Volition, the folks behind the
revolutionary PS2 launch title Red Faction, and THQ are gearing up to release
their entry to the free-form crime-based action-adventure genre. However, to
call Saint’s Row a GTA clone would be a huge mistake. If anything, this upcoming
360 title is set to dethrone Rockstar’s flagship franchise and should be a
phenomenal launch as revolutionary as any quest that Carl Johnson, Tommy
Vercetti or the nameless chap in Grand Theft Auto 3 could even dream of. I
recently had some hands-on time with Saint’s Row, and the results were nothing
short of astonishing. While still in early stages (final XBox 360 hardware was
just released to developers about a week ago), Saint’s Row is already shaping up
to be an amazing game that should be one of the 360’s premier titles, and
certainly one of the best of the genre.
Saint’s Row plays a lot like the GTA
games, in terms of gameplay concepts. You tour through a full city (modeled
loosely after several different cities, including Chicago), somewhere between
San Andreas and Vice City in terms of size and scope. You have the choice of
hoofing it on foot, or commandeering one of many different vehicles. While the
mission structure is still a bit under wraps, the game will have a free-roaming
non-linear feel to it, allowing you to adhere to the main quest, take on side
missions like street races or just play around within the game’s universe.
However, the ties between Saint’s
Row and GTA become pretty nominal after this. The game utilizes aiming controls
similar to a third-person action game or an FPS. You move with the left
thumbstick and look/aim with the right. The game makes impressive use of the
Havok 3.0 physics engine as well as rag-doll effects for bodies. In somewhat of
a sick twist (albeit a very cool looking one) you can hit pedestrians in
a car and have them land on the hood of your car, flying off as soon as you hit
the breaks. This effect also extends to your character, which will tumble down
the road in true rag-doll style when hit by a speeding car.
However, perhaps the coolest use of
the physics engine (and certainly my favorite part of the game so far) is the
explosions. By lobbing a grenade (or you can use the alternate fire option to
roll a grenade instead) at a group of people or under a car, you can really
start some chaos. Cars will explode dozens of feet into the air, sending debris
like tires, bumpers, and hoods soaring through the atmosphere. Bits can even
come flying at your character, knocking you over and causing some damage if you
are careless. The effect is much cooler to witness than words can do justice,
and once you see it you’ll know what I mean.
Aside from that, the game also has a
nice “homies” feature that lets you call up a buddy to help you complete your
missions, or just cause some bedlam about town. You can even have them drive
while you ride shotgun to fire upon some rivals.
The game also boasts an impressive
level of customization, allowing you to pimp your vehicles with new paint jobs,
decals, and things like spinner rims as you progress through the game. You can
also change your character’s clothing, giving him things like new hats, jackets,
pants, and even underwear to give him just the right style.
Graphically, the game is amazing,
even without that final oh-so-important layer of polish. The build that I saw
was running on an HDTV and looked amazing. The character models looked
ultra-detailed and rivaled anything seen on the Doom 3 engine, and the vehicles
were realistic and meticulous. The environments are also deep, and are composed
of both indoor and outdoor areas. While the lighting effects weren’t were they
will be in a few months, the whole look was great and showed a lot of potential
for what the game (as well as the XBox 360 as a console) could do.
While the sound elements weren’t
complete by any means, Saint’s Row has a lot going for it. The voice acting
includes work by famous actors like David Carradine and Michael Clark Duncan,
and the soundtrack will have ten different radio stations and more than one
hundred songs. If that’s not enough, you’ll even be able to hook up an MP3
player to your 360’s USB port and upload your own playlist into the game.
Even in this early stage, Saint’s
Row is a force to be reckoned with and should be the game to finally give the
GTA series a run for its money. Plus, the inclusion of online multiplayer
support for up to 12 players, Saint’s Row will have XBox 360 gamers asking,
“Grand Theft what?” when it hits early next year.
