So, the new reboot hasn't been very well recieved. Sure, it got review bombed by very dissapointed fans who call it the worst game ever. I don't think it's the worst game ever. I had fun in it. Not as much fun as with Saints Row 2, 3 and 4 mind. Those 3 games I wanted to absolutely 100% by finding everything, doing everything, spending as much time in their game worlds. And while Santos Ileso is a very nice looking gameworld, the things to do there are mixed to very fun side missions or hustles, to more boring ones like a lot of searching that breaks the flow of the game. But then I got myself thinking, with all these examples, the next Saints Row game should be a lot of fun then! If history repeats itself with Saints Row and Saints Row 2, and I Really hope it does. Thats why I decided to write some ideas down and was interested to see what you all thought about what the 2nd game should look like! I've decided to call it Saints Row the 2nd in my head. So not to compete with the original Saints Row 2 (reboots can be confusing.....)
So for one, I would like to see the new engine fully utilized. Beter physics, animation, weather systems with rain and maybe even added seasons to make the timeflow seem larger. Where throughout your adventures, you go through the 4 seasons so it doesnt feel like you've taken over a city in a week.
The return of different walking animation, fighting styles, better fighting system. I really missed those.
I'd like to see a more fun transition system where you can drive different vehicles, sprint but it looks more like parkour (the saints could really make fun of games that have that and go a bit further with it), add skateboards with a trick system as a wink to tony hawk games, or maybe even have him as a cameo. Hitman missions with a 47 doubleganger? And make the missions fun to do!
I would like to see a 2nd city added to it that looks different. Maybe with a high mountain in between with snow on the top so you can snowboard, winking at SSX games. More idle stuff like sitting at Freckled Bitches eating a burger while a cinematic cam swoops around to make a fun screensaver in case you want to wait for the money to roll in on your phone, or want to listen to the ingame radio.
I would like to see the return of different hideouts. More houses you can buy and you can customise just like in 2. Or even more! Place your own furniture you have to buy, change the wallpaper and floor, buy big ass tv's if the budget allows it. Make it fun so when you invite a friend or play the game on stream, you can show off your digital houses and interiors. Heck you could even turn that into a side mission where you have to decorate and release the finished product in a magazine by making fun pictures and you find the magazine in the city with your house on it. I dunno, just spitballing really.
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And story wise, as you saw above, I liked the Saints Row 2, 3 and 4 winks to other games (4 did full parodies ofc), I would put a lot of that in there. And it's simple too! Kevin and the Boss are playing a coop video game and Neenah complains about how the open world is a bit boring and all they do are driving and shooting (yes, making fun of the first game and awknowledging the flaws, not make a meme about it..) and saying how they do that shit for real, so how is it still fun to do it in a game? Then Eli actually finds an idea to make that profitable! Not just by getting their own game company and develop games, but as a promotional stunt, they'll do stuff from the games for real. But they don't really have any experience making games, so they do the logical things, steal games from other companies.
Another game developer settled in the new city gets word of this, and wants to stop the Saints. You can see a lot of obvious jokes there with how big game companies are getting nowadays... And they hire gangs/mercenaries to stop the Saints. In the meanwhile, some gangs from the past are trying to make a return and take over the city, especially after the state the saints are in after the conclusion of this game.
Now you have a story about how the Saints are trying to set up a company, meaning they need money, but they don't have their income anymore because the saints got all but destroyed last time and gangs formed taking over their businesses. The saints still have some, but that is taken away as well, leaving them with nothing but a lot of weapons and bullets.
So they start their takeover while dealing woth corporate espionage, playing out video games for real and starting a city wide roleplay (the larp missions were the most fun of Saints Row, in my opinion) where there are new "gangs" forming, all acting out their favorite games. the fantasy gang, the first person shooters, the hitmen, the masterchiefs, the assassins, sport games... you can do a lot of fun stuff with this while making comments on those games. So there you have a fun questchain to follow as well.
So yeah, you have several stories going on, and Neenah, Kevin and Eli focus on a different story.
So that is a more light hearted story where you can go over the top light, over the top dark, and just over the top. Another one would be simpler, but maybe more boring...
