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How Metascores Are Calculated
76
Age of Booty
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
Welcome to Stilwater, a city where the streets are everything but tranquil. Divided by rivaling gangs, you’ll need to adopt savvy street smarts to build respect, make money and gain notoriety, let alone stay alive. As a member of the 3rd St. Saint’s, you need to push back against a city looking to wipe you out, in order to rise up the ranks and eventually control the streets. If it takes theft, extortion or tried and true brute force, then that’s what ya gotta do. Only then will you rule the streets. BUT watch your back – on your purpose to rise as the city’s controlling syndicate, reputable and powerful gangs, including politicians have you in their crosshairs. [THQ]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 100
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Console Gameworld
The next-gen graphics capabilities of the 360 are definitely put to use here and the game simply looks gorgeous. In these kind of games you always want to blow stuff up, of course, but the way Saint’s Row applies particle effects and flying debris (and bodies!) changes it from mindless destruction into a true art form.
91
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90
Play Magazine
The nature of the game's free-form design coupled with its devices also make it an extremely personal experience, more so than any of its predecessors. [Sept 2006, p.50]
90
Deeko
Saint's Row has done something that "Grand Theft Auto" had never managed to do for me: the game is so over-the-top, so exaggerated, so hyperbolical, that it really makes you suspend your disbelief and just "act a fool", getting into the role of your own personalized character and becoming a gangster.
89
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Game Informer
The one area where Saints Row really goes outside of anything that "GTA" has to offer is through its amazingly diverse and highly enthralling online. [Sept. 2006, p.95]
88
Pelit (Finland)
Some will say "We have seen this before", which is true, but luckily Volition has taken the best parts from the GTA series and spiced them up. The result is immersive and fun to play. One of the best games on Xbox 360 so far. [Sept 2006]
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IGN
But Saints Row, despite its distinct lack of originality, is fun. It starts out fun and it stays fun. It gets deeper and more engaging, and the storyline and the characters come to life, and you're compelled by seeing the narrative unfold just as much as getting all of the 10- and 20-point Achievements.
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83
GameSpot
It's an exciting, dynamic experience that's frequently rewarding and rarely frustrating and can keep you coming back hour after shameless hour, as you cause mayhem throughout the rather large, detailed city of Stilwater. What's more, a surprisingly entertaining storyline and a number of smartly designed gameplay features make Saints Row a memorable game in its own right.
82
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X360 Magazine UK
So little experimentation yet so few mistakes in a genre that's littered with notorious misfires. More freedom would have wowed us, but this one for impatient "GTA" fans to investigate. [Issue # 11, p.76]
80
RewiredMind
The missions to the story are extremely well designed, and the tasks are considerably varied. The shooting missions are joy to behold too, set out in true 3rd person shooter style with no automatic lock on. But once all the razzmatazz of the story has gone, and the dust has settled on “the Row”, there isn’t enough variety to keep you coming back.
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AceGamez
It's even superior to the larger-than-life franchise in a lot of ways, but many redeeming qualities are lost because of the short and completely un-involving storyline, boring lead character (you can combine customization with an actual character, just look at San Andreas), and lack of features found as standard in the later incarnations of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
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Games Master UK
Partly it's that Saint's Row is just too easy - the cops are less aggressive, the enemies are stupider, and the more open-plan gameplay makes it much easier to tackle missions by cheating. [Oct 2006, p.65]
80
Thunderbolt
Better than "Grand Theft Auto"? From what I’ve experienced, both games focus on entirely different concepts of crime, so much so it’s almost a treat to flick backwards and forwards between each series. GTA is far more high flying, with huge drug raids and mafia troubles and I found Saints Row to be more down to earth, focusing on petty crimes and taking over gang turf.
80
80
Team Xbox
80
Official Xbox Magazine UK
Solid - but lacks the intelligence of "GTA"... Without a doubt, Saints Row's biggest contribution to the genre is multiplayer. This also happens to be the most fun part of the game. [Sept 2006, p.8]
80
Official Xbox Magazine
Though it might sound like a backhanded compliment, Saint's Row manages to climb atop the huge pile of GTA wannabes as the most well-excuted and enjoyable of the bunch. [Oct. 2006, p.71]
77
Electronic Gaming Monthly
For wannabe thugs in upper-middle-class houses countrywide, Saints Row will seem like a sleek glock from the gods. [Oct. 2006, p.104]
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games(TM)
Polished, involving and a great deal of fun, but current-gen in all but the smallest details. [Oct 2006, p.126]
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1UP
Sure, "GTA"'s story and sense of humor were pretty infantile most of the time, but it was still damn funny and did a bang-up job of satirizing American pop culture and consumerism. In Saints Row, however, it all feels obligatory. Like it was something they just had to do, and the result is pretty lifeless.
60
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Edge Magazine
While Rockstar made its millions capturing the grotesque allure of fantasy crime, every character in this me-too endeavor is simply grotesque. It has a taste for hot coffee, but only knows how to serve it straight. [Oct 2006, p.88]
60
360 Gamer Magazine UK
Relatively small game world does it no favours. [Issue #15]
22
netjak
I don't want to see anyone play this badly built junk even once, let alone own it for the "joy" of multiple playthroughs. The single player experience was so bad I refused to even try the online mode. I don't want to see anyone else go through the pain of being tempted with such an immersive experience just to have it ripped away by the shortcomings of whoever was responsible for these game-breaking glitches.
Matt F. gave it a7: Blue Falcon gave it a10: Bob M. gave it a7: julz gave it an8: Aldek J. gave it an8: Mike T. gave it a10: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||