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Saints Row: The Third
Developer(s)Volition
Publisher(s)THQ[a]
Director(s)Scott Phillips
Producer(s)Greg Donovan
Designer(s)Bryan Dillow
Programmer(s)Nick Lee[1]
Artist(s)Frank Marquart[1]
Writer(s)Steve Jaros[1]
Composer(s)Malcolm Kirby Jr.
SeriesSaints Row
EngineCore Technology Group
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Linux, Nintendo Switch
ReleasePS3, X360, Windows
  • NA: November 15, 2011
  • AU: November 15, 2011
  • EU: November 18, 2011
Linux[2]
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: May 10, 2019
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Saints Row: The Third is an open worldaction-adventure video game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It is the third title in the Saints Row series. As in the previous games, the player-character leads the Third Streets Saints gang in a turf war against three rival gangs using a variety of weapons and vehicles in single-player and cooperative play. It was released on November 15, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. A Nintendo Switch port was announced by Deep Silver and was released on May 10, 2019.[3]

  • I can't find the activity or gang operations that will allow me to take control of two territories in Loren Square, Downtown Steelport (Morning Star territory). I've driven all over the place but I.
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Game development began by late 2008. There was high staff turnover from the previous Saints Row team, with only one-fifth of the final 100-person staff having worked on a previous title in the series. They aimed to improve on the series by giving the game a coherent tone, and found it in films such as Hot Fuzz and the game's signature sex toy bat. Saints Row: The Third was built using a proprietary engine known as Core Technology Group and the Havok physics engine.

The game received positive reviews, reviewers noted its general zaniness and praised its customization options. Critics thought the setting was insipid and that its humor occasionally fell flat, and others thought the game perfected the Saints Row formula. It was a nominee for Best Narrative at the 2012 Game Developers Conference, an IGN Editor's Choice, and a recipient of perfect scores from GamesRadar and G4. A complete edition including the three downloadable content packs was released a year after the original release, and its planned Enter the Dominatrix expansion became the game's sequel, Saints Row IV.

  • 3Development

Gameplay[edit]

Saints Row: The Third is an action-adventure game[4][5] played from the third-person perspective[6] in an open world,[5] such that players explore an unrestricted environment.[7] Similar to the premise of the previous Saints Row games, the player's goal is to lead the Third Street Saints gang to overtake its rival gangs in the city turf war.[8] While the protagonist is the same,[9] the game introduces a new setting, the city of Steelport,[b] with its new gangs: the Morningstar, Luchadores, and Deckers, together known as the Syndicate.[11][c] Once The Syndicate is defeated, the government's Special Tactical Anti-Gang unit (STAG) is summoned to quell the Saints.[13]The Third is the first in the series to intertwine the narratives of its three-gang structures, and also presents the player with story-altering decisions.[14]

Screenshot of gameplay: a vehicle explodes and ambient challenge progress is displayed on the right

The series has historically been considered a clone of Grand Theft Auto[8][10] that later positioned itself as more 'gleefully silly' in comparison.[8][15] In combat, players select weapons from a weapon selection wheel,[16][d] including regular pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers alongside special weapons such as UAV drones and a fart-in-a-jar stun grenade. Player melee attacks include running attacks such as DDTs and a purple dildo bat.[17] Players may use vehicles to navigate the city, including a hover jet (known as the F-69 VTOL) and a pixelated retrogame tank that are unlocked through story missions. Once special vehicles are unlocked, they are in unlimited supply and can be delivered directly to the player-character's location.[10] Player actions are intensified with what Volition calls the 'awesome button', where for example the player will divekick through the windshield into the driver's seat of a car.[16] The main story campaign missions can be played alone, or cooperatively either online or via System Link offline.[10][e] Some elements are added to the campaign for the second player.[17] There is no competitive multiplayer, but a 'wave-based survival mode' called Whored Mode[8] that supports up to two players.[18]

Players customize their characters after the introductory mission. Player-character bodies, dress, and vehicles can be customized,[10][f] as well as home properties. Players can additionally share their character designs in a Saints Row online community.[17] Apart from the main story missions, there are optional diversions to make money and earn reputation, such as Insurance Fraud, where players hurt themselves in traffic to maximize self-injury before a timer expires, or Mayhem, where players maximize property destruction before a time expires. Some of these diversions were introduced in previous Saints Row games.[10][g] Activities serve the plot and are positioned as training the player-character or damaging the Syndicate.[16] They can also be repeated.[12] Outside of structured diversions, players are free to make their own fun by purchasing property, shopping for items, finding hidden sex doll and money cache collectibles, and wreaking unsolicited havoc.[11] There are also 'flashpoint' gang operations that grant respect when disrupted.[14] Attacking others increases the player's notoriety level, as depicted with stars.[11]

Operations

Saints Row: The Third introduced experience levels[14] and weapon upgrades to the series.[19] Most actions in the game come with incentives in the form of money and respect (reputation). Money buys land, weapons, and other upgrades,[h] and respect is a kind of experience point that can unlock player abilities like 'no damage from falling' or 'infinite sprint',[10][i] as well as upgrades to the player's computer-controlled gang member support.[8] In turn, players receive further incentive to nearly miss car collisions, streak naked through the streets,[10] shoot others in the groin, blow up Smart cars, and kill mascots in ambient challenges to earn more respect. Lack of respect does not hinder story progress, as it has in previous games.[8] Player progress and unlocks are managed by an in-game cell phone menu that also lets the player call for vehicle deliveries and non-player character backup. The computer-controlled support will also dialogue with each other.[11]

Plot[edit]

Five years after the events of Saints Row 2, the 3rd Street Saints have merged with the Ultor Corporation to become a media and consumer empire, with assets that include an energy drink, a lifestyle brand, and a chain of clothing stores. While robbing a bank to promote the upcoming Saints Row: The Movie, the Boss and top lieutenants Shaundi and Johnny Gat experience unanticipated resistance from the staff and are arrested by corrupt policemen. They are turned over to Phillipe Loren, the mastermind behind an international criminal enterprise known as the 'Syndicate' who wishes to make a deal with the Saints, seeing them as a threat. The Saints refuse and stage a breakout, with Gat seemingly sacrificing himself to allow Shaundi and the Boss to escape.

