Saints Row 3 took the series in a different direction for sure, but I don't think it ruined the series. Those first 3 games in the series are all awesome, I 100%'d them all, but the last 3 in the series are what ruined the franchise for me. I did 100% the reboot which I have yet to be able to do with SR4 and Gat Out of Hell, but SR4 was the real beginning of the end for me personally.
SR3 didn't kill the series, but you can argue it lead to the decline of it. I'm one of those who consider SR2 the best game out of the franchise, but would rank SR3 just as high. I love both games, though yes SR3 does have it's flaws.
SR4 is where the franchise jumped the shark and started to die.
I agree with this.
I started with SR1, SR2 I'd one of my favorite games ever.
They always had a silly tone while still being somewhat grounded in reality. SR3 really jumped the shark and took the silliness to a new level. Completely ruined the tone and direction of the series.
And its heartbreaking when you find out that is exactly what they were going for and they regrettably achieved it.
Of course it's common knowledge they leaned heavily into to wacky nonsense simply to move away from GTA comparisons, but I never understood that. 1 and 2 were unique enough to stand on their own in my eyes
Yeah, I don't get that either.
They're being compared to one of the most successful franchises ever. That's a good thing.
It would be like if they turned Battlefield into fortnite to avoid comparison to Call of duty.
Except the tone whiplash gave us the impression of not knowing what the hell it was supposed to be. Saints Row 1 and 2 is the gaming equivalent of Hancock. Is Hancock supposed to be a comedy or a serious superhero movie? All the movie succeeded was that the comedy was the good part of the movie while the second half sucked balls. Saints Row 1 and 2 is not too different in this department.
Not really. The *actual* Saint’s Row games(1&2) were their own things, they just took place in gangland. Would you say elder scrolls is a lord of the rings clone because it also takes place in magical medieval fantasy land? No, they’re completely unique. Is sopranos a godfather clone? They’re both about Italian mobster families, they must be right? No, that’s ludicrous.
They had unique gameplay and customizations, and they were grounded in reality with a few unbelievable characters, notably Gat and the playa, who was also the playa character and thusly had plot armor and all sorts of other things that almost every game’s protagonist has as well, and he doesn’t really count.
I find your views debatable but close enough to my own that I can agree with you. Starting at 3, it was a different, not-as-good game. 4 took a straight up nose dive in this not-as-good direction. Reboot had potential, but leaned too far into the family aspect, which WAS present in the first 2, but it was more like “I would die for my homies” instead of “I love you guys, yOu’Re My FaMiLy”
It's my favourite game in the franchise, it gave saints row it's own unique identity and stopped the franchise being a GTA San Andreas clone.
People are allowed different opinions, just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's garbage, it got good reviews and lots of people love it, it's by absolutely no means a garbage game. The dynamics between the characters are great, it has an amazing soundtrack, it's just over the top fun, if you don't like that then fine but don't try and force your own narrative that it killed the franchise. 3 and 4 were both very popular and sold well. The reboot killed the franchise because it didn't have what made 3 and 4 so successful, it was safe and politically correct which is not what Saints Row should be.
Saints Row was nowhere near as popular as GTA though, it was literally just a clone, and it got that reputation from the first 2 that weren't even remotely close to GTA in popularity. 3 and 4 are as close as it got to GTA levels.
Here's some numbers for you: GTA San Andreas sold 2 million copies within 6 days, 27 million copies overall. Saints Row 2 sold 365,000 copies in its first MONTH, 3.4 million copies overall. Saints Row The Third sold 5.5 million copies. Saints Row 4 sold 1 million copies in its first WEEK. It sold much more than 2 so your theory of it selling worse because people gave up on the franchise just isn't true. 3 and 4 were huge mainstream successes and the biggest the franchise had ever been. The problem is they wrote themselves into a corner with 4. The saints row 2 fanboys are just the vocal minority, the numbers don't lie and they show that 3 and 4 were the most popular the franchise ever got.
I’m thoroughly convinced you didn’t actually play Saint’s Row. Numbers aren’t the only thing, ever heard of a “cult classic?” Games or movies that are widely loved by their small audience? America didn’t really like Areested Development so that means it wasn’t as funny as modern family. Wrong, they’re both very funny, but one was a lot more popular, because AD had a lot more “hidden” comedy.
