Saints Row 4's Final Sellout

[Kotaro]

Licensing music is expensive. It's entirely reasonable for them to drop the least popular station in order to improve the quality of the others. You're just upset because they aren't catering to your personal tastes.

This. I like 70's prog-rock, but it's not like I'll declare that a series "sold out" because they drop Yes from their licensed music lineup. That's just dumb.
I get how annoying it is that it's a decision born of statistics, but to be honest, licensed music is rarely the main draw of a game (unless I'm completely off-base, the only games one would play for the music are rhythm games), and is almost never anything more than just a cool thing that they may or may not put in should the budget allow.

Captcha: Sunday Funday
But, but... Today is Monday!

 

[RonHiler]

Just as someone pointed out earlier, I don't understand how the radio stations are what everything hinged on for you. Something that is easily a minor thing in the game compared to greater picture is what caused you to refuse purchasing it?

That's just odd, unless this sensationalism is deliberate. I'm guessing that it is.

Not to mention that of all the SR games, the music in this one likely will be far less important than it has been in the past. In SR4 you have super powers. Meaning you aren't going to be spending a whole lot of time in a car anyway, which is where you listen to music in the first place.

So while in prior games you spent a good chunk of the game driving and listening to the radio, in this game I expect it will be much less time overall. So really, who cares what music is in the game at all. If it really bugs you, set up your mp3 while playing. Then you can listen to whatever you want.

[I actually lobbied hard for a custom in-game radio station that would pull songs off an mp3 player to play in the game, complete with a DJ and commercials and whatnot, but it didn't make it. Maybe next game...]

 

[Radoh]

So... in a game where right off the bat you are made to run faster than any car but also has better handling than a car and you can jump clear over buildings and avoid running into a dead end, you're concerned about the removal of a radio station that hardly anyone listened to as given by the data tracking they've done on it in the car's stereo that almost no one will be using? I think someone's trying too hard to be offended.

 

[Karma168]

While I'm disappointed - SR3s music was much worse than SR2s (on all stations) and SR4 seems to be making dubstep music a main point *shudders* - I'm not going to be so pissed off that I outright blacklist a developer over it.

Yes it sucks major balls that there wont be a metal station but given the choice between a mediocre music list with metal or a great set-list without I'd rather have the better overall list.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

The game's not worth $60 anyway. They completely ruined it. And they probably cut out most of the game content to sell it as DLC like they did with SR: The Turd. I would advise anyone who wants to play this game to wait for the full version next year. In the mean time, save your money for GTA V. It's out in less than two months anyway. And new Splinter Cell is coming out at about the same time as Saints Row. And it looks cool. It also has Spies vs. Mercs mode again. One would really have to be a huge SR fan or to be rolling in the money to buy this at launch.

Adam, settle down. People can buy what they want. I'm sure you didn't ask for this.

OT: This is a bit of a overreaction, don't you think OP? Too many people will be blowing up aliens with dildo bazookas and signing presidential orders for more hookers on the street to worry about one missing radio station, eh? If you don't like it, then don't buy it.

 

[Kajin]

I think the more important question is, does it still have "holding out for a hero"?

I loved that part, though it caused a bit of dissonance when I went back to get the serious ending over the silly ending.

On Topic:
I don't get what makes this that big of a deal. Sure I was a huge fan of the adult swim station in the third game, but I'm not gonna whine too much about it if they don't include it in the fourth. I'd be sorta bummed, but I wouldn't immediately swing my fist at the heavens in proclamation that Volition has sold out. That would be seriously pointless.

 

[triggrhappy94]

You're complaining to me about the metal station?
Did you hear what happened to the indie rock station in the third?!
You can't give a man Paramore and The Fall of Troy in one game, then nothing in the next.

 

[Poetic Nova]

There's always an MP3 function if you play it on consoles and your prefered media program on PC to listen to your choise of music.

But the option to have a station for metal would be bloody nice though since the game series uses the most obnoxious rap artists possible. Have to agree with the OP, it's one hell of a bullsh*t reasons to leave out a specific music gerne. Would be nice in SR2 at least to also have metal in the main menu...
Game series wen't downhill after 2 anyway, SR4 being a DLC turned sequel.

 

[lacktheknack]

You could just listen to your own music.

Of course, I appear to be in the novel position of actually enjoying more than one genre of music, and therefore not feeling like I should spite a developer because of an extremely minor part of a game.

