fact that it doesn't have the same gravitas GTA has is part of the reason why it's so good.
  
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If you are getting the game on steam keep in mind the last update broke basically all the old mods, and it was late enough after development that they didn't really get updates. If you want to mod the game or avoid it pestering you about logging into epic use the older version you can apply in the properties of the game in steam.

Also know that if you want to play coop ymmv, its a fun game but crashes and disconnects are common, and your progress with your friend might desync if you disconnect, so you may need to juggle who is hosting.

TLDR: good game, buggy coop, mod scene is sort of complicated due to late stage patches to implement EGS stuff.

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- Does the legacy version contain all the same content and support all the dlc?
  
  Thanks for the heads up about this on steam.
  
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  I believe the new edition has all the dlc included though I dont know for sure if they'll work in the old edition, I had already owned the old dlc when the epic update happened. I assume so but I can't guarantee it. As for content the re elected version is basically just the base game with all the dlc included, so there wasn't anything new besides jamming epic integration and crossplay into the game.
  
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And that ending, Holdin' Out For A Hero is blasting as you make the gravest of decisions. Loved it through and through. Perfectly not-serious.

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- I believe that is SR3 you're talking about. SR4 ends on a fairly generic boss fight.
  
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I friend of mine pointed out that SR4 could have easily been the best Matrix game ever. The physics and mechanics were all there, only the tone and plot were different.

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- There's actually a little throwaway line your character will say that references The Matrix
  
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Saints Row 4 is the most fun I've had with a SR game. 2 and 3 were great in their own right, but 4 just nailed it. The movement and gameplay loop alone are fun enough to waste some very enjoyable hours.

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Much less glowing. It wasn't the game that set SR (and the studio itself, apparently) on the way to ruin, but it was certainly another step down that road. If someone is into superhero games it's got some interesting baggage from when it was a saints row game (like better character customization), at least.

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I agree. I always thought SR3 was kinda boring, and I was pretty much done with the series, but SR4 just worked for me. Yeah it's dumb. Yeah it's the beginning of the end for the studio. But man, there are very few games that really nail that perfect combination of goofy fun and stupid that just really works for me. SR4 is maybe the single best version of that ever.

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Saints Row 2 was the best in the series and no one can convince me otherwise.

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Just wanna say that I really liked the music radios this game has

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