Zero Punctuation: Saints Row 4

[Artlover]

1) Why didn't Yahtzee go off about most of the activities being forced down your throat in both main and side quests? I know he kinda lightened up to activities in SR2, but let's be frank. The activities in SR4 really kinda suck. There aren't really that many different kinds, and they become frustratingly redundant and boring really quick.

Then, ignoring lame activities, this game went a route that made me hate GTA:SA, that it tries to throw a little bit of everything in. If I wanted to play DDR, I'd play DDR. I'm not though, so why am I being forced to dance? If I wanted to play casual puzzle games, I'd play a casual puzzle game. I'm not though, so why am I being forced to play plumbing pipe mini games? Etc., etc., etc..


2) While I had fun with SR4, despite all the bugs, it really isn't the strongest game of the bunch. The biggest problem is that it's more like an add-on to SR3, not it's own game, as there really isn't that much different between SR3 and SR4. Same map and location, same characters, same activities. It could have just as easy been a SR3 DLC,

 

[TheSKSpecial]

I'm glad Saints Row 4 exists as a game. It proved that fun does not make a game good and that people want more than stupid, mindless killy-stompy-bang-bang game.

Proved that to who?

You?

I could counter that Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs proved that people want more than a good story in their games, and that would prove exactly as much (possibly more, because people are actually QUITE upset about the new Amnesia, while less than half are upset about the new Saints Row).

For starters to me, yes. But there are people who share that opinion. Here's the thing, I finished that game and i enjoyed it (to the point). But I would never call it good. Lets look at it objectively.

Story - simple, serviceable story without much complexity or meaning as a whole. It just acted as glue for other elements.
Characters - one-dimensional. They have their little quirk or feature that they play at, that's it. No development or arcs. Just chess pieces for main character to play with and get upgrades from.
Mechanics - it is a game built around gimmicks. Superpowers, odd weapons, strange vehicles - all are fun for 10-20 minutes, as a joke, for a laugh. But then it gets old very quickly and you start looking for a best hings to deal with any particular situation. You use superpowers to move around, or kill enemies efficiently, or use the best weapons. They even built all the challenges around those gimmicks to force players to use them more often. That's not very smart design. Gimmicks wear off very quickly.
Minigames - minigames that for some reason were made to progress the game, never feel fun, or challenging, or in any way plot related. "Complete this or that and you will destabilize the simulation" - sounds like a silly excuse than an actual plot point. Besides, you can do all the jumping, shooting and exploding outside those minigames. They seem out of place.
Series - SR4 made the established world obsolete. Sprinting is faster than driving, powers and moves are better than any weapon, gang members are simple unnecessary, most upgrades (character and weapons) are useless. It's like they were not even making Saint Row game, but a parody or an expansion at best.

Game doenst offer many interesting concepts to play with, or interesting characters, or amazing story. It's just silly, mindless, pew-pew fun. There's nothing bad with that, but that alone cannot make a game good.

If you think the characters didn't have some type of development (not only from the beginning of the game to the end, but throughout the series as a whole) you weren't paying attention.

Spoiler

Kinzie goes from snarky geek girl that hates Matt's guts when she finds out he's on your side now to standing up for him AGAINST YOU when you risk exposing the ship in order to find Gat, and actually DECKING you when you make fun of her and what she went through in her nightmare.

Gat comes out of his nightmare with a newfound appreciation for life, when in the past he was just a fun-loving murderous psycho.

Shaundi started off as a goofy stoner in 2, turned into a vengeful ***** in 3 due to survivor's guilt over Gat's "death", and made amends with her past and finally overcame that guilt in 4.

Asha goes from treating you and the Saints as some project she had to babysit to treating you as equals (not to mention pointing out just how much of a psycho your character is and has been during the course of the series, to further drive the point home that yes the game is aware of the crazy shit you tend to be able to do in these games).

Matt started off as a cowardly hacker antagonist and ends up gunning down aliens right alongside you.

Your character goes from somebody with "homies" who did evil shit for fun to an actual leader who tries to save mankind. You give Matt the courage to punch out Killbane in his nightmare (and actually go along with...what happens in his loyalty mission, instead of being a dick and making fun of him for it). You help Shaundi overcome her guilt. You help Gat realize The Power Of Friendship. You finally stop being a dick to Pierce.

I could go more into it, but suffice it to say if you've been paying attention to the story and how everyone was characterized in the beginning compared to the end, you'd see there was quite a bit of character development throughout the game.

 

[AJey]

I'm glad Saints Row 4 exists as a game. It proved that fun does not make a game good and that people want more than stupid, mindless killy-stompy-bang-bang game.

Proved that to who?

You?

I could counter that Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs proved that people want more than a good story in their games, and that would prove exactly as much (possibly more, because people are actually QUITE upset about the new Amnesia, while less than half are upset about the new Saints Row).

For starters to me, yes. But there are people who share that opinion. Here's the thing, I finished that game and i enjoyed it (to the point). But I would never call it good. Lets look at it objectively.

