Aliens invade Saints Row IV

Saints Row IV (Deep Silver; PS3, Windows, Xbox 360; rated mature)

If you haven’t played the other games in the franchise, the fourth (being released on August 20) is a perfect place to step into the world of the gangsters known as the Saints. Rob Gable, with developer Volition, told me at E3 that “wackiness is where we’re comfortable”, and this game proves it.

In IV, the Saints have ascended to the White House. You, as the boss of the crew, are president. That’s over the top, but it’s still in line with what the previous three games were like. The difference here? You, as president, have to defend the world against an alien invasion. Of course, you have super powers, which you get while in a virtual prison the aliens put you in. This device not only gave Volition the ability to break rules without breaking the game, it also allowed them to bring back characters from earlier in the series.

The open world is massive and filled with objectives and tasks, and thanks to those super powers, navigating through the city will have you fondly recalling Crackdown. Saints Row IV revels in being over the top. But with the right tone and some engaging gameplay to go along, it’s finally shed the accusation that Saints Row is just another open world game.