{"id":61447,"date":"2021-08-26T15:03:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T13:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/?p=61447"},"modified":"2021-08-26T15:04:43","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T13:04:43","slug":"saints-row-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/en\/anteprima-saints-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: Saints Row"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deep Silver Volition is about to reboot the gangster action series Saints Row. Over the years, the series has made us both superheroes and lords of hell. Let's dive into the reboot's backstory, for players new and old, in our preview.<\/p>\n

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Saints Row will be released on February 25, 2022, for PlayStation 4\/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S, and the Epic Game Store. The differences between the old- and new-gen versions were not discussed during the presentation we attended. However, Saints Row is based on graphics technology pioneered by Deep Silver Volition, which will allow for a very interesting rendering of the world and its characters.<\/p>\n

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Right at the beginning of the presentation, Jim Boone, Chief Creative Office of Deep Silver Volition, makes it clear that: \u201cSaints Row is a reboot. This is a chance for us to return to our roots and take a more contemporary approach to the gangster story we love about Saints Row.<\/em>\u201c. As a result, the action game combines sandbox gameplay in the large city of Santo Ileso, which consists of nine districts, with action-packed battles and the series' familiar madness and humor.<\/p>\n

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Welcome to Santo Ileso<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe inspiration for Santo Ileso was the American Southwest. One of the most iconic and colorful regions of the United States.<\/em>\u201c, explains creative director Brian Traficante during the presentation. The nine districts reflect the different worlds of a large city and are surrounded by vast desert areas and canyons. Deep Silver Volition naturally plays cleverly with clich\u00e9s here and exaggerates them in typical Saints Row style. El Dorado, for example, is the gambling district. Here, garish neon signs are emblazoned on the facades and the streets are full of action and life. In the financial district, however, skyscrapers soar into the air. Anyone who wants to grab a wingsuit and leap from the next rooftop will be in for a shock. In Santo Ileso, rich and poor clash as much as the suburban idyll and organized crime. Three rival gangs dominate the city. Los Panteros are the oldest gang in the city. Accordingly, they operate in an old-fashioned way: heavy weapons, tanks, and physical violence. In gameplay scenes, we saw how their henchmen seek out melee combat with clubs. They live in an old factory in the city's working-class neighborhood. The exact opposite is Marshall Defense Industries. This private army relies on cutting-edge equipment like laser traps and missiles. Marshall Defense Industries, by the way, owns the financial district and consequently has vast financial resources. Last but not least, there are the Idols: the young partygoers who wear strange masks and neon colors. They are all for anarchy and always present themselves with overwhelming superiority for the next fight.<\/p>\n

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The Saints live!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As mentioned, the player will claim power for themselves by forming the Saints gang. They'll start by customizing their character, changing their appearance, gender, and other traits. This way, everyone can build their own gang leader however they like. But of course, a gangster can't build an entire empire alone, so we'll seek out new friends to establish the Saints as a start-up. We'll soon meet Eli, a man with a background in Marshall Defense Industries. He's the group's planner and wants the Saints to be more than a street gang. Nina used to work as a mechanic in Los Panteros, but she wants to start her own business. She's the ensemble's driver and is already demonstrating her skills in the trailer rendering with breakneck drifts and perfect timing. Then there's Kevin, who was actually a member of the Idols and takes his place with the Saints through circuitous routes. He's an adrenaline junkie, but also a good guy. The intriguing thing is that all three have a history with the Saints Row gangs but abandon it in favor of the Saints. Throughout the campaign, the gang grows together, and the Saints' sphere of influence also increases. It's been explained, for example, that as the game progresses, new gang members are added to the ranks, who can eventually be found at the Saints' headquarters.<\/p>\n

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An empire, a gang and with co-op mode<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Game progression is expressed through your character, but also through the expansion of your criminal network. Although, it must be said, not much information about the character system has been revealed yet. One thing is certain: You collect experience points and use them to unlock new active and passive skills. How complex the system will be hasn't been explained yet. Expanding your gangster organization, on the other hand, is a central element of the game.\u201cAs the Saints control new areas, new career opportunities open up, and with new areas come places for players to build their criminal businesses.<\/em>\u201cJames Hague, Design Director at Deep Silver Volition, elaborates on this point. Examples of these areas include drug trafficking with a food truck, racketeering, and car theft. We'll also change the city with our business and notice the changes taking place\u2014for example, if we build a toxic waste dump in the upscale financial district. Apparently, there will also be minigames involving criminal transactions, which "accidentally" add even more money to your account. Very important: especially in this part and in the design of the open world, we imagine there will be a lot of the humor of the games that preceded this one.<\/p>\n

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Gameplay-wise, you can expect a classic third-person shooter, including plenty of car chases. In the gameplay footage shown, the protagonist blasted his way through armies of enemies with a machine gun, shotgun, and pistol, or took a seat in sports cars, boats, and other vehicles. There are also extravagant vehicles like hoverboards, armored vehicles, and, of course, wingsuits. Importantly, as in other spin-offs in the series, Saints Row can also be played in co-op mode with up to two players. The entire campaign is playable in co-op, as are the side missions.<\/p>\n

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Impressions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Saints Row saga is a true classic, but it's lost a little more of its charm with each new sequel. The reboot could mean a rebirth for the series starting in 2022. The footage shown so far and the background information presented certainly gives us hope for an interesting and quirky open-world adaptation. Okay, so the reveal trailer, especially the reveal trailer, was a little too Fast (and Furious) and not enough Saint's Row for our tastes, but once we started building our criminal empire, the game definitely had us hooked. There's a lot of potential in both the characters and the gameplay experiences Volition is creating with its new game engine. In short, we're very curious to learn more.<\/p>\n