Saints Row: The Third

[Altimus]

The game is really fun.

Sent from my HTC EVO

[Blzer]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Bit of a longer read, but I want to know if I'm the only one facing some difficulty issues with the game. Consider this what you will, but within these impressions is a kind-gestured (not vented) rant after about seven total hours of play.

First of all, this game is no GTA, and doesn't try to be, so the comparisons (as far as which sandbox game is better) can be left alone. However, as someone who finds the games to share a similar feel simply because they are sandbox games, I feel the need to make comparisons in how they handle similar aspects of their games (driving, combat, missions, cityscape, etc)... not really with which are better, but how a user can go about separating the two so they can excel at both games, because currently I'm having a hell of a time mastering my skill set in SR3.

This game is hard. Very hard. I understand that I'm not doing myself any favors by playing on the Hardcore difficulty setting, but I believe my failure issues stand aside from said setting. First of all, I'm finding it pretty tough to make decent money. I'm still standing in the thousands because I always have to shell out cash to buy more ammo for my weapons, because I spend an entire mission emptying out entire clips on neverending waves of gangs. Speaking of which, cops and gangs just never stop coming! Once you're wanted on your notoriety, it takes a long, enduring evasion process to actually eliminate the entire threat of waves. It doesn't help that Shaundi's phone is always busy lol, but basically they shoot until they air out my tires, then they'll blow up my car, then I'm on a foot race until my sprint meter dies down, then... dead.

This wouldn't be so problematic if I could shoot at the cars following me, but the controls in this game are atrocious! Forget GTA, any other 3PS game would have considered different options for doing certain things. Besides the fact that this game doesn't even have a cover system, there isn't a formidable way to pick a fist fight with your weapon drawn (you can only activate sprint to put them down; knee-jerk melee attacks are pretty inefficient against a crowd), you can't reload your weapon while driving a vehicle, and holy crap... how is it that I'm supposed to shoot enemies behind me with acceleration at R1, shooting at R1, looking behind and Square, and aiming with the right analog stick? It's impossible. It's hardly even possible to take out the driver of the other car while they're in motion. I will partially blame myself when I accidentally throw a grenade because I think I'm playing GTA and I want to shoot or I think I'm playing Uncharted and I want to reload, but the control scheme in this game truly is a wonky mess, and the driving physics are a strange combination of sluggish/tight, while still maintaining a decent arcade feel with them.

Back to gang members again, whenever I try to clear an area, unless I perform headshots, they take forever to take down (again, emptying clips). Normally this wouldn't be an issue, however I end up getting waves of outside gang members and policemen, not associated with the initial area, who end up shooting up a storm behind me. I'd like to take a car to them and run them over until they die, but this is inefficient for two reasons: 1) If you leave the area, you automatically forfeit your mission; 2) Damage to pedestrians with a car only applies to the actual impact from the car, and not from the ground or any other objects they hit.

I obviously get most of my good cash from completing missions, but I'm currently stuck on one that I've tried over fifteen times, and I simply don't have the gun power, upgrades, or flat out in-game skills (yet) to complete the mission. I need the cash for most of these issues, and cash is currently hard to come by. I've bought out some property, which definitely helps bring in revenue, but currently I'm just trying to work out some side missions to get a few bucks on the side. Unfortunately, those are difficult as sin as well. Not only is it monstrous to find the person you need to assassinate, or the car you need to steal, etc. but then they are like impenetrable super powered forces once you locate them (vehicles included). Not only that, but of course, now you have to deal with the spawning gang members/police members that want to intervene. Oh, and of course, the damn helicopters.

I wanted to get that rant out of the way, because this game is incredibly fun and hilarious, but also incredibly difficult. The variety of mission types make me want to play them over and over again, and the associated events that occur meanwhile (whether it's the music playing, the dialogue going on, or whatever it may be) are just fantastic. I think that, on the presentation front, this game has its rough patches (specifically with the cut scenes, audio mix imbalance, and some HUD issues), but the diverse moments in the campaign portion plus the insane amount of customization (to characters, vehicles, weapons, etc.) are what puts this game above and beyond the frustrations that I'm hitting. The good news is that I think most of my issues will be solved when I make more money in the game. The bad news is that it's hard to make the money lol.

