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Saints Row (series)
Genre(s)Action-adventure, Open world
Developer(s)Volition, Inc.
Publisher(s)THQ
Platform(s)Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
First releaseSaints Row
29 August 2006
Latest releaseSaints Row: The Third
15 November 2011

Saints Row is a video game franchise created by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. Typically, gameplay is presented in open world format. Because of the mixture of nonlinear gameplay with action-adventure and racing sequences, the series is referred to as being sandbox style.

After completing Red Faction II in late 2002, developer Volition began work on the original Saints Row game in mid 2003. The game was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and commercial success. The sequel, Saints Row 2, was released in 2008 to similar acclaim but greater commercial success. The series' third entry, Saints Row: The Third was released on 15 November 2011. From Saints Row and Saints Row 2, the series has had unit sales in excess of six million, making it a best-selling video game franchise.

Sales

On 2 November 2011, THQ CEO Brian Farrell announced that Saints Row: The Third was already the most pre-ordered title in series history. In fact, the game had four times the number of pre-orders Saints Row 2 had two weeks before its launch.[54] THQ estimated the game would ship over 3 million units before the publisher's fiscal year ends in March 2012. By comparison, Saints Row 2 launched in October 2008 and sold 2.6 million by the end of the fiscal year.[55] On 25 January 2012, THQ announced that The Third had shipped 3.8 million units globally and are expecting to ship between five and six million units lifetime on the title.[56]

The series in whole, has roughly sold 9.8 million copies.

History

Saints Row

Main article: Saints Row

Saints Row was the first installment in the series as a whole, having begun development in mid 2003 as a PlayStation 2 title under the name Bling Bling.[1] The game was first announced at E3 2005 for the Xbox 360. As the first sandbox style video game to be released for the Xbox 360, Saints Row was widely anticipated; its pre-beta demo build set records after being downloaded nearly four hundred thousand times within a week.[2] It had sales in excess of five hundred thousand during its September 2006 release month, and was critically acclaimed. To date, the game has had sales in excess of two million units.[3] A GameCube version was planned but was scrapped due to the release of the Wii.

The game is set in the fictional city Stilwater, located in the state of Michigan. The player character is inducted into the 3rd Street Saints gang after they save his life, and assists the Saints in eliminating three rival gangs that control the city. After the gangs have been eliminated, police chief Monroe kidnaps the Saints founder Julius Little and offers the player to exchange the gang leader's freedom for mayor Marshall Winslow's life. After Winslow is assassinated, Monroe is murdered by the Saints, and Julius is freed. The other Saints member look towards the player character, considering him their new leader. The new mayor Richard Hughes invites the player character aboard his private yacht and Julius betrays the player by blowing the yacht up and killing everyone but the protagonist on board. The game was renowned for being the first seventh-generation sandbox game, and introduces new features which have since become staples to the genre. It introduces online multiplayer, an in-game mobile phone, GPS navigation, and elaborate character and vehicle customization.[4][5]

Saints Row 2

Main article: Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2 begun development in mid 2006, a few months before the Xbox 360 release of Saints Row.[6] While a PlayStation 3 port of Saints Row was in development, it was cancelled when Saints Row 2 was first officially confirmed in May 2007.[7] A Microsoft Windows port, announced in June 2008, eventually released in the early months of 2009. Three downloadable content packs were developed and launched in mid 2009 (for console only), including Ultor Exposed and Corporate Warfare.

Saints Row 2 is set five years after Saints Row; the player character awakes from a coma in a prison hospital having survived the yacht explosion. After escaping the prison, the player character saves Johnny Gat before his execution and together they begin to revive the 3rd Street Saints and, through a course of events, reclaim Stilwater from three new gangs that have had the city under their control. The Ultor Corporation, responsible for Stilwater's redevelopment following a major earthquake, attempt to extinguish the Saints. However, a press conference held by Ultor's CEO Dane Vogel is interrupted when the Saints assault it, culminating to Vogel's assassination and the game's conclusion, in which the Saints now run Stilwater once more. The game builds upon the fundamentals of Saints Row by improving the respect system, adding more varied activities, increasing the extent to which the player can customize his character, gang, and vehicles, and adding a number of new vehicle models. It expands the Stilwater setting and adds new gameplay features and content.[8]