This.

They removed it because their data tracking showed that no one was listening to it.

Ergo, they're going to see if they can find some songs that people will actually listen to.

Seems fair enough.

 

[Jacco]

As a metalhead, I'm not too torn up by this decision, as the only worthwhile song on the metal station in SR3 was Strapping Young Lad's Love? (great song btw). Don't get me wrong, I would rather they got some better songs on there than remove the station entirely, but it really isn't a tragedy. At least they still have the classical station (I'm not being sarcastic, the classical station was awesome).

Listening to Mozart while I was driving down a sidewalk turning pedestrians into mush while being chased by a tank and six humvees shooting at me as my partner fired rockets out the window is one of my favorite memories of that game. Or any game for that matter. lmao

 

[William Dickbringer]

-snip-

I should be outraged seeing as how I enjoy the genre however they only have one band I like and follow and 2 bands I can put up with I can say nothing of value was lost to me so yup I ain't even mad plus if I can listen to my music like other people are saying I can listen to my metal so definitely no loss to me

 

[s0p0g]

after reading the OP i don't know where to start - bang my head against the wall? facepalm? facedesk? just shake my head in disbelief? so many options... (two of them even metal-related )

look, i like me my metal, too, but seriously: getting all boo-hoo about something like THAT disqualifies you as a metalhead who has adequate genitals and gluteal muscles in their jeans
just play your own gorramn music if you don't like what the game offers you - or (now comes a crazy idea): perhaps broaden your horizon *gasp*

anyway, rock on! \m/ \m/

(captcha says "smelly socks" - you have no idea captcha, hurrhurr)

 

[piinyouri]

Since everyone's already covered all the other bases, I'm just going to be the dick headed music snob and say their "metal" channel was always full of 80% poser shit anyway.

 

[RaikuFA]

So the most immature game in the world won't feature the most immature music genre in the world? Well, that's... Actually, I don't care.

No, rap is still in there. Seems like there's more in it now.

 

[Lilani]

Uh... no. Fuck that and fuck you Volition. My last bastion of hope was the Metal station after you cut out clothing layers, made NPCs nothing more than dumb targets (when in Saints Row 2 there was a LOT of dynamic behavior), took out the two best activities (Septic Avenger and Fuzz), took out most of the weapons, made the game a huge DLC-fest, and made the city much smaller with much less depth. The ONE thing I could tell myself was "At least they still have some kickass metal songs from the likes of Amon Amarth, Strapping Young Lad, After the Burial, Mastodon, Black Dahlia Murder, and the like." But then they just up and DELIBERATELY alienate that audience because they want to get "better" songs? Or rather "appeal to a wider audience"? Yeah, you can have Gat come back to life, Shaundi go back to her better self, return to Stillwater with the city having everything in it that it used to, bring back all the NPC behaviors, bring back all the weapons, bring back clothing layers, and whatever else you did to piss off your fans with Saints Row 3, but that? With that right there I will never buy a Volition game again, they just lost mine and 5 other people's pre-orders at once with this announcement.

So the way I'm reading it, you had plenty of reasons lined up to dislike SR4, and you were just waiting for one last straw to not play it. Fine, don't play it then. Jesus. Not like anybody was pointing a gun at your head saying you had to. If you really hate it so much, then just don't play it.

But don't trick yourself into thinking Volition was sitting there twirling their moustaches waiting for their chance to screw over metalheads. They looked at the numbers, the metal station was low on the list, so they took it off. It was a completely objective decision made with the intent of producing the game they want to make. At least give them credit for making their development process so transparent, and making it known these are decisions made with thought and based on actual player data, not just focus groups and demographic myths. Or worse, sponsorships. They didn't do this because some record company offered them a deal on certain tracks, or Pepsi was going to hook them up with another station. They did it because of the actual players.

 

[BushMonstar]

Never really listened to the Metal Station, so I really couldn't care. The Mix is looking much better this time around than in The Third, and you can't go wrong with 420 or Klassic (Especially considering their DJs this time around).

Also, just for the record, since you're rarely going to be using cars now, they have On-Foot radio in the game as well.

 

[TaboriHK]

Gamers deserve none of what they're given.

 

[V8 Ninja]

This is the straw that broke the camel's back? Really? I understand people being upset over the tonal shift from SR2 to SR3, but this seems a bit absurd.