Unlike the GTA series, with The Third, you are quite easily capable of killing as many people as your moral compass will allow, whenever you like with no fear of ramification from the public. Due to the fact that the Saints are so loved within Volition’s city, you will still be as popular as ever; meaning doing outlandish acts such as donuts, or revving in the middle of the street will draw a crowd who will cheer in your honor. That is until you start running them over one by one. Another instance had the player beginning to body slam and punch random women in the city street for no apparent reason.
Yep, only in Saints Row.
One of the primary missions we were run through opened up with the Saints wearing Johnny Gat masks, ready to take down a bank. Naturally, things quickly spiral wildly out of control and proceedings start to take a much more chaotic direction, with the once placid bank tellers now touting their own guns and kicking off a mass firefight.
Once the action kicks into gear you are forced to shoot your way through and slowly make your way to the top of the building towards the vault, where you then attach it to a helicopter and get pulled away. Sure it might be the sort of stock standard run and gun gameplay we have come to expect from the Saints Row games, or sandbox games as a whole, but the humour that has been injected into the story is great and the whole experience already looks like a ton of fun.
In another instance, this time a side mission, you will get the chance to take control of a tank driving around the city, causing as much destruction as you humanly can. Again, nothing overly new; but who doesn’t love pure, unadulterated carnage?
Insert screaming civilians here.
This off the wall insanity also manages to translate into the game’s vehicles. One in particular is best described as a ‘manapult’ car. Be in the passenger’s seat of one of these bad boys and you will not only be able to vacuum in pedestrians off the street, but you can then proceed to shoot them with an air cannon at anything your twisted heart desires. Plus, if you and a friend take part in some co-op action, your partner will be able to suck you up and shoot you out, allowing you to then cleanly parachute away.
By demo’s end, we could quite clearly tell that Volition is basing Saints Row: The Third around being as much fun as it possibly can be. Animations are over the top, everything is exaggerated and you’re never quite sure what your actions will end up leading to.
Sure it might not break any major open world gameplay boundaries, or tug on any kind of emotional heart strings, but if the final version of The Third ends up being every bit as insane, zany and fun as it comes across as at the moment, then who the hell cares!
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