Review: Saints Row IV (PC)

Saints Row IV is a long drive down the Pacific coast in a silver convertible. The top's down, an endless digital mix-tape is pumping out of the speakers. The sun has just started it's descent to the horizon.

Traffic is light, there's salty air swirling off the surf, and a friend you've known for 20 years (or more) is sitting beside you laughing about a shared memory that is 75% accurate and 25% exaggeration or outright bullshit. You're on a stretch of road you've driven many times, so the turns, inclines and declines are all familiar. There's some sad nostalgia, too. You last travelled this road with your now-deceased father when you were 15-years old.

Hands-on Preview: Saints Row IV (PC)

 There seems to be no limit to what developer Volition won't explore and there's no piece of the "familiar" that isn't somehow warped and given a distinctive "Saints" bent. This is the hallmark of Saints Row and the series has made the most of it by carving out its own open world niche.

At the same time, the first couple of hours was enough to make me wonder how Volition will keep up the pace and deliver action insanity at that same level for an entire game. At least during the story sections, Saints Row IV doesn't waste any opportunity to poke fun at itself, other games, and a myriad of other topics. The dialogue is as sharp (and self-aware) as ever and in the span of couple of hours it took to play through the preview version I laughed more than few times.

Preview: Saints Row IV (360, PC, PS3)

Saints Row IV is setting itself up as one of those games that will feature a launch trailer that is neatly diced by one-off quotes from previews divorced of context and box art that will have at least two quotes on the back saying lines like:

"Saints Row IV is like Prototype 2 with a sense of humour!"
"Taking ridiculousness to astounding new levels!"
"A pimped-out sandbox world!"
"FUN!"
"Super orgasmic!"
"The action is never flaccid!"
"Juvenile? 100%"
"Volition's got your stimulus package right here!"

And so on.