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Platform:
Xbox 360
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Saint's Row
It's true that Saint's Row, the Xbox 360 title due out around the launch of the system next month, does at first glance seem to be nothing more than a Grand Theft Auto clone, specifically GTA: San Andreas. After all, the story puts you on the open-world city streets as a small-time gangbanger looking for some street cred, where you can drive around in any vehicle in the game (usually "borrowed" from the driver by means of a carjack), listen to radio stations on the car radio, and perform all sort of "activities," from drive-bys on rival gang members, to pimping out ho's, to drug trafficking. Sounds just like GTA: San Andreas, doesn't it?
But the developers at Volition who have been working on Saint's Row take offense to the notion that their game is just another GTA "clone." They see their game as an evolution of the open-world genre that happens to share a few qualities with the best selling and most popular game that literally defined open-world gaming.
First off, graphically the game is noticeably an upgrade over its source of inspiration. Everything about Saint's Row, from the large city, to the vehicles, to the characters, are rendered in an impressive graphical style that clearly comes from having the jacked-up power of an Xbox 360 behind it, especially the dynamic lighting used everywhere, from the daytime sunshine bouncing off of cars and Southern Cross itself to the flash from weapon muzzles. Saint's Row incorporates the Havok engine to introduce a high level of rag doll physics not seen in GTA. Another feature that takes advantage of the Xbox 360 and its graphics ability is the absence of loading times when you move from an outdoor environment to an indoor environment, with a seamless transition between the two.
Secondly, the gameplay has similarities to GTA: San Andreas, but again, it has enough clearly differentiated objectives and elements to say that it doesn't just ripping off GTA: San Andreas, but takes open-world gaming into new directions.
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To begin, you can create your very own character from scratch. You will be able to style your clothing choice and vehicles when in the game too. The choice of wearing your gang's "colors" in your clothing choice can actually impact the success and/or resistance you may encounter in a particular "activity." The main goal is to start as a lowly grunt in a small-time gang, and attempt to move up the ranks of your own gang by taking on the other three city gangs and fighting it out in turf wars to take control of the city's districts. In the end, the ultimate goal is to rule the entire realm of Southern Cross.
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While
there are missions to complete to achieve the final goal, most of the
gameplay centers on "activities," sort of Saint's Row's
interpretation of the GTA mini-games. You upgrade your street cred
through 13 activities, with 12 having a branching system of variations
to accomplish, ranging from pimping, drug trafficking, insurance fraud
and racing. Speaking of racing, vehicles do play a big part in Saint's
Row. There are a few different vehicle-related
Music will reach a GTA echelon, with over 100 songs of a predominantly hip-hop flava playing on the 12 radio stations (including two talk radio stations). One feature that Saint's Row offers through the Xbox 360 hard drive is the ability to import your own music into the game and set it up on the radio station playlists.
Where
Saint's Row will really separate itself from being called a GTA clone is
in the multiplayer mode. This is where the title could potentially
become not only the equal of GTA in the gaming world, but may surpass
it. There are seven multiplayer modes that can support up to 12 players
at a time and not just some deathmatch sort of multiplayer modes either.
Check this out: Big-Ass Chain mode has everybody in the online game
wearing a
Another
multiplayer mode is Bling My Ride, where you must beat the other team to
the finish line in your vehicle. But you must trick out your car by
traveling to different stores in the city and buying parts. However,
your opponent has the same objective, and you must fend off your
opponent from doing any damage to your vehicle while at the same time
trying to inflict
Saint's Row isn't afraid to be compared to GTA. But just don't' call it a clone, because it has enough new features, particularly online play (which GTA doesn't have at all) or wrinkles on "borrowed" ones to separate itself from the clone pack and blaze a new path in the open-world genre. Saint's Row has the potential to be a killer app at the Xbox 360 launch.
-Lee
Cieniawa October 21, 2005 |
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