Saints Row
Saints Row is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence the series' title.
Gameplay in the Saints Row games focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing elements. Due to the first entry being labeled as a Grand Theft Auto clone, the developers sought to create a more distinctive experience from the second game onwards, with a heavy focus on over-the-top gameplay, popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor; these changes have been controversial among fans of the first game. The first four games in the Saints Row series were set primarily in two fictional locales—Stilwater and Steelport—which are loosely based on real American cities. The games center on an initially unnamed player-created character who joins the 3rd Street Saints by chance and helps them defeat enemy gangs in citywide turf wars. Later in the sequels, the player becomes the gang's leader, a celebrity and pop culture icon, and eventually president of the United States, while facing more powerful enemies, such as a major corporation, an anti-gang paramilitary, and an alien empire.
Work on the original Saints Row began in 2003, after Volition's completion of Red Faction II. The game was released in August 2006. The sequel, Saints Row 2, was released in October 2008. The series' third entry, Saints Row: The Third, was released in November 2011 and was the final Saints Row video game to be published by THQ before Deep Silver acquired the rights to series in 2013. The series' fourth entry, Saints Row IV, was released in August 2013, with a standalone expansion called Gat out of Hell released in January 2015 in North America and Europe. As of September 2013, the series has had sales in excess of 13 million, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all-time.
A reboot of the franchise, titled Saints Row, was announced in August 2021 and released in August 2022. The reboot takes place in the fictional city of Santo Ileso in the American southwest, and follows a new gang, simply called The Saints, as they attempt to take control of the city from the different gangs ruling it. The reboot did not fare well, and as part of a reorganization within Volition's parent company, Embracer Group, Volition was shut down in August 2023 with the Saints Row and other Volition IP being transferred to Plaion, also under Embracer Group.
Games
''Saints Row'' (2006)
Saints Row is the first installment in the series, having begun development in mid-2003 as a PlayStation 2 title under the name Bling Bling. The game was announced at E3 2005 for the Xbox 360. It was supposed to also have a port to the Nintendo Wii. As the first non-linear gameplay-style video game to be released for the Xbox 360, Saints Row was widely anticipated; its pre-beta demo build set records after being downloaded nearly 400,000 times within a week. It had sales in excess of 500,000 during its September 2006 release month, and was critically acclaimed. As of 2019, the game has had sales in excess of two million units. The game was renowned for being the first seventh-generation sandbox game, and introduced features which have since become staples to the genre. It features online multiplayer, an in-game mobile phone, GPS navigation, elaborate character, vehicle customization, and a weapon wheel.The game is set in the fictional city of Stilwater. Players create their own character, who remains silent for most of the game and is referred to as "Playa". After being caught in a shootout between three warring gangs—the Vice Kings, Los Carnales, the Westside Rollerz—the player character is rescued by a fourth, smaller gang called the 3rd Street Saints, and subsequently joins the Saints to help them take back the Saint's Row district from their rivals. From there, the player's goal is to take over the entire city in the name of the Saints by weakening the gangs that control each district. The player does so by completing both main and side missions related to each enemy faction, which can be carried out solo or with the help of fellow gang members.
''Saints Row 2'' (2008)
Saints Row 2 began development in mid-2006, a few months before the Xbox 360 release of Saints Row. While a PlayStation 3 port of Saints Row was in development, it was cancelled when Saints Row 2 was confirmed in May 2007. A Microsoft Windows port, announced in June 2008, was released in early 2009. The game builds upon the fundamentals of Saints Row by improving the respect system, adding more varied activities, increasing the extent to which the player can customize their character, gang, and vehicles, and adding a number of new vehicle models. It expands the Stilwater setting with locations, and adds gameplay features and content.The story is set roughly five years after the events of Saints Row, and follows the same player character, who awakens from a coma to discover that the 3rd Street Saints have fallen from grace in their absence, allowing three new gangs—the Ronin, the Brotherhood, and the Sons of Samedi—to take over the Saints' former territories. Furthermore, the Saint's Row district has been gentrified by the Ultor Corporation, who have further plans for Stilwater. After recruiting new and old allies to their cause and setting up a new base of operations, the Boss works restore the Saints to power, this time as the gang's leader. The story is structured similarly to the first game, with players undertaking missions related to each gang that they must defeat, as well as Ultor later in the storyline. These missions are mostly independent from each other, and require the player to gain respect by completing side activities first.
Downloadable content
Saints Row 2 received several downloadable content releases, including two story DLCs. The first, Ultor Exposed, adds Red Faction: Guerrilla-themed content, and stars American pornographic actress Tera Patrick, who plays herself as a whistleblower and former microbiologist for the Ultor Corporation. It was released on 23 April 2009. The second, Corporate Warfare, focuses on the struggle between the Saints and the Ultor Corporation, and was released on 28 May 2009.''Saints Row: The Third'' (2011)
Saints Row: The Third was announced in March 2011, and released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows in November 2011. It began early development at Volition in September 2008, a month before Saints Row 2 was due to release. The game marks a major turning point for the series, putting more emphasis on comedy and featuring numerous popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor, as well as an over-the-top nature. Reception towards these changes was mixed, though the game nonetheless performed well both critically and financially.The game features a new setting: Stilwater's sister city, Steelport, which is controlled by a single criminal organization known as the Syndicate, consisting of three gangs: the Morningstar, the Luchadores, and the Deckers. The 3rd Street Saints, now celebrities with a large cult following after selling their license to Ultor to produce merchandise based on the gang, find themselves stranded in Steelport after an altercation with the Syndicate, and must find new allies to help them take over the city and eliminate their rivals. Halfway through the game, Steelport is placed under martial law in response to the increasing gang violence, and a paramilitary known as S.T.A.G. is called to restore order to the city, complicating matters further for the Saints. The mission structure has been changed from the first two games, requiring missions to be played in a certain order. The game incorporates choices into its narrative, and features multiple possible endings.
Downloadable content
was announced before the game's release along with a commitment from publisher THQ to support 40 weeks of content. Among smaller upgrades, three main content packs were released: Genkibowl VII, which adds challenges as part of the titular contest; Gangstas in Space, focusing on a film the Saints are producing which involves aliens; and The Trouble with Clones, focusing on the Saints reuniting with a hulking clone of their deceased friend, Johnny Gat.Remaster
A remastered version of Saints Row: The Third, including all the DLC for the original game, was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 22, 2020. It was developed by Sperasoft and features remastered assets and textures, along with improved graphics and lighting.''Saints Row IV'' (2013)
Saints Row IV was unveiled in March 2013 and released August 2013, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Linux in 2015. A Nintendo Switch port was also released on March 27, 2020. The game expands on Saint Row: The Thirds humor and over-the-top nature, introducing superpowers. Saints Row IV received several limited and summative edition releases, and was briefly banned in Australia. It generated mostly positive reviews and sold over one million copies in its first week.The game is set five years after the events of Saints Row: The Third, and begins with the Boss being elected President of the United States after foiling a terrorist attack. When an alien empire known as the Zin attacks the Earth, the Boss and the other Saints are abducted and placed in a simulation of Steelport meant to break their wills. The Boss is able to manipulate the simulation to their own benefit, gaining superpowers, and must find a way to escape, rescue their friends, and defeat the Zin, while facing enemies from their past and their own worst fears.