I am a big fan of the saints row series from the beginning and I was excited to get my hands on SR3. I was kinda worried though to hear that some activities were cut(hot fuzz,septic avenger, fight club, and demolition derby) and even more worried when they announced the 40 weeks of DLC plan but Volition made claims that they cut multiplayer to make the single player experience better. Sure, I knew they cut some things out but I foolishly believed that despite the "cuts" SR3 will have loads to do. Then came the release and 24 hours later I achieved 93%. 24 hours....93%...kinda short for a free-roam game isn't it? Slowly everything started to sink in and I realized that SR3 is the worst entry of the series. I made three points a few days ago why SR3 fails and I'll re-post them here with a few edits. Warning, there are spoilers and in these points:
First of all, the customization is watered down compared to the second one. In the second one, you could layer clothing which doesn't exist in saints row 3 nor does design patterns and there was a lot of clothing items to choose from in the second one but not so much in the third. I can't even make a decent Tommy Vercetti. The NPCs including gang members seem to have way better clothing items than the player! where's the ninja outfit or the pimp clothing? To Volition's credit they did include a cop uniform but the options could still be better.
Secondly, instead of having activities available from the start they are unlocked by doing the storyline which is fine but most of act one was activity tutorials. Also, even after unlocking all of the activities there seems to be a lot less activities than SR2.It makes me wonder if they plan to sell the missing activities as DLC.
Speaking of the story, let's move to my third point. The story could have been better. I know this is saints row but at least volition tried to make the story solid in SR2, not so much in SR3. remember that bad ass known as Johnny Gat from the the first games? He survived being stabbed and being shot in those games and held off a bunch of cops. In the third, he dies....off camera. You think that this is a trick by V so you wait til the very end hoping he comes back only to find out that he does in an insulting way for that character. Also, loose ends from the second game are completely ignore just so they wouldn't alienate new players. Thanks V, now you just alienated your current fan base.As for the other returning characters, there's only two(not counting Jane Valderama) which are pierce and shaundi. Once again, minimal returning characters due to not alienating the new fan base. As for Loren, let's just say his fate is lame especially since he was built up as the big baddie.
My next point is revolving around the star itself, not the MC but the city of Steelport. The city felt lifeless. Sure you would see a cop pulling over a car and a guy playing guitar on the street but that's it. There are no interiors except for your cribs and those idle animations that were in the second one(i.e. fishing when next to a pier) are not present. Also, there is no proper day and night cycles as it changes during missions and activities. Sure you have a lot of toys to play with but it's like playing in a sandbox without sand. It feels like thing were cut for DLC.....oh wait. That's right, they have planned for the 40 weeks of DLC!
Saints Row the third could have been an awesome sandbox game but with the cuts they made(likely in the name of "DLC") saints row the third fails. truth be told, I can't see why it's getting all of these good reviews. I would honestly rate it a 6/10 because of the above points and that reaching 100% can be achieved in a short time and that's without rushing through it! Once you reach 100% then that's it. I'll be honest, I never achieved 100% in SR2 but I still placed over 200 hours in playing that game. Ironically, as the saints sold out in SR3 so did volition. V got greedy and cocky so I ask you gamers who haven't bought this game yet to wait for a price drop and to those like me who were foolish enough to buy it on launch to not buy any DLC they send out. Thanks for reading!
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
The release on Steam of the anime-style gacha-less open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening is facing a legal challenge from its gacha publisher.
I agree with mostly everything you said. The city did feel lifeless, most noticeably (for me at least) around the airport. In SR2 you had planes landing and taking off, but in SR3 there aren't even any people walking around the airport, let alone planes flying around. I also remember in SR2 people in boats and jetskis, well in SR3 i haven't seen a single AI in a boat, only boats parked near docks with nobody in them.
And the clothing part I agree with as well. One nitpick I had is that there is no cape... I could have made the perfect superman costume but its just missing a cape now which is annoying lol.
But the main gripe I have is that there are no easter-eggs/secret locations to find. It may sound weird but that was my main reason for playing the game. I loved just wandering around and finding secret places and stuff, and I did the same in SR3 yet I found nothing, just more boringness around the city.
Shame, was gonna pick this up eventually, may have to reconsider.
I feel like one of the main problems is stagnation for people. It seems to me that people who played the older games are disappointed while new comers like myself enjoy it a lot. I beat the game and have taken over 2 burrows completely and most of the others. I still haven't touched the saints book and I found the 1960's ending pretty great actually. The game also looks like a fairly easy platinum. Excited to try some co-op soon... I dunno. Overall I feel it was worth my 60$ but I don't think I will buy much DLC for it. Not because the game is bad at all but because there is so much more I want to play and with Christmas coming the DLC will be put on back burner until it's sold as a bundle for like 20$.
I think the phrase that sums up SR3 for me is "better, but not bigger" The story missions had a lot of variety and creativeness. Hell, the second mission feels like something out of Uncharted. But compared to the second game, (which I logged 40-some hours on and think I only got around 60%) there just wasn't that much to do between them. And in a sandbox game, that's a big deal.
I pretty much agree with with your specific complaints. In addition to Gat's dying off screen, I also have to gripe that the LEADER of the syndicate is the first to go (in a rather undramatic way), and then you're just cleaning up the scraps. Feels a little ass-backwards. Also one of the final bosses is just a rehash of the DJ Veteran fight in SR2 (a mid-boss at best.)
I enjoyed the final product, but I'm glad I didn't sell Saints Row 2.
Glad i didnt buy it. Ill just stick with Just Cause 2 as my sandbox game for now.