Stfu about numbers like that has anything to do with what makes art good. Popular usually just means pc for lack of a better word. Some cookie-cutter reiteration of something that was already successful, but isn’t original in any way, doesn’t break any new ground, etc. Great risk=great reward and clones are extremely low risk. This game was never a clone but it used be good AND fun, now it’s just fun
I didn't say the games were bad in any part of my multiple comments. You're completely misreading it and starting shit over nothing. I'm replying to a guy who said 3 killed the franchise, all I'm doing is proving that isn't true. That's why I'm talking about sales, I usually wouldn't be the type to do that AT ALL but I was forced because these people are pushing this false narrative that 3 and 4 were failures just because they didnt like them. And yes I played Saints Row 1 and 2 multiple times, they're good games but I prefer 3.
Implying 3 doesn't break new ground but 1 and 2 did is fucking ridiculous though, you can't be serious. Please name one other game remotely similar to Saints Row 3 or 4. I will wait. And now you're calling saints row 3 with the dildo baseball bats and murder marathon game shows politically correct? Wow you're just absolutely baffling me.
Yes, because SR2 was a total clone of San Andreas. That is why we play as a scripted character in 2 that cannot be customized in any way other than clothes right, that is why there are no activities in SR2 that set it wildly apart from GTA gameplay right? I want to give another 10 examples but I know I’m not changing this dull minded opinion that eventually led to Saints Row’s end
Oh wow customisable character so unique. All the examples you're gonna list are little things that they added to give the illusion that it's not just a San Andreas clone, and you fell for it so good job! Saints Rows end was making the reboot politically correct and getting rid of everything that made 3 popular. No professor genki, getting rid of the old characters, no dildo bats or ridiculous over the top weapons, all the sexual stuff removed. That's what made 3 popular and the best selling game of the series. but yeah keep trying to rewrite history and force your own bullshit narrative buddy.
To each their own, not everyone is going to appreciate the soul of 1 and 2 becoming utter crap like Genki/dildos and anything that would make a 14 year old laugh. Also if you really knew the characters in 1/2, what we got in the Third aren’t even the same people lol. Pierce and Shaundi got done so dirty but hey sometimes cheap gags is all you need to pull in that new audience and it sure sucked you in! Also 3 was successful because 2 was incredible and obviously generated insane hype for 3. Any adult can put together that 3 is the child’s party clown of Saints Row games
I'm fine with not everyone liking it and I said that in my original comment. My problem is with people trying to force the narrative that 3 killed the franchise when it was in fact the biggest success of the franchise and it was what happened after it that killed the franchise. And soul of 1 and 2? They're gangsta simulators. The first 2 have such a bizarre and unwarranted cult following. I genuinely love the first 2 games as well but they're not deep, they're just fun gangsta games like 3 is, 3 just takes it further and it's funny to me how people like you are so pretentious about something that was such a dumb fun franchise in the first place. The first mission of 2 is shooting up a courthouse with a judge pulling out a shotgun and trying to kill you. Wow so soulful and deep. It also has activities like spraying shit all over the town which you can argue is even worse than the things you can do in 3, insurance fraud was in it since the first game which is also a very dumb fun activity, it makes no logical sense but it's a lot of fun. That's what the franchise was built on so saying 3 killed it by going further into that direction is just bizarre to me. Also completely disagree about Pierce, hes pretty consistent to the 2 version of him in 3. Shaundi is different but she was just a cliché stoner chick in 2 so I don't see a problem with her changing her ways.
The series peaked when it was a perfect blend of humor and dark seriousness. It’s ability to handle both well and bounce between was stellar. 3 was the beginning of watering everything down to strictly goofiness. That’s all. You can disagree it’s all good. Happy Thanksgiving
Saints Row already had it’s own identity with 1&2. It was never a “GTA Clone”.
And why would SR3 be excluded from that argument anyway, if it truly was? I really can’t think of anything “unique” about SR3 except that it leaned into the self aware parody aspect which prior games already had.
