Before launching into the issue of whether or not Saints Row is any good -- there's probably not much suspense on that front, considering that big fat "A+" right above this text -- a couple of points are in order. First is the fact that "next-generation" doesn't just mean better graphics. Like Dead Rising and Oblivion before it, Saints Row is a showcase for how much freedom, interactivity, and physics you can afford in a world rendered with next-generation tech. Yeah, sure, next-gen looks better. But at its best, next-gen also plays better.
The second point is that there's nothing inherently wrong with a clone, homage, rip-off, or whatever you want to call it, particularly when it manages to improve on its inspiration. Great games aren't sacrosanct, like books or movies. There's room -- not to mention demand -- to use better tech and implementation to recreate gameplay experiences. But that won’t stop some people from writing off Saints Row for being derivative of Rockstar's recent Grand Theft Auto games. To be fair, it is. But the correct response to a game being derivative isn't to kvetch that game X did feature Y first, or to slap it with some variation of a 7.whatever.your.pub.uses.as.a.rating. The correct response is, 'Yeah, but how good is it?'
Because in the case of Saints Row, the answer is a resounding, 'Very!'. This is the best Grand Theft Auto game you can play. Never mind that it's not technically a Grand Theft Auto (tm) game. Instead, it's a superbly crafted, shrewdly tuned, and immaculately paced clone/homage/rip-off from the developers at Volition who show an uncanny insight into what was good about Grand Theft Auto. And, more importantly, what was bad about Grand Theft Auto.
Saints Row gets combat right. It gets driving right. It gets customization right. It gets the RPG elements right. It gets travel time right. It gets unlockables right. It gets the difficulty curve right. It gets the amount of storytelling right. If there's a quibble you had with San Andreas, odds are it drove a design decision in Saints Row. Volition has indirectly benefited from everything Rockstar did to annoy you.
For instance, the Grand Theft Auto games seemed to fold combat in after the fact, as if Rockstar had created a wonderful driving game, but somewhere down the line was told to get players out of the cars and shooting guns at stuff. But right off the bat, Saints Row works fine as a shooter. It has an easy and responsive aiming interface, a great quick-select inventory, and an arsenal of really gratifying guns that work whether you’re on foot or inside a car.
In fact, it's worth noting that the disappointing multiplayer is mainly disappointing for how it's just a third-person shooter with customizable characters. The net code needs some serious work; let's hope Volition patches this, because it's among the worst implementation of multiplayer we've seen on a 360 game. But the real shortcoming is that the heart of the gameplay -- the mayhem caused by crowded streets, stolen cars, and readily available firepower -- couldn't be worked into any sort of competitive multiplayer mode. There are a few co-operative missions in this vein, but on the whole, the multiplayer seems little more than a way for Volition to thumb their noses at Rockstar. It's a sort of 'nyah, nyah, see what we can do' gesture.
The driving is also excellent, thanks in part to the great driving model. But there's also the variety of cars, the variety of places to drive, and the musical selection. The modular design of cars gives traffic the quality of a snowfall: no two flakes are alike. One of the things Saints Row does best is cultivate a sense of attachment to particular cars by letting you customize them and store them in your garage. Even if they’re destroyed or left behind (“Where did I park my car…?”), you can always recover them from your garage.
And speaking of customization, Saints Row's approach to music is far superior to Rockstar's. Volition and THQ obviously didn't sink as much money into their soundtrack as Rockstar did, although they've still got some decent tunes and some really good indie music. But Volition is more than happy to let you play your own music. You can use your 360's custom playlists in the game, by way of your character's audio player. This is something Microsoft has always been good about, and it pays off in spades in Saints Row.
The character customization is impressive (the only limitation is that you have to be a dude instead of a chick), and some of it even has gameplay effect. You get an experience point multiplayer based on your clothes, jewelry, and tattoos. Early on, you're rewarded for wearing your gang's colors, which means stuff like purple socks, purple doo-rags, and purple track pants. That's right, purple. Short of something pastel, the Stillwater Saints couldn't have picked a worse color. The joke is on min/maxxers.
This level of customization is how the RPG elements come into play. You're not manipulating character stats. Instead, you're building a custom character, dressing him up however you like, driving the type of car you want to drive, and listening to the type of music you want to listen. It’s not a leveling grind. It’s a living diorama, or a train set, or a model car for your action figures. It’s a free-roaming world, and yours is a freely chosen style. Yeah, sure, the storyline and setting have their share of fast n' furious gangsta stereotypes and juvenile humor. But unlike San Andreas, this is a place you're visiting, not a place to which you're returning. As with most fantasy RPGs, you're an outsider in a new place. You don't really have to like it to save it. Besides, you're going to ride off into the sunset afterwards.
