First Up...Saints Row: The Third

The most recent game I've been obsessed with is "Saints Row: The Third". No one's more surprised than me at how much I am enjoying this game. I didn't even consider giving it a chance until I saw the "Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'" episode about the "Best Games of 2011". (If you've never watched HAWP, you should. Clicka da link. You'll thank me later.)

I think what I like most about this game is the absolute absurdity of it all. You're immediately in these ridiculous situations. like having a shootout whilst plummeting out of a plane, driving a pissed off tiger around town, and having your crib infiltrated by assassins, which involves the realization that "These hoes ain't hoes!"

I never played the first two Saints Row games, but I may give them a shot now. However, I hear that the third game in this series has gotten quite a bit more over the top than the previous two, which has been negatively viewed by many long-time fans. I seem to be one of the people these fans are pissed at since the ridiculousness of it all is what I enjoy most about this game.

Gameplay wise, it's inevitable that one make comparisons between Saints Row and the Grand Theft Auto series, but it's been a while since I've played a GTA game at length, so my information is likely outdated.

Right out of the gate, I approve of the fact that I can create my own character in Saints Row. Maybe I don't want to be Tommy Vercetti, or Carl Johnson, or Nikolai Bellic. I will always be more attached to a character that I have customized, and the fact that I can make a female character in Saints Row 3 is fantastic. I value the ability to make my character look like me. Deal with it.

The cellphone menu system is well integrated. It doesn't feel like a menu. You get missions by getting calls from people. The city map is available on your phone, and you can set waypoints to navigate to. Driving to the locations you set utilizes directional arrows that pop up where you're supposed to make your turns, which means you don't need to keep too close an eye on the mini-map. That makes the driving experience hassle-free and enjoyable.

The missions themselves are fun and often dive into the ludicrous. The dialogue frequently makes me laugh out loud. The only quibble I have with the game is that the story is at times difficult to follow. During the pre or post mission cut scenes, there were a couple of times where I was like, "Wait? What just happened?" or "Wait, who are we pissed at now?" Then I think...doesn't matter. I get to shoot a rocket launcher out of a helicopter while playing classical music. This is magical.

In general, I am a completist, a side quest junkie. However, I generally don't feel compelled to find all the collectibles found in games. For example, in Arkham City, I picked up any of the Riddler Trophies I happened upon, but didn't delay completing the game to search for them. This isn't the case for Saints Row, and I'm not completely sure why. Perhaps it's because everything in this game has a # of # count associated. I don't want to leave any Gang Operation left standing or Photo Op unfound.

I don't think I have that many main story missions left. I've been dicking around finding all the collectable items, doing assassination and vehicle theft missions, and getting 100% ownage in all parts of the city. I'll probably continue down that road and start the sprint toward the finish pretty soon.