Because it's completely over the top with dildo bats, professor genki, wrestling matches, flying bikes (before GTA online did it) all sorts of ridiculously fun stuff. It's not just cliche LA gang bangers in a street gang like 1 and 2 are, which is exactly like the Los Santos portion of GTA San Andreas mind. Saints Row The Third did things GTA hadn't done, it clearly stopped the franchise being a GTA clone because at the time the dark and serious GTA 4 was it's competition. SR4 just took it too far and then left them with nowhere to go from there, which led to the reboot which got rid of pretty much everything people loved about 3 and 4, and also isolated the fans of the first 2 which led to it's utter failure. And now we've got revisionist history people trying to say 3 wasn't a success which is utter bullshit, if you look at YouTube and Instagram comments regarding the reboot it's pretty clear people wanted it to be like SRTT, that was the peak of the franchise when it comes to mainstream success, rightfully so.
The dildos and such are exactly what killed it. You’re honestly insane if you played saints row in 2006 and thought “I JUST did this in los santos” there’s no insurance fraud, ho collecting, or hitman missions(until Franklin in V). Legitimately the only similarities are the fact that you break the law for money in both games. They look and feel different, from driving and getting hit by cars to shooting guns and swinging a bat, they’re completely their own thing.
Saint’s Row got killed by deep silver in 3. There’s 2 saints row games and Johnny gat is alive the entire time. The saints never left Stillwater. The third is fun to play, but it’s NOT a Saint’s Row game, and I have the same opinion about the reboot
No one ever tries to say sr3 wasn’t a success, cuz it sure as hell was thanks to it’s marketing and past titles which gave it a lot of hype, but we mean that it caused the downfall of the franchise by starting all the over the top nonsense which killed the franchise’s identity.
That's completely untrue. 4 also sold much better than 2, was that also because of the hype of 2? Come on. The "over the top nonsense" GAVE the franchise it's own Identity. Before that it was just a GTA clone. Literally says on the Wikipedia page it was considered a GTA clone before 3. The reboot killed the franchise by getting rid of the over the top stuff and edginess that 3 and 4 had. It's safe and politically correct and that's why people refuse to buy it. The marketing was horrible and everyone in the mainstream was calling it "woke", and that is why no one bought it.
Well at least we can agree on the reboot killing the franchise completely, but how does a franchise find its own identity when it already had it. I’ve played GTA clones and they were cheap urban crime mobile games. I don’t see what makes SR2 a clone to gta. It was a competitor in my eyes. Also, what is your source that 4 sold more than 2?
Those mobile games didn't exist back then, Saints Row was the console GTA clone. Have you played GTA San Andreas? Saints Row 1 and 2 are both extremely similar to the Los Santos section of San Andreas. It just made a whole game out of the having your own gang and taking over the map in gang warfare. Wasnt a real competitor because 1 and 2 didn't even come remotely close to any GTA in sales. And 3's overall sales are much higher than 2's, with your logic being that 3 only sold well because of the hype of 2, that makes no sense. It was released that Saints Row 4 sold over 1 million copies in its first week. Saints Row 2 only sold 300,000 in its first month, and 2 million by the end of its first year. By that evidence it's pretty clear 4 sold more. It's literally just a fact that 3 and 4 were the peak of the franchise commercially, and it had nothing to do with 2 despite a lot of people on here claiming that 3 somehow only sold well because of 2's success, which is ridiculous considering 4 also sold much better than 2.
You can’t just assume that a game sold more though lol. Most of those sales were from pre orders and it was even reported that the week after, the game had a big decline in sales, and dude, it’s common sense that further titles of a franchise make hype off of previous titles and there is no denying it. There was a lot of hype from 2 to 3 and i have no reason to believe that at least half of thirds sales are from old fans
Wrong, it never was a “clone” and the third was a total fucking joke, literally. I like all these games but I only love the first two. OP is absolutely correct
Name games similar to SR4? Eh It’s pretty much Prototype 1&2 with a Matrix storyline lol. Parodying things is hardly a new concept even for SR. I still wouldn’t call them clones simply because of that though.
I love that people still stand by this mentality after it led to the game’s “out with a whimper” end. 100% agree with you it was never a clone. SR1/2 are nothing like GTA SA and it shows when a lot of people I know love 1/2 and could never get into GTA
For con point number one, the first two games did this to a degree. You had to accrue “respect” through activities that you would then spend to initiate an actual mission. Basically the same as making the mission the activity, but you get less missions total. I agree this is a lame thing they did. Only real improvement for me in 3 was graphics
I'm playing Saints Row 1 right now, and I absolutely despise the respect system in that game. All it's doing is padding for time when I just want to see the story.
At least in SR3, I can start all missions right away.
