Info about Saints Row®: The Third™ Remastered:

Official game description:
Saints Row®: The Third™ - Remastered gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. This is your City. These are your rules.  
Remastered with enhanced graphics, Steelport the original city of sin, has never looked so good as it drowns in sex, drugs and guns.  
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 bobblehead 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 fight against a highly-trained military force by your lonesome in the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen.
**The Full Package, Remastered**
--------------------------------
With enhanced graphics, improved lighting, reworked environments, and visual effects, Steelport and The Third Street Saints have never looked so good.  
**City of Sin** - Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and criminal rackets. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.  
**Weapons of Crass Destruction** – It’s one thing to defeat your enemies. It’s another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and outrageous melee weapons are all part of the fun.  
**Crazy Character Customisation** – Create the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed-up celebrities to maskless ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become?  
**Over The Top Co-op** – Fly solo or play online with a homie. Give freefall skydiving a try, landing in your partner’s flaming pickup as you make a desperate run toward a heavily armed Syndicate base. Steelport is always more fun with a friend.  
**All DLC included** – All three expansion mission packs and more than 30 pieces of DLC\* from the original version.

Release date: May 21, 2021

Categories: Open-World, Third-Person Shooter, Character Customization, Cooperative Multiplayer, Action-Adventure, Vehicle Combat, SandBox, Comedy

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 20; verdict: Poor; summary: The user reviews for this game highlight several key issues. Many players feel that the game is a cash grab, suggesting that the developers may have prioritized profit over quality. There are also significant complaints about the handling of DLC and additional content, with users feeling that the game does not deliver on promised extras. Technical issues such as bugs and crashes are frequently mentioned, further detracting from the game's quality. Overall, the sentiment is that the game is overpriced and does not live up to expectations set by previous iterations in the series.
- Proton/Linux: score 30; verdict: Minor Tweaks Needed; summary: The game generally runs well on Steam Deck OLED, indicating good compatibility with Linux-based SteamOS. However, there are some performance issues such as cutscenes locked at 30fps and audio desynchronization that require manual tweaks to fix. These issues suggest that while the game is playable, some tinkering is required for the best experience.
- Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals several significant issues. The most impactful problems include the lack of official Chinese language support and frequent crashes when using language patches, as well as general stability issues with frequent crashes and bugs. Graphical and audio issues, such as cutscenes locked at 30fps and audio desynchronization, also detract from the overall experience. While some users have reported positive experiences with controller support and performance, others have noted issues with aim assist and overall control.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with lower VRAM systems experiencing more crashes and optimization issues, while higher VRAM systems report a mix of positive experiences and technical problems.
  - Sample size: 42 (4% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (negative, 21 reports): Users report frequent crashes and optimization issues, requiring manual fixes for stable performance.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (mixed, 14 reports): Experiences vary with some users enjoying good performance and others facing crashes and bugs.
  - Caveats: 42 of 1152 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $3.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that the community finds the game worth purchasing only when it is available at a discounted price. Multiple reviews mention that the game is not worth its full price and should be bought on sale. Specific mentions of prices such as '3 or 4 dollars' and general recommendations to wait for discounts indicate that the community considers a fair price range to be significantly lower than the full price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 43.0h
  - Story completion: 16.5h
  - Session length: 3.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes direct mentions of playtime and completion aspects. The first quote suggests that the game provides continuous motivation to finish the story, implying a significant playtime. The second quote mentions the time taken to customize a character, indicating session length. The third quote provides a specific example of extensive playtime and completion on a different platform, which can be indicative of the remastered version's playtime. The fourth quote mentions progress without specific hours but implies significant playtime due to the depth of bugs encountered.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is highly enjoyable and fun, particularly in co-op mode, despite significant bugs and connectivity issues. The chaotic nature of the game and playing with friends are key drivers of fun.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Bugs and technical issues; Connectivity problems in co-op mode
  - Unlock drivers: Chaotic and ridiculous gameplay; Playing with friends in co-op mode
  - Conditions: Playing in co-op mode; Embracing the game's chaotic nature; Having a good sense of humor
- Player Archetypes:
  - Co-op Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Fun and entertainment with friends.
    - Playstyle: Cooperative multiplayer focused.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Co-op player; Fun-seeker
    - Reference games: GTA; Saints Row 2
  - Original Version Purist (no buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and preference for the original experience.
    - Playstyle: Single-player or cooperative, with a focus on the original game's strengths.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: Purist; Original fan
    - Reference games: Saints Row: The Third (original)
  - Completionist Achiever (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and unlocking all achievements.
    - Playstyle: Thorough and persistent, often replaying missions and activities to ensure full completion.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Completionist; Achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Saints Row series; GTA