Saints Row: The Third

Main article: Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row: The Third was officially announced in March 2011. It was released in North America on 15 November 2011, then in Europe on 18 November 2011, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows platforms.[9] The game began early development at Volition in September 2008, a month before Saints Row 2 was due to release.[10] The player again controls the leader of the 3rd Street Saints, who have grown from their humble roots as a street gang into a worldwide crime group. The story centers around the conflict between the Saints and the Syndicate, a rival crime group who seek to take advantage of the Saints' influence. Though the first two Saints Row games were set in the fictional city of Stilwater, Saints Row: The Third is set in a new city named Steelport. Steelport is run by three gangs, much like Stilwater was in Saints Row and Saints Row 2, yet these gangs—Morning Star, the Deckers and the Luchadores—are all under the control of the Syndicate. Later on in the game, a Division of the Military known as S.T.A.G. is called to Steelport by authorities in an attempt to eradicate all of the gangs in the city.[11]

Saints Row 4

During an interview with X-Play after the release of Saints Row: The Third, THQ executive VP Danny Bilson revealed that Volition is already working on Saints Row 4. "Like any game, if you have a great creative core to it you just keep exploiting that core," he told G4. "For instance," he continued, "I know what Saints Row 4 is about and it is wilder than this one. It's a good example of how you take what you have and you ask, 'what could happen in the next?" added Bilson, without giving up any actual details.[12][13]

On 3 May 2012, Volition announced a standalone game that does not require Saints Row: The Third to play, entitled Saints Row: The Third - Enter the Dominatrix. The game takes place 1 year after the events of Saints Row: The Third and will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows. The official description: "Saints Row: The Third - Enter the Dominatrix picks up immediately following the events of Saints Row: The Third. For centuries, alien warlord Zinyak has eyed Earth and its precious natural resources and females with a watchful eye. As he prepares an armada for invasion, he has only one worry: the Third Street Saints.". On 18 June, it was confirmed that the game had been redirected to be a full sequel and will be released in conjunction with Saints Row 4 in 2013.[14] With THQ's bankruptcy, it's unknown on what will happen to the game.

Cancelled games

Saints Row: Drive-By

Saints Row: Drive-By was to be a spin-off of the main series, initially announced at E3 2010 for the Nintendo 3DS. It was originally suggested that the game would also be available for the Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade game and for the PlayStation 3 as a PlayStation Network game featuring 3D graphics .[15][16] The game would have been tied to Saints Row: The Third, as part of the marketing campaign for the game. Playing Saints Row: Drive-By would have unlocked exclusive content for use in Saints Row: The Third, and vice versa.[17]

Gameplay

The Saints Row series is part of a genre known as sandbox games. This genre differentiates from others in that gameplay takes place in open world format. Typically, the player can explore a vast, open map from the early stages of the game and is free to progress through the storyline at leisure. The series combines elements of action, adventure and vehicular gameplay. The player can freely roam the virtual world on foot or by use of vehicles and make use of an array of weapon and mêlée based combat. Illegal activity such as engaging computer-controlled civilians and police officers will instigate a proactive and potentially lethal response from authoritative figures. In the instance of death or arrest, the player will respawn at a nearby hospital or police station.[18]

An emphasis is put on urban warfare; the player character is affiliated with a hip-hop cultured street gang known as the 3rd Street Saints. Game missions are structurally divided into separate mission arcs. These mission arcs do not intertwine but can be played through altogether at once or separately by the player. Missions are unlocked by accruing respect points; respect is game currency earned by playing non-story mini-games known as activities and diversions.[19] Customization also constitutes a large portion of gameplay. The player has the ability to customise their character's appearance and clothing, can take certain vehicles to chop shops for modification and in Saints Row 2 is able to decorate the interior of in-game safehouses and refine the behaviour of the Third Street Saints gang.[20]

Setting

The setting of both Saints Row and Saints Row 2 is the fictional city of Stilwater, located in the mid-western state of Michigan, USA.[21] Stilwater is primarily based on the real-world American cities Chicago and Detroit.[21] During the early development process of Saints Row, the city was designed before the script was assembled and was more than four times the size of its final revision but was cropped to a smaller revision because development resources could not support a city of that size.[22] During its development phase the city went through consistent expansion and cropping; examples such as the shopping mall and trailer park districts in Saints Row 2's city revision were originally included in early designs of Saints Row's city revision.[22] A design challenge was creating the city without load-screen interferences and as such the engine was designed to stream around the player's location in individual chunks of the city.[1] The city was designed to feel diverse and have a variance of districts; Saints Row product art director Matt Flegel commented that "We wanted the city to cover all styles, from the towering sky scrapers of downtown to the gritty industrial feel of the factory district. We want the player to feel the changes between the districts, rather than just noticing the visual difference."[23] The districts were also designed to feel relevant to the gangs that controlled them.[23]

