Saints Row IV finally hits stores next week, and today the review embargo has lifted on the much-anticipated title, which some have speculated may have been rushed through development in order to beat Rockstar's GTA V to the punch ahead of its September 17th release. Thankfully, it seems that even if this was the case, Saints Row IV is a) still an extremely enjoyable, indeed,
awesome game and that b) the GTA vs. Saints Row argument becomes increasingly irrelevant with each new Saints Row release (though that's something I'll get properly into later). The question is - should you buy Saints Row IV? If you loved the last game, you're probably going to go gaga for this one too; if you're a big GTA fan who has yet to make the leap, it makes for a great complimentary title to play alongside it (and that's really about as far as the comparisons need go anymore). If you're on-board with Volition's very particular brand of silliness, then Saints Row IV is one of the best recent arguments for gaming as pure, insane escapism, and certainly one of the most enjoyable titles all year. Here are 10 reasons why...
10. It's Brilliantly Stupid...
This is a key area in which Saints Row differs from Rockstar's franchise; if GTA is slyly satirical (in a way that some more casual players may not even pick up on), Saints Row IV doesn't have a lick of subtlety or nuance about itself. The plot revolves loosely around the Saints and the President of the United States getting kidnapped by aliens, at which point they're thrown into a computer simulation of Steelport, which equips them with superpowers that can be used to combat the alien race, while forcing them to contend with their worst nightmares. In almost Inception-like fashion, as the protagonist, you must enter the nightmares of the other Saints and save them from a diverse array of surreal and hilarious things, such as humanoid energy cans that up and try to kill you. It doesn't make any sense, and was likely dreamt up under the influence of questionable substances, but damn, is it nothing if not a breath of fresh air?