With all of this said, I'm going to be enduring this game out for about the next week or so, then I'll be playing this rotationally with a bunch of my other new games I have (UC3, MW3, Jurassic Park, NBA Jam). I can't wait to hit up the co-op with someone else in this game, but so far it seems as though none of my PSN friends are firing this bad boy up whenever I'm online. I hope others will soon, because it sure is a blast to play! I just need to get much better at it.

[goh]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Are there any other parts of the gameplay that I would need the online pass for other than actual online play?

Maybe uploading your character but there's not much point to that now other than an achievement.

What doesn't disable achievements the zombie voice you can select for your character: http://kotaku.com/5860240/in-saints-...-bet-on-zombie

Just in case some people missed that one.

Accelerate is on RT and shoot on LB while in cars with a 360 controller,try changing your controls to that. RB throws grenades.

Cover system:



You can throw them,snap their neck or let their homies/other cops shoot them to save on ammo.

R3 attacks do work with weapons out:

[Cyros]

re: Saints Row: The Third

goh, do you know if there are any diversions in the game that unlock a gun with unlimited ammo like there was in SR2?

[Fresh Tendrils]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Blzer, other than telling you to keep playing I don't know what else to say. The controls feel the same to me as SR2, if anything they feel a little bit tighter, but the configuration seems to be the same. Your problem seems to be that it isn't a GTA button layout and all you can really do is either change the configuration or simply learn to play the game with its controls. The lack of a cover system doesn't bother me since you can duck down behind cover, not to mention take a **** load of bullets to your body.

If you're complaining that hardcore is too hard, maybe play on Normal difficulty?

Anyway, I spent way too much time on the character builder last night and I'm not completely happy with it, but I have no idea what I want my character to look like.

[BlueNGold]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Yeah Blzer, I think a good portion of your issues would be solved by dropping down from Hardcore.

I agree on the control scheme though. Saints Row has never had the greatest set-up IMO (I forget how SR1 was though so that might have been alright). I know there are options for that at least. I still have to take a look at what they're like but I think for the most part I'm mostly okay with the default controls.

I wish I had more time to put into this game but it's usually hard for me to do that until my work week is over.

[Blzer]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Blzer, other than telling you to keep playing I don't know what else to say. The controls feel the same to me as SR2, if anything they feel a little bit tighter, but the configuration seems to be the same. Your problem seems to be that it isn't a GTA button layout and all you can really do is either change the configuration or simply learn to play the game with its controls. The lack of a cover system doesn't bother me since you can duck down behind cover, not to mention take a **** load of bullets to your body.

If you're complaining that hardcore is too hard, maybe play on Normal difficulty?

Anyway, I spent way too much time on the character builder last night and I'm not completely happy with it, but I have no idea what I want my character to look like.

Yeah Blzer, I think a good portion of your issues would be solved by dropping down from Hardcore.

I agree on the control scheme though. Saints Row has never had the greatest set-up IMO (I forget how SR1 was though so that might have been alright). I know there are options for that at least. I still have to take a look at what they're like but I think for the most part I'm mostly okay with the default controls.

I wish I had more time to put into this game but it's usually hard for me to do that until my work week is over.

It's no problem, guys. I was simply stating that the game was too hard, I wasn't complaining about it. I wouldn't want for it to be too easy, ever. And again, my troubles with the difficulty didn't seem to be with the difficulty setting itself, but just more with my grasp on the game. I just find it to be an extremely challenging game. Again, this wasn't a complaint; it was a statement alongside its justification. For the record, I haven't ever played a Saints Row game before.

Both of you are saying that there are alternate control schemes. I didn't seem to notice them anywhere. I saw that you could see what the control scheme itself actually was, but I don't think there was an actual way to change it. I'll fire it up right now before getting ready for work, and report back.

