Disclaimer: Some of these strong opinions may or may not trigger some people. I just hope you can see where I, a person who has been creating Saints Row content for 10+ years, is coming from. Please let me know what you thought of the game down below. Also join my Discord server❤️ - discord.gg/Zeu6kfMtnJ

After the devs said they wanted to make the characters “relatable”. I knew it was downhill.

as soon as I saw that they got rid of RimJobs and Freckle Bitches and talked about being ashamed of the humor in the first few games I knew it was over. They literally had a committee of people to make sure none of the jokes were "punching down". Who was this game even made for? Honestly?

Usually when people point out that this game is woke they point toward the sanitization of the games humor, censoring things from previous games for the reboot and their word choice in the games writing to try not to offend anyone or "punch down".

A "millenial/hipster power fantasy" ended up being just as cringy as it sounded. Color me shocked.

I don’t understand how a company makes a game the complete opposite of what literally all us fans of the franchise have been telling them what we’ve wanted for like a decade

Fun fact: This game is actually a pre-sequel, set in the boss's personal hell while they're in their coma from being blown up at the end of SR1.

The pure shock on my face when I saw what the brotherhood did to Carlos in SR2, the kid didn't deserve a gruesome and painful death like that, and I will probably never forget that moment. THAT! is how to write a game/story etc. Shit that gets us on the edge of our seat and screaming at our screen. Not "Big sweaty horse balls" or "Hazzarrr" smh.

The Nahualli is the serious character the boss needs to become, but instead the opposite happens.

Towards Volition, I will quote the words of Johnny Gat: "You couldn't even let her have a burial."

Best thing about this attempt at a SR game is that it makes you wanna replay the previous ones again.

So depressing, but that's exactly what was gonna happen. Realizing that no matter how much the SR community asks for what the reboot needed and then being ignored by the developers for years...The game was bound to be bad and disappointing...truly heartbreaking.

Allow me to explain why this game is considered woke, the other games put varied characters and made me like them irrespective of who they are. This game keeps telling me how "different" they are,keeps pushing very political themes and does it in your face! They have never heard the term subtlety and instead just push it down your throat regardless. Not to mention the removal of many elements because they're "offensive". And this is from someone halfway across the globe,I've got no stake in Western politics.

When/if they close down, I hope they see the pure negligence they had for their fans that's been with them from the start. They knew this game was gonna have a lot of push back. You can't convince me otherwise. I don't see why it's so hard to just soft reboot the series back to SR2 to fill in the gaps that lead to 3, actually confront Dex, maybe even run into Carlos' brother, or even the Vice Kings prequel they once wanted to do. I'd love to go back to 1970s Stilwater. Volition, if it's still possible please just finish Idolninja's work. A Saints Row 1 & 2 Remastered would sell so well. I hope you take our opinions into consideration now that you see what doesn't sell.

Gwen not being a kind of anti-boss heel who possibly takes over the Marshall after you take out the leader is a huge missed opportunity

honestly, all i really wanted was a modern version/retelling of saints row 1's story. that alone would have satisfied old fans and had of it been updated enough, could have won new fans too

Manga: Saints Row 1 Anime: Saints Row: The Third Netflix Adaptation: Saints Row (2022)

When he reveals what kind of writers the game have... damn it hits man

What made saints row for me was the characters, it legit felt like we were all friends especially when we shit talk each other, this new crew feels forced and not connected to each other its honestly sad

I've actually seen a lot of reviews that cover how the gameplay is 3rd rate. Woke also doesn't necessarily refer to diversity. Especially here, because you're totally right that Saints Row had always been incredibly diverse. It's really in the writing. Where they got a lot of newbies with no real work history in writing. Saints Row has a comedic element. But it's the tone that made it feel right. Where it's gritty, but perfectly ironic. And the irony is what they don't know how to do.

When I think of woke, it’s changing stuff unnecessarily in the hope to not offend modern audiences even if there was nothing to be offended by in the first place. Basically, they erased the fun. Edit: Or lazily throwing in minority characters for forced diversity. No character or personality, just a fake trophy to tell Twitter they were “inclusive.”

RIP Saints Row (2006 - 2011) Game series had so much potential, Saints row 2 was Literally the greatest game of all time, even better than gta 4 and yes I'm a gta fan too. It's heartbreaking how Volition destroyed it.

