‘Saints Row’ Reviews Are Here And They Are Bad

Games ‘Saints Row’ Reviews Are Here And They Are Bad Paul Tassi Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. News and opinion about video games, television, movies and the internet. New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Aug 22, 2022, 10:22am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Saints Row Volition Saints Row, the reboot of the beloved open world franchise, has arrived with relatively little marketing fanfare, and while I did not secure a code myself before today, others with early access have just published their reviews at embargo. The result? Saints Row is one of the worst-reviewing major releases in quite some time. While scores are still coming in, at the time of this writing, Saints Row has a 63 on Metacritic and a 66 on Open Critic , but those will likely converge as more reviews arrive.

This is…extremely low in the video game realm, especially for a relatively major release from a franchise with a solid history and decent fanbase. The “devs get a bonus” threshold is usually an 85 on Metacritic (or at least it used to be), and while stuff in the 70s may still be considered pretty decent, when you’re dipping to the low 60s and high 50s, you have released something with serious issues, be they technical or conceptual. And Saints Row appears to struggle with both.

YouTube Skillup did not mince words in his review, calling it “Outdated in every aspect from its open world design to its core gameplay, riddled with game-breaking bugs, absent any sort of coherent plot and starring an insufferable cast of characters, the Saints Row reboot is a disaster. ” We are seeing some pretty low scores from pretty decently size outlets. Here’s VGC with a 4/10: MORE FOR YOU ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 2 Finally Has An Actual 2021 Release Date Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Not A Sure Thing, Says Director ‘Genshin Impact’ Still Refuses To Increase Anniversary Rewards, Despite Fan Outcry “It’s a below average open world game that’s stuffed to bursting with bugs, and the best thing we can say about it is that making our Tobias Fünke-inspired character crouch over and do the wanker gesture while he walked down the street made us laugh.

Probably not quite worth the price of admission. ” IGN gave it a very not-coveted 6/10: “For a game that gives us so much freedom to be exactly who we want to be via its superb customization options, it’s odd that Saints Row itself struggles to forge its own identity when it comes to the types of wanton criminal activities it makes available to us. There’s definitely no shortage of shallow shoot ‘em up thrills to be had here, but it’s a very familiar and uninspired brand of sandbox fun that’s unlikely to wow anybody who’s played a Saints Row game before, much less a GTA.

” Saints Row Volition Some outlets were a little more generous, like Game Informer with an 8. 5: “It may not push your new hardware to the limit and is a little rough around the edges, but the latest Saints Row is everything it needs to be, delivering a wonderful comedic experience with plenty of depth. While a little irritating, I was never bored and wanted to see where my team’s goofy antics would take them next.

The payoffs are often worth the time investment, and just veering off the beaten path pays dividends. I’m glad the Saints are back, hopefully for another long haul. ” I’ve only played the intro for it so far, but I can immediately understand the complaints about it looking and feeling dated in the modern gaming landscape.

It’s too soon to gauge how the characters and their script play, but so far things aren’t looking promising, in that department. Swearing alone is not comedy, something this series kind of forgot in later installments. There’s really no dancing around this, these are not scores you want to see when it comes to any gaming release.

We’ll see how they adjust over time, but for now, Saints Row’s prospects are not looking especially bright. Follow me on Twitter , YouTube , Facebook and Instagram . Subscribe to my free weekly content round-up newsletter, God Rolls .

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