Saints Row IV

In the past I have whined about how "so close to perfect" the GTA games are.  To recap: I loved GTA3 for its open-world freedom.  It's a common thing now, but at the time, it was revolutionary.  I also enjoyed how the game let you blow off steam, allowing you to do evil things you wouldn't dream of doing in real life.  But that part got old after a while, once every publisher started cranking out crime simulations.

I still like that type of game, but they also make me feel guilty.  I don't actually fantasize about being a gang member, pulling heists, or harming innocent people.  When I played GTA3, I always wished they'd make a game with a similar engine, but where I didn't have to feel guilty about running over random citizens.  Maybe it could involve a town filled with zombies, or alien invaders, or even robots for whatever reason.

I also wanted to design my own character.  In GTA3, I would use the "change appearance" code to make myself look like one of the female NPCs.  Vice City had a similar code, but there was a problem.  See, Vice City did something GTA3 didn't - it made your character a part of the story, instead of a voiceless protagonist.  It always looked really funny when the female appearance I'd chosen started speaking in Ray Liotta's voice. 

I kept hoping the next GTA game would allow you to create your own character, or at least pick your gender.  I wanted to play a generic thug, a blank slate upon whom I could project myself.  But they went in the other direction, with each sequel creating distinct protagonists with deep backstories and personalities.  It was not a bad direction, it just didn't interest me.

A friend of mine recently gifted me a copy of Saints Row IV on Steam.  I already had Saints Row 2 and 3 in my Steam library, but I haven't played much of either.   So I really didn't know what to expect from SRIV.  All I knew about the series was that it was like GTA, but more over-the-top.  Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into.

So, I really don't know the story so far.  I know the characters used to be criminals in a gang, but the beginning of this game has them working for the military.  It starts off like your standard "kill the foreign terrorists" shooter, and at first I wasn't very impressed.  But the opening mission climaxes with your character climbing up the side of a flying nuclear missile, in a scene so ridiculous it could have come from a GI Joe cartoon. 

As you climb the missile, dodging debris and dismantling components, your teammates sing your praises over the radio.  They know you're unlikely to survive this, and start comically reminiscing about your past adventures.  The scene manages to be both exciting and hilarious.  Of course you do survive, and having saved the day, you are immediately elected president of the United States.  Naturally.

And just when you think the game couldn't get any crazier, aliens attack during a press meeting, and you are abducted.  Once all the introductory exposition is out of the way, you find yourself in a Matrix-style computer generated city, which you can explore to your heart's content.  At first, it feels very much like a GTA game.  The controls are very similar.  You can run around shooting innocent civilians, hijack cars, complete missions, and so on. 

But then your teammates find ways to hack the code, and are able to augment your character with upgrades.  Once you start unlocking super powers, it feels more like Spider-Man.  You can run at high speeds, jump higher than buildings, glide long distances, and even run up walls. 

At one point you briefly escape the simulation, and have to fight your way through the alien ship in your birthday suit.  By then, I'd gotten so used to my augments, that running around powerless and naked made me feel all the more vulnerable.  But once you get out, you decide to go back in to rescue the other abductees.  Thank god.  I missed my super powers.

Saints Row IV solves both issues I have with the GTA series.  Not only can you design your character from scratch, but there are also tons of outfits you can buy and collect.  And being a computer generated imaginary city, I no longer feel guilty about killing random citizens.  Not that the people were "real" people in GTA3, being a video game and all, but apparently I'm such a nutjob that civilians have to be simulations within a simulation for me to feel comfortable killing them.

Anyway, the game is excellent.  There's a lot to do, with optional side quests, things to collect, and intuitive controls.  There's a ton of clothing to collect, and you can download more from the Steam workshop. 

The sense of humor reminds me of Team America: World Police.  It's not for the easily offended, but it's pretty damn funny.

As I write this, I'm at 18% completion with 12 hours of play time.  I've spent a lot more time collecting items and doing side quests than working on the main story.  Today I completed the side quest "Enter the Dominatrix", which is just about the craziest thing I've seen in a video game.  It may be the first time I've ever had to use telekinesis to throw Furries into cages at a sex club.  (At least, in a video game.)

Hopefully I'll actually manage to finish this one; I'm pretty bad about that.  But it's definitely entertaining enough to keep me interested, I just have to be able to find the time.