Flyin' Japman

In comparison to the original ones (not including SR4), it lacks a lot of the flavor and character that made the series enjoyable. The main cast is not bad, but simply don't belong in a game riding on the Saints Row name. The open world isn't very well developed in contrast to Stilwater or Steelport. The world is just a dull sandy brown color, despite some places having lights. A lot of the features that made the old games fun are missing. No follower recruiting, no human shields, no fighting animations, no diversions hidden within the environment, meaningless emotes, no respect system, lackluster side actives and rewards, can't rob stores, can't buy food or drinks, can't buy cars, boats, or motorcycles. No safehouses where you can get your garage and weapon stash while away from the main HQ. Customization of weapons suck. Clothing is bland and unexciting. No Let's Pretend, Leather n Lace, or any other unique shops that let you buy silly or suggestive clothing. Can't pick up guns from enemies except for special weapons. Melee fighting sucks with enemies that do weird dodge moves. Dialogue overall sucks. NPCs used to say the craziest things, but now they don't say anything interesting or funny. Ragdoll physics got worse. The plot sucks. Four college dropouts decide to form a CRIMINAL EMPIRE because they have no money and can't hold down a job. The game is also buggy as hell. I have to save and reload my game every so often to keep bugs from occurring. I honestly don't want to play anymore, and I haven't even gotten the main story done. I just don't want to drive toxic waste trucks across this lifeless city 4 more times just to progress in the storyline. There are some good things that are neat, like being able to use magnets on helicopters, tow cables on cars, customizing the colors of your weapons, and the whole LARP side quest line and the foam weapons. But that's it. Saints Row 2022 is just a basic bare bones offline GTAO clone that fails in most key areas. Oh, and contrary to what other people say, there is not a significant amount of LGBT+ oversaturation in this game. One of the main characters is bisexual but the game doesn't use it as his only personality trait. He's actually a pretty cool dude, unlike most of the LGBT+ characters in most modern movies and shows where the storywriters want the characters to smear your face with how LGBT+ they are and how "inclusive and diverse" the cast is. This is one thing that I respect Volition for doing. Like I said, the characters aren't bad. They just don't belong in a game with this title. Put them in their own game that is NOT Saints Row themed, and they'll do a great job. Probably.

Sound and graphics: A+ Gameplay: A Story: A+ Legends and New Game+: B

The initial play through and subsequent ones, if on the lowest difficulty, are enjoyable. However the game becomes extremely difficult on NORMAL and higher, especially if you're planning on aiming for the good endings. Regardless, I still enjoyed the ride.