EDIT: Just checked, and couldn't find a way to switch up the control scheme at all. Oh well, it's not just the actual configuration that would overcome all of the challenges that there are with the scheme itself anyway. Plus, I'm warming up (or "getting used to") the scheme as it is now.

Oh, that was my other thing with the controls... you know how you bring up the radial menu to select your weapon of choice? Well, how many of you RDR folks keep trying to press L1 for that? If I'm on foot, I end up aiming down the sights; if I'm in a car, I end up throwing a grenade. Not only that, but again, they have you use the L-stick instead of the ever-so-convenient R-stick that could have been used (that way you could remain running while switching weapons). I just simply think that they didn't think things through enough when it came to this. Fresh, you claim they are the same as SR2... well, "same" and "best" aren't quite synonymous terms.

Otherwise, fantastic game! It's truly digitized gold when it comes to overall fun value.

[LingeringRegime]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Blzer, I might be picking this up soon. It looks too fun to miss.

[Dirty Turtles]

re: Saints Row: The Third

The game is sort of challenging on normal mode too. It's not too difficult that you'll scream in agony as you die over and over again, but I've had my fair share of mission fails.

[Fresh Tendrils]

re: Saints Row: The Third

I didn't say it was the best, but that I didn't find any glaring problems with the control scheme between SR2 and SR3. The weapon selection is bulky, but I don't think the controls hinder the game at all. I was able to go from Arkham City to SR3 without missing a beat.

With that said, I've played SR2 more (or at least more recently) than GTA.

I can't decide what I want my character to be. Right now I have a white male that I thought about making into a "50s rocker" type guy, but a part me wants to use that Russian female personality and create a female so I could dress her as a samurai sword welding cheerleader/school-girl who likes to play cosplay in her sparetime.

But then I also want a small asian male for my Bruce Lee role-playing and of course the token black guy for my Black Dynamite fun.

Too many options!!!!

[warnerwlf98]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Blzer, the car controls have changed since SR 2. Before (on 360) pressing A was acceleration and either X or B was reverse (can't remember). That freed up the triggers to use to fire weapons. Now it's a little awkward to fire a weapon with the left bumper and accelerate with the right trigger.

Blzer, other than telling you to keep playing I don't know what else to say. The controls feel the same to me as SR2, if anything they feel a little bit tighter, but the configuration seems to be the same. Your problem seems to be that it isn't a GTA button layout and all you can really do is either change the configuration or simply learn to play the game with its controls. The lack of a cover system doesn't bother me since you can duck down behind cover, not to mention take a **** load of bullets to your body.

If you're complaining that hardcore is too hard, maybe play on Normal difficulty?

Anyway, I spent way too much time on the character builder last night and I'm not completely happy with it, but I have no idea what I want my character to look like.

[Blzer]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Blzer, I might be picking this up soon. It looks too fun to miss.

Can't wait to pick up on some co-op! Let me know when you do!

Blzer, the car controls have changed since SR 2. Before (on 360) pressing A was acceleration and either X or B was reverse (can't remember). That freed up the triggers to use to fire weapons. Now it's a little awkward to fire a weapon with the left bumper and accelerate with the right trigger.

Got it. At least they switched to triggers for driving anyway. It's preferred when you want to work handbrake drifting as well as aiming with your camera (specifically for shooting). That's at least a welcomed change.

[LingeringRegime]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Can't wait to pick up on some co-op! Let me know when you do!

Just warning you, I have never played a SR game. I will have it by Saturday Night at the very latest.

[Blzer]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Just warning you, I have never played a SR game. I will have it by Saturday Night at the very latest.

No worries, it's my first time too (and definitely has a learning curve with the controls when you're used to GTA, RDR, UC, etc.).

[Behindshadows]

re: Saints Row: The Third

Wait? Neither of you have played a Saints Row game, yet your going to begin with The Third! That is the wrong way to play it!

The story lines tie in with one another! Start with the first one, otherwise the third game makes no sense to you!

They sell Saints Row 1&2 in a double pack for $25 to $30 bucks....