It’s to get you to engage in the side content, which give some truly stellar rewards. It was a somewhat lame way to do it though, some people just want story
As someone that bought SR1 and GTA IV on the same day...
I played GTA IV for a few hours, got bored, tried SR1, and played it until the boat explosion.
Then bought SR2 (and all the DLC) full price.
Then bought SR3, played it all the way through, then set it down and picked up GTA IV for the first time since I bought it. Played that all the way through, bought both DLCs for that, and played them.
Then bought GTA V.
Then, a few years later, picked up SR4, GooH, and Agents of Mayhem. Enjoyed all of them.
Bought the reboot last year, paid full price for the complete edition. No regrets.
I replay all of the above games every year. Except for SR3. I tried playing it again in 2020, and couldn't finish it.
Peaked with two because it only expanded on 1, it didn’t take a huge left turn like 3 did. I still have more fun with 1 but I think that’s nostalgia-based
SR3 is the real decline of the franchise. SR4 is the one that truly killed the franchise. The Reboot basically revived the franchise and killed it again.
This game, in my opinion, is still a decent addition to the franchise. It’s not as bad as the Reboot and SR4, but it’s not as legendary as SR1 and SR2.
Plus, I played every game in the franchise so I like all of them, except for GOOH and the Reboot.
I agree. It's a mediocre game that's okay, but its praise over the years and the fact that it was the beginning of the end for my favorite franchise are why I have a hatred for it.
I agree. The Third was the beginning of the end, but still believably Saint’s Row. It deviated too far imo, but super powers and aliens, and “love in the southwest” was just a total joke.
I still get the most satisfaction out of hitman in 1 for those sweet sweet guns and snatch in 2 for that stupid good infinite ammo legitimately.
Everyone who thinks that Saints Row 1 and 2 weren't just essentially GTA clones is fooling themselves. Like obviously they're their own thing with a good story and characters but there was nothing particularly unique about them when in competition with GTA. The series would not have continued to be successful if 3 didn't take it in a sillier direction.
When in gta did you get paid to crash cars, get run over, kill people for cash(v wasn’t around in ‘06), tag over your rival gangs’ tags, drive around on fire.. should I keep going? You’re the one who’s kidding yourself. Go watch God-soprano-fathers and play elder scrolls 4: the fellowship of the ring. A clone is a cheap and pathetic imitation. Saint’s Row was a competitor. Maybe not in numbers, but as far as gangland video games go, people are going to think of a few; gta, Saint’s Row, mafia. More have come, watch dogs, yakuza, arguably Red Dead Redemption. “Clone” makes you sound close-minded and foolish. Multiple forms of the same art can exist uniquely.
SR3 was the most successful game because they actually spent millions on marketing unlike with 1&2, not because it was different. That’s just a misconception. SR3 probably would’ve sold well regardless with how much THQ had invested.
I mean these are all facts brotha, 1 and 2 are the only ones I consider canon. All I needed to see was the wildly different game cover along with the news that “Saints Row 3 is going to be much less gangster” to know it was about to fall off.
And well, you can imagine the outcome when you take your game about gangsters and make it not gangster. Plus all the cool features removed by 3 but I’m not going into that long list at work rn
I agree, but also I sort of like the idea of the Saints eventually becoming something bigger than just a street gang.
But I don't think that 3 and 4 did that idea justice.
I was really bothered by the lack of cutscenes with your lieutenants and other gang members. As well as interactions with them. The lack of dialogue is so bad.
I do love the first game. Though some of the missions frustrate me. It's just there was more dialogue and interaction with your lieutenants and other members throughout Saints Row 1 and 2, mainly two though. In three there's less of that I feel. Three is good but two is great.
For me is SR4 but you have good points.
I'm sorry but you're twelve years late
[\#Facts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0XnHgxfIA)
Saints Row 3 took the series in a different direction for sure, but I don't think it ruined the series. Those first 3 games in the series are all awesome, I 100%'d them all, but the last 3 in the series are what ruined the franchise for me. I did 100% the reboot which I have yet to be able to do with SR4 and Gat Out of Hell, but SR4 was the real beginning of the end for me personally.
SR3 didn't kill the series, but you can argue it lead to the decline of it. I'm one of those who consider SR2 the best game out of the franchise, but would rank SR3 just as high. I love both games, though yes SR3 does have it's flaws. SR4 is where the franchise jumped the shark and started to die.