They Made a Perfect Game For Twitter Peoples 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes'

I don't know if they intentionally meant to mirror it, but what really got to me was a comparison between two scenes. A very early mission in Saints Row The Third has you picking up Pierce and driving somewhere to buy clothes. The characters have really believable dialogue and sound like they really have history, and then you get to Pierce turning on the radio and both characters get really hyped up for the song "What I Got". They proceed to duet the entire song with really relatable back and forth, singing and goofing off in the exact way the average person does with their friends during a drive. It's an absolutely iconic moment. Now you have this new game, and early on you are driving to rob a place with your r/AntiWork zoomer friend who proceeds to put on Motivational CEO ASMR about him being his own boss. Who is this game for?

Wokeness isn’t just about affirmative action or diversity hiring. I think when people say this game is woke they are referring to the fact that this game went from being a gangster game about gang banging, pimping hoes, flying dope, doing drive-bys, and taking over the row. Now it’s a game about team building and carrying about other’s feelings, with anti capitalism dialogue, and carrying about carbon footprints, disposing of radioactive waist properly, and making sure we know what Kev is a bisexual with no shirt on, cause every movie and game needs a token lgbtqrstuvwxyandz+ character now. Nothing wrong with being gay or whatever but I feel people are putting it in media where it’s not needed. Call it what you want but this game is complete garbage. A complete disgrace to all previous SR games (even SR IV and Gat out of hell). Volition knew what their fans wanted but instead of making something great they take a fat shit on everything SR is and all of their fans.

You know this game is trash when all the saints row youtubers are turning away from the franchise. Flippy, JB11Games, Saints Row Videos, MrSaintsGodzilla21 and now RPGgameplay. Volition can’t do anything right anymore. They should’ve just listened to all the feedback they got for the past decade or so. This is not a saints row game. Point blank period. I’d rather play gat out of hell than this. I honestly can’t stand losers that defend this game for whatever dumb reason. Obvious shills lmao.

They made this game to specifically appeal to kids/teens and I’m convinced. The damage control on TikTok is crazy right now and it’s really painful to watch. Rest In Peace.

Previous games having a diverse cast doesn't invalidate this game going "woke". Is the same that happens with Star Trek for example, where the stories always had progressive elements, but the presentation and intent of modern series is what makes them woke, where those themes are presented in a partician way that begs to attack the other side, instead of wanting to lay a good story.

I actually like the "AF" line. I wish the whole game was the boss shitting on and talking down to the cringe characters.

RIP Saints Row 2006-2008 After looking at the photos of the people working on the game and them thanking the discord/reddit people in the credits no wonder the game came out the way it is. Mafia 4 you are our only hope for a good open world crime game, please do not disappoint.

Never thought I'd say this but I preferred when the saints where fighting aliens, at it had decent writing

I'm genuinely tempted to rewatch the opening hour of the game and rewrite the dialogue and see how much it improves the experience.

Interesting that you really liked the insurance fraud side mission. Have seen so many gameplay videos and reviews where that one in particular would just soft lock you because cars would just disappear and stop spawning after the first two you hit.

i never felt so betrayed by volition, i love saints row a lot even more than gta, because of how customizable and fun it is, but this game after so much time it feels so lazy and unfinished. i can't believe that they actualy made something worse than saints row 4

This has been the most accurate "bad things in SR2022" review I have seen. There are sections that are fun, but in short to me it's missing DEPTH & SOUL

That ending. It's so heartbreaking. I replay 1 and 2 now to feel better cause amazing story. I've wiped my nose and dried my eyes. Amazing game review. Thank you.

I like that this review went in depth in explaining why and what made this game bad. I can easily tell if someone actually played the game since they were able to enumerate and pin point the exact moments that made the reboot bad. I really appreciate the time and effort you put in this review. Thanks.

