Let me remind everyone that this was how Saint's Row was introduced to the world. (And no, you don't have to watch all of the videos from the beginning.)
And that's the problem I have here. This new game is so far removed from the tone set from the first and even the second. It would be like watching a horror movie that started out like Poltergeist, then the sequel shifted tones to be more like Ghostbusters, and that sequel shifted to Scooby-Doo.
Apparently the most hated word amongst the Saint's Row 3 fans is "why". Why is it necessary to dropkick through the windshield almost every time you enter a car? Was opening the door and pulling the driver out really getting that boring? Why are there a pair of giant novelty hands that make people explode when you punch them? Why is there any reason for any type of organized crime syndicate to call for a tactical bombing strike over a current major metropolitan city? And before you start mentioning a game like Mercenaries, there you're taking out missile silos and hardened military bunkers, not a bunch of cyber nerds hanging out on a street corner. And for those that are about to say that it's all a fictional city, do you know what else is fictional? Gotham City. And even Batman's collection of psychovillians, this isn't a common day occurrence.
It's not like I don't welcome the out-there premises, I just need a believable reason to latch on to them. Another game that I was looking forward to but whose premise almost drove me away was Driver: San Francisco. When I first heard about this weird ability to be able to jump from one driver's body to another. I asked myself, "Why in the world would they do this? None of the previous games would ever warrant a believable reason for this." Then I saw the Zero Punctuation review that explained that the main character was in a coma and the entire game was taking place in his dream. Then I said, "Oh, all right. That makes sense. Let's go body jumping."
I've said before that the more I see of these crazy options in this game, the less they're sounding like options. The first two games did a much better job at keeping those elements separate from the main game so that those of us that wanted a lighter but still sensible and believable sandbox game could still play it. Here's another game that managed to play both sides right by keeping them separate: Dead Rising. Now you COULD run around a zombie-infested mall wearing a summer dress and a Servbot mask ramming a lawn mower on top of zombies and survivors alike while taking up-skirt photographs of their mangled corpses and snacking on hot dogs and wine, but there's no point in the game where they make you do that. Since the tone of the story is played straight, that's how I choose to play it. Even with all of the supposed "wackiness" of GTA: San Andreas, it was still a down-to-earth story about a guy that learned that there was a bigger world beyond his old neighborhood.
I was originally excited when I saw that first trailer for Saint's Row 3, but every video I've seen after that has sucked that excitement out of me. It hasn't completely betrayed me to the point where I refuse to even consider buying it like the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot (that's another rant for another time), but it has gotten to the point where I will wait to get it when the price drops. SEVERELY. Like under $10.00. I personally get tired whenever I hear that GTA IV's down-to-earthness being referred to as a deterrent. That's the very reason I bought it, and Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire, and why I'll be getting Max Payne 3 on the first day. I'm hoping that it doesn't get completely sacrificed in GTA V just to cater to the kill-crazy meatheads who think that type of stuff is "gay".
And for all of those who are starting to formulate their responses to how I am "unable to accept any opinions that are different from my own" or "how I am trying to take your fun away from you", let me stop you RIGHT NOW. Go back, read this entire post from beginning to end, and show me where exactly I said anything close to that.
And that's the problem I have here. This new game is so far removed from the tone set from the first and even the second. It would be like watching a horror movie that started out like Poltergeist, then the sequel shifted tones to be more like Ghostbusters, and that sequel shifted to Scooby-Doo.
Apparently the most hated word amongst the Saint's Row 3 fans is "why". Why is it necessary to dropkick through the windshield almost every time you enter a car? Was opening the door and pulling the driver out really getting that boring? Why are there a pair of giant novelty hands that make people explode when you punch them? Why is there any reason for any type of organized crime syndicate to call for a tactical bombing strike over a current major metropolitan city? And before you start mentioning a game like Mercenaries, there you're taking out missile silos and hardened military bunkers, not a bunch of cyber nerds hanging out on a street corner. And for those that are about to say that it's all a fictional city, do you know what else is fictional? Gotham City. And even Batman's collection of psychovillians, this isn't a common day occurrence.
It's not like I don't welcome the out-there premises, I just need a believable reason to latch on to them. Another game that I was looking forward to but whose premise almost drove me away was Driver: San Francisco. When I first heard about this weird ability to be able to jump from one driver's body to another. I asked myself, "Why in the world would they do this? None of the previous games would ever warrant a believable reason for this." Then I saw the Zero Punctuation review that explained that the main character was in a coma and the entire game was taking place in his dream. Then I said, "Oh, all right. That makes sense. Let's go body jumping."
I've said before that the more I see of these crazy options in this game, the less they're sounding like options. The first two games did a much better job at keeping those elements separate from the main game so that those of us that wanted a lighter but still sensible and believable sandbox game could still play it. Here's another game that managed to play both sides right by keeping them separate: Dead Rising. Now you COULD run around a zombie-infested mall wearing a summer dress and a Servbot mask ramming a lawn mower on top of zombies and survivors alike while taking up-skirt photographs of their mangled corpses and snacking on hot dogs and wine, but there's no point in the game where they make you do that. Since the tone of the story is played straight, that's how I choose to play it. Even with all of the supposed "wackiness" of GTA: San Andreas, it was still a down-to-earth story about a guy that learned that there was a bigger world beyond his old neighborhood.
I was originally excited when I saw that first trailer for Saint's Row 3, but every video I've seen after that has sucked that excitement out of me. It hasn't completely betrayed me to the point where I refuse to even consider buying it like the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot (that's another rant for another time), but it has gotten to the point where I will wait to get it when the price drops. SEVERELY. Like under $10.00. I personally get tired whenever I hear that GTA IV's down-to-earthness being referred to as a deterrent. That's the very reason I bought it, and Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire, and why I'll be getting Max Payne 3 on the first day. I'm hoping that it doesn't get completely sacrificed in GTA V just to cater to the kill-crazy meatheads who think that type of stuff is "gay".
And for all of those who are starting to formulate their responses to how I am "unable to accept any opinions that are different from my own" or "how I am trying to take your fun away from you", let me stop you RIGHT NOW. Go back, read this entire post from beginning to end, and show me where exactly I said anything close to that.