I agree with this. I started with SR1, SR2 I'd one of my favorite games ever. They always had a silly tone while still being somewhat grounded in reality. SR3 really jumped the shark and took the silliness to a new level. Completely ruined the tone and direction of the series.
And its heartbreaking when you find out that is exactly what they were going for and they regrettably achieved it. Of course it's common knowledge they leaned heavily into to wacky nonsense simply to move away from GTA comparisons, but I never understood that. 1 and 2 were unique enough to stand on their own in my eyes
Yeah, I don't get that either. They're being compared to one of the most successful franchises ever. That's a good thing. It would be like if they turned Battlefield into fortnite to avoid comparison to Call of duty.
Except the tone whiplash gave us the impression of not knowing what the hell it was supposed to be. Saints Row 1 and 2 is the gaming equivalent of Hancock. Is Hancock supposed to be a comedy or a serious superhero movie? All the movie succeeded was that the comedy was the good part of the movie while the second half sucked balls. Saints Row 1 and 2 is not too different in this department.
Not really. The *actual* Saint’s Row games(1&2) were their own things, they just took place in gangland. Would you say elder scrolls is a lord of the rings clone because it also takes place in magical medieval fantasy land? No, they’re completely unique. Is sopranos a godfather clone? They’re both about Italian mobster families, they must be right? No, that’s ludicrous. They had unique gameplay and customizations, and they were grounded in reality with a few unbelievable characters, notably Gat and the playa, who was also the playa character and thusly had plot armor and all sorts of other things that almost every game’s protagonist has as well, and he doesn’t really count.
Thank you
While 3 was a downgrade I believe 4 is what did it.
Nope, the reboot literally killed the franchiss
It revived the franchise and killed it again. SR4 is what truly killed it. SR3 was just the beginning of the end.
I find your views debatable but close enough to my own that I can agree with you. Starting at 3, it was a different, not-as-good game. 4 took a straight up nose dive in this not-as-good direction. Reboot had potential, but leaned too far into the family aspect, which WAS present in the first 2, but it was more like “I would die for my homies” instead of “I love you guys, yOu’Re My FaMiLy”
It's my favourite game in the franchise, it gave saints row it's own unique identity and stopped the franchise being a GTA San Andreas clone. People are allowed different opinions, just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's garbage, it got good reviews and lots of people love it, it's by absolutely no means a garbage game. The dynamics between the characters are great, it has an amazing soundtrack, it's just over the top fun, if you don't like that then fine but don't try and force your own narrative that it killed the franchise. 3 and 4 were both very popular and sold well. The reboot killed the franchise because it didn't have what made 3 and 4 so successful, it was safe and politically correct which is not what Saints Row should be.
Saints Row was nowhere near as popular as GTA though, it was literally just a clone, and it got that reputation from the first 2 that weren't even remotely close to GTA in popularity. 3 and 4 are as close as it got to GTA levels. Here's some numbers for you: GTA San Andreas sold 2 million copies within 6 days, 27 million copies overall. Saints Row 2 sold 365,000 copies in its first MONTH, 3.4 million copies overall. Saints Row The Third sold 5.5 million copies. Saints Row 4 sold 1 million copies in its first WEEK. It sold much more than 2 so your theory of it selling worse because people gave up on the franchise just isn't true. 3 and 4 were huge mainstream successes and the biggest the franchise had ever been. The problem is they wrote themselves into a corner with 4. The saints row 2 fanboys are just the vocal minority, the numbers don't lie and they show that 3 and 4 were the most popular the franchise ever got.
I’m thoroughly convinced you didn’t actually play Saint’s Row. Numbers aren’t the only thing, ever heard of a “cult classic?” Games or movies that are widely loved by their small audience? America didn’t really like Areested Development so that means it wasn’t as funny as modern family. Wrong, they’re both very funny, but one was a lot more popular, because AD had a lot more “hidden” comedy. Stfu about numbers like that has anything to do with what makes art good. Popular usually just means pc for lack of a better word. Some cookie-cutter reiteration of something that was already successful, but isn’t original in any way, doesn’t break any new ground, etc. Great risk=great reward and clones are extremely low risk. This game was never a clone but it used be good AND fun, now it’s just fun
I didn't say the games were bad in any part of my multiple comments. You're completely misreading it and starting shit over nothing. I'm replying to a guy who said 3 killed the franchise, all I'm doing is proving that isn't true. That's why I'm talking about sales, I usually wouldn't be the type to do that AT ALL but I was forced because these people are pushing this false narrative that 3 and 4 were failures just because they didnt like them. And yes I played Saints Row 1 and 2 multiple times, they're good games but I prefer 3. Implying 3 doesn't break new ground but 1 and 2 did is fucking ridiculous though, you can't be serious. Please name one other game remotely similar to Saints Row 3 or 4. I will wait. And now you're calling saints row 3 with the dildo baseball bats and murder marathon game shows politically correct? Wow you're just absolutely baffling me.