They land in Steelport, a city ruled by the Syndicate that is dominated by three gangs: the Morningstar, the gang who control Steelport's sex trade led by Loren and the DeWynter sisters; the Luchadores, a Mexican masked wrestler-themed gang led by undefeated wrestling champion Eddie 'Killbane' Pryor; and the Deckers, a unit of talented cyber-goth hackers led by British programmer Matt Miller. With no supplies, the Boss contacts fellow Saints lieutenant Pierce Washington and has him provide manpower for a raid on the city's arsenal. Using their new firepower, the Saints enter Morningstar territory and begin attacking their interests. They then hunt down Loren in his own building, in the process freeing Oleg Kirrlov, a former KGB agent turned test subject for the Syndicate's cloning initiative. After the Boss kills Loren by crushing him with a heavy chandelier, they either destroy the building or claim it for the Saints, declaring victory over the Syndicate regardless.

During the opening of a new city bridge by Senator Monica Hughes, the Luchadores stage an ambush and kill several dozen Saints. To retaliate, the Boss seeks out individuals with grudges against the Syndicate. The search nets: Kinzie Kensington, an ex-FBI agent targeted by the Deckers for investigating them; Zimos, an old pimp who lost his business to the Morningstar; and Angel de la Muerte, Killbane's embittered former wrestling partner. The Boss helps Zimos reestablish his prostitution ring, wrecking the Morningstar's influence. Killbane tries to wrest control from the DeWynter sisters, killing the elder sister Kiki in a jealous rage and causing her sister Viola to defect to the Saints. Meanwhile, with the federal government under pressure to confront the growing lawlessness in Steelport, the Special Tactical Anti-Gang (S.T.A.G.) task force is formed under the leadership of Hughes and Cyrus Temple. Armed with highly advanced technology, STAG puts the city under martial law until order can be restored.

Next, Kinzie leads a successful effort to drive the Deckers out of Steelport, causing Miller to abandon the Syndicate and return to his home country after losing a virtual fight to the Boss. Finally, the Boss enters Murderbrawl XXXI alongside Angel and humiliates Killbane by defeating him in physical combat. With his image shattered, Killbane goes on a rampage through Steelport. While working to contain the damage, the Boss is informed that STAG has rigged the Steelport Monument with explosives and left several kidnapped Saints including Shaundi, Viola, and Mayor Burt Reynolds at the site to frame and discredit them for the bombing. Meanwhile, Killbane is fleeing the country by private flight. The Boss must decide whether to eliminate Killbane or save Shaundi.

Canonically, the Boss chooses to save Shaundi, disarming the explosives and killing Cyrus's lieutenant Kia in the process. With STAG's crimes exposed, the Saints are hailed by the people of Steelport as heroes. Killbane is subsequently killed while trying to organize an invasion of Earth from Mars, which is instead revealed to be the final scene from 'Gangstas In Space', a film financed by the Saints starring the Boss. If the Boss alternately chooses to kill Killbane, the destruction of the monument gives STAG the opportunity to launch the 'Daedalus', a floating aircraft carrier helmed by Cyrus himself. After destroying the Daedalus with a supply of bombs, the Boss, now armed with STAG weaponry and equipment, declares Steelport an independent nation ruled by the Saints.

Development[edit]

I feel like I'm playing something unlike anything else—we know what Saints Row is now.

–Design director Scott Phillips on handling the Penetrator (dildo bat) for the first time[20]

Saints Row 2's design philosophy was to 'put everything .. into the game', which made for a disjointed title with varied tone. Design director Scott Phillips said the series' legacy of lightheartedness made the sequel's tone hard to define. The development team withstood a high turnover between the two releases, with only a fifth of the final 100-person team having worked on a title in the series before.[20][j]Saints Row: The Third was in development by September 2008 as Saints Row 3.[22][23] For its first six months of development, the team tested a choice-based adventure concept featuring an undercover agent infiltrating the Saints, which was dropped for not aligning with the spirit of the series.[24][25] Now without a vision, the team made a 'tone video' with film segments and songs that would define the new title. The final version featured bits from Bad Boys II, Shoot 'Em Up, Hot Fuzz, and Mötley Crüe's 'Kickstart My Heart'. The team worked in this direction to find a personality for Saints Row: The Third, which it found in its signature 'dildo bat'. The idea started as one-off mission-specific weapon and the artists ran with the concept.[20][k] Their design mantra became 'Embrace the Crazy; Fun Trumps All'.[24][27]

They came to the conclusion that 'everything had to be 'over the top this time around'' so as to distinguish Saints Row: The Third from other open world titles[21] and to make the franchise into a AAA title. The team increased playtesting to check for the action's pacing and 'setpiece moments' within its overall flow.[28] Producer Greg Donovan considered Saints Row: The Third a reboot of the franchise, 'cohesive' in a way the prior two 'semi-serious' entries were not.[21] Other than 'over the top' themes, the team wanted 'holy shit' 'water cooler moments' that players would remember forever and want to share.[24] Phillips also 'didn't want the player to be a dick'.[24]

The city of Steelport was designed such that the player could identify locations without needing a minimap, with a spatially recognizable skyline and iconic gang vehicles in specific regions.[26]