Before I start the main portion of what I wanted to mention, there's something I noticed - in this game, our character already knows Eli, Kevin and Neenah. From the looks of things, it'd seem like they knew each other for a long time. Now, they absolutely fucked up with the chemistry between these people, but I feel like I should point out - you can write pre-existing relationships between characters. Case and point - Red Dead Redemption 2. Characters from Van Der Linde gang knew each other for a very long time, yet relationships they held with one another felt very real, be it due to dialogue and interactions in the missions or camp, which fleshed them out significantly. So it's not a case of that type of writing not working at all, it's just that whoever wrote this was particularly bad at it. But, what stood out to me the most is the fact that... Throughout previous Saint's Row games, you didn't knew anyone from the get-go. You met other characters as the game progressed, and later on developed those relations further. And it wasn't even elaborate meeting of fates or anything - you got introduced to them, you did thing they asked you for, and they helped you, that's how it worked. Imagine the wasted opportunity - you could had each of the characters start out alone, saw snippets of them working in the other gangs (which could be used to flesh those gangs out, what worked for them in those gangs, what didn't. Because as it is, Kevin betraying Idols and Neenah betraying Los Panteros is... Pretty much meaningless), and as the game progressed, your boss came to know them, maybe figure out they're not so different, that they got short end of the stick, what have you. They could've wrote it in far superior way, but they didn't. You know, I'll be the first one to admit - way back when, whenever I saw you, be it on a livestream or in comments, saying that we should stay positive, that maybe we should give Reboot a chance... I got somewhat frustrated. I thought to myself "we know it's all going to be shit. We know. Why even pretend otherwise". I was pessimistic all the way back. But, in spite of that, deep down... I wanted you to be right. I wanted it to be an awesome game... I wanted to be wrong. That's the thing - I wasn't hating on it just for the sake of it. I was right, but it brought no satisfaction, only indifference. And now, looking at it... I think I knew why you were so optimistic about it. Maybe, just maybe... You didn't want to think that a franchise you spent so much time with just turned into this atrocity. Maybe it was hope. And on that, let me tell you, I understand. I've been like this too. I've been in denial, I had hope... But it kept turning into dust. Time and time and time again. In a way, whenever I was hopeful... It hurt more. Because deep down I knew. I knew that I kept lying to myself because I couldn't accept reality. That it wasn't that I didn't saw the signs - I saw them wide and clear, I chose to ignore them. And I suffered for it. And now? It's just another one down the counter. After a while... You just stop caring. And it ain't good either. So, moving onwards... I really hope we can learn something from this. Both you and me.

As a long time fan since the original, a person who sings the praises of Saints 2 and its coop to this day, found fun and enjoyment with 3 and 4 despite wanting a return to form, it breaks my heart to see Saints 2022 turn out this way especially because I was hoping the game would at least be decent. I hope Volition learns from this and understand that we weren’t just hating on this game for no reason

Saint's Row 2022 is definitely 'WOKE". Forced diversity isn't something to give credit for. Those characters were all apart of other gangs that should have been at war. Openly hanging out and especially living together would have gotten them all killed. Saint's Row was diverse because they made you believe that those people would come together. We didn't see them as their skin color first, and their character second. We saw them as a group of people that had little choice other than be criminals or be dead. They were NOT instant friends, they actually shared hardships and had issues that put them in place to be gangsters and criminals in general. The Boss gave orders, yelled and threatened to get them to do their assigned jobs, and had to build trust in his lieutenants before they got to friendship.

thank you papa rpg for take time to properly disect, i cant wait for the video premiere! Edit: the ending is truly heart breaking.

Rip saints row 😢 😭 Roadhouse

To make it even worse, everyone told Volition that this wasn't what we wanted, but they thought they knew what we wanted better than we did. They didn't. They really, really didn't.

I just cant fathom how Volition can dodge the fans expectations on all areas. How hard is it to listen to what the fans want? If money is the issue, they would make a lot more making a game that we've been begging for over a decade.

What a fucking disappointment ... all these years and this is what they come up with. Im finna say it.. I hope we never get another SR again they obviously don't know what they doing over there

I was sure they'd at least develop the characters over time but nah they didn't Could have been interesting to see them go from kids to crime lords but oh well. The worst part is like the near the end the saints basically own 15 businesses around the city drawing in millions of dollars a day and they are still like "yeah f big corporations"... buddy you ARE the big corporation now.

As a fan of 3 & 4 I think the issue is (at least with the story) Is its not serious enough for the 1&2 fans but also not wacky enough for the 3&4 fans It tried to do both but fails hard. I did have fun with some of the story missions but a few of them were not very good. I did have fun with the larp missions though

After I finished the game I wanted to cry ibsr. Not because of how good the game was but because of how underwhelming it was considering we waited almost 10 years for this… I would really hate to see the series end off like this so I hope this isn’t the end but sr needs a new developer.

Agree about the Boss, I hopped back into SR3 after playing some of the reboot to see how it would feel in comparison, and EVEN THERE, he's assertive and driven to thoroughly destroy the enemy and lead the Saints to an absolute victory once again, and you can actually feel true power and confidence in ALL of SR3 Boss voices, and you KNOW he (or she) will get shit done. The way the new Boss handles things is half-assed at best :V

Way to go. What a great video mate. This was trully inspiring man. You even made me shed some tears bro. You, flippy and saintsgodzilla are trully the best saints out there. Blood in blood out 🙋‍♂️

As was mentioned, The Nahualli is a seemingly well written character, more inline with what we expect. That being said, maybe we could see a sequel with the cast becoming more like The Nahualli. Maybe Kev can finally put on a shirt, Eli can ditch the bowtie, and the boss can actually win a fight.

