A little late to the party, but I'm feeling fat and sassy, and need to poop out an opinionated rant about what I'd like to see from a Saints Row reboot.
Story wise, SR5 should get back to the more serious tone of SR2. There were plenty of great comical moments in 2 that didn't rely on dildo bats or totally zany references lol memes XD celebrity cameo XD. There was also a few ridiculous things like septic avenger which were tastefully sparse so that it didn't seem heavy handed. The darker tone provided a stark contrast to those lighter moments and made it feel more like a roller coaster ride. SR3 and, to a slightly lesser extent 4, was just an infinite fall. Your heart gets pumping due to the speed and the fact that you're hurtling towards the earth, but the bottom never comes and therefore you never smack into it or swerve away at the last second. Additionally, binary choices are the second worst thing in the world, following QTEs.
One thing SR2 didn't do well though that I'd like to see change is more fulfilling end caps to gang stories. Maero was perfect, but I felt as if the height of the Ronin and Samedi stories were the second in command conclusions. Fighting Mr. Sunshine and Shogo getting his were much more engaging than the entire General and Aokuji Sr. conclusions. Also I wasn't engaged at all by any of the SR3 rival boss finales. There should have been an option in between the binary material offers to have Matt end up fried in his chair. Loren should have been the end guy, and due to certain problems with how that cutscene played out, it was a little confusing (no red mist, no shot of the boss looking down at his offscreen smear and smirking) and unsatisfying. Finally, the best part about killing Killbane was everything that came after it, not the act itself, because that ending scratched the itch I'd had all game for a serious moment where the boss got tested on their convictions and motivations. The act of killing Killbane itself was entirely meaningless, considering the whole wrestling plot and Angel's assurances that he was now a broken man who was no longer a threat (but we totally gotta kill him anyway I guess, because demasking him had to be a binary choice with no bearing on the rest of the game).
So as not to seem as if I have a hate boner for 3 and 4, I should say that SR3 and 4 did do some things really right. Some of the meta humor was quite good, such as the CID hacking sequence that started at an hour, and slowly wound down to a more reasonable time frame. The musical choices perfectly complemented the segments they were used in, and all of the characters that should have been endearing were endearing in spades, with the exception of SR3 Shaundi. Despite SR3 Shaundi being terrible, Volition also did an amazing job making me about face on that by providing much needed characterization about why she was like that, with the introduction of the character audio logs and her loyalty mission with fun Shaundi. Pierce became a much needed anchor through the latter half of the series, dependably remaining loveable Pierce regardless of the changes to and losses of other characters. Really the only saints-side character that I'm sour on is Zimos, because he really seemed like a one trick pony. He was lolrandom autotune pimp, with all the uncomfortable aspects that come with pimps. This could just be another situation like Shaundi, where he didn't really get the characterization he needed, but unlike Shaundi nothing really became of Zimos, he just kind of blinked out of existence. Villain side, I felt a much greater protag-antag connection with Zinyak than with the SR3 bosses, and as such it felt more satisfying to finally get him in the end. He was a surprisingly good villain, for a lit. nerd alien showing up in a series that started as a gang banger simulator.
Graphically, now that they've moved to a new engine and put out two games (one of which admittedly came out during a major publishing crisis) hopefully they've got the time to actually work on the features they said went away because of these things, such as more intricate clothing options. I'd really like to see transparency return for things like glasses, and it would be nice if they returned slightly (but I don't care if it's all the way) to the more photo realistic style of SR2. Playing through again, I've been taking a boat load of screenshots, and this one in particular had me stop for a moment, because Shogo looks so good. I do like how my character looks in SR4, but at the very least I'd like some more realistic hair instead of the plastic wedge hair currently in the new engine. Everything they've done with cars is perfect. Guns are a bit ridiculously sized but design wise they're fine. I'd like to see the .44 shepards return to being revolvers though, because revolvers are pretty cool you guys. Also, the gun skins in 4 were probably the best change. It was a nice dimension of customization for my character, being able to choose between either a more self serious style, or something goofy like the phasers. Really enjoyed the nail gun SMGs as well.
Mechanically, I never wanted super powers, but for 4 they were pretty fun. Despite that, I'd rather they not have a place in a reboot, because they actually made using vehicles unfun. SR3 definitely played really well and was quite fun, so I have no qualms with the gun play of vehicles or anything. I'd desperately like to never see a QTE again, especially not in a boss fight. I'd rather have the beat down 100% cinematic, rather than having to repeat the same action over and over again. Repeatedly bashing Killbane's face into that metal was a chore, not fulfilling. Punching Maero through a derelict building and then putting a bullet through his skull was deeply satisfying after everything we'd done to each other, and I didn't have to do a thing other than sit back and enjoy the ride. I guess vehicles wise, the only suggestion I'd make is a revamp on how helicopters and VTOLs behave when colliding with a wall. It's been a persistent problem in the franchise from 2-4 where if you wind up hitting a wall while hovering, there's a good chance you're going to begin leaning into that surface and the upward thrust will keep you there, potentially doing severe damage to your vehicle. Being able to disengage easily and quickly would be fantastic.
