Reasons You Should Pick Up Saints Row: The Third If You Haven’t Already

THQ may not be in the best financial shape right now, but last year they managed to eke ahead of business trouble with a pair of solid game releases. WWE 12 managed to set a precedent for wrestling games, even if this year’s WWE 13 surpassed it in many ways. But the other game, Saints Row the Third, continues to be a classic a year after it came out.

The game, which could be considered a Grand Theft Auto clone with its own style of adult humor and wildly varying missions, has sold very well, with over five million units shipped out the door for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. But if you still haven’t checked it out yet, there’s still time, as THQ has re-released the game with all its included downloadable content, right on the disc. The Full Package can be yours for a reasonable price of $49.99.

A few of you may be wondering if Saints Row: The Third is indeed worth it. We can assure you it is, and there are a number of reasons why you shouldn’t be without it. Some are a little crazy, but that’s the name of the game!

Whored Mode, Where Random Is Random

The name of this mode shares something that sounds quite similar to what Gears of War 3 provided, but don’t be fooled. Rather than just pitting you against a typical plethora of enemies, Whored Mode throws all kinds of ridiculous challenges at you. One minute you’re beating the crap out of costumed characters with a sex toy (yes, a prolonged sex toy); the next you’re blasting a group of pint-sized zombies with the limited (but powerful) rocket launcher. The way each stage shifts will keep you on your toes, and enable you to build as high a score as possible, provided you can stay alive long enough.

Professor Genki and His Cannon Car

Professor Genki is one of the more memorable characters in the Saints Row universe, a costumed cat guy who loves seeing players take on his challenge room, filled with dangerous enemies that you need to defeat in a limited amount of time. But he’s not just confined to his rooms. Nope, you can actually hop into his customized cannon car and create all sorts of havoc throughout the city of Steelport, sucking up people into the sweepers beneath the car and then shooting them out of a cannon. It’s ludicrously fun, to the point that you won’t be concerned about ethics. Eh, most of those people deserve it anyway…

Customization, Customization, Customization

Part of the joy in taking control of your lead character in Saints Row: The Third is giving them their own style of fashion, and you can dress him or her in hundreds of ways. Feel like going all out with pimp wear? Or maybe you feel like dressing up in solid red vinyl and high heel shoes? Heck, maybe you don’t feel like wearing anything at all, and want to slam people into the ground stark naked (with the naughty bits fuzzed out – yes, still). However you wish to dress in Saints Row: The Third, it’ll be for success, and people will fear you one way or another. Especially in a surprise ambush on a gang hideout.

Take To the Air

Along with being able to run around on the ground and create havoc, Saints Row: The Third comes with a multitude of vehicles where you can go nuts. Cars are pretty cool (like the cannon truck mentioned above), but it’s when you hop into a powerful aerial vehicle that you can really do some damage. Helicopters are okay, but the fighter jet has to be the standout, as you can fry enemies with powerful ammunition and fly at light speed around buildings. Air strikes are genuinely fun when you’re mowing down targets on the ground, and if you ever get to the point of crashing, you can jump out safely and watch your jet do one final fatal nose dive. The effect is really something else.

Bring a Friend

Going through Steelport and tearing it apart as a member of the Third Street Saints is one thing, but it’s even more entertaining when a friend is in tow. With the activation of the online pass (which is included with purchase of the game), Saints Row: The Third supports two-player online co-op across both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Here, you can do double the damage, working together to complete goals and reaping the rewards as a team. While there isn’t any sort of gang battles against other players (something we’re assuming Volition is saving for Saints Row 4, whenever it comes), the AI still poses quite a challenge, especially when you have an entire police force breathing down your neck. Make sure you have a rocket launcher handy…

A Sh*tload of DLC

If you really need a redeeming factor for this package, consider this – it comes with a ton of DLC that would set you back $50 or more bought separately. You get access to a number of new characters and weapons within the game, as well as a number of missions, including the aptly named Gangstas In Space, the humorous Genkibowl VII, the off-beat The Trouble With Clones and many, many more. You can even go all vampire if you feel like showing that gimpy Edward guy from Twilight a thing or two. It all comes within The Complete Package, and is well worth every penny, adding hours of additional gameplay to the already robust original adventure.

Other Ridiculous Stuff

There’s no end to the nutty stuff you can do in Saints Row: The Third The Complete Package. This includes…

• skydiving out of a helicopter in lingerie
• throwing yourself out of cars to collect insurance money (repeatedly)
• beating down costumed mascots with a baseball bat
• chopping up zombies with a chainsaw
• wrecking cop cars and then fleeing with a run-in theft
• getting behind the wheel of a semi and doing major damage
• engaging in aerial battles with enemy agents

And so much more. You’re gonna be busy!

Check out Saints Row: The Third The Complete Package in stores now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3!