Info about Saints Row: The Third:

Official game description:
Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name, with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobble head dolls all available at a store near you.  
The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute. Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to Steelport, a once-proud metropolis reduced to a struggling city of sin under Syndicate control.  
Take a tank skydiving, call in a satellite-targeted airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang, and defend yourself against a highly-trained military force using only a sex toy in the most out- landish gameplay scenarios ever seen, igniting a city-wide war that will set Steelport on fire. Strap it on.

Release date: 14 Nov, 2011

Categories: Open-World Exploration, Third-Person Shooter, Cooperative Multiplayer, Character Customization, Weapon Customization, Vehicle Customization, Gang Management, Mini-game Collection


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Timeless and Addictive Fun (weight 0.77): Players consistently praise the game for its enduring appeal, describing it as a timeless classic that still feels fresh and exciting years after its release. Its engaging gameplay loop provides a refreshing and enjoyable experience, often evoking strong positive childhood memories and a sense of pure, unadulterated fun, making it highly addictive.
- Best Saints Row Experience (weight 0.56): Many players consider this entry the pinnacle of the Saints Row series, successfully carving out its own niche in the open-world genre. It's lauded for moving beyond being a mere GTA clone, fully embracing its signature brand of madness, and often being preferred over GTA titles for its distinct, less serious approach.
- Rich Open World Content (weight 0.5): The game offers a substantial amount of content, including diverse and engaging main missions, numerous side quests, mini-games, and collectibles. This wealth of activities ensures high replayability and keeps players entertained for dozens of hours without boredom, making repeated playthroughs and 100% completion highly enjoyable.
- Deep Character Customization (weight 0.34): Players highly appreciate the game's extensive and often absurd customization features for characters, vehicles, weapons, and even gang members. This allows for immense creative freedom, enabling players to craft truly unique protagonists and personalize their experience significantly, often surpassing similar games.
- Excellent Co-op Experience (weight 0.26): The full campaign and open-world activities are playable in a highly praised cooperative mode, significantly multiplying the fun and chaos when playing with friends. The seamless drop-in/drop-out feature and shared progression make it one of the best co-op experiences in the genre.
- Engaging Story & Charismatic Cast (weight 0.24): The game features a well-crafted, often hilarious storyline supported by a cast of vivid and charismatic characters. Excellent voice acting further enhances character personalities and witty dialogues, making the narrative engaging and the interactions memorable.
- Solid Performance and Value (weight 0.23): The game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on older or lower-spec PCs with minimal bugs or crashes. Reviewers note its good graphics for the time of release, comfortable controls, and overall stability, making it an accessible and excellent value for its price.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and Unengaging Mission Design (weight 0.58): Many players found the mission structure, both main and secondary, to be monotonous and repetitive. Missions often boil down to similar 'fetch-and-kill' tasks, with excessive shooting and a lack of depth or variety. This is exacerbated by the inability to replay story missions and the forced nature of some side activities, making progression feel like a chore.
- Severe Technical Instability & Bugs (weight 0.49): A significant portion of feedback highlights persistent technical issues, including frequent crashes, game freezes, severe stuttering, and general optimization problems. These issues often render the game unplayable, particularly on newer systems or in co-op mode, and are also prevalent in the Remastered version. Players also report specific bugs affecting car sounds, mission triggers, and save functionality, along with critical launch failures.
- Dated and Unsatisfying Combat Mechanics (weight 0.44): The core gunplay and combat mechanics are frequently described as dated and unsatisfactory. Players report issues such as weak bullet damage, 'stupid' enemies, repetitive enemy patterns, unrealistic physics, and a general lack of engaging hit feedback, making shooting feel flat and monotonous.
- Weak and Disconnected Storyline (weight 0.37): The game's narrative is frequently criticized for being weak, illogical, and hard to follow, often relying on cheap humor and lacking genuine drama or consequences. Characters are perceived as superficial, and significant plot events sometimes occur off-screen, contributing to a sense of a disjointed and unengaging plot that fails to captivate players.
- Outdated and Unpolished Graphics/Visuals (weight 0.37): Many players criticize the game's graphics and visual presentation, noting that they have not aged well. Issues include unbalanced visuals, blurry textures, 'playdough-like' character models, and a general lack of polish, which detracts from immersion. The Remastered version also faces criticism for spoiling the original's visual style with excessive brightness.
- Over-the-Top Humor Misses Mark (weight 0.37): The game's signature over-the-top, absurd, and often crude humor is polarizing. Many players found it dated, juvenile, excessive, and cringeworthy, particularly the reliance on sexual jokes. While some appreciated the wackiness, for many, it detracted from the experience, hindering immersion and often feeling forced.
- Perceived Decline of Saints Row Series (weight 0.3): A strong sentiment among players is that Saints Row 3 marked a significant turning point, leading to a decline in the series, particularly when compared to Saints Row 2. Reviewers feel it introduced more linearity, less story depth, and an excessive focus on wackiness, moving away from the more balanced tone and content of earlier installments.
- Fails as a Grand Theft Auto Competitor (weight 0.2): Many reviews compare the game unfavorably to Grand Theft Auto and other open-world titles, describing it as a 'failed GTA-like game' or a 'stupid imitation.' Players highlight differences in depth, ambition, and overall polish, suggesting Saints Row 3 falls short in delivering a comparable open-world experience.
- Limited Content & Tedious Completion (weight 0.19): Players found the game to be relatively short with insufficient content, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing after the main story. Achieving 100% completion or all achievements is particularly tedious and often impossible due to bugs, server-locked achievements, or mandatory DLC, making the endgame grind unsatisfying.

