A few years back Saints Row: The Third was given away as part of the Games With Gold program which is when I first got my taste of the absurdity the game has to offer. Thanks to Xbox One backwards compatibility, I played through the title on Xbox One which helped to overcome many of the game’s performance issues on the original Xbox 360 hardware. When it was announced that the game was getting a remaster for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, I was actually confused for a second as I thought the game was already released for current-gen platforms back in the early days of the generation. That was actually Saints Row 4, but the 360 version I played on Xbox One had done a convincing enough job that I couldn’t figure out why a current-gen game was needing a remaster. A quick search corrected my confusion and I was excited to see how the 2011 release would stack up in today’s gaming world!
Story
The 3rd Street Saints have built up their once ragtag gang into a full-fledged media empire. To promote and train an actor for an upcoming movie based on the Saints, a robbery has been planned for the Stilwater Bank! Of course, things go south quickly and the Saints end up in the hands of a rival organization known only as the Syndicate. After managing to escape, the Saints end up in the Syndicate controlled town of Steelport. The goal now is to take those suckers out and show them why the 3rd Street Saints are the best on the block!
Gameplay
PS4 review code provided by the publisher
Diving into Saints Row: The Third Remastered, it is clear how the visuals got a nice upgrade over the original 2011 release, but I will touch on that more in a minute. As far as gameplay is concerned this is the same Saints Row 3 you know and love. The opening moments of robbing the Stilwater bank and riding the bank vault suspended from a helicopter are as hectic and over-the-top as ever. After escaping from the Syndicate’s plane and landing in Steelport is when the game truly begins though. Much like the second game in the series, it is now your task to take over the city.
This objective is accomplished by taking on missions to increase the Saints’ reputation and then buying out the properties. Nothing super original here compared to modern open-world titles but I mean, this game did beat most to market back in 2011! What stands out to me is just how good it still feels to play this title even in 2020. Controls are mapped well and thanks to the framerate boost on PS4 Pro, aiming is better than ever! The missions, while not always the most original, are just fun and that is always a winner. Thankfully there are plenty of truly out-there moments that remain as memorable to me as they were in my original 360 playthrough and I was happy to see them in a new light(ing)!
Outside of the main storyline, there are a ton of things to do around Steelport in the form of side missions and activities. When it comes to open-world games I am typically annoyed by the vast majority of the optional things to do and opt to complete the story instead. With Saints Row: The Third I find myself drawn to more of the side activities thanks to some of them just being an absolute blast! Have you ever wanted to just throw your character in front of moving vehicles intentionally to see how much you can hurt yourself? Yeah, that’s a thing in this game as part of committing insurance fraud. The whole thing makes me think back to the bone breaking mini-game mode in Trials HD and I love it! Then there are the mayhem modes where you get to just go into full rampage mode with unlimited explosives and cause as much destruction as you can. It is so over-the-top you can’t help but enjoy it!
Even with all of these wonderfully extreme activities, the simple act of driving around Steelport is still one of my favorite things to do in the game. I like the way cars handle in Saints Row 3 and they feel as good to me now as they ever have. Steelport is a big place but it never feels overwhelming in the way more modern open-world games have. Being able to drive from one side of the map to the other when needing a break from missions will always be something I enjoy.
One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Saints Row franchise is its inclusion of full co-op for the entirety of their campaigns. Being able to hop into a game with friends takes the absurdity of some of the game’s missions to a whole other level. I wasn’t able to play many missions in co-op (due to time constraints) but what I did play worked well from what I could tell. The full character creator mode is also retained so you can make your avatar into any image you want!
Visuals
As I mentioned a bit ago, the first thing you will notice when loading up Saints Row: The Third Remastered if you played the original is its updated visuals. Every piece of art has been touched up to bring it into the current console generation. Cars have a drastically improved look, facial animations look better, and the new lighting gives Steelport a much more impressive presentation. Now, while it all looks good compared to the original, it isn’t a match for what is currently available on modern platforms. I don’t personally mind this as this is just a remaster. One of the best features of the new presentation though is the increased framerate for PC and enhanced consoles. Being able to play with an unlocked framerate of PS4 Pro has been very nice, but be warned: this particular version will suffer from a few frame drops during heavy action scenes.
Audio
Saints Row: The Third Remastered sounds very much like the original game to me. Now, this is in no way a bad thing as the original release sounded great to me. Voice work is absolutely corny and over-the-top to match the rest of the game and it is delivered well. The game also seems to retain the entirety of its licensed soundtrack from what I could tell.
What It Could Have Done Better
I have been having a blast replaying Saints Row: The Third Remastered but it is very much just a visually improved version of the original release. While I didn’t really expect more than this, it would have been cool if more behind the scenes things about development or other extras could have been added to the package. Thankfully all the original DLC is included at least!
Verdict
Saints Row: The Third Remastered brings a great game to current platforms with a nice visual update over the original. While there isn’t anything new here for long-time players to enjoy, the original game is still a ton of fun to go back and replay even after 9 years. For players who may have missed out on the original release, this version is now the best way to remedy that. The streets of Steelport are calling so I am just going to leave it at that!