The title was not shown at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with the explanation that the company had spent the year 'rebuilding the technology', but a tie-in movie was mentioned as in production and a Saints Row 3 announcement was expected at the December Spike VGAs.[29]Saints Row: The Third was finally announced officially in March 2011.[30] The team wanted to include many different features and items, so scoping the final product became an issue. They laid out their ideas on a schedule and began to cut until over '4000 man-days of scheduled work' were removed, including features such as free-running (called 'freegunning'[25]) and a cover system.[20] Competitive multiplayer was removed due to its lack of popularity in the previous series entries.[9] In retrospect, Phillips said he wanted to remove more. The studio borrowed people from other parts of the company to finish the project.[20] Writer Drew Holmes expressed the difficulty in determining what was too risqué for the game.[31] In keeping with series advertising, Saints Row: The Third included sex symbolSasha Grey in the production as a character voice.[32] Other celebrity voice actors include Hulk Hogan and Daniel Dae Kim.[33]

The development team also pre-visualized rough drafts to sketch ideas for others to advance. For example, the introductory airplane level was pre-visualized two years prior to its creation as a demonstration for the development team and publisher.[24] Levels were built in Volition's Core Technology Group (CTG) editor, which was continually built in the four years preceding release.[34] Like the other two titles, Saints Row: The Third was built in the Havok physics engine with customizations. The engine let the team build vehicle drifting physics and the VTOL aircraft.[35] The studio considered the Red Faction series' Geo-Mod 2 engine but chose against it due to the implementation's difficulty and not wanting that degree of destruction.[36] Phillips gave a game development postmortem at the 2012 Game Developers Conference, where he advised studios to let development team members run with their ideas.[20][37] Volition began to add modding support to the title and series in mid 2013.[38]

Audio[edit]

Saints Row: The Third has a licensed soundtrack available as radio stations when driving in vehicles. Players can switch between the playlists, which range from classical to electronic to hip-hop, rock, or customize their own station based on their preferences.[10] The original soundtrack was composed by Malcolm Kirby Jr., who had previously worked on The Love Guru's Orange county bell brass buyers. soundtrack. It was released through Sumthing Else Music Works alongside the game via compact disc and digital download. Kirby said the series' over-the-top nature influenced the score, and that he was a huge fan of the series before he received the opportunity. In his composition, each gang has a theme and specific characteristics that range from 'menacing orchestral to gangster hip hop to heavy metal'.[39]

Marketing and release[edit]

Promotional car wash event at E3 2011

The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 simultaneously on November 15, 2011, in the United States and Australia, and three days later in the United Kingdom.[10] The November 17, 2011, Japan release had the veins removed from the Penetrator weapon (the three-foot long phallus bat) due to regulatory restrictions on depictions of genitalia.[40] In lieu of exclusive game content scheduled for the PlayStation 3 version that did not ship with the game,[41] early North American and European players who purchased that version received a complimentary download code for Saints Row 2.[42] The summer before Saints Row: The Third's release, THQ pledged to support it with a year's worth of downloadable content.[36] Around the time of release, Danny Bilson of THQ announced that Saints Row IV was already in planning.[43]

Those who preordered the game received Professor Genki's Hyper Ordinary Preorder Pack, which included Genki-themed downloadable content (a costume, a vehicle, and a weapon).[44] A North American limited edition box set release called the Platinum Pack included the preorder content, the soundtrack, and a custom headset.[45][l] Australia and New Zealand received two limited editions: the Smooth Criminal pack from EB Games and the Maximum Pleasure bundle from JB Hi-Fi, each of which included tie-in items along with the game and preorder content.[46][m]

Though the game wasn't shown at E3 2010, THQ spoke of extensive tie-in merchandising (collectible card game, books) and a Saints Row film in production as part of a 'robust transmedia play'.[29] Instead, THQ announced Saints Row: Drive By, a tie-in game for the Nintendo 3DS and Xbox Live Arcade that would unlock content in Saints Row 3.[47][48][n] After the game was announced in March 2011, it was featured on the cover of Game Informer's April issue.[50] Closer to release, THQ sent rap group the Broken Pixels a development kit with a pre-release version of the game and asked them to record track about 'all the wacky things' to do in the game.[51] The group wrote the rap in a day and later produced a YouTube video set to clips from the game.[51] THQ hosted an event in Redfern, Australia where women in skintight clothes pumped free gas for three hours, which generated an estimated 35 times return on investment.[52]Eurogamer recalled that the game was 'marketed almost exclusively on the basis of all the wacky stuff it will let you do' from the costumes to the sex toy weapons,[8] and Edge described Saints Row: The Third as 'marketed by sex toys and porn stars'.[53]

Two weeks before the game's release, Saints Row: The Third had four times the preorder count of Saints Row 2 at its comparable point.[54] By January 2012, the game had shipped 3.8 million units worldwide, which THQ cited as an example for its business model change to focus on the big franchises. THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell expected to ship five to six million copies of the game in its lifetime.[55] It had reached four million by April, and 5.5 million by the end of the year.[56]Saints Row: The Third was an unexpected continued success for the company.[57] It was featured in promotions with Humble Bundle,[58][o][59]PlayStation Plus,[60] and Xbox Live Games with Gold over the next several years.[61]

Volition released a Linux port of the game in 2016,[2] and made the Xbox 360 release compatible with its successor, the Xbox One, the next year.[62] In August 2018, Deep Silver announced a Nintendo Switch port, which will be released in May 2019. The port was developed by Fishlabs.[63][64][3]

Reception[edit]

Saints Row: The Third reviews
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 84/100[65]
(PS3) 82/100[66]
(X360) 84/100[67]
(NS) 70/100[68]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge6/10[69]
Eurogamer7/10[8]
IGN8.5/10[10]
OXM (US)9.5/10[70]
PC Gamer (US)83%[12]