Story - simple, serviceable story without much complexity or meaning as a whole. It just acted as glue for other elements.
Characters - one-dimensional. They have their little quirk or feature that they play at, that's it. No development or arcs. Just chess pieces for main character to play with and get upgrades from.
Mechanics - it is a game built around gimmicks. Superpowers, odd weapons, strange vehicles - all are fun for 10-20 minutes, as a joke, for a laugh. But then it gets old very quickly and you start looking for a best hings to deal with any particular situation. You use superpowers to move around, or kill enemies efficiently, or use the best weapons. They even built all the challenges around those gimmicks to force players to use them more often. That's not very smart design. Gimmicks wear off very quickly.
Minigames - minigames that for some reason were made to progress the game, never feel fun, or challenging, or in any way plot related. "Complete this or that and you will destabilize the simulation" - sounds like a silly excuse than an actual plot point. Besides, you can do all the jumping, shooting and exploding outside those minigames. They seem out of place.
Series - SR4 made the established world obsolete. Sprinting is faster than driving, powers and moves are better than any weapon, gang members are simple unnecessary, most upgrades (character and weapons) are useless. It's like they were not even making Saint Row game, but a parody or an expansion at best.

Game doenst offer many interesting concepts to play with, or interesting characters, or amazing story. It's just silly, mindless, pew-pew fun. There's nothing bad with that, but that alone cannot make a game good.

If you think the characters didn't have some type of development (not only from the beginning of the game to the end, but throughout the series as a whole) you weren't paying attention.

Spoiler

Kinzie goes from snarky geek girl that hates Matt's guts when she finds out he's on your side now to standing up for him AGAINST YOU when you risk exposing the ship in order to find Gat, and actually DECKING you when you make fun of her and what she went through in her nightmare.

Gat comes out of his nightmare with a newfound appreciation for life, when in the past he was just a fun-loving murderous psycho.

Shaundi started off as a goofy stoner in 2, turned into a vengeful ***** in 3 due to survivor's guilt over Gat's "death", and made amends with her past and finally overcame that guilt in 4.

Asha goes from treating you and the Saints as some project she had to babysit to treating you as equals (not to mention pointing out just how much of a psycho your character is and has been during the course of the series, to further drive the point home that yes the game is aware of the crazy shit you tend to be able to do in these games).

Matt started off as a cowardly hacker antagonist and ends up gunning down aliens right alongside you.

Your character goes from somebody with "homies" who did evil shit for fun to an actual leader who tries to save mankind. You give Matt the courage to punch out Killbane in his nightmare (and actually go along with...what happens in his loyalty mission, instead of being a dick and making fun of him for it). You help Shaundi overcome her guilt. You help Gat realize The Power Of Friendship. You finally stop being a dick to Pierce.

I could go more into it, but suffice it to say if you've been paying attention to the story and how everyone was characterized in the beginning compared to the end, you'd see there was quite a bit of character development throughout the game.

And how is that development? Remember, all that growing - although I dont think it is appropriate to call it this way - was done through specifically designed loyalty missions. All that character development that you mentioned is superficial due to its execution. That life-altering change is done in tiny game sequences and mostly through dialogue. There's no observable development over time, no buildup, no accumulation of drama, emotions or plot points. Just a short little mission where your crew members "grows". Where are the arks, the observable progression of their development? One or two missions spent on each character is not enough to make them grow. Asha starts respecting you just because you completed a mission with her? That's superficial. Shaundi comes to terms with her former self through superpower competition and a shootout? That's superficial. Matt gains courage by losing his pop idol? Come on, that's just wrong! Whenever character goes from A to B, it is not automatically character development. It needs to feel natural, causative, change needs to have a source and conclusion, it never happens suddenly, there's history involved, involvement with other characters and personalities. Well done character development is observable. You can see the key points of character's life that turned him or her into what they are. A 10 minute mission cannot do that. Even in the hub area they feel more like random NPCs than your mates. They repeat same one-liners, dont do anything character-y, or interact with one another. Sorry, it is hard for me to see them as well fleshed-out characters.

 

[Psychotic]

For the people who are on the edge about buying Saints Row 4: Wait until it hits the bargain bin and don't rely on Yahtzee's opinion.

TL;DR: If you're not sure then wait until it's cheap and buy it then. If you don't like it you only wasted like $20, maybe $30. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, but you should judge it on YOUR opinion, not someone elses.

How anyone can trust a man who gets paid to lambast games is beyond me. Because that's what Yahtzee is - a critic - and he can be seen as over-the-top in offense of the game (rather than the opposite as seen by other reviewers). That's not to say he isn't entertaining (which is the whole point) but that making decisions based off his "opinion" is foolish.

Of course, even if he did take the standard route that most reviewers take you'd still be naive to judge your entire opinion off his. You are not him, regardless of how "similar" you think you are, and reviewers, however unbiased they want to be, tend to skip certain details and exaggerate others, particularly ones they don't like (people remember the negatives far more strongly than the positives, which is why ME3 got so much shit on day one).

I quite liked SR4 because the powers are a fun addition to the gameplay but thought SR3 had a better, overall storyline in comparison. The ending to SR4 felt more appropriate but didn't feel as epic as SR3's (which I equate to the music alone). Ultimately both are in a much different state than their predecessors, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.