Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: May 10th, 2019
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
Developer:Â
Publisher: Deep Silver
Price: £29.99
Saints Row: The Third was originally released back in 2011 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC and as you probably already guessed, is the third instalment of the Saints Row games. For those that don’t already know, Saints Row: The Third is an action open-world game that follows the notorious gang, The Saints. It is pretty much Grand Theft Auto for the jokers. It doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The game was an incredible success back in 2011 but how to it stand up in 2019 on, arguably, one of the best consoles out there? Let’s find out!
Story
Set years after the events of Saints Row, The Third Street Saints are pretty much an established brand; everyone knows them, everyone’s scared of them and most want to be them. Their signature sign is everywhere you look, each member is basically a celebrity. But fame and fortune brings enemies, people that want to take what you have away from you. Enter The Syndicate, the only ‘bad guy’ that’s more established than you are and he wants you to bend to his will. Obviously, the Saints refuse which causes a stir… and a little bit of war… which leads you having to build up your crew and faction from scratch.
Gameplay
Saints Row: The Third The Full Package is inundated with things to do. Main missions, side missions and a huge map to explore and have a lot of fun with. You won’t get bored easily and, if you’ve played Saints Row before, you will know just how insane each mission is. It’s not just a case of run and gun gameplay, you will be sky-diving, driving crazy vehicles and using weapons that shouldn’t be used at all. A huge purple sex toy comes to mind… My point is, it’s darn-right hilarious.
Saints Row: The Third The Full Package includes the base game as well as any and all previously released DLC, which is a lot. Over 30 to be precise, consisting of outfits, vehicles, weapons and even brand new missions.
I played Saints Row: The Third to death when it originally released on the Xbox 360 and I had a hell of a lot of fun doing so but playing through it again on the Nintendo Switch just wasn’t the same. The Nintendo Switch is a more powerful console than that of the Xbox 360, therefore I should have felt like I was playing an upgraded version of Saints Row. Instead, I felt like I was playing a downgraded version… poor graphics, poor framerate and generally a poor experience.
Okay, I know that this isn’t a ‘new’ game. I’m aware it’s 7 years old but I just feel like so much more could have been done to make the experience a whole lot better. The controls feel extremely clunky, I encountered many stutters during cut-scenes and the game crashed on me a fair few times. Also, I’m not sure how to explain this one very well but, whilst I was driving in a vehicle, it just felt like I was floating? Like, I wasn’t driving… It’s weird.
I can tell you one thing though, it’s incredibly hilarious to play in co-op. The amount of fun to be had playing online or local with a friend is immense and having the freedom to do whatever you want with whoever you want is great.
Graphics & Sounds
For me, I felt that the graphics here just wasn’t up to scratch. I expected to load up Saints Row: The Third The Full Package and just be like ‘wow, this looks stunning’ instead I was saying ‘I don’t remember it looking this bad…’ I wanted to be blown away by it, and I just wasn’t at all and maybe that’s my own fault. Maybe because I played it so much on Xbox 360 and loved it so much that I expected too much from it? I don’t know.
One thing that didn’t disappoint was the soundtrack. It was just as good as I remember, full of nostalgic songs that when I heard it took me straight back to 2011, playing the game for the very first time. Those were the good old days.
Summary
Saints Row: The Third The Full Package was a slightly disappointing experience for me, I wanted to be in awe and be reminded just why I loved it all those years ago but I wasn’t. My memory of the game was almost tainted. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun to play and it’s a blessing we’re even getting a game like this on the Nintendo Switch but it wasn’t ‘The Full Package’ for me. It might be to some people and it’s great to be able to take it with me on the go or play it in bed, but I just didn’t want to.