The game received 'generally favorable' reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic.[65][66][67] Reviewers said the game did not try to be more than a good time,[10][12] and described it as a variant of 'ridiculous', 'zany', or 'absurd'.[10][13][17][71] In another way, others called it 'juvenile'.[10][71] Critics praised the degree of customization options,[10][12][17] and had mixed views of the array of activities, but found Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax a high point.[8][12][13][17][p] Some found the game's ironic sexism to verge on misogyny,[8][69] and that its other humor sometimes fell flat.[10][13] Several critics referred to the game as the perfection of the Saints Row formula[17][72] It was a nominee for Best Narrative at the 2012 Game Developers Conference,[73] an IGN Editor's Choice,[10] and a recipient of perfect scores from GamesRadar and G4.[13][17]

Edge said that the series 'wants to be the WarioWare of open-city games', 'a cartoon flipbook of anything-goes extremity' to Grand Theft Auto's 'ostentatious crime drama'.[69] They wrote that the game's 'single-minded' 'puerile imagination' demanded respect and noted the game's escalation of video game tropes and cultural references from Japanese game shows to text adventures to zombie apocalypses to lucha libre.[69] IGN's Daemon Hatfield called the game 'an open world adult theme park'. He said that calling it 'a good time would be a severe understatement' and praised its method of incentivizing almost every action in the game as 'fantastic game design'.[10] Hatfield was 'addicted' to efficiently expanding his in-game hourly income.[10]GamesRadar's Michael Grimm wrote Saints Row: The Third was nearly surreal, and praised the player-character's running attacks.[17]

Saints Row 3 Gang Customization

Referring to the historical comparison between the Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto series,[10] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote that Grand Theft Auto IV's serious turn let the Saints Row series be a 'gleeful silly sandbox game', and noted that Saints Row: The Third was 'marketed almost exclusively' based on its wackiness, from the costumes to the sex toy weapons.[8] He felt that the 'wacky hijinks' quickly became 'predictable and repetitive' and the activities felt 'sanitized and generic'.[8]Edge wrote that they were 'one-off gags'.[69]Eurogamer's Whitehead added that the tiger escort Guardian Angel missions appeared to draw from Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights, and that the Prof. Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax shooting gallery drew from Bizarre Creations' The Club shooter.[8]Eurogamer and PC Gamer both found the game easy.[8][12]

Ryan McCaffrey of Official Xbox Magazine thought that the game resolved some of the problems of open world design and thus allowed for an experience with good times and no filler, such as Burnout-style arrows on the streets instead of hidden in the minimap GPS.[72] He added that this was the game Volition 'was born to make'.[70] Grimm from GamesRadar similarly praised Volition for their 'http://deckers.die' mission, which was 'so insanely creative and funny that it single handedly makes the game worth playing'. He added that the game's unrealistic driving made the game more fun.[17] IGN's Hatfield was 'really won .. over' by his character and both was convinced she cared about her friends and impressed by her voice actress.[10] Whitehead of Eurogamer found Zimos, the pimp who speaks in Autotune, to be the game's best character.[8]Edge found some of the writing 'sharp' and executed well by the voice actors.[69]PC Gamer's Tom Senior found the major story missions to be a highlight.[12] Hatfield of IGN thought the single-player game fell apart at the end and called the two endings either 'a super downer' or nonsense.[10] He found the cooperative mode easy to set up, but felt like the game's missions were not designed well for multiple players, and that the visiting player became a 'third wheel'.[10] On the other hand, CBS News's Christina Santiago called the cooperative mode 'near perfect' and exemplary.[11]

Saints Row's weakest parts are hand-me-downs from its GTA source text, uncomfortably echoing the squalid business of pimpin' and hustlin' in the form of a lame cartoon, a whooping fratboyish endorsement of crime and female degradation, devoid of any conscience or commentary. GTA takes pains to voice moral unease. .. the best solution to that dissonance cannot be to pitch the entire thing into a swamp of near-uniform toxicity.

Edge review, November 24, 2011[69]

IGN's Hatfield considered the game's graphics average for the age. He 'loved the neon-lit towering skyscrapers of Steelport' but thought the streets were sometimes 'lifeless', as the game may be 'open world' but not a 'living world'.[10]Edge added that the city was easy enough to navigate, but that it was missing character.[69] Grimm of GamesRadar said it didn't look bad, but wasn't interesting.[17] Multiple reviewers complained of 'pop-in',[8][10][71][74] or of graphical errors.[8][69]1UP.com reported the PC version's graphics to be more stable,[71] and Eurogamer's Digital Foundry face-off recommended the PlayStation 3 release for its lack of screen tearing.[74]

Eurogamer's Whitehead felt that the game crept closer 'from ironic sexism to outright misogyny' in missions such as 'Trojan Whores' and set pieces like 'Tits n' Grits' and 'Stikit Inn', even in the series' 'gloriously lowbrow standards'.[8]Edge added that intent of humor in the sex trafficking-related mission 'The Ho Boat' did not come across well, and seemed to be included only for shock value.[69] Hatfield of IGN related that some of the game's more juvenile aspects made him cringe,[10] and Edge wrote that the game felt 'largely meaningless' in response to the desensitizing barrage of 'context-free frippery'.[69]PC Gamer's Tom Senior said he was almost offended during much of the game but stayed more happy than disgusted, adding that while the game has a 'huge purple dildo', it doesn't have the prostitute-killing liberties or 'other moments of nastiness' associated with the Grand Theft Auto franchise.[12]

Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote in conclusion that the game doesn't propose 'anything particularly inventive' and instead ends up with a toy box of gadgets.[8]Edge felt that the game was weakest where it leaned on Grand Theft Auto's precedent without adding a social commentary.[69]Eurogamer's Whitehead added that Saints Row: The Third missed an opportunity to separate from 'the GTA formula',[8] which Edge thought was done well in the last third of the game.[69] IGN, however, felt the game was explicitly not a Grand Theft Auto clone,[10] and G4 called it 'a knockoff no more'.[13]

