Saints Row: The Third

“To say that Saints Row: The Third is a good time would be a severe understatement. Running naked around the fictional city of Steelport wiping out rival gangs with mind-controlling octopi provided some of the most fun I've had this year.” 8.5/10 IGN

Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name, with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobblehead dolls all available at a store near you. The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute.

Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to Steelport, a once-proud metropolis reduced to a struggling city of sin under Syndicate control. Take a tank skydiving, call in a satellite-targeted airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang, and defend yourself against a highly-trained military force using only a sex toy in the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen, igniting a city-wide war that will set Steelport on fire.

Saints Row: The Third gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. Now Steelport is ripe for the taking, and it's up to you to make the city your own. Mold the skyline based on your choices, outfit your crew in classy gangster gear or furry costumes, and make life-or-death decisions that will change Steelport, and the Saints, forever. This is now your city. These are now your rules. Strap it on.

Features:

• Over The Top – Like a lapdance from a porn star, the action is naughty, fun, and better than anything you're getting at home.
• City of Sin – Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and sex trades. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
• Weapons of Crass Destruction – It's one thing to defeat your enemies. It's another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and sex-toy warfare are all part of the fun.
• Co-op Madness – Give naked skydiving a try, landing in your partner's flaming pickup as you make a suicide run toward a heavily armed Syndicate brothel. Steelport is more fun with a friend.
• Initiation Station – Create, share, and download the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed-up celebrities to naked ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint.

Review by IGN
“A video game's first responsibility – arguably its only responsibility – is to show the player a good time. To say that Saints Row: The Third is a good time would be a severe understatement. Running naked around the fictional city of Steelport wiping out rival gangs with mind-controlling octopi provided some of the most fun I've had this year. There may be a tendency to dismiss Saints Row as a Grand Theft Auto clone (it isn't) or as juvenile antics (it is) but when you just want to indulge in some mindless violence and sexual depravity, this will more than suffice… News flash: people find sex and violence entertaining. Saints Row: The Third gives the people what they want and drops us into an open world adult theme park where we can treat ourselves to delightful acts of bloodshed and perversion. It doesn't take itself too seriously and only asks that you don't, either.”

IGN RATINGS FOR SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD (X360)
8.5 Presentation
Plot points mostly serve as a way to get you into ridiculous situations. I really like the phone/menu interface. Setting up co-op is a breeze.
8.0 Graphics
The city of Steelport looks great, but you'll notice a lot of pop-up and jerky animations.
9.5 Sound
The licensed soundtrack is fantastic and voice acting – for the most part – is very well done.
8.5 Gameplay
Saints Row 3 isn't trying to be anything but fun, and it succeeds. RPG elements incentivize every little thing you do, making for an addictive open world game with no pretense.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
There were 14 hours on the clock when I beat the campaign, but I've since kept playing to the 22 hour mark and am still at only 86 percent completion.
8.5
OVERALL
Great
(out of 10)