The original Saints hear that a new gang is forming, so they come to Santos Ileso to stop them and take over the city. And you and your friends fight against the OG's, not knowing who they are. So you have to fight Shaundi, Pierce, Viola, Oleg, and the boss. And it can end with them all coming to a understanding. Maybe Shaundi realises when you beat her branch that the Boss has become a larger asshole and joins forces to humble the OG saints, I dunno. But that way, the reboot turns back as a part of the main series, and opening a way towards a fuller Saints Row future. But I personally like it more to bring the fun back.
ANYWAY! That is my idea and what I would like to see. But overal, more fun. More rewards, more motivation to go out and do everything there is to do in Saints Row.
So for one, I would like to see the new engine fully utilized. Beter physics, animation, weather systems with rain and maybe even added seasons to make the timeflow seem larger. Where throughout your adventures, you go through the 4 seasons so it doesnt feel like you've taken over a city in a week.
The return of different walking animation, fighting styles, better fighting system. I really missed those.
I'd like to see a more fun transition system where you can drive different vehicles, sprint but it looks more like parkour (the saints could really make fun of games that have that and go a bit further with it), add skateboards with a trick system as a wink to tony hawk games, or maybe even have him as a cameo. Hitman missions with a 47 doubleganger? And make the missions fun to do!
I would like to see a 2nd city added to it that looks different. Maybe with a high mountain in between with snow on the top so you can snowboard, winking at SSX games. More idle stuff like sitting at Freckled Bitches eating a burger while a cinematic cam swoops around to make a fun screensaver in case you want to wait for the money to roll in on your phone, or want to listen to the ingame radio.
I would like to see the return of different hideouts. More houses you can buy and you can customise just like in 2. Or even more! Place your own furniture you have to buy, change the wallpaper and floor, buy big ass tv's if the budget allows it. Make it fun so when you invite a friend or play the game on stream, you can show off your digital houses and interiors. Heck you could even turn that into a side mission where you have to decorate and release the finished product in a magazine by making fun pictures and you find the magazine in the city with your house on it. I dunno, just spitballing really.
--
And story wise, as you saw above, I liked the Saints Row 2, 3 and 4 winks to other games (4 did full parodies ofc), I would put a lot of that in there. And it's simple too! Kevin and the Boss are playing a coop video game and Neenah complains about how the open world is a bit boring and all they do are driving and shooting (yes, making fun of the first game and awknowledging the flaws, not make a meme about it..) and saying how they do that shit for real, so how is it still fun to do it in a game? Then Eli actually finds an idea to make that profitable! Not just by getting their own game company and develop games, but as a promotional stunt, they'll do stuff from the games for real. But they don't really have any experience making games, so they do the logical things, steal games from other companies.
Another game developer settled in the new city gets word of this, and wants to stop the Saints. You can see a lot of obvious jokes there with how big game companies are getting nowadays... And they hire gangs/mercenaries to stop the Saints. In the meanwhile, some gangs from the past are trying to make a return and take over the city, especially after the state the saints are in after the conclusion of this game.
Now you have a story about how the Saints are trying to set up a company, meaning they need money, but they don't have their income anymore because the saints got all but destroyed last time and gangs formed taking over their businesses. The saints still have some, but that is taken away as well, leaving them with nothing but a lot of weapons and bullets.
So they start their takeover while dealing woth corporate espionage, playing out video games for real and starting a city wide roleplay (the larp missions were the most fun of Saints Row, in my opinion) where there are new "gangs" forming, all acting out their favorite games. the fantasy gang, the first person shooters, the hitmen, the masterchiefs, the assassins, sport games... you can do a lot of fun stuff with this while making comments on those games. So there you have a fun questchain to follow as well.
So yeah, you have several stories going on, and Neenah, Kevin and Eli focus on a different story.
So that is a more light hearted story where you can go over the top light, over the top dark, and just over the top. Another one would be simpler, but maybe more boring...
The original Saints hear that a new gang is forming, so they come to Santos Ileso to stop them and take over the city. And you and your friends fight against the OG's, not knowing who they are. So you have to fight Shaundi, Pierce, Viola, Oleg, and the boss. And it can end with them all coming to a understanding. Maybe Shaundi realises when you beat her branch that the Boss has become a larger asshole and joins forces to humble the OG saints, I dunno. But that way, the reboot turns back as a part of the main series, and opening a way towards a fuller Saints Row future. But I personally like it more to bring the fun back.
ANYWAY! That is my idea and what I would like to see. But overal, more fun. More rewards, more motivation to go out and do everything there is to do in Saints Row.