When you mentioned some of the games the devs worked on everything just made sense.

I got my alarm set for this. Cant wait to watch it.

3:02 I never realized how the story looks like a sitcom 😭

At this point, I had no faith in Volition to put out another good Saints Row game or any other game in particular if criticism is a form of hate to them. This is their one and only chance to redeem themselves, yet still managed to fuck it up even without competition...

"Appreciate the beauty of this map" YELLOW HAAAAZE Don't get me wrong, there's some good stuff on the map but it's hardly beautiful, especially in non-goldenhour times (golden hour being sunrise or sunset)

I think the "Woke" accusations weren't about diversity as much as they were about how the game's whole style is very millennial/Gen Z focused, with most of the cast being Hipsters instead of gangsters.

Great vid, unfortunately as another long time fan since Saints Row’s inception, this reboot is just another punch in the gut. Cringe inducing story, bland gameplay, and bugs upon bugs on release. RIP to Saints Row one of my favorite franchises of all time.

Plot twist... The game is SUPPOSED to be this terrible. Zinyak kidnapped a bunch of humans, and for some reason we're following these protagonists in particular in their simulation of their own hell. These characters never realize they're just trapped in their cringe version of whatever this is supposed to be... Doomed to suffer for eternity on a repeat. Kinda like how the boss' version of hell was to be trapped in a 1950's cringe comedy show This is the only way I can cope and acknowledge the games existence.

Thank you for the BEAUTIFUL outro - at least someone is giving this series the love and attention it deserves

Spot on review buddy. I’ll def stick around for ur next chapter ❤️

Saddest part this game has some really good voice actors like Greg Chun, except his talent was wasted on someone like Kevin. Such a shame, think this is the final nail in the coffin for volition

Great video man i really enjoyed it. You should do more long form reviews of other non-saints row games

Layered clothing is a stretch. The game either takes off your jacket or necklace no matter the combo as far as I’ve gone, no matter the size or space they take

A reboot is supposed to go back to what made the series great in the first place and find ways to improve them and introduce it to a new audience....this game has barely anything in common with the original trilogy other than its name 🤦🏻‍♂️ sad that Saints Row never truly flew high before it got put down and then cremated with this “reboot”

The outro was f****g heartbreaking. Only true OG’s of the series will understand, guess we gonna pray for SR2 remaster/remake cause they ain’t gonna top that level of game ever probably.

This is my first video from this channel and it was excellent. Well researched, written, edited and produced. Really enjoyed it, even if my favorite franchise failed, it was honest and comprehensive. Really appreciate it!

niiice touch at the end putting sr1 multi-player there. Truly takes me back. Great times.

That ending was just spot on perfect RPG, truly made me tear up a bit. At least we have those good old memories left of the previous saints row games that will live forever in us. It's so sad to see how dirty volition has done their true fanbase, and honestly I don't feel bad for them, they deserve to go bankrupt again after this. 💔

Your review of this trainwreck is firm but fair. A lot of what you said I was thinking and co-sign. Your 4 rating is generous, I would rate it the same. So much potential, so little execution. The only reason I got this game is that my boy recommended it. It inspires me to play GTA/RDR. Good job bro.

The mission boundaries were very stupid. In one of the missions they ask you to kill someone in a Monster truck but spawn the enemy outside of the boundaries of the mission.Not sure why the boundaries are needed in a mission when they seem to encourage vehicular combat.I had to pin the enemy to a wall and just shoot them ....

Memory issues? Related to what? Their buggy antiquated engine? In my opinion, that's a lame excuse. Other developers get it right...

flippy was blacklisted? I guess they didn't appericate him tearing into agents

Phillipe Loren at least had an impact with the story, along with being clear about his motives by taking a cut of the Saints profit. At least he has a somewhat memorable death, even with how ridiculous it is, it’s hard to forget it. Nahualli is a small beacon of hope that might’ve gave this game a decent spin, but as it progressed, it’s underwhelming when he saw that the power of friendship is great and tried to remove you out of the equation. Kind of crappy that there’s no way to prevent this, even if you obtain an 100% in this game. As for worst character, I’m surprised Eli didn’t make a mention; dude was annoying all the way through, and the reason we had the LARP missions. Eli easily tops over Kevin, at least he’s somewhat sympathetic and with some sort of charisma. Edit: after showing what the developers worked on before coming into Saints Row, it makes a lot more sense with a track record like that. I mean, the corny mobile games and that degenerate simulator, makes clear sense on why Nahualli steals the boss’s light; I guess they never did let go of their previous work.

