You want lunacy? THQ is giving it to you. On the heels of so many Grand Theft Auto clones (and its own first two entries in the series), the game publisher, working alongside longtime developer Volition, has decided to try something new with Saints Row: The Third, the latest chapter in the ongoing gangster saga. Rather than attempt to take itself seriously and waste gamers’ time by establishing characters, it’s taking the other route, going with so much over-the-top action and silliness that it’s in a league by itself. You know you’re in for a crazy game experience when your character starts slapping people around with a purple sex toy. The plot isn’t the deepest when it comes to a game, but it’s serviceable. The in-game events follow what happened with the second Saints Row, with the Saints, the most powerful street gang in the city, become rich and famous. Their personas have actually grown to the point where they’re feared and respected by mention, and they can literally walk into a bank to rob it without needing to hide their faces, as a factor of intimidation.
In fact, a majority of the demo that THQ showed us, both at E3 and Comic-Con, rolled this bank robbery in motion, including a mid-air shootout that literally takes the series to new heights. With the Saints ruling over the city with an iron fist, it doesn’t take long for other gangs to become jealous and try to take their rightful place on the throne. So, throughout the game, not only will you be running from the law, but you’ll also have to take these gangs on head-on, making sure you attain your position at the top of the food chain. You’ll need to fight for it, but power and control never came easy. And that’s as serious as the game gets. As THQ showed us in the opening of the demo, Saints Row: The Third doesn’t really take itself that seriously. It starts with your gangster obtaining said sex toy and slapping people around mercilessly. That’s pretty silly, but things get ridiculously out of control the second your character dons a pair of big fists, ala toy Hulk hands but without the green color.
Wearing these and running up to people to hit them makes them explode. That’s right, people explode in this game merely by punching them. For good measure, you can also nail anyone on the street with a wrestling move, compared to just beating them to death with a bat. That’s so Grand Theft Auto. Things got even more absurd – in a good way – later on in the demo. The Manapult was introduced, and enables you to launch yourself or other characters across the way with the force of an air cannon. There are some advantages to this, such as launching opponents into street signs and smushing their heads in the process. What’s more, if you see a group of enemies sitting around a corner, you don’t have to deal with them head on. You can call in an air strike, with the help of a VTOL jet, to level them. (And, for good measure, you can take control of a jet itself later on in the game, shooting down anyone you see and running them over while firing off your afterburners.)
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