Saints Row Reviews
Will the frustrations continue to mount? Will the Saints Row reboot establish its identity? We’ll see. For now, I’ll continue to play more to see the campaign through to its conclusion. I might also try some co-op activities with our Review Editor, Andrew Farrell, and maybe some drop-in multiplayer, too. You can expect a finalized review score within the week.
We do need to take a beat and talk about the bugs in Saints Row, and there’s plenty of them to go around. My gun flipped around and wouldn’t fire while facing the wrong direction. The car physics are more springy than a Super Bouncy Ball. Running over a fire hydrant will shoot a tank-sized vehicle upwards and onto a nearby roof with little effort. Vehicles disappear and reappear. I even had a moment during a mini-boss where Eli went down, and once resurrected stood there doing nothing repeating his lines for being downed. That and the boss wouldn’t get to his cooldown for me to damage him, and for whatever reason I wasn’t taking any damage. And none of that addresses the current state of cooperative play.
As a new start for the eponymous gang, Saints Row ticks most of the boxes, but falls short in offering up anything fresh. A litany of technical and visual bugs also conspire to spoil the party, making for a solid enough, enjoyable, but ultimately uninspired, return for the series.
Saints Row got rebooted in a way that should appeal to anyone meaning it’s very safe. And as such, it doesn’t interest me in any way. It is a perfect example of a mediocre title – play & forget.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Reinvention can just as easily be a prompt for a bold new swing, and while Saints Row feigns one or two, it could stand to commit more fully to them. This retooling/reboot/reenvisioning doubles down on the past in an intentional, if short-lived, nostalgia play, but there has to be more there, right? If we should see more of these Saints-and I earnestly do want to-I would hope it would be with something fresh to say or show. Until then, Saints Row still has some growing to do.
Saints Row gets the gang back together, but needed more time to complete its comeback.
Saints Row successfully reboots the much-loved franchise, although things don't feel as wild or chaotic as I was expecting or hoping. The main campaign is a short but enjoyable romp with some decent creativity, but the open world template doesn't innovate beyond the trappings of the genre. Side missions and distractions are amusing yet repetitive, and the adventure is lacking in polish overall. Still, being able to play the entire experience with a mate by your side makes for a lot of laughs, and if you can forgive the cringe dialogue, there are some fun moments between all the meandering that still makes it worthwhile. I can't say that the Saints are "back and better than ever", but gearing up for a modest romp with a lot of explosions and strong personalisation will certainly set them up for a roaring sequel if given the chance.
Despite a couple of shortcomings and genre trappings in its open world department, Saints Row remains a thrill ride through and through - thanks to the supremely enjoyable core gameplay and varied mission locales.
The new Saints Row doesn't break any new ground, however it's still a relatively fun time. If you're a fan of the series, there's no reason not to give this one a spin.
This probably isn’t a bad game if you approach it as its own thing, independent of any of the expectations created by previous entries. But as a Saints Row title it leaves a very bitter taste.
Overall, Saints Row consist of both good and bad parts, but the bad parts leave more of an impression on the player. It's also a shame that while there is some genuine fun to be had with the game, as some effort was clearly put in trying to imitate many aspects of the original series, it still doesn't live up to even the worst of what the series had to offer.
Although this reboot removed the superpowers, it seems to want to take the game back to before it was confused by the demons of hell, the Matrix, aliens, and much other chaos. But when people find that these Saints do not rely on superpowers to make trouble, and start to beat people with fists and iron bars, will they find them not interesting enough again?
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Saints Row is fun, but it feels like it forgot that we are in 2022 and not in 2013 anymore, 'cause it really has nothing new or fresh to offer.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Saints Row pairs a great open-world city and respectable gameplay fundamentals with repetitive, dated mission design, a story that never finds its footing, and too many bugs to count. Depending on what you prioritize in a game, you may get some enjoyment out of it, but at best you're looking at a diamond in a whole lot of rough.
Unambitious, dated, and dreadfully lacking in polish, only series fans eager for more classic Saints gameplay need apply.
Ultimately the new Saints Row is a disappointment, especially if you’re a fan of the series.
The Saints Row reboot has its great moments but ultimately fails to provide a memorable experience.
For a game all about building a crime syndicate, the fact that engaging in such activities feels so optional on the main path is a crime itself. It also won’t come as much surprise to Saints Row fans that this is just as scrappy as ever before. Still, it’s ridiculously enjoyable nonetheless.