During an interview on the future of THQ in June 2012, its president, Jason Rubin, responded to the interviewer's concerns that Saints Row: The Third was not a game he wanted to play in front of his family by saying that, while he does not consider there to be no place in the company 'for a game that features a purple dildo',[q] Volition chose that route because of the limited options and their 'environment at the time', and he was looking to push the publisher and its studios to do better.[75]

As part of his video series of reviews, Zero Punctuation, game critic from Escapist Magazine Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw claimed that the game 'drank wackazade from a clown shoe', though this was not his core issue with the tone. 'The funny parts of Saints row 2 shone even brighter against the more po faced aspects' he reasoned, claiming that its successor was no longer grounded enough for its own 'funny parts' to shine. He also expressed serious issues with pacing, fixating on ones ability to seemingly summon tanks and helicopters from nowhere an issue that, in his opinion, ruined the difficulty. Furthermore, he displayed dismay at the reduction of customisation especially coming from the prior instalment in the, at the time, trilogy. However, he claimed this was the only thing that was not a direct 'copy-paste' of the last games every gameplay aspect including the open world map, despite the city's new name. In spite of these complaints he still arrived at the conclusion that the game was 'fun' but at the price of context or challenge. This review falls in line with that of most game critics with very little different to say apart from that he spoke with distaste for professor genki's s.e.r.c.

Downloadable content[edit]

Downloadable content for Saints Row: The Third has included additional story missions, weapons, and characters.[5] A 'definitive edition', Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package, contains all post-release downloadable content—including all three mission packs ('Genkibowl VII', 'Gangstas in Space', and 'The Trouble with Clones') and bonus items (clothes, vehicles, and weapons)—in addition to the main game. The Full Package was announced in September 2012 for release two months later on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.[76][77][r]

THQ announced an Enter the Dominatrix standalone expansion as an April Fool's joke in 2012.[79] It was confirmed as in development the next month. In Enter the Dominatrix, the alien commander Zinyak imprisons the Saints' leader in a simulation of Steelport called The Dominatrix so as to prevent interference when he takes over the planet. The expansion also added superpowers for the player-character.[80] In June, THQ said the expansion would be wrapped into a full sequel, tentatively titled 'The Next Great Sequel in the Saints Row Franchise' and scheduled for a 2013 release.[81] Parts of Enter the Dominatrix that weren't incorporated into the sequel, Saints Row IV, were later released as downloadable content for the new title, under the same name.[82][83]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Deep Silver published backwards compatibility releases.
  2. ^Eurogamer called Steelport a cross between New York City and Detroit.[8] An introductory mission explains the gang's exit from Stilwater, where the first two games were set.[10]
  3. ^The three gang personalities are the European-esque Morningstar, the Mexican wrestler Luchadores, and the 'cyberpunk hacker' Deckers.[12]
  4. ^In a change from previous games, grenades have been removed from the weapon selection wheel for their own dedicated button, and food has been removed altogether in exchange for faster health regeneration.[16]
  5. ^Cooperative gameplay is 'drop-in and drop-out' such that players can come and go[9] with their individual game progress saved for later single-player play.[10] Also the online modes require a paid online pass.[17]
  6. ^Cars customizations include wheel spikes, and weapon upgrades add extra firepower and aesthetic features.[8] Player customization options allow for non-human avatars such as aliens, super heroes, and zombies,[11] and can be recustomized later through plastic surgery locations.[9]
  7. ^Activities involving trucks leaking sewage, blazing all-terrain vehicles, and celebrity defense were removed, though activities such as helicopter assaults and prostitute escorts were kept. New diversions include Trailblazer (where the player avoids obstacles while racing down a halfpipe), Guardian Angel (where the player must drive fast to placate a tiger in the passenger seat), Trafficking (where the player delivers drugs), and Prof. Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax (an 'arena-style shooting gallery').[8]
  8. ^Purchased property brings in an hourly income for the player.[12]
  9. ^These abilities and unlocks are upgraded in increments. By level 50, the maximum player level, the player can become fully invulnerable to bullets, fire, and fall damage, and additionally have unlimited ammo with no reloading time.[8]
  10. ^Phillips and producer Greg Donovan, meanwhile, had only been with the series since Saints Row 2.[21]
  11. ^Some other weapon ideas were cut from the game for being more 'distasteful' than 'over the top', one such rejected item was the 'fart in a jar' that incapacitated foes by making them vomit.[26] This item was later included in the game.[8]
  12. ^The headset is not compatible with Xbox Live or PlayStation Network.[45]
  13. ^The Smooth Criminal edition included sunglasses, an ice cube tray, cuff links, and the soundtrack, while the Maximum Pleasure edition included a replica of Genki's head, a Genki key ring, and a pen.[46]
  14. ^Saints Row: Drive By was canceled the next year (May 2011) without comment.[49]
  15. ^Polygon called the THQ Humble Bundle 'a quick success' for grossing $2 million its first day.[58]
  16. ^Game Informer compared Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax with the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action film The Running Man.[16]
  17. ^Rubin acknowledged that South Park: The Stick of Truth also featured such an item, stating that it worked for that series in particular.[75]
  18. ^The Full Package was released on November 6, 2012, in North America, and ten days later internationally.[78]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abcVolition (November 15, 2011). Saints Row: The Third. THQ. Scene: Credits.
  2. ^ abMarius Nestor. 'Saints Row 2 and Saints Row: The Third Games Now Available on Steam for Linux'. Softpedia. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. ^ abHarradence, Mike (February 25, 2019). 'Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package dated for Switch'. VideoGamer.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  4. ^Hillier, Brenna (November 2, 2011). 'Bilson: Saints Row is the 'comic book' of open-world crime games'. VG247. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
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General references
  • Ryckert, Dan (April 2011). 'Embracing the Crazy'. Game Informer. GameStop (216): 48–57.

