The game itself is an open world sandbox that cranks the goofy up to 11 and doesn't bat an eyelid. While it doesn't add any new game play to the genre the writing itself is rather nice with some genuinely funny moments. The downside to the rest of the writing, it has entered scary movie level of reference humour.
The inclusion of super powers into the formula of open world sandboxes is hardly new with prototype and infamous doing it. The super powers invalidate any form of vehicle transport, out of the entire campaign I used vehicles only when forced to. Offensive powers are also a little bit IMBA early on, but the inclusion of enemies that require you to hit them with super powers then whittle their health down crank up the difficulty. Until you get the power that super charges your guns trivialising any form of challenge from wardens. Realising how easy the super powers make the game it looks like Volition decided to try and remedy this by adding in grenades that nullify your powers. In the last 3 missions only.
Now I don't know about you but I have never really been huge on open world games mostly because they end up being bland as hell. Saints row 3 went super goofy to try and liven up the feel of the world, it sorta worked but mostly didn't. Saints row 4 just dives head first into the world of goofy. The dildo bat makes its triumphant return along with its alien brother, the rectifier. This bat that splits at the tip to expose a wiggling dildo, is one of the things that originally got the game banned in Australia. Who knew shoving a dancing dildo up someone’s back door and turning them into a firework was too adult for adults.
The characters are of course, outlandish and crass. For me the most humorous moment in the entire game is delivered early on, when the player is trapped in a 1950s sitcom where you are unable to swear, frown or even drive a car off the road. Naturally the player goes a little crazy and shit starts getting weird. Some of the rapport between characters is incredibly amusing, however I feel that is mostly down to the players choice of VA (choose female 2 and enjoy) .
As I am sure we all know the game was initially banned for incentivising drug use and an anal probe. The ban was lifted after the section where the player along with two AI characters smoke alien speed in a broken light bulb to supercharge the players super powers and give their accomplices super powers was cut. That is the only thing missing from the LV version of the game, a 10 minute mission.
I honestly enjoyed the game, it might by rude and offensive just for the sake of it, but I still enjoyed myself immensely for the majority of my play-through. While I did almost kill myself with the collection of the all the collectibles just for the sake of truly finishing the game outside of that chore, the game was a ton of fun.
3.5 love farts out of 5.
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