M
Minimaul
Guest
Intro
Between work and actually playing the preview, I've not had much time to actually do a writeup. So here's my slightly rushed verdict:
It's fun.
It's not Saints Row 2, and it's not Saints Row: The Third either. If you go into it expecting a clone of either of these, you will be surprised and maybe disappointed. It is fun to play, and the limited number of storyline missions that were available (the first 6) had some great moments (along with some great music).
It's no secret that I was a bit disappointed with Steelport in Saints Row: The Third compared to Stilwater. The changes in Saints Row IV - and the addition of superpowers - make the open world much more interesting and keeps it fresh for longer. The super sprint and super jump powers make going from activity to activity (and there are a LOT) 100x more fun than it was in Saints Row: The Third. There's a lot more to do in the open-world compared to SR:TT, and to be honest it's a lot more fun too!
Customisation is massively improved - there's a lot more veriety of everything: more clothing, more skin colours, more hairstyles, glasses, and more jewelry. I spent a good couple of hours playing with different characters - there's a lot more variety now, and it is good. I am somewhat disappointed that layers are still gone, but it's still a big improvement.
Weapons & Combat
The weapon selection in SRIV is much bigger than SR:TT's - and they're more interesting too! The abduction gun is good fun to use (and it works on your co-op partners!), and the variety of customisation options is good.
Customisation is based on a selection of different models for each weapon, and then different skins for each model. Different models get different sounds and FX too in some cases. There's a wide variety of both silly and more realistic weapons to suit all players - but let's be honest, I spent my whole time using a blunderbuss and a RPG skinned like a waffle.
Superpowers make a nice addition to combat - you can do most combat using solely superpowers and melee if you want, but it works best when you smoothly switch between super-powered combat and guns. It flows pretty well too - the controls are well implemented.
HP doesn't regenerate in combat. If you're fighting, you HAVE to collect health pickups. It does regenerate once you get away and your notoriety drops, though.
Vehicles
Pretty much all the SRTT vehicles are back, and I spotted a few extras from SR2 that were previously missing. Vehicles are still fun - even though superpowers will make up a lot of your travel.
The returning monster truck is a great vehicle (albeit a little buggy physics-wise in the preview) - and possibly my new favourite
The AB Destroyer plane is a great vehicle for doing the open world flashpoints and hotspots - unlike SRTT where most open-world combat was at ground level, you will spend a lot of time in the air The various helicopters (and I think they've all returned from SR:TT) are good fun too.
My verdict: Buy it.
If I hadn't preordered SRIV already, I would now. The gameplay in the preview has convinced me that this is a game I will keep playing, and the story content so far is superb. Idol tells me that the first six missions are the "boring" ones - so I can't wait to see what Volition have pulled out of the hat!
Between work and actually playing the preview, I've not had much time to actually do a writeup. So here's my slightly rushed verdict:
It's fun.
It's not Saints Row 2, and it's not Saints Row: The Third either. If you go into it expecting a clone of either of these, you will be surprised and maybe disappointed. It is fun to play, and the limited number of storyline missions that were available (the first 6) had some great moments (along with some great music).
It's no secret that I was a bit disappointed with Steelport in Saints Row: The Third compared to Stilwater. The changes in Saints Row IV - and the addition of superpowers - make the open world much more interesting and keeps it fresh for longer. The super sprint and super jump powers make going from activity to activity (and there are a LOT) 100x more fun than it was in Saints Row: The Third. There's a lot more to do in the open-world compared to SR:TT, and to be honest it's a lot more fun too!
Customisation is massively improved - there's a lot more veriety of everything: more clothing, more skin colours, more hairstyles, glasses, and more jewelry. I spent a good couple of hours playing with different characters - there's a lot more variety now, and it is good. I am somewhat disappointed that layers are still gone, but it's still a big improvement.
Weapons & Combat
The weapon selection in SRIV is much bigger than SR:TT's - and they're more interesting too! The abduction gun is good fun to use (and it works on your co-op partners!), and the variety of customisation options is good.
Customisation is based on a selection of different models for each weapon, and then different skins for each model. Different models get different sounds and FX too in some cases. There's a wide variety of both silly and more realistic weapons to suit all players - but let's be honest, I spent my whole time using a blunderbuss and a RPG skinned like a waffle.
Superpowers make a nice addition to combat - you can do most combat using solely superpowers and melee if you want, but it works best when you smoothly switch between super-powered combat and guns. It flows pretty well too - the controls are well implemented.
HP doesn't regenerate in combat. If you're fighting, you HAVE to collect health pickups. It does regenerate once you get away and your notoriety drops, though.
Vehicles
Pretty much all the SRTT vehicles are back, and I spotted a few extras from SR2 that were previously missing. Vehicles are still fun - even though superpowers will make up a lot of your travel.
The returning monster truck is a great vehicle (albeit a little buggy physics-wise in the preview) - and possibly my new favourite
The AB Destroyer plane is a great vehicle for doing the open world flashpoints and hotspots - unlike SRTT where most open-world combat was at ground level, you will spend a lot of time in the air
The various helicopters (and I think they've all returned from SR:TT) are good fun too.My verdict: Buy it.
If I hadn't preordered SRIV already, I would now. The gameplay in the preview has convinced me that this is a game I will keep playing, and the story content so far is superb. Idol tells me that the first six missions are the "boring" ones - so I can't wait to see what Volition have pulled out of the hat!
