#i hope that kinda answered your question nonny despite all the waffling?

[antivanbrandy]

Different anon, but. I never got into Saints Row myself. Is it any good?

i mean it’s all subjective, but i certainly enjoy it to bits, yeah :D it instantly became my favourite series when i first started playing in 2008, and there’s a reason it’s still one of my tippy top faves today (i hope you dont mind, but you’ve given me an opportunity to waffle about one of my Big Loves™ so i’m gonna take it xD feel free to stop reading though if it doesnt interest you!)

the first game has a lot going against it. it’s an xbox360 exclusive, the player character is gender locked male, the character creator is…. not great, there’s no difficulty settings, and the gameplay can be very clunky and buggy. despite that, the characters are great and the story is good. it’s worth a look, even if you just watch it on youtube, to see where the Saints, and the Boss (Playa in this game), get their start. it is old, tho, and it shows its age

sr2 sees the Boss come into their own and really take control. this is honestly still my favourite of the series, and it’s where i was first introduced to the Boss and Stilwater. a lot of people claim it’s a more ‘serious’ game but to be honest, saints row has always had a distinct flavour of goofus and fun to it. the themes explored are definitely presented in a heavier fashion, though.  gentrification, dealing with the aftermaths of betrayal (and honestly, trauma), dealing with a world that’s shot forward without you. found family is a big component of the entire series to be honest. the character creator is also head and shoulders above that of 1, and honestly feels more enjoyable than that of the later instalments too. boss’ gender is also not just a binary choice of male/female, but an actual sliding scale. also, you can layer clothing and for real that’s one of the things i miss most in 3 and 4

unfortunately the pc port of sr2 is nigh unplayable without the Gentlemen of the Row mod, and even with it it can still be a buggy nightmare for some. you dont have access to the two small story dlcs on the pc port either

beginning with 3, there’s a dramatic shift in tone and art style. the change is a very divisive issue among the fandom; some hate it and want a return to the ‘badass’/’serious’ style of the first two games, some people prefer the fun outlandish style of 3 and 4, and others, like me, enjoy both halves of the series. i have fun in both, i enjoy the characters in both, i enjoy the stories in both, i see the value in both. if you like a more ‘modern’ gaming experience (at least compared to the likes of 1 and 2 (kind of in the way you might compare dragon age origins to da2 maybe? or da2 to inquisition),  you might enjoy them. the character creator is glossy, with many more hairstyle and makeup choices. it’s also worth noting that none of the clothing, hairstyles, or makeup options are gender locked (though the gender choices are back to being binary - no sliding scale)

honestly there’s so much more i could say, but this is already getting long as is. short answer is, yeah i definitely think it’s good :D