Saints Row: The Third (also known as Saints Row 3) is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It was released on November 15th, 2011 in Australia and North America, and was released on November 18th, 2011 in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the third title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row 2 in 2008. As in Saints Row 2, the player controls the leader of the Third Street Saints. The game world is the fictional city of Steelport, and the story focuses on the gang war between the Saints and The Syndicate, a rival criminal group.
Plot
Having defeated all their rivals in Stilwater at the end of Saints Row 2, the Saints have turned their street gang into a media empire after merging with the Ultor Corporation. They have since become icons across the world, with their own energy drink, a large fanbase, and a movie deal in the works. But when they attempt to rob a bank with Josh Birk (a TV star who is "researching" his part for the Saints' movie) in town, their everyday routine takes an unlikely turn when the bank tellers unexpectedly fight back with military grade weapons. The Saints attempt to airlift the vault out of the building, but when Birk sets off the alarm, it alerts the Stilwater P.D. and, after an intense firefight, the Saints are incarcerated.
Mission structure
In previous Saints Row games, the player would be able to approach each of the three rival gangs along separate storylines that ultimately culminated into a final conclusion. In The Third, the storylines between the three gangs are interconnected, and decisions that the player makes in dealing with one faction may alter the behavior of the other factions towards the player or missions that may be available later. The developers have focused on developing an open-ended storyline; the majority of storyline missions can be completed in multiple ways, and the decisions that the player makes on these missions will ultimately affect the game's ending.
Gameplay
The Third retains the blend of third-person action and driving sequences in open world, urban warfare format that is traditional in the Saints Row series. The player, as the leader of the Third Street Saints, can explore the city of Steelport, performing main missions that progress the game's story, and side missions. These side missions include Activities, mini- initiated at various points in the game world, Strongholds, rival gang bases that can be taken over to control a section of Steelport and; Flashpoints, on-the-spot gang warfare. Successful completion of missions can earn the player in-game money, weapons, cars, and gang respect. Previous Saints Row games used respect as a way to unlock story missions; The Third uses respect as experience points which the player can then spend to improve specific attributes of their character, such as melee combat or firearms skills. A leveling system is introduced, and the player selects these attributes, or 'perks', each time the player character is leveled-up. Money can be used to purchase clothing items, weapons and cars, or may be used to upgrade weapons and cars with unique features, such as adding scopes or extra barrels to a weapon, which are then stored in the player's arsenal. Money can also be used to upgrade the Saints gang, customizing their appearance, outfits, and headquarters. The "Initiation Station" system allows players to upload their character creations to The Third's online community, and download other players' creations to use with their save-game. Within The Third, the player can set up to four different appearance styles for their gang. Finally, money is also used to purchase shops and other properties within Steelport, which in turn will become a steady stream of income for the gang over time.
While completing some missions, the player may be given a choice of options to finalize the mission. For example, the player has the option of using a gigantic bomb to demolish one of the skyscrapers in the city; though they will gain a great deal of respect for the action, it will alter the city's skyline for the rest of the game and cause non-player characters to react differently to the player, while leaving the building standing allows it to be used as a headquarters for the Saints. New Activities have been introduced alongside many from previous Saints Row games.
The player's arsenal is presented as a pop-up compass through which weapons are equipped with the analog stick. Novelty weapons are introduced alongside the traditional arsenal of handguns and automatic weapons. Players will gain the ability to call down airstrikes on encamped enemies, or to use a remote control electric bug to control vehicles remotely. Unlike the first two games, there are no health recovery items in favor of improving the grenade throwing system; in exchange, the player's health will regenerate at a faster rate as long as they stay out of the line of fire. Nearly all actions in the game can be sped up by holding down a second controller button, dubbed by Volition as the "awesome button"; for example, when carjacking, holding down this button will cause the player character to missile-kick the driver out of the seat in short order.
In addition to the single-player mode, the game can be played co-operatively with one other player. As in Saints Row 2, the second player can participate in all missions and activities, earning credit for their completion. Certain activities provide different rules when a second player is present; for example, in the Tiger Escort activity, the second player will have to control the tiger in the backseat while the first player drives. Because of their focus on the single player and co-operative experience, Volition has removed competitive multiplayer from the title. Co-op features will, however, require an online pass.
Downloadable content
The first 3000 players in North America who purchased Saints Row: The Third from the THQ Online Store on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC or Steam received the "Saints Row Season Pass". The "Season Pass" includes the game's first three downloadable mission packs. The three downloadable misson packs included in the "Season Pass" are Genkibowl VII, The Trouble with Clones... and Gangstas in Space. Also included in the "Season Pass" is the The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack.
- Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary (pre-order DLC) includes Professor Genki's Super Ballistic Man-a-pult, Professor Genki's "Octopuss" Weapon and Professor Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit.
- Shark Attack (available November 14) includes Shark-O-Matic Gun and Shark Bite Hat.
- Invincible Pack (available November 14) contains cheat codes.
- The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack (available November 14) includes Bloody Cannoness Outfit, Altar Boy Outfit, Bloody Cannoness Bike and Nyte Blayde Mobile.
- Online Pass (available November 14) allows access to play the game in co-op mode.
- Season Pass (available November 14) contains Nyte Blayde DLC Pack and DLC Packs stated below.
- Genkibowl VII (available January 2012), first misson pack.
- The Trouble with Clones... (available Spring 2012), second misson pack.
- Gangstas in Space (available Winter 2012), third and the last misson pack.