We’re nearing the finish line for Deep Silver’s Saints Row IV, one of the year’s biggest games. How could it not be? Saints Row the Third set a high standard for fun back in 2011, between causing unspeakable mayhem with a rocket launcher and going wild through Professor Genki’s challenges.
The fourth game will expand even further, giving you control of the U.S. presidency and introducing you to a number of super-powers, as well as weapons that make your standard assault rifle look like a pop gun.
We spent a good amount of time with preview builds to come up with a list of five things we can’t wait to do in the game. We think you’ll agree these activities are worth a go.
Playing with Guns
There are a variety of new weapons in Saints Row IV, but three standout.
The first is the Dubstep Gun. It stops your target in place and forces them to dance to a pre-programmed Dubstep tune until they drop dead. If you ever wanted to see aliens get funky before dying, this is your weapon.
Next up is the Black Hole Gun. With this, you create a mini-vortex that inhales anything within range – citizens, aliens, cars, UFOs, you name it – and destroys them in one flail swoop. When enemies surround you, this is the bad boy to whip out.
Let’s not forget the Bounce Gun. You can hit multiple enemies at once with shots that rebound off walls and cars. This is ideal against larger vehicles dropping off enemies. They don’t stand a chance against your Bounce skills.
Finally, the Inflator Ray is perfect if you want to see someone literally go out with a bang. Locate the target, shoot and he/it blows up like a balloon before exploding into a bloody mess. Don’t hesitate to make those aliens suffer.
Grab a Mech
Volition grew accustomed to using mechs in games, as you could probably tell from the company’s previously released Red Faction: Armageddon. So why not introduce one to the world of Steelport? Hop inside this robo-unit and you can do all sorts of damage, firing at targets with guns while stomping over vehicles that get in the way. Find a pair of units in co-op mode so you and a friend can rampage together. You can even make a race out of it.
“What Is Love?”
In Saints Row IV, you’ll escape from Emperor Zinyak’s massive spaceship. It’s already weird enough since you’re naked – after escaping from a cryo-tube where you were “processed” Matrix-style – but your character insists on turning up “their jam” during the escape – Haddaway’s “What Is Love?” Quite frankly, there’s no moment we want to replicate in the final game more than this one, if only because we can jerk our heads sideways at the same time, like these guys.
A Night at The Roxbury Orginal Version – Jim… by Eklecty-City
When We Say, “Freeze!”, You Freeze
You’ll receive a number of super-powers in Saints Row IV over the course of the game, and while we can’t reveal most of them, we can talk about freezing. By using this power, you can stop an enemy in its tracks and make it shatter to pieces with a well-placed punch or a few bullets. Simply unleash your arctic blast and watch it affect everything within a certain range, then destroy your adversary however you please. You can even bring down flying ships with a single shot. If you’re good enough, you can send it flying into a group of aliens.
Go Super Saint
Last but certainly not least, we have to give praise to the folks at Deep Silver for giving us the power to go Super Saint. While going through Steelport, you’ll gain some enhanced abilities that will make you Superman – to an extent, anyway. Super speed lets you run wild – literally – as you trash cars and pedestrians that get in your way. You can also jump buildings in a single bound, provided you charge it up. Finally, if you want to deliver that exclamation point for your newfound powers, target a few enemies below and come crashing down with a well-placed slam. They’ll fly all over the place, and you won’t even get your suit – or whatever your attire is at the time – dirty.
This is just a small portion of what you can do in Saints Row IV. You can find out for yourself when the game ships for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on August 20th.