The Stilwater of Saints Row 2 is significantly different from its original rendition; the city is 45% bigger than its older counterpart.[24][25] Much of the city from Saints Row is redeveloped in Saints Row 2, albeit becoming more "alive" and full of depth.[26] Saints Row 2 lead producer Greg Donovan said that "Stilwater in Saints Row 2 is very different from Saints Row. In fact, every detail has been touched to some degree or another. [...] I think that what will end up happening is that people who played Saints Row or are fans of the franchise are going to have a great time exploring the city and looking for new things. [Also], people that are new to Saints Row 2 are just going to be presented with a huge, very dispersive and very different looking environment, it's very well polished and detailed."[27] There are no in-game load screens in Saints Row 2,[28] a notable feat as the game allows for seamless co-operative play. There are over 130 interiors within the city, including over ninety different shops.[29] The city is more dynamic and lifelike in Saints Row 2, as the artificial intelligence is smarter i.e. civilians will interact with each other.[30] Additionally, certain elements of Saints Row 2's environment are destructible as the game shares some technology with the Volition-developed Red Faction: Guerilla game.[31] Its environment also features numerous landmarks and Easter eggs; one such feature won "Top Easter Egg of 2008".[32] The game Saints Row: The Third is set in another fictional city; Steelport, set in the state of New York, after the Saints were attacked by the Syndicate and waged war against them there.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of 12 November 2011.
Game GameRankings Metacritic
Saints Row (X360) 82.20%[33] (X360) 81[34]
Saints Row 2 (PS3) 83.37%[35]
(X360) 82.99%[36]
(PC) 70.68%[37] 		(PS3) 82[38]
(X360) 81[39]
(PC) 72[40]
Saints Row: The Third (PC) 86.44%[41]
(X360) 84.73%[42]
(PS3) 83.94%[43] 		(PC) 84[44]
(X360) 84[45]
(PS3) 82[46]

Both Saints Row and Saints Row 2 received positive reviews for their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports. However, the mobile phone ports of both games as well as the Windows port of Saints Row 2 received a more mixed response. Additionally, the downloadable content packs for Saints Row 2 received mostly average reviews.

The Xbox 360 port of Saints Row received generally positive reviews and scores. It received an 82.20% and 81/100 from review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic respectively. IGN reviewer Douglass Perry awarded the game an 8.5/10, praising the presentation and gameplay while pointing out technical shortcomings as well as the often forced humour.[47] GameSpot reviewer Greg Kasavin awarded the game an 8.3/10, giving credit to the driving, the action, the presentation and the story. However, he criticised the lack of polish and lack of variety in mission design.[48] It was hailed as "the best reason to own a 360 this side of Oblivion and a "must buy" by GamePro reviewer Vicious Sid, who awarded it five stars out of five.[49] Russell Garbutt of Game Over Online said that it "succeeds in raising the next-gen bar for this genre" and awarded it a 94% score.[50]

Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports of Saints Row 2 received positive reviews. It received an 83.37% and 82.99% from GameRankings respectively, and 82/100 and 81/100 from Metacritic respectively. PGNx Media reviewer Adam Nunez awarded the game 9.6/10 and layered praise onto most aspects of the game, summing up by saying "In terms of pure, unadulterated fun, Saints Row 2 is in a league of its own".[51] GameSpy reviewer Gerald Villoria awarded the game four and a half stars out of five and said that "Saints Row 2 offers up a shooting and driving experience that is plenty of fun [...] It's self-consciously funny in its irreverence, and its low-brow humor will definitely appeal to much of its audience".[52] IGN reviewer Nate Ahearn awarded Saints Row 2 an 8.2/10, praising the gameplay but criticizing the lack of polish and the weak artificial intelligence.[53] However, the PC port of Saints Row 2 received a much less positive response. It received an aggregated score of 70.68% and 72/100 from GameRankings and Metacritic.

Commercial success

Saints Row 2 shipped over two million units for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 during October 2008, the month of its release.[54]

To date, the series has roughly sold over 9.8 million units, including over three million for Saints Row 2.[55]

