| Product: |
Saints Row (Xbox360) |
| Date: |
27.09.06 (1313 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Tried and test gameplay.
Disadvantages: Frame rate issues, poor multiplayer issues.
Hey! Time for another amazing review from Smeevil Productions! Hehe.
Saints Row. The first thing that needs to be said, is they've almost litteraly taken GTA and put new graphics on it. If you like the (Three Dimensional) GTA series, then you'll like this. That said, I'll try to refrain from making to many comparison to GTA unless I have to.
ииииииии GRAPHICS ииииииии
As most people will agree, First impresions are where you get your general idea of what something, or someone, will be like and you'll probably stick to that opinion for quite a while. Enough for it to affect your choice to stay or go, either way. In games, the first thing anyone notices, is how it looks these days.
The graphics in Saints Row are definatly above par. They look nice, smooth and detailed. However, there a many times throughout the game where you will notice something that doesn't look great. Such as some of the characters bottom eyelids shine like beacons, or the strange amount of blur the have on things in the distance. It does get a little excessive.
The cars and pedestrians are as nice as they should be, as is the scenery. You have to bare in mind that this kind of game takes a lot of processing power anyway, so the graphics can't be expected to be absolutely outstanding.
The major downside is that the engine the game uses to run doesn't seem to be able to handle anything moving over a certain speed, so when you're driving, the game slows down quite a lot. Which really spoils the feeling, but it's not game breaking.
ииииииии GAMEPLAY ииииииии
This is the single most important aspect of any game. This includes not only how it handles, but how the game gets you involved aswell.
The games customisation is brilliant, you can customise yourself and your cars, adding to the gameplay experience. You can go out and buy new stuff to get more respect from your homies too.
As far as moving or driving goes, the game is great. The camera can be a little slow when driving, but you can manual adjust it if you need to (using the right stick). The sprint button means traveling on foot isn't painfull, and the old GTA style 'cheat' of taping the sprint button instead of holding it works fairly well too.
With regards to driving, there are times when it's hard to get a car, which get's very irritating in some of the missions or activities (discussed later).
However, the big problem in this game is the aiming. After playing a game like call of duty which has near pixel perfect aiming, this feels like you're drunk at 4 in the morning and have parkinsons disease. The aiming jerks to far to one side or the other, and you can't aim up high or down low enough, especially when in a car.
That gets most annoying during a chase when you're in a van or other tall vehicle and a squad car or low rider comes up the side of you. You just can't shoot down at them!
The easiest way to over come this is to move your character left to right instead of aiming left to right. This covers two birds with one stone - you're moving (dodging) and shooting.
The mission's are interstingly varied too. You don't feel like you're playing the same mission 5 times in a row. That's not to say there aren't simularities, mind, as most of it involves killing oposing gangs either way. For added value, there are probably around a hundred or so activities, ranging from taking strippers/hookers to have sex with clients in the back of a car whilst you do you best to not kill the clients, but escape from the press too (which gets very entertaining when a woman gets in to the car with your sexy female stripper) or down to the quite simple assasinations that must be made, but using a certain weapon.
Doesn't tickle you fancy? How about stealing hookers from pimps? Doing the old snatch and dash on a store? To complex? Well how about plain old causing as much mayhem as you can?
There's something for most people here, unless you don't like voilence or sexual scenes I guess.
All in all, the single player plays well, but that's not to say that it couldn't be improved.
The multiplayer however, is a different story. I figured when I first loaded it up that it would be fairly well done, as the single player certainly looked polished. To be honest, it probably is fairly well done.
But if you get in to a game with more than 4-6 people in the room, you can't do anything because of the severe amounts of lag that you get. I know, a lot of this is cross seas, but even when playing with english players, it lags so very much.
It really does make the game impossible to play.
But I'll give you as much info as I can on the differen't modes.
First of all, there's CO OP mode. Simple really, You have 2 objectives and you must complete them with a friend, via Xbox live (Ѓ40 per year). It's fun, because It doesn't lag as there are only 2 of you. However, there's not much to do and the mission even on the hardest dificulty aren't that hard.
Then there's the classic death match or team death match. Not a lot can be said about these kind of games any more, because all you have to do is put the single player gameplay and add in your friends and it's the same. The only variation being do you kill everyone or just set people?
Then there's protect the pimp. One player has no weapons and a pimp hat. The pimp hat allows you to pimp slap people (One hit kill) and your team mates have to keep you alive.
Bling the car means you have to collect gold chains to raise cash to pimp your car before the oposition does.
And Big Ass Chains is where you have to pawn in as many chains as you can, these are gained by killing people.
I can't accuratly give a decent representation of the online play, as it's so irritating fight back the lag monster, that I don't think I should rate it untill this is fixed.
On the plus side, the clan system is good (or gang system) rather. And you can customise your character online to make him stand out in a croud.
ииииииии SOUND ииииииии
The sound in this game is superb! The voice acting is brill, the engines and cars are good enough and there's a huge expansive list of songs to choose from. If it's rock or rap it's there for you. Or maybe yodeling? Or how about a song called "Slapstick Duck Twist" which involves lots of quacking? With custom play lists to boot, there's something for everyone.
ииииииии LONGEVITY ииииииии
This game should last you a while because there is a lot to do to get 100% and the achievements list will help the drive to get you there keep going. I'd say this game would last a few months.
If they ever sort out the multiplayer problems, I can see this game lasting for a long time.
But until then, I don't feel like putting up with abusive americans and not being able to kick their but in the game do to the fact it's imposible to move, never mind accurately shoot someone. Long live the rocket launcher, ay?
ииииииии SUMMARY ииииииии
As I said at the start, if you like GTA, you'll like this. Try to treat it as an individual game though, to get more enjoyment from it. I'd recommend this to buyers. Play the single player and brave the online. Not every game lags, just 80% of them. Oh, and as with all 360 games, NEVER PAY Ѓ50 FOR THEM!
ииииииии THANKS ииииииии
Thanks for reading people. If you need any more info, or can see anything that should be changed, just let me know.
Be sure to leave a rating and a comment, I love to hear from you!
PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW MAY ONLY BE POSTED BY SMEEP. IF YOU SEE THIS REVIEW UNDER ANOTHER USERNAME ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE INFORM ME AND THE WEBSITE.
Summary: Great game. If you like GTA you'll like this.
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