It starts out similar to number 3 with a mission where the main character is completely concealed, giving you a taste of over the top silliness before getting into the game proper. This opening mission also lets you know that, well, other games are not safe. Call of Duty players may recognise more than a few similarities. It culminates in a gloriously epic scene which sets up how the leader of The Saints got popular enough to become president and has the best use of an Aerosmith song, ever!
This leads through to the character customisation. You have almost total control over the look of you character however your wardrobe is limited to suitable presidential garb. You lose hours in this part alone, but I wanted to get playing so I forced myself to decide in about 20 minutes.
It doesn't take long for the action to start, and damn it is good. You'll be taking out aliens and using the incredible White House defence system to shoot down spacecraft in no time.
After that, you finally get to the meat of the game. Game and movie references abound. So far I have seen nods to Pleasantville, They Live, The Matrix, Mass Effect and Prototype! I know there are more to come thanks to teasers from the trailers. Seriously, the whole virtual Steelport angle really has opened up the potential of an already crazy franchise and the developers have not wasted the opportunity.
As with most sandbox games with large areas to cover getting from point A to B can be a bit tedious. The superpower aspect of the game helps, plus you can create vehicles on the spot, but it does break the flow of the game. As I upgrade my character I am sure that the speed of travel will increase and this should be less of an issue.
The music is great and works in well with the game. As you are in a virtual environment you can keep the radio going even when you are walking/running/taking down aliens. Gotta say, doing battle with Safety Dance blaring out put a big grin on my face. There are also segments where particular songs start playing and the characters comment or have interactions directly based on the tune that is playing causing more big grin playtime.
No alien narcotics yet, but THAT controversial weapon is available. The game has not forced me to use it and, just like the giant purple dildo of SR3, it is going to stay unused by my character. I just don't find it in anyway appealing. *GASP* I think I just made an adult decision! I'm really hanging out for the Dubstep Gun though, that looks kick arse!
So far I am happy to give Saints Row 4 a big thumbs up. There is plenty to do and management of missions is smoothly integrated. There are a ton of optional activities on hand to help you upgrade faster and you are only forced to do each activity once when you are introduced to it.
I'm looking forward to visiting virtual Steelport again, and I will keep you updated on developments.
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