References

  1. ^ a b Lawrance, Alan (7 July 2006). "Saints Row Developer Diary #2". GameSpy. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  2. ^ Surette, Tim (21 August 2006). "Saints Row demo sets record". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  3. ^ Sources that discuss Saints Row's financial success include:
    i. Thorsen, Tom (13 September 2006). "US console charts: September 5–11". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.;
    ii. Cocker, Guy (26 September 2006). "UK game charts: September 17–23". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.;
    iii. Ramsay, Randolph (15 September 2006). "Saints Row still tops in Oz". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.;
    iv. Graft, Kris (18 June 2008). "THQ: Saints Row 2 "Very Different" from GTA IV". Next-Gen.biz. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  4. ^ Onyett, Chales (9 September 2005). "Saints Row Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  5. ^ Miller, Johnathan (9 May 2006). "E3 2006: Saints Row Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  6. ^ Wilson, Mark (17 March 2008). "Feeding your ID in Saints' Row 2". Kotaku. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  7. ^ Graft, Kris (10 May 2007). "Saints Row PS3 Canned, Sequel Confirmed". Next Generation Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  8. ^ Robinson, Martin (31 July 2008). "Saints Row 2 UK Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  9. ^ Cullen, Johnny (3 March 2011). "THQ formally announces Saints Row: The Third". VG247. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  10. ^ Guttridge, Luke (25 September 2008). "Dan Sutton on Saints Row 2". Play.tm. Retrieved 25 July 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Ryckert, Dan (2 March 2011). "April Cover Reveal - Saints Row: The Third". Game Informer. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  12. ^ Johnson, Stephen (8 November 2011). "Saints Row 4 Confirmed, To Be "Wilder" Than Saints Row 3". G4TV. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  13. ^ Magrino, Tom (8 November 2011). "Publisher EVP Danny Bilson confirms fourth installment in Volition's madcap action game is in development, will iterate on The Third". Gamespot. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Saints Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix Now Part of Something Bigger Than Itself". Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Saints Row: Drive-by Listed As Canceled for PSN and XBL". http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/saints-row-drive-by-listed-as-canceled-for-psn-and-xbl/. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ^ J "V-Singular" (1 July 2010). "New Information on Saints Row 3DS". Saints Row Community. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  17. ^ Brightman, james (29 June 2010). "Nintendo 'Really Wanted' Saints Row on 3DS, reveals THQ". Industry Gamers. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  18. ^ Perry, Douglas (20 May 2005). "E3 2005: Saints Row First Look". IGN. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  19. ^ Wilson, Mark (17 March 2008). "Feeding your ID in Saints Row 2". Kotaku. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  20. ^ Ahearn, Nate (23 March 2008). "Saints Row 2 First Look". IGN. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  21. ^ a b Leyton, Chris (2 July 2006). "Saint's Row Q&A Feature". TotalVideoGames. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  22. ^ a b Stockman, Christopher (27 June 2006). "Saints Row Developer Diary #1". GameSpy. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  23. ^ a b Flegel, Matt (4 August 2006). "Saints Row Developer Diary #5". GameSpy. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  24. ^ Ahearn, Nate (28 March 2008). "Saints Row 2 Details". IGN. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  25. ^ Volition, Inc (14 October 2008). Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360) (1.30 ed.). THQ. Level/area: "Down Payment". Johnny: Years ago, an earthquake dropped part of the city below sea level and rather than cleaning up the rubble, the city just built over it.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Claflin, Chris (7 October 2008). "Developer Blog - "Creating the Dynamic City of Stilwater"". Saints Row Community. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  27. ^ IGN Xbox 360 (5 April 2008). "Saints Row 2 Xbox 360 Interview". IGN. Retrieved 16 August 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Garbutt, Russell (27 October 2008). "Saints Row 2 Review". GameOver Online. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  29. ^ Ahearn, Nate (30 July 2008). "Saints Row 2 and Tera Patrick Preview". IGN. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  30. ^ Helvig, Chris (9 September 2008). "Developer Blog - "Creating Life in a Sandbox"". Saints Row Community. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  31. ^ Robinson, Martin (31 July 2008). "Saints Row 2 UK Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  32. ^ Webb, Dan (18 December 2008). "Top 5 Easter Eggs of 2008". Xbox360 Achievements.org. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  33. ^ "Saints Row Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  34. ^ "Saints Row Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  35. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  36. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  37. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  38. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  39. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  40. ^ "Saints Row 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  41. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  42. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  43. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  44. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  45. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  46. ^ "Saints Row: The Third Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  47. ^ Perry, Douglass (28 August 2006). "Saints Row Review". IGN. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  48. ^ Kasavin, Greg (30 August 2008). "Saints Row Review for Xbox 360". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  49. ^ "Vicious Sid" (28 August 2006). "Saints Row Review". GamePro. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  50. ^ Garbutt, Russell (16 November 2006). "Game Over Online Magazine - Saints Row". Game Over Online. Retrieved 19 July 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  51. ^ Nunez, Adam (11 October 2008). "Saints Row 2 (360) Review". PGNx Media. Retrieved 24 July 2009. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  52. ^ Villoria, Gerald (14 October 2008). "Saints Row 2 Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  53. ^ Ahearn, Nate (9 October 2008). "Saints Row 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  54. ^ Plunkett, Luke (5 November 2008). "Saints Row 2: Two Million Served (Well, Shipped)". Kotaku. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  55. ^ Thorsen, Tor (15 September 2010). "Saints Row, Warhammer 40K series sales top 6 million". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
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