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Good news everyone! Saints Row IV has been announced, and will be appearing at PAX East on March 22, 2013.
I had an absolute blast playing Saints Row: The Third, which compared to the previous two installments was absolutely insane in its presentation (to put it as mildly as possible). This was definitely the allure for me, as I spent countless hours playing co-op with my brother, always in tears at the ludicrous and impossible things one could do in the game (Insurance Fraud is a great example).
I was taken aback when then newly-appointed THQ president Jason Rubin stated that the next installment (Saints Row 4) would be more toned-down and more serious than Saints Row: The Third. I was even more disappointed when now-defunct THQ went bankrupt, leaving their most lucrative franchise in uncertainty.
It didn’t last long though as Volition, the developers behind the Saints Row series, were acquired by Koch Media who also own Deep Silver – the studio behind the zombie RPG Dead Island. It seems as though both Volition and Deep Silver will be joining forces to make Saints Row 4, which prior to THQ’s downfall was supposed to be a DLC for Saints Row: The Third entitled ‘Saints Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix’, taking place one year after the events of Saints Row: The Third.
Judging by the trailer and description Saints Row 4 is exactly that – a direct sequel to Saints Row: The Third:
https://youtu.be/Iv9K0y8vEGE
“In Saints Row IV, the head honcho of the Saints has been elected to the Presidency of the United States. But the Saints are just getting started. Now the larger-than-life insanity of the Saints series gets a new twist with a catastrophic alien invasion, and the aliens have transported the Saints to a bizarro-Steelport simulation. Wield gargantuan superpowers and fight to free humanity from alien granddaddy Zinyak’s mental grasp. Escape the simulation that’s trapped the Saints crew, or die trying.
Saints Row IV lets players delve into an arsenal of alien weaponry and technology that will turn each Saint into an ultimate entity of destruction. Utilize out-of-this-world superpowers to fight all the way to the top. With intensified action and enhanced customization, players can use their newfound superpowers and leap over buildings, outrun the fastest sports cars, or send enemies flying with telekinesis in the greatest, most insane installment of Saints Row yet.”
If the trailer is anything to go by, the game will continue the silly nature; I wouldn’t mind it being a bit less crazy though. With the Grand Theft Auto series going a towards a more serious multi-character story-driven direction, Saints Row 4 will definitely fill in the void for funny open-world sandbox adventure games.