External links[edit]

Media related to Saints Row: The Third at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saints_Row:_The_Third&oldid=902588928'
Saints Row
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Xbox 360
Xbox One
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Microsoft Windows
Linux
Mobile phones
Nintendo Switch
First releaseSaints Row
29 August 2006
Latest releaseSaints Row: Gat out of Hell
20 January 2015

Saints Row is an action-adventurevideo game series created by Volition and published by Deep Silver, that tells the story of a gang called the Third Street Saints; the title comes from the name of the district of the gang's home territory. Typically, gameplay is presented in an open world format because of the mixture of nonlinear gameplay with action-adventure and racing sequences. The series is known for its comedic elements. The games' stories are written as comedies that feature popular culture homages and parodies, as well as self-referential humor.

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. The series' fourth entry, Saints Row IV was released on 20 August 2013, with an expansion called Gat out of Hell released on 20 January 2015 in North America and 23 January 2015 in Europe. As of September 2013, the series has had unit sales in excess of 13 million, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.

Gang
  • 1Games
    • 1.2Saints Row 2 (2008)
    • 1.3Saints Row: The Third (2011)
    • 1.4Saints Row IV (2013)
  • 3Setting
  • 4Other media
  • 6Saints Row shared universe
  • 7Reception

Games[edit]

YearTitlePC7th gen8th genDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)Notes
2006Saints RowN/AX360Xbox OneVolitionTHQN/A
2008Saints Row 2Windows, LinuxX360, PS3Windows port developed by CD Projekt.
2011Saints Row: The ThirdXbox One, Nintendo SwitchNintendo Switch port developed by Fishlabs.
2013Saints Row IVXbox One, PS4Deep SilverRe-Elected port and Enter the Dominatrix DLC developed with High Voltage Software.
2015Saints Row: Gat out of HellHigh Voltage
Volition
Standalone expansion for Saints Row IV.

Saints Row (2006)[edit]

Saints Row is the first installment in the series, having begun development in mid-2003 as a PlayStation 2 title under the name Bling Bling.[1] The game was 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 400,000 times within a week.[2] It had sales in excess of 500,000 during its September 2006 release month, and was critically acclaimed. To date[when?], the game has had sales in excess of two million units.[3] The game is set in the fictional city Stilwater, which is located in the state of Michigan. The player character is inducted into the 3rd Street Saints gang after they save their 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 members look towards the player character, considering them 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 introduced 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 (2008)[edit]

Saints Row 2 began 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 confirmed in May 2007.[7] A Microsoft Windows port, announced in June 2008, was released in early 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 years after Saints Row; having survived the yacht explosion, the player character awakens from a coma in a prison hospital and, after escaping, saves Johnny Gat from execution. Together with the newcomers Carlos, Shaundi, and Pierce, they begin to revive the 3rd Street Saints, gradually reclaiming Stilwater from the three gangs that had taken control of the city in the meantime (The Sons of Samedi, The Ronin, and The Brotherhood). The Ultor Corporation, responsible for the redevelopment of the Saint's Row district, eventually recognizes the Saints as a threat and attempts to extinguish them, but the player character assassinates Ultor's CEO Dane Vogel, severely weakening the company. The ending sees the Saints 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 their 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]

Downloadable content[edit]

Saints Row 2 received several downloadable content (DLC) releases, including two story DLCs. The first, Ultor Exposed, adds Red Faction: Guerrilla-themed content,[9] and stars American pornographic actress Tera Patrick,[9] who plays herself as a whistleblower and former microbiologist for the Ultor Corporation. It was released on 23 April 2009.[10][11] The second, Corporate Warfare, focuses on the struggle between the 3rd Street Saints and the Ultor Corporation, and was released on 28 May 2009.

Saints Row: The Third (2011)[edit]

Saints Row: The Third was announced in March 2011. It was released in North America on 15 November 2011, in Europe on 18 November 2011, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows platforms.[12] The game began early development at Volition in September 2008, a month before Saints Row 2 was due to release.[13] The player 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.[14]

Downloadable content[edit]

Downloadable content for Saints Row: The Third was announced before the game's November 2011 release along with a commitment from publisher THQ to support 40 weeks of content. Among smaller upgrades, three main content packs were released: Genkibowl VII (released 17 January 2012), Gangstas in Space (released 21 February 2012), and The Trouble with Clones (released 20 March 2012).

Saints Row IV (2013)[edit]

Saints Row IV was unveiled in March 2012 and released in North America on 20 August 2013 and worldwide shortly after on 23 August. The game is set five years after the events of Saints Row: The Third. After the Saints stop a terrorist attack by Cyrus Temple on the United States, the Saints leader has been elected President. Soon after, an alien invasion occurs and the earth is overrun.[15] The majority of the game is set in a simulation of Steelport created by the aliens to break the Saints' wills. In this simulation, the Saints must fight against the enemy for justice of their past and their own worst fears.

Downloadable content[edit]

Saints Row IV's first story-driven downloadable content pack, Enter the Dominatrix, is a 'directors cut' version of the cancelled Saints Row: The Third expansion of the same name, and was released on 22 October 2013.[16] Its second story DLC, How the Saints Saved Christmas was released on 10 December 2013.