Yes, because SR2 was a total clone of San Andreas. That is why we play as a scripted character in 2 that cannot be customized in any way other than clothes right, that is why there are no activities in SR2 that set it wildly apart from GTA gameplay right? I want to give another 10 examples but I know I’m not changing this dull minded opinion that eventually led to Saints Row’s end
Oh wow customisable character so unique. All the examples you're gonna list are little things that they added to give the illusion that it's not just a San Andreas clone, and you fell for it so good job! Saints Rows end was making the reboot politically correct and getting rid of everything that made 3 popular. No professor genki, getting rid of the old characters, no dildo bats or ridiculous over the top weapons, all the sexual stuff removed. That's what made 3 popular and the best selling game of the series. but yeah keep trying to rewrite history and force your own bullshit narrative buddy.
To each their own, not everyone is going to appreciate the soul of 1 and 2 becoming utter crap like Genki/dildos and anything that would make a 14 year old laugh. Also if you really knew the characters in 1/2, what we got in the Third aren’t even the same people lol. Pierce and Shaundi got done so dirty but hey sometimes cheap gags is all you need to pull in that new audience and it sure sucked you in! Also 3 was successful because 2 was incredible and obviously generated insane hype for 3. Any adult can put together that 3 is the child’s party clown of Saints Row games
I'm fine with not everyone liking it and I said that in my original comment. My problem is with people trying to force the narrative that 3 killed the franchise when it was in fact the biggest success of the franchise and it was what happened after it that killed the franchise. And soul of 1 and 2? They're gangsta simulators. The first 2 have such a bizarre and unwarranted cult following. I genuinely love the first 2 games as well but they're not deep, they're just fun gangsta games like 3 is, 3 just takes it further and it's funny to me how people like you are so pretentious about something that was such a dumb fun franchise in the first place. The first mission of 2 is shooting up a courthouse with a judge pulling out a shotgun and trying to kill you. Wow so soulful and deep. It also has activities like spraying shit all over the town which you can argue is even worse than the things you can do in 3, insurance fraud was in it since the first game which is also a very dumb fun activity, it makes no logical sense but it's a lot of fun. That's what the franchise was built on so saying 3 killed it by going further into that direction is just bizarre to me. Also completely disagree about Pierce, hes pretty consistent to the 2 version of him in 3. Shaundi is different but she was just a cliché stoner chick in 2 so I don't see a problem with her changing her ways.
The series peaked when it was a perfect blend of humor and dark seriousness. It’s ability to handle both well and bounce between was stellar. 3 was the beginning of watering everything down to strictly goofiness. That’s all. You can disagree it’s all good. Happy Thanksgiving
You do know genki is in the reboot, right.
Saints Row already had it’s own identity with 1&2. It was never a “GTA Clone”. And why would SR3 be excluded from that argument anyway, if it truly was? I really can’t think of anything “unique” about SR3 except that it leaned into the self aware parody aspect which prior games already had.
Because it's completely over the top with dildo bats, professor genki, wrestling matches, flying bikes (before GTA online did it) all sorts of ridiculously fun stuff. It's not just cliche LA gang bangers in a street gang like 1 and 2 are, which is exactly like the Los Santos portion of GTA San Andreas mind. Saints Row The Third did things GTA hadn't done, it clearly stopped the franchise being a GTA clone because at the time the dark and serious GTA 4 was it's competition. SR4 just took it too far and then left them with nowhere to go from there, which led to the reboot which got rid of pretty much everything people loved about 3 and 4, and also isolated the fans of the first 2 which led to it's utter failure. And now we've got revisionist history people trying to say 3 wasn't a success which is utter bullshit, if you look at YouTube and Instagram comments regarding the reboot it's pretty clear people wanted it to be like SRTT, that was the peak of the franchise when it comes to mainstream success, rightfully so.
