10 Video Games You Were Ready To Hate
5. Saints Row
Reboots are a tricky business. Developers have to carefully tread a very fine line between innovating enough to be warranted, and retaining enough of the original’s spark that fans still enjoy it.
Unfortunately, when 2022’s Saints Row reboot was first teased, it was immediately obvious that they might’ve missed the mark.
Despite the original Saints Row series being one that constantly reinvented itself over its run, turning from a Grand Theft Auto-style cars and crime game into something that literally sent its core protagonist to Hell, fans immediately expressed concern over the tone of the new entry.
Sure, Saints Row was always wacky, but marketing made this new version’s humour seem one-note and corny, with protagonists that look more like 2014 hipsters than hardened criminals.
Release saw these expectations and worse come true, complete with dated gameplay, soulless comedy, forgettable characters, and heaps of narrative tonal dissonance. Not to mention the technical difficulties, multitude of bugs, and plasticy-looking character models. Bad luck, Saints Row. It genuinely sucks to see a series die twice.