Gameplay feedback:
- Open-world action sandbox (weight 0.29): The game provides an expansive, third-person open-world sandbox experience, often compared to Grand Theft Auto. It features driving, shooting, and action, but distinguishes itself with a distinctly more chaotic, humorous, and less serious tone.
- Diverse, absurd gameplay activities (weight 0.18): The game offers a wide range of main and side missions, from standard combat and driving to highly absurd activities like Insurance Fraud and skydiving into shootouts. Players can also engage with bizarre weapons (e.g., dubstep gun) and vehicles, emphasizing player freedom.
- Lead Saints gang in Steelport (weight 0.16): Players assume the role of the customized leader of the Third Street Saints gang, who have become celebrities. The core narrative involves re-establishing the gang's dominance and fighting for control of the new city of Steelport against a rival criminal organization, The Syndicate.
- Adjustable, accessible difficulty (weight 0.13): The game offers adjustable difficulty settings, with many players finding it generally easy to play and suitable for casual enjoyment. The main story takes around 10-30 hours, with full completion including DLC extending to approximately 60 hours.
- Full co-op support (weight 0.07): The entire game is fully playable in both single-player and 2-person cooperative modes, allowing friends to experience the story and side activities together. Some players noted potential desync issues if VSync is not disabled in co-op.
- Character and gear progression (weight 0.06): Players can extensively customize their character and upgrade various attributes, including health, combat skills, ammo capacity, and vehicle performance. Earning cash and respect through missions allows for purchasing these upgrades and acquiring properties.
- Controversial, vulgar humor (weight 0.05): The game features explicit and often vulgar humor, including sexual references and opportunities for offensive interactions with non-player characters. This contributes to its overall "not serious" and provocative tone.
- Average story and graphics (weight 0.03): The story and graphics generally received feedback as being "okay" or "decent," rather than exceptional. Players found them acceptable but not a standout feature of the game.

Performance notes:
- Severe crashes and instability (weight 0.15): Many players report critical crashes, freezes, and stuttering, particularly on DirectX 10/11/12 and newer hardware. The game often fails to launch or becomes unplayable without significant manual intervention, with issues reported at startup, during missions, and linked to factors like Epic integration or specific game file locations.
- Manual tweaks improve stability (weight 0.1): Players frequently need to implement manual tweaks and compatibility settings to stabilize the game. These include forcing DirectX 9, setting compatibility modes, editing game INI files for graphic settings, locking FPS to 60, turning off Steam overlay, or running background applications.
- Runs well on older hardware (weight 0.1): Despite significant issues on newer systems, many players report the game runs smoothly and is well-optimized on older or low-specification computers. It typically performs well on low settings, utilizes relatively little RAM (often struggling with more than 4GB), and can achieve high framerates on modern systems when stable.
- Inconsistent Steam Deck performance (weight 0.07): Players report an inconsistent and often subpar experience on Steam Deck, particularly the OLED model, with frequent frame drops and stuttering. While playable, the experience is described as 'far from ideal,' even with frame rate limiting.
- Online services cause instability (weight 0.05): The game's reliance on a defunct online service (sr3.hydra.agoragames.com) is a major source of stuttering, freezing, and other technical issues. Playing in offline mode or applying specific hosts file modifications often resolves these problems, indicating a critical backend issue affecting gameplay.
- GPU underutilization, framerate fluctuations (weight 0.04): On modern high-end PCs, the game often underutilizes the GPU (e.g., 35-50% usage), leading to inconsistent framerates that fluctuate significantly, especially during dynamic scenes like driving. Achieving stable performance often requires lowering scene and reflection detail, despite the game being visually dated and having specific visual glitches like shiny character skin rendering.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Fun (weight 0.5): The game is widely praised as a highly enjoyable and fun experience, often receiving high ratings despite acknowledged flaws. Many players strongly recommend it, especially for those seeking casual entertainment and a good time. While a few negative ratings or recommendations exist, the overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive.
- Navigating Series & Versions (weight 0.26): Players offer varied advice on where this game stands in the Saints Row series, with some considering it the best entry or an excellent GTA alternative, while others recommend playing other titles first (e.g., Saints Row 2). There's conflicting advice regarding the original vs. remastered version, with some preferring the original due to fewer technical issues, while others suggest the remaster for a 'seamless experience' or co-op, also noting PC port concerns.
- Optimal Purchase on Sale (weight 0.14): Reviewers frequently advise buying the game during a sale, emphasizing the value of the complete pack or GOTY edition which includes all DLCs. Additionally, playing the game with a co-op partner is highly recommended to enhance the overall experience and for achievement hunting.
- Embrace Absurd Open-World Chaos (weight 0.11): Players love the game's core appeal: its unapologetically absurd humor, exaggerated action, and the freedom to create chaos in an open-world setting. It's recommended for those who enjoy non-serious, often politically incorrect, and highly entertaining gameplay for de-stressing and laughter.
- Strong Replay Value (weight 0.02): The game exhibits strong replay value, with many players returning to it regularly, some even annually, indicating a lasting appeal and continuous enjoyment over time.