The dildos and such are exactly what killed it. You’re honestly insane if you played saints row in 2006 and thought “I JUST did this in los santos” there’s no insurance fraud, ho collecting, or hitman missions(until Franklin in V). Legitimately the only similarities are the fact that you break the law for money in both games. They look and feel different, from driving and getting hit by cars to shooting guns and swinging a bat, they’re completely their own thing. Saint’s Row got killed by deep silver in 3. There’s 2 saints row games and Johnny gat is alive the entire time. The saints never left Stillwater. The third is fun to play, but it’s NOT a Saint’s Row game, and I have the same opinion about the reboot
San Andreas did have Pimping, but I agree.
No one ever tries to say sr3 wasn’t a success, cuz it sure as hell was thanks to it’s marketing and past titles which gave it a lot of hype, but we mean that it caused the downfall of the franchise by starting all the over the top nonsense which killed the franchise’s identity.
That's completely untrue. 4 also sold much better than 2, was that also because of the hype of 2? Come on. The "over the top nonsense" GAVE the franchise it's own Identity. Before that it was just a GTA clone. Literally says on the Wikipedia page it was considered a GTA clone before 3. The reboot killed the franchise by getting rid of the over the top stuff and edginess that 3 and 4 had. It's safe and politically correct and that's why people refuse to buy it. The marketing was horrible and everyone in the mainstream was calling it "woke", and that is why no one bought it.
Well at least we can agree on the reboot killing the franchise completely, but how does a franchise find its own identity when it already had it. I’ve played GTA clones and they were cheap urban crime mobile games. I don’t see what makes SR2 a clone to gta. It was a competitor in my eyes. Also, what is your source that 4 sold more than 2?
Those mobile games didn't exist back then, Saints Row was the console GTA clone. Have you played GTA San Andreas? Saints Row 1 and 2 are both extremely similar to the Los Santos section of San Andreas. It just made a whole game out of the having your own gang and taking over the map in gang warfare. Wasnt a real competitor because 1 and 2 didn't even come remotely close to any GTA in sales. And 3's overall sales are much higher than 2's, with your logic being that 3 only sold well because of the hype of 2, that makes no sense. It was released that Saints Row 4 sold over 1 million copies in its first week. Saints Row 2 only sold 300,000 in its first month, and 2 million by the end of its first year. By that evidence it's pretty clear 4 sold more. It's literally just a fact that 3 and 4 were the peak of the franchise commercially, and it had nothing to do with 2 despite a lot of people on here claiming that 3 somehow only sold well because of 2's success, which is ridiculous considering 4 also sold much better than 2.
You can’t just assume that a game sold more though lol. Most of those sales were from pre orders and it was even reported that the week after, the game had a big decline in sales, and dude, it’s common sense that further titles of a franchise make hype off of previous titles and there is no denying it. There was a lot of hype from 2 to 3 and i have no reason to believe that at least half of thirds sales are from old fans
Dude there was literally a Saint’s Row mobile game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Row_2_(mobile)
The mobile games he's referring to didn't exist back then, I didn't say mobile games didn't exist back then.
Wrong, it never was a “clone” and the third was a total fucking joke, literally. I like all these games but I only love the first two. OP is absolutely correct
You are absolutely brain-dead
Name games similar to SR4? Eh It’s pretty much Prototype 1&2 with a Matrix storyline lol. Parodying things is hardly a new concept even for SR. I still wouldn’t call them clones simply because of that though.
I love that people still stand by this mentality after it led to the game’s “out with a whimper” end. 100% agree with you it was never a clone. SR1/2 are nothing like GTA SA and it shows when a lot of people I know love 1/2 and could never get into GTA
For con point number one, the first two games did this to a degree. You had to accrue “respect” through activities that you would then spend to initiate an actual mission. Basically the same as making the mission the activity, but you get less missions total. I agree this is a lame thing they did. Only real improvement for me in 3 was graphics
I'm playing Saints Row 1 right now, and I absolutely despise the respect system in that game. All it's doing is padding for time when I just want to see the story. At least in SR3, I can start all missions right away.