A standalone expansion to Saints Row IV, called Gat out of Hell was released on 20 January 2015 in North America and 23 January 2015 in Europe.[17] The plot revolves around Johnny Gat's attempt to rescue the Boss from Hell after being captured by Satan.[18]

Gameplay[edit]

The Saints Row series is part of a genre known as sandbox games. 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 assaulting NPC 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.[19]

Gangs

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.[20] Customization also constitutes a large portion of gameplay. The player has the ability to customize 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.[21]

Setting[edit]

Stilwater[edit]

The setting of both Saints Row and Saints Row 2 is the fictional city of Stilwater, located in the midwestern state of Michigan, USA. Stilwater is primarily based on the real-world American cities Chicago and Detroit. 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 but the red light district is largely based on Harlem including Raykins hotel as The cotton club.[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] Much of the city from Saints Row is redeveloped in Saints Row 2, albeit becoming more 'alive' and full of depth.[25]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.'[26] There are no in-game load screens in Saints Row 2,[27] 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.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] Its environment also features numerous landmarks and Easter eggs; one such feature won 'Top Easter Egg of 2008'.[31]

Steelport[edit]

The game Saints Row: The Third is set in the sister city of Steelport, a city that flourished in the 1800s and has since succumbed to economic failure. Steelport's districts are almost distinctly the same, and the city size is smaller than Stilwater but has larger buildings. Steelport's most memorable feature is the large statue on Magarac Island, south-east of downtown Steelport. The statue is that of steel worker Joe Magarac and is a parody of the real-life Statue of Liberty. The overall design and look of Steelport can be changed via progressing through the story. At certain points the player is allowed to choose whether to do one thing over the other, which will change how Steelport's skyline appears. Some of these choices include deciding whether to keep or blow up the Syndicate Tower. A large military ship named the Thermopylae will be located south-east of Steelport after completing the first STAG mission, 'Gang Bang'.

Saints Row IV is once again set in Steelport, however the city is set in a simulation under control of Zinyak, the game's main villain. Zinyak has changed Steelport to fit his likeness removing all signs of the Saints from the city and replacing them with images of himself, and alien technology can be seen heavily throughout the city. Many missions in Saints Row IV take place in locations other than the main sandbox of Steelport. The city of Stilwater (the setting of Saints Row and Saints Row 2) returns for one mission of the game, two missions take place in the 1950s version of Steelport, while Washington, D.C. is featured in the game's introduction.

Other media[edit]

Film[edit]

A Saints Row film was announced to be in pre-production in April 2019, with production by Fenix Studios, Koch Media and Occupant Entertainment. F. Gary Gray is currently set to direct the film with a screenplay written by Greg Russo.[32]

Cancelled games[edit]

A spin-off titled Saints Row: Undercover was being developed by Savage Entertainment for the PSP in 2009 but was cancelled for unknown reasons. On 22 January 2016, Volition found a prototype of the game in a PSP development kit and released it as a free download on Unseen64.net.[33][34][35]

Saints Row: Money Shot was to be a spin-off of the main series, originally developed for Xbox Live Arcade.[1] The game would 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.[36][37] The game would have been tied to Saints Row: The Third, as part of the marketing campaign for the game. Playing Saints Row: Money Shot would have unlocked exclusive content for use in Saints Row: The Third, and vice versa.

Other cancelled games include a Nintendo 3DS title first announced at E3 2010 called Saints Row: Drive By, and a Kinect/PlayStation Move fighting game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 called Saints Row: The Cooler.[38][39]

Saints Row shared universe[edit]

The events of Saints Row take place in a shared universe alongside Volition's Red Faction series and Agents of Mayhem.[40]

Red Faction[edit]

The connections between Saints Row and Volition's Red Faction series begin as early as the series' first installment in 2001, Red Faction. The first Red Faction takes place in 2075 and continues the story of The Ultor Corporation, who have begun mining operations on Mars due to Earth's rapidly depleting resources. This storyline is heavily referenced in Saints Row 2 (and its DLC). Despite potential licensing conflicts after Nordic Games purchased the rights to the Red Faction series in 2013, references to the events of Red Faction continued to make appearances in the Saints Row series. On 14 February 2018, Nordic (now known as THQ Nordic) acquired Koch Media, effectively reuniting the Red Faction and Saints Row IPs under the same publishing umbrella for the first time since THQ's bankruptcy and acquisition by Nordic.[41]

Agents of Mayhem[edit]

On 6 June 2016, Volition released a trailer for a new IP set in the Saints Row universe, Agents of Mayhem.[42][43] The game is set in a futuristic Seoul, South Korea, and takes place after the events of Gat Out of Hell's 'recreate earth' ending. The cinematic announcement trailer shows Persephone Brimstone (a character featured in Gat Out of Hell) leading an organization known as 'M.A.Y.H.E.M.' under the Ultor Corporation's payroll and to stop the terrorist organisation 'L.E.G.I.O.N.' from destroying the world's nations.[44]Agents of Mayhem was released on 15 August 2017. Pierce Washington and Oleg Kirlov are two of the game's twelve playable characters, while Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington are playable as DLC characters.[45][46][47][48]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

Aggregate review scores
As of 20 January 2015.
GameMetacritic
Saints Row(X360) 81[49]
Saints Row 2(PC) 72[50]
(X360) 81[51]
(PS3) 82[52]
Saints Row: The Third(PC) 84[53]
(X360) 84[54]
(PS3) 82[55]
Saints Row IV(PC) 86[56]
(X360) 81[57]
(PS3) 76[58]

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.[59]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 criticized the lack of polish and lack of variety in mission design.[60] 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.[61]

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. 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'.[62] 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.[63] 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.

Saints Row 3 Gang Operation

Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote that Grand Theft Auto IV was a boon for the Saints Row series since it allowed the latter to be 'gleeful silly sandbox games' as the former series took a more serious turn.[64]

Sales[edit]

Saints Row 2 shipped over two million units for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 during October 2008, the month of its release.[65]

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. 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. 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.