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:
- Improved graphics and visuals (weight 0.63): The game features significant graphical improvements, including higher resolution, better textures, and enhanced visual effects. Players appreciate the visual upgrades and the overall better visual presentation.
- Fun and engaging gameplay (weight 0.42): The game is praised for its fun and dynamic gameplay, offering an enjoyable and engaging experience. Players find the gameplay to be entertaining and chaotic, with a mix of humor and absurdity.
- Inclusion of all DLCs (weight 0.17): The game includes all previously released DLCs, making the 100% completion feel more substantial. Players appreciate the additional content and the inclusion of all DLCs from the original game.
- Great co-op gameplay (weight 0.13): The game offers a great cooperative gameplay experience, with a well-functioning co-op mode that players enjoy. The co-op gameplay is praised for being fun and engaging.
- Extensive customization options (weight 0.13): The game provides extensive customization options, allowing players to customize various aspects of the game. Players appreciate the freedom and immersive customization options available.
- Awesome soundtrack (weight 0.09): The game is praised for its awesome soundtrack, with great music that enhances the overall experience. Players enjoy the background music and find it to be a highlight of the game.
- Engaging storyline (weight 0.09): The game is praised for its interesting and engaging storyline, with character development that keeps players invested. The plot is noted for being engaging and well-crafted.

Common complaints:
- Excessive bugs reported (weight 0.5): Players frequently report encountering numerous bugs, ranging from minor glitches to significant issues that disrupt gameplay. These bugs are noted to be more prevalent than in the original version.
- Co-op mode problems (weight 0.19): Cooperative mode is reported to be buggy and unstable, with frequent crashes and desynchronization issues. Players also experience connection issues and disconnects.
- Performance and frame issues (weight 0.18): The game suffers from various performance issues, including FPS drops, frame pacing problems, and micro-stutters. These issues are widespread and affect the overall gameplay experience.
- Audio and visual glitches (weight 0.17): Players have reported numerous audio glitches, including issues with vehicle sounds and general sound problems. Visual bugs are also commonly mentioned.
- Missing and worse content (weight 0.14): The remaster is criticized for having worse clothing options, soundtrack, and missing DLCs. Some players feel that certain aspects of the game have been downgraded compared to the original.
- AI behavior issues (weight 0.13): Players have noted problems with AI behavior, including erratic driving and outdated physics. These issues affect the overall gameplay experience.
- Outdated gameplay mechanics (weight 0.13): The gameplay mechanics are reported to feel outdated, which detracts from the overall experience. Some missions are noted to be overly long, repetitive, or tedious.
- Character model issues (weight 0.1): Character models are reported to look worse in the remaster, with some models in cutscenes being particularly criticized.
- Lack of Chinese language support (weight 0.1): There is a notable absence of language support for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese, which has been a point of frustration for some players.
- Save progress issues (weight 0.06): Players have reported issues with saving progress, including missions not being saved properly and progress being lost.
- Incoherent story (weight 0.06): The story is criticized for not being very deep and lacking coherence, which affects the overall narrative experience.
- Black screen and freezing (weight 0.06): Players have encountered issues with the game getting stuck on a black screen and general screen freezing problems.

Gameplay feedback:
- Chaotic and fun gameplay (weight 0.25): Gameplay focuses on chaotic mayhem and zany fun, with missions that are both fun and crazy, emphasizing destruction and exaggerated actions.
- Driving mechanics and vehicle variety (weight 0.18): The game features driving mechanics and a variety of vehicles, including cars, with different AI behaviors and handling.
- Character customization and models (weight 0.16): The game offers extensive character customization options and improved character models, including a character editor.
- Variety of missions (weight 0.16): The game includes numerous missions with a variety of challenges and activities, providing a diverse gameplay experience.
- Humorous and interesting plot (weight 0.13): The game has an interesting and humorous plot, with an absurd and comedic tone throughout the story.
- Gameplay mechanics (weight 0.08): The game features third-person shooter mechanics and various gameplay elements that are straightforward and effective.
- Variety of activities (weight 0.07): There are various activities to engage in, including side activities and mandatory tasks, contributing to the game's replayability.
- Easy difficulty and settings (weight 0.06): The game is noted for its easy difficulty, with settings that allow players to adjust the challenge level.
- 100% completion (weight 0.06): Players can aim for 100% completion, which includes main story missions, DLCs, and side tasks.
- Main story and side quests (weight 0.05): The game includes main story missions and a variety of side quests, providing a rich narrative experience.
- Achievement and progression system (weight 0.04): The game features an achievement system and progression mechanics to track player accomplishments and advancements.
- Co-op mode issues (weight 0.04): The game includes a LAN co-op mode, but there are noted issues and challenges with this feature.
- Game time and length (weight 0.04): The game has an average to quite long playtime, offering extensive content to keep players engaged.
- NPC interactions (weight 0.04): The game features interactions with NPCs, including spawning and running down NPCs as part of the gameplay.
- DLC and additional content (weight 0.04): The game includes DLC integration and additional content, expanding the gameplay experience.
- City design and polish (weight 0.04): The city in the game is designed as a giant playground, though it may not be the most detailed or polished open-world environment.
- Clothing customization issues (weight 0.04): There are noted issues with clothing customization, including a lack of clothing layers and poor options.

