$20 Game of the Week: Saint’s Row IV (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

After battling evil luchadores, cyberpunk hackers, bdsm freaks, and even zombies, the leader of the Third Street Saints takes over the United States as president (with actor Keith David as vice president). Then the gang has to deal with an alien invasion. Yeah, it’s as insane as it sounds. Would you expect anything else from Saint’s Row by now?

Originally conceived as an add-on for Saint’s Row 3, Saint’s Row IV became it’s own game after the franchise was bought by Deep Silver. Despite a few missteps, the series doesn’t miss a beat. After settling into the oval office, the U.S is attacked by a legion of invaders known as the Zinyak. The Saints are captured and strapped into a virtual reality machine which traps its users in a simulation of Steelport, the city from SR3. Because its a simulator, the Saints gain access to powers that aren’t possible in the real world. Players will gain the ability to move at lightning fast speed, shoot blasts, and climb up walls, each ability can be upgraded multiple times. Of course this raises the question of why would anyone want to drive a car when you can run at lightning fast speeds. However, you’ll be too busy blasting aliens and causing ruckus to care.

Unlike the past three games, the only ‘gang’ you’ll have to deal with is the Zinyak army, so every story mission and side quest is dedicated to damaging their infrastructure. Many of the activities from prior games are present, such as mayhem and insurance fraud. Many of the story missions have you rescuing your allies, and these levels often take away your powers. They make up for it by featuring hilarious pot shots at other games and even call backs to prior games in the series. Speaking of allies, SR4 features the return of everyone’s fan favorite psychopath, Johnny Gat. Wait until you see what you have to do to rescue him.

Since its inception in 2006, Saint’s Row has come a long way from being a GTA clone. It’s sense of humor and customization features are second to none, and it’s gameplay is simply fun, which is why we play video games in the first place. If you want more Saint’s Row action, check out the season pass. Also, there will be a new stand-alone expansion released next year entitle ‘Gat out of Hell’. Finally, if you have a next gen system, missed out the first time, and don’t mind paying a bit more, a new enhanced version of SR4, Saint’s Row IV: Re-elected, will be hitting PS4 and Xbox One. However you experience this game make sure you do, as it’s pure flat-out zaniness.