Saint's Row 4 is known for its comical deconstruction of other video games. If the GTA series is tongue-in-cheek, then Saint's Row is a long, slobbering dog-tongue, hanging loosely from the mouth and slinging saliva all over the walls every time it moves. But GTA is not the only game in SR 4's crosshairs, as it also mocks the earnest romance mechanics of the Mass Effect series. That explains the free-love vibe in the 3rd Street Saints Ship - the base of operations where you plan missions, review audio logs, and rut with everything in sight like a chihuahua at a Beanie Baby convention. Unlike in Mass Effect, the player-created Protagonist in SR 4 doesn't need to engage in hours of sweet-talking and listening to grim stories about how their prospective lover's home planet was wiped out by disease or invasion. No, in SR 4, you just ask them if they want it, and you get a 'yes' or 'no' answer. The Protagonist's matter-of-fact advances only get rejected when the other person is recovering from the last sex session, and rejection won't deter him or her from trying it on again later. The Protagonist is up for anything - be it man, woman, nerd, or robot - with the only thing stopping her from going at it all the time being the limited stamina of her colleagues.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