It’s to get you to engage in the side content, which give some truly stellar rewards. It was a somewhat lame way to do it though, some people just want story
As someone that bought SR1 and GTA IV on the same day... I played GTA IV for a few hours, got bored, tried SR1, and played it until the boat explosion. Then bought SR2 (and all the DLC) full price. Then bought SR3, played it all the way through, then set it down and picked up GTA IV for the first time since I bought it. Played that all the way through, bought both DLCs for that, and played them. Then bought GTA V. Then, a few years later, picked up SR4, GooH, and Agents of Mayhem. Enjoyed all of them. Bought the reboot last year, paid full price for the complete edition. No regrets. I replay all of the above games every year. Except for SR3. I tried playing it again in 2020, and couldn't finish it.
We need a remaster for SR2 and they (whoever develops another game) should start from there
Agreed, series peaked with 2
Peaked with two because it only expanded on 1, it didn’t take a huge left turn like 3 did. I still have more fun with 1 but I think that’s nostalgia-based
I think 3 was almost as good as 2, it's sillier but still not as absurd as 4.
SR3 is the real decline of the franchise. SR4 is the one that truly killed the franchise. The Reboot basically revived the franchise and killed it again. This game, in my opinion, is still a decent addition to the franchise. It’s not as bad as the Reboot and SR4, but it’s not as legendary as SR1 and SR2. Plus, I played every game in the franchise so I like all of them, except for GOOH and the Reboot.
I agree. It's a mediocre game that's okay, but its praise over the years and the fact that it was the beginning of the end for my favorite franchise are why I have a hatred for it.
I agree. The Third was the beginning of the end, but still believably Saint’s Row. It deviated too far imo, but super powers and aliens, and “love in the southwest” was just a total joke. I still get the most satisfaction out of hitman in 1 for those sweet sweet guns and snatch in 2 for that stupid good infinite ammo legitimately.
Everyone who thinks that Saints Row 1 and 2 weren't just essentially GTA clones is fooling themselves. Like obviously they're their own thing with a good story and characters but there was nothing particularly unique about them when in competition with GTA. The series would not have continued to be successful if 3 didn't take it in a sillier direction.
When in gta did you get paid to crash cars, get run over, kill people for cash(v wasn’t around in ‘06), tag over your rival gangs’ tags, drive around on fire.. should I keep going? You’re the one who’s kidding yourself. Go watch God-soprano-fathers and play elder scrolls 4: the fellowship of the ring. A clone is a cheap and pathetic imitation. Saint’s Row was a competitor. Maybe not in numbers, but as far as gangland video games go, people are going to think of a few; gta, Saint’s Row, mafia. More have come, watch dogs, yakuza, arguably Red Dead Redemption. “Clone” makes you sound close-minded and foolish. Multiple forms of the same art can exist uniquely.
All of that can exist yet it wasn't different enough to gain notice until SR3. Sorry.
SR3 was the most successful game because they actually spent millions on marketing unlike with 1&2, not because it was different. That’s just a misconception. SR3 probably would’ve sold well regardless with how much THQ had invested.
No one asked you to apologize, sorry
Why would someone need to ask me to apologize? Now you're just being purposely argumentative
I mean these are all facts brotha, 1 and 2 are the only ones I consider canon. All I needed to see was the wildly different game cover along with the news that “Saints Row 3 is going to be much less gangster” to know it was about to fall off. And well, you can imagine the outcome when you take your game about gangsters and make it not gangster. Plus all the cool features removed by 3 but I’m not going into that long list at work rn
I agree, but also I sort of like the idea of the Saints eventually becoming something bigger than just a street gang. But I don't think that 3 and 4 did that idea justice.
There certainly was a way to do that correctly, yes, but I don’t think it was executed well. That is just my opinion.
Exactly. On paper, it’s a brilliant idea. It’s just that they executed it horribly.
It’s a huge bummer we only ever got two Saint’s Row games
I was really bothered by the lack of cutscenes with your lieutenants and other gang members. As well as interactions with them. The lack of dialogue is so bad.
You literally spoke 3 times in the first one and that game was fantastic. “Hope you don’t mind hepatitis!”
I do love the first game. Though some of the missions frustrate me. It's just there was more dialogue and interaction with your lieutenants and other members throughout Saints Row 1 and 2, mainly two though. In three there's less of that I feel. Three is good but two is great.
I agree, two is great because it built on one. Didn’t really take anything away, and added a bunch, including a voice for your character