What the song at the end for the outro? Tried to find it but it's a different version on KZfaq.

Ya hate to see it. The first 2 games are the only saints row games. The new game has no story, stale gameplay, the ventures are literally the same as the side hustles.

i interpret the word "woke" as including diversity and shit for the sake of making the product sell, thus making it look obviously fake. It was not the case in earlier games

Thank you so much for your review, and for your honestly. I haven't played this yet, but at least I know to set my expectations low. I don't mind the characters being goofy, but they need to be believable as criminals and have a compelling story to back it up. This game has neither. This game and fans like us deserved better.

Apparently the new Twitter community manager is simping HARD for “Kevin”, and even recently called you out as a fake Saints Row fan because you didn’t like this crappy reboot.

I haven't played the new Saints Row game but I have watched a few hours of the story and honestly I don't like the writing or the characters. The main cast just don't seem like gangsters and the writing is so cringe and unfunny. I might buy it if they work out the bugs and if it goes on sale for $10.00.

Hello, what do you use to record video game footage? If you take the time to answer thank you very much! Nice vid and thoughts

Damn, bro. It hits deep in the end. I can't believe Volition created The Punisher and Saints Row 2, games I loved so much back in 0's. This company isn't the same anymore.

I am having fun with Saints Row 2 instead.

So that's that huh?...I've been playing SR since atleast 2 and this is fucking devastating. The fact that volition has been fucking up since SRTT is just mind boggling. All they wanted to do was be "different" from GTA. And in the end. Maybe they got their wish. But it was also to the detriment to a once great gaming icon. Me personally, I'm at a point in my life where I want to quit gaming in general due to many reasons. The only game holding me back from this is GTA6. Which I hope to God is good. The thing is though...gaming ain't what it used to be. And I don't know if those days will ever come back. RIP SR

oh man that edit at 3:05 made me laugh because it fit so well

i legit thought sergio was a right hand man or a lietuenant, so when we killed him i was expecting the boss to be revealed but it turns out we just finished los panteros :")

R.i.p. saints row 2006-2008😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

This whole review is how I feel to the tee it’s crazy

Whats the name of that song you used for the outro?

The ending to this genuinely made me tear up

You didn't know what Synthwave was? Wow, I love that genre. Also cool that the Heavy Metal radio station seems to be based on the Nuclear Blast record label. I'm guessing it only uses their music? Anyway, it's a shame how Saints Row is being treated.

I've seen a lot of takes on this game. With PS plus I've recently downloaded saints row 2 and 3 to try out again. Adding the laugh track to that scene pretty much captures the essence of this game. Its so sad to see such a strong franchise fall off. From street gangsters to constant goofs and gaffs...

thank you for taking the time and playing it to test it out for us og’s. respect. I didn’t even develop this shit and i still feel so fucking horrible abt u and all the other og’s buying this it’s so depressing. Again respect.

So as of today on Xbox they had a major sale on the 1st one all the way to this and I haven't played any yet but I bought them all and heard it cost them 100 million to make the newest 1 and I noticed alot of people were saying in the reviews that the Dlc still hasn't dropped for 2023 and I'm hoping that the DLC will be massive that's the only way I see them having a huge comeback and hopefully alot of those millions went into the DLC .. I've seen a DLC come out bigger than the a game its self but heres to wishing thanks for the detailed video 💯

So they got writers that never written for the past saints row games or anyone fimiliar with the franchise? They instead chose romance novel writers? What the fuck were they thinking

The only scenario I’ll play this game is if it’s added to game pass. But as the game is now, I refuse to pay $60 for it

This is the first "game" I've ever played where you can commit endless murderous crimes yet every cutscene states you're still the victim. They cry about rent and loans and rubbish yet within the first hours of gameplay you can easily make hundreds of thousands of dollars illegally and they don't use any of it to pay off their debt and continue to complain _they_ are the victims. I've never wanted to open up my monitor and throw up inside but this "game" made me consider it.

I think I live in a parallel time where Indie is triple AAA, and triple AAA is Indie.

This is the BEST review out there, even for the 1% that love this game would finally understand where we are coming from and not just a whole bunch of haters, this shit hurts bro, people have invested years money and faith into this franchise and they reboot the game WITHOUT ANYONE WHO WORKED ON A PREVIOUS SR GAME 🤦🏽‍♂️(btw that explains ALOT)

Buy it for the customization. So wait for it to be 70% Off or get it cheap second-hand.