Other player notes:
- Strong Nostalgia Factor (weight 0.2): Many players revisited or purchased the game primarily due to childhood nostalgia, considering it a core memory or one of their first significant gaming experiences. This strong emotional connection often influences their positive perception, driving replayability after many years.
- Unique Identity vs. GTA (weight 0.12): While frequently compared to Grand Theft Auto, players highlight that Saints Row 3 forged its own distinct, less serious identity, diverging from being a direct GTA rival. There's a consensus that the series, particularly from SR3 onwards, embraced a unique, over-the-top style, though some believe Saints Row 2 was the last 'true' installment.
- Localization & Technical Fixes Needed (weight 0.09): Many players experienced issues with missing or incomplete localizations, especially for Chinese and Japanese, necessitating the use of unofficial fan-made patches. Additionally, some encountered general technical problems like crashes and lag, which often required searching community forums or applying specific workarounds like Steam's offline mode to resolve.
- Contains Mature Content (weight 0.05): The game features wild, exaggerated, and sometimes provocative content, including sexual themes. Reviewers explicitly recommend it for adults or players aged 16 and above, noting that developers at the time were less hesitant to include such elements.
- Developer Volition's Legacy (weight 0.04): Players express sadness over the closure of Volition, the game's developer. The studio is remembered fondly for specializing in fun, action-packed, and absurd open-world games, and its unique contributions to the genre are appreciated.
- Criminal Empire Narrative & Setting (weight 0.03): The game continues the story of the Saints as they rise to the top of a criminal empire in the fictional city of Steelport. Players take on the role of the gang leader, battling the powerful Syndicate for control of the city.
- DLC Cosmetic, Achievement Issues (weight 0.02): Feedback indicates that the downloadable content (DLC) is primarily cosmetic, offering little in the way of substantial new gameplay. Furthermore, players reported that achieving 100% game completion is impossible, which can be a point of frustration for achievement hunters.
- Features Kanye West Music (weight 0.01): The game's soundtrack includes music from Kanye West, with some players noting it as their introduction to his work. This is a specific detail about the game's audio experience.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.27): Players felt immense satisfaction from the game's refreshing, fun, and chaotic open-world sandbox experience. They highly valued its humor, extensive customization options, engaging characters, and replayability, often preferring its less serious approach compared to GTA. The game's ability to maintain its enjoyment and quality over many years further contributed to this positive sentiment.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment stemmed from the perceived shift in the series' tone and direction, moving away from its predecessors' charm and depth. Technical issues, such as game-breaking bugs, crashes, and poor optimization, frequently rendered the game unplayable for many. Players also expressed dissatisfaction with repetitive missions, a lack of content, and a general decline in the series' quality after this installment.
- Frustration (weight 0.1): Frustration was primarily caused by severe and persistent technical problems, including frequent lags, freezes, and crashes, which often made the game unplayable or led to lost progress. Players also encountered annoyances with bullet-sponge enemies, poor AI, unachievable achievements, and specific game-breaking bugs that hindered mission completion and overall enjoyment.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players experienced excitement from the game's over-the-top, chaotic, and action-packed gameplay, coupled with its unique humor and freedom. The ability to cause mayhem, engage in memorable missions, and customize characters extensively contributed to a thrilling and engaging experience. Many anticipated playing on Steam or enjoying its crazy charm with friends.
- Joy (weight 0.09): Joy derived from the game's pure chaotic fun, amusement from its absurdity, and enjoyable co-op experiences with friends. Players relished the unique weapons, memorable characters, and the ability to mess around without consequences. Rediscovering the game after childhood and finding it consistently entertaining also contributed to widespread joy.