To date, the series has roughly sold over 13 million units, including over three million for Saints Row 2.[66]

Other appearances[edit]

Johnny Gat appears as a guest character in the parody fighting game Divekick.[67] Pierce Washington is a featured character in the PlayStation VR game 100ft Robot Golf.[68]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abLawrance, 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. ^ abBrudvig, Eric (30 March 2009). 'Saints Row 2: Ultor Exposed'. IGN. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
  10. ^Hatfield, Daemon (23 April 2009). 'Ultor Now Exposed'. IGN.
  11. ^V-Singular (23 April 2009). 'SR2 DLC Pack #1 Out Now!'. The Row Community.
  12. ^Cullen, Johnny (3 March 2011). 'THQ formally announces Saints Row: The Third'. VG247. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  13. ^Guttridge, Luke (25 September 2008). 'Dan Sutton on Saints Row 2'. Play.tm. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  14. ^Ryckert, Dan (2 March 2011). 'April Cover Reveal - Saints Row: The Third'. Game Informer. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  15. ^Daniel Nye Griffiths (15 March 2013). 'Saints Row 4: August Launch Announced'. Forbes. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  16. ^Karmali, By Luke. 'Saints Row 4 Enter The Dominatrix DLC Release Date'. IGN. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  17. ^'Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell and Re-Elected Get New Release Dates and Trailer - IGN'. IGN. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  18. ^sonyplaystation (29 August 2014), Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell Announcement TRAILER, retrieved 28 March 2016
  19. ^Perry, Douglas (20 May 2005). 'E3 2005: Saints Row First Look'. IGN. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  20. ^Wilson, Mark (17 March 2008). 'Feeding your ID in Saints Row 2'. Kotaku. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  21. ^Ahearn, Nate (23 March 2008). 'Saints Row 2 First Look'. IGN. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  22. ^ abStockman, Christopher (27 June 2006). 'Saints Row Developer Diary #1'. GameSpy. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  23. ^ abFlegel, 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. ^Claflin, Chris (7 October 2008). 'Developer Blog - 'Creating the Dynamic City of Stilwater''. Saints Row Community. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
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  27. ^Garbutt, Russell (27 October 2008). 'Saints Row 2 Review'. GameOver Online. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  28. ^Ahearn, Nate (30 July 2008). 'Saints Row 2 and Tera Patrick Preview'. IGN. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  29. ^Helvig, Chris (9 September 2008). 'Developer Blog - 'Creating Life in a Sandbox''. Saints Row Community. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  30. ^Robinson, Martin (31 July 2008). 'Saints Row 2 UK Hands-on'. IGN. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  31. ^Webb, Dan (18 December 2008). 'Top 5 Easter Eggs of 2008'. Xbox360 Achievements.org. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  32. ^Flemming, Jr., Mike (30 April 2019). 'F. Gary Gray Developing To Direct Movie Based On Video Game Franchise 'Saints Row' For Fenix, Koch, Occupant'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  33. ^Schreier, Jason (29 January 2016). 'Cancelled Saints Row Game Gets Released For Free'. Kotaku. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  34. ^'Saints Row: Undercover - Download the Playable PSP Prototype - Unseen64'. Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  35. ^Volition (22 January 2016), Inside Volition: Saints Row Undercover, retrieved 20 March 2016
  36. ^'Saints Row: Drive-by Listed As Canceled for PSN and XBL'. gamershub. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  37. ^Goldberg, J 'V-Singular' (1 July 2010). 'New Information on Saints Row 3DS'. Saints Row Community. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  38. ^Brightman, james (29 June 2010). 'Nintendo 'Really Wanted' Saints Row on 3DS, reveals THQ'. Industry Gamers. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  39. ^'Saints Row: The Cooler [Cancelled - Xbox 360, PS3] - Unseen64'. 13 October 2014.
  40. ^'Volition's All-New Agents of Mayhem is Saints Row-ish'. USgamer.net.
  41. ^Arif, Shabana (14 February 2018). 'THQ Nordic Buys Saints Row, Metro, Dead Island Owner, Koch Media'.
  42. ^'Saints Row spin-off Agents Of Mayhem gets release date and new trailer'. 3 April 2017.
  43. ^Black, Marie. 'Watch the latest trailer for Saints Row spinoff Agents of Mayhem'.
  44. ^Ingenito, By Vince. 'E3 2016: Saints Row Developer Announces Agents of Mayhem – IGN First'. IGN. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  45. ^Higton, Ian (3 April 2017). 'Hands on with Volition's Saints Row spin-off'.
  46. ^Agents of Mayhem [@aomthegame] (3 April 2017). '@egerszegiistvan @YouTube Yes, Agent Yeti is Oleg Kirlov from the Saints Row games!' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. ^Newhouse, Alex (9 June 2017). 'Saints Row's Beloved Character Johnny Gat Is Coming To Agents Of Mayhem'.
  48. ^'The Agents of Mayhem Safeword DLC is Out Now for PS4'. 15 November 2017.
  49. ^'Saints Row Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  50. ^'Saints Row 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  51. ^'Saints Row 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  52. ^'Saints Row 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  53. ^'Saints Row: The Third Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  54. ^'Saints Row: The Third Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  55. ^'Saints Row: The Third Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  56. ^'Saints Row IV Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  57. ^'Saints Row IV Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  58. ^'Saints Row IV Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  59. ^Perry, Douglass (28 August 2006). 'Saints Row Review'. IGN. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  60. ^Kasavin, Greg (30 August 2008). 'Saints Row Review for Xbox 360'. GameSpot. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  61. ^'Vicious Sid' (28 August 2006). 'Saints Row Review'. GamePro. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  62. ^Villoria, Gerald (14 October 2008). 'Saints Row 2 Review'. GameSpy. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  63. ^Ahearn, Nate (9 October 2008). 'Saints Row 2 Review'. IGN. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  64. ^Whitehead, Dan (15 November 2011). 'Saints Row: The Third Review'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  65. ^Plunkett, Luke (5 November 2008). 'Saints Row 2: Two Million Served (Well, Shipped)'. Kotaku. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  66. ^Thorsen, Tor (15 September 2010). 'Saints Row, Warhammer 40K series sales top 6 million'. GameSpot. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  67. ^Campbell, Colin (8 April 2014). 'Saints Row's Johnny Gat joining Divekick Addition Edition roster'. Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  68. ^'10th Anniversary: Saints Row Gat out of Hell'. twich.tv.

Saints Row 3 Gang Customization

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saints Row.
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