Performance notes:
- Graphics and visual issues (weight 0.16): There are various graphics-related issues, including problems with graphics settings, lighting, and visual artifacts.
- Improved performance in remaster (weight 0.15): The remastered version is noted for better performance and improved graphics compared to the original.
- FPS and frame issues (weight 0.14): Players report unstable FPS, frame drops, and frame pacing issues, affecting the smoothness of the game.
- Audio glitches and issues (weight 0.13): Various audio glitches and sound issues, including bugs and delays, affect the gameplay experience.
- Optimization problems (weight 0.12): There are mixed reports on optimization, with some players experiencing poor optimization and performance issues, while others find it well-optimized.
- Loading and connection problems (weight 0.08): Players encounter loading screen issues and connection problems, which can hinder the gaming experience.
- Vehicle and traffic issues (weight 0.08): Various issues related to vehicles, including sound desynchronization, clipping, and traffic problems, affect gameplay.
- Network disconnects (weight 0.07): Frequent network disconnects and disconnections are reported, impacting online gameplay.
- Co-op and server issues (weight 0.07): There are significant issues with co-op synchronization and server performance, making multiplayer problematic.
- Micro-stutters (weight 0.05): Players experience micro-stutters throughout the game, affecting the overall smoothness.
- High hardware requirements (weight 0.03): The game requires powerful hardware to run smoothly, which may be a barrier for some players.

Recommendations:
- Buy on sale (weight 0.32): Many players recommend purchasing the game during a sale or discount period to get the best value for money.
- Consider the original version (weight 0.28): Several reviews suggest that players might prefer the original version of the game over the remastered version, either for cost reasons or personal preference.
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.22): A significant number of players highly recommend the game, indicating it is a worthwhile purchase, especially for fans of open-world games.
- Recommended for specific player types (weight 0.21): The game is particularly recommended for fans of absurd, chaotic, and humorous games, as well as those who enjoy sandbox-style gameplay.
- Recommended for multiplayer (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for its cooperative play mode, suggesting it is enjoyable to play with friends.
- Gameplay tips (weight 0.05): Some players offer specific gameplay tips, such as doing side quests before the main story or disconnecting external controllers.
- Nostalgic experience (weight 0.04): Players recommend the game for those seeking a nostalgic experience and a sense of freedom.
- Conditional recommendations (weight 0.04): Recommendations are given based on specific conditions, such as liking GTA-style crime sandboxes or enjoying AAA open-world games from the early 2010s.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.27): Players are primarily frustrated due to a myriad of technical issues, including frequent game crashes, bugs in both single-player and cooperative modes, and problems with saving progress. Additionally, the remaster's poor quality, repetitive missions, and various gameplay issues such as unexpected respawns and AI problems contribute significantly to this frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.22): Disappointment stems from the remaster not meeting expectations, with players citing numerous bugs, poor optimization, and lack of significant improvements over the original. Many feel the remaster is an unfinished product with outdated graphics, missing features, and a decline in the franchise's quality.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.14): Players experience nostalgia due to the remaster bringing back fond memories of playing the original game, recalling childhood experiences, and appreciating the chaotic and fun gameplay that defined the series. The improved graphics and the ability to replay a beloved game with updated features also contribute to this sentiment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Enjoyment is derived from the game's unique tone and style, chaotic and fun gameplay, and the freedom and customization options it offers. Players appreciate the engaging story, humorous elements, and the overall entertaining missions.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction comes from the high-quality remaster, improved graphics, and smooth performance. Players are pleased with the overall gameplay experience, the inclusion of all DLCs, and the good value for the price.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Excitement is generated by the enhanced visuals, fun and chaotic gameplay, and the unique style and features of the game. Players are thrilled by the diverse and fun missions, improved graphics, and the overall engaging gameplay experience.
- Joy (weight 0.07): Joy is felt through the fun and humorous gameplay, engaging plot, and the ability to play with friends. The high fun factor, enjoyable activities, and the nostalgic experience of reliving old memories contribute to this emotion.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement arises from the game's ridiculous and over-the-top gameplay moments, humorous situations, and the chaotic and fun gameplay elements. The game's unique and humorous setting also adds to the amusement.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is caused by the poor quality of the remaster, frequent game crashes, and bugs. Players are also angry about the publisher's practices and the treatment of the franchise.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is driven by the highly enjoyable gameplay, great cooperative mode, and the game's soundtrack. Players are enthusiastic about sharing detailed information about the game's music and expressing preference for Saints Row over other similar games.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is shown for the updated aesthetics, graphical improvements, and specific character appearances. Players appreciate the visual enhancements and the attention to detail in the remaster.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Approval comes from the improved graphics and the similarity to the original game. Players approve of the controls working flawlessly and the overall polished experience.
- Regret (weight 0): Regret is felt by players who experienced playing the game alone, missing out on the cooperative fun.
- Sadness (weight 0): Sadness is caused by the game not running, preventing players from enjoying the experience.
- Surprise (weight 0): Surprise is due to the censored elements in the game, which players did not expect.
- Unease (weight 0): Unease is caused by the appearance of character faces, which some players find unsettling.
- Determination (weight 0): Determination is shown by players who are committed to replaying the game to unlock achievements and fully experience the content.
- Admiration (weight 0): Admiration is expressed for the game's storyline and missions, which players find well-crafted and engaging.
- Displeasure (weight 0): Displeasure is caused by the bugs encountered during gameplay, which detract from the overall experience.}