- Amusement (weight 0.09): Amusement was strongly tied to the game's unique, absurd, and often vulgar humor, including its satirical elements and over-the-top scenarios. Players found the creative weapons, chaotic interactions with NPCs, and exaggerated situations highly entertaining. The game's refusal to take itself seriously and its 'WTF' moments provided continuous laughter.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players found enjoyment in the game's interesting missions, satisfying combat, and vibrant open world. The game's fun, less serious tone, engaging co-op, and diverse activities made for a consistently entertaining experience. Its personality, humor, and ability to provide mindless fun contributed to a generally positive gameplay sentiment.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Nostalgia arose from players revisiting a cherished childhood game and recalling fond memories from their younger years. The game's classic status, its association with specific cultural moments (like Kanye West's 'Power'), and the desire to relive past positive experiences contributed to this emotion. Many players remembered playing it on older consoles during their teenage years.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration was directed towards the game's high quality, unique identity, and standing as a worthy competitor or even superior alternative to GTA. Players viewed it as an underrated masterpiece, appreciating its humor, epic scope, and the developers' achievement in creating a well-designed and enduring product. Its balance and unique style earned it high praise.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger stemmed from unresolvable technical issues that rendered the game unplayable or led to severe data loss, prompting calls for refunds. Players also expressed frustration with perceived developer laziness, poor design choices, and changes to beloved characters or the series' tone. The game being labeled a 'mockery' of its predecessors fueled strong negative reactions.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players expressed appreciation for the game's unique identity, evident attention to detail, and its ability to provide comfort during difficult times. They valued its role as a peak in the series, its fresh perspective in the genre, and its balanced blend of plot, madness, and mechanics. The game's strong humor and quality as an alternative to GTA were also frequently lauded.
- Acceptance (weight 0.01): Acceptance was observed when players acknowledged and tolerated the game's flaws, such as bugs, dated graphics, or a less serious tone, for the sake of its overall fun gameplay. They were able to look past these shortcomings to enjoy the experience, understanding them as part of the game's charm or age. This included being okay with a 
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm reflected a strong, overarching positive feeling towards the game, often leading to strong recommendations and declarations of it being the 'best' in the series or genre. Players were highly committed to the franchise, praising the game's overall quality, high value, humor, action, and character creation. The game's philosophy of prioritizing fun resonated deeply with them.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love represented a deep affection and strong emotional connection to the game itself, or the entire franchise. Players considered the game a 'love letter' and expressed immense enjoyment across all its aspects. This sentiment indicated a profound personal appreciation and attachment to the Saints Row series, particularly this installment.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom typically set in due to repetitive tasks required for 100% completion or general gameplay issues that made the experience uninteresting and outdated. Players also reported getting bored quickly when playing alone, finding the missions disconnected and the overall gameplay loop unengaging after a short period.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Players experienced general fun from the game's enjoyable gameplay, especially in co-op mode. They appreciated the mindless mayhem and humor, often enhanced by character upgrades and hilarious customization options. The game's ability to consistently provide an entertaining and lighthearted experience was a key factor.
- Neutrality (weight 0): Neutrality described reviews that provided a balanced assessment, often recommending the game despite acknowledging specific flaws or offering purely informative content without strong emotional bias. Players sometimes found the game to be a 'decent piece of work' that, while enjoyable, didn't leave a strong lasting impression.
- Gratitude (weight 0): Gratitude was expressed towards the developers, Volition, for creating such a good game, especially when it provided a positive and helpful experience during difficult personal times. Players were thankful for the enjoyable game and its beneficial impact on their mood and well-being.
- Approval (weight 0): Approval was granted for the game's successful combination of iconic style with engaging gameplay, making it accessible and enjoyable for new players. Specific aspects like cool story, good graphics, audio, optimization, and character development also received positive endorsements, contributing to a memorable action experience.
- Helpfulness (weight 0): Helpfulness involved providing critical technical recommendations, modding tips, or detailed solutions for common game bugs and performance issues. Reviewers shared information about fan-made localization patches and optimization methods to assist other players in overcoming obstacles and enhancing their game experience.}