Story wise, SR5 should get back to the more serious tone of SR2. There were plenty of great comical moments in 2 that didn't rely on dildo bats or totally zany references lol memes XD celebrity cameo XD. There was also a few ridiculous things like septic avenger which were tastefully sparse so that it didn't seem heavy handed. The darker tone provided a stark contrast to those lighter moments and made it feel more like a roller coaster ride. SR3 and, to a slightly lesser extent 4, was just an infinite fall. Your heart gets pumping due to the speed and the fact that you're hurtling towards the earth, but the bottom never comes and therefore you never smack into it or swerve away at the last second. Additionally, binary choices are the second worst thing in the world, following QTEs.
One thing SR2 didn't do well though that I'd like to see change is more fulfilling end caps to gang stories. Maero was perfect, but I felt as if the height of the Ronin and Samedi stories were the second in command conclusions. Fighting Mr. Sunshine and Shogo getting his were much more engaging than the entire General and Aokuji Sr. conclusions. Also I wasn't engaged at all by any of the SR3 rival boss finales. There should have been an option in between the binary material offers to have Matt end up fried in his chair. Loren should have been the end guy, and due to certain problems with how that cutscene played out, it was a little confusing (no red mist, no shot of the boss looking down at his offscreen smear and smirking) and unsatisfying. Finally, the best part about killing Killbane was everything that came after it, not the act itself, because that ending scratched the itch I'd had all game for a serious moment where the boss got tested on their convictions and motivations. The act of killing Killbane itself was entirely meaningless, considering the whole wrestling plot and Angel's assurances that he was now a broken man who was no longer a threat (but we totally gotta kill him anyway I guess, because demasking him had to be a binary choice with no bearing on the rest of the game).
So as not to seem as if I have a hate boner for 3 and 4, I should say that SR3 and 4 did do some things really right. Some of the meta humor was quite good, such as the CID hacking sequence that started at an hour, and slowly wound down to a more reasonable time frame. The musical choices perfectly complemented the segments they were used in, and all of the characters that should have been endearing were endearing in spades, with the exception of SR3 Shaundi. Despite SR3 Shaundi being terrible, Volition also did an amazing job making me about face on that by providing much needed characterization about why she was like that, with the introduction of the character audio logs and her loyalty mission with fun Shaundi. Pierce became a much needed anchor through the latter half of the series, dependably remaining loveable Pierce regardless of the changes to and losses of other characters. Really the only saints-side character that I'm sour on is Zimos, because he really seemed like a one trick pony. He was lolrandom autotune pimp, with all the uncomfortable aspects that come with pimps. This could just be another situation like Shaundi, where he didn't really get the characterization he needed, but unlike Shaundi nothing really became of Zimos, he just kind of blinked out of existence. Villain side, I felt a much greater protag-antag connection with Zinyak than with the SR3 bosses, and as such it felt more satisfying to finally get him in the end. He was a surprisingly good villain, for a lit. nerd alien showing up in a series that started as a gang banger simulator.
Graphically, now that they've moved to a new engine and put out two games (one of which admittedly came out during a major publishing crisis) hopefully they've got the time to actually work on the features they said went away because of these things, such as more intricate clothing options. I'd really like to see transparency return for things like glasses, and it would be nice if they returned slightly (but I don't care if it's all the way) to the more photo realistic style of SR2. Playing through again, I've been taking a boat load of screenshots, and this one in particular had me stop for a moment, because Shogo looks so good. I do like how my character looks in SR4, but at the very least I'd like some more realistic hair instead of the plastic wedge hair currently in the new engine. Everything they've done with cars is perfect. Guns are a bit ridiculously sized but design wise they're fine. I'd like to see the .44 shepards return to being revolvers though, because revolvers are pretty cool you guys. Also, the gun skins in 4 were probably the best change. It was a nice dimension of customization for my character, being able to choose between either a more self serious style, or something goofy like the phasers. Really enjoyed the nail gun SMGs as well.
Mechanically, I never wanted super powers, but for 4 they were pretty fun. Despite that, I'd rather they not have a place in a reboot, because they actually made using vehicles unfun. SR3 definitely played really well and was quite fun, so I have no qualms with the gun play of vehicles or anything. I'd desperately like to never see a QTE again, especially not in a boss fight. I'd rather have the beat down 100% cinematic, rather than having to repeat the same action over and over again. Repeatedly bashing Killbane's face into that metal was a chore, not fulfilling. Punching Maero through a derelict building and then putting a bullet through his skull was deeply satisfying after everything we'd done to each other, and I didn't have to do a thing other than sit back and enjoy the ride. I guess vehicles wise, the only suggestion I'd make is a revamp on how helicopters and VTOLs behave when colliding with a wall. It's been a persistent problem in the franchise from 2-4 where if you wind up hitting a wall while hovering, there's a good chance you're going to begin leaning into that surface and the upward thrust will keep you there, potentially doing severe damage to your vehicle. Being able to disengage easily and quickly would be fantastic.
