Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row the Third is an experience unlike any other. It never takes itself too seriously, it remembers that games should be fun and they should entertain. It’s not that any particular part stands out above the other, rather, on the whole, everything is just downright awesome. The character creator alone warrants multiple playthroughs and the story is literally only half the game.

Like any good sandbox game, SR3 includes a bunch of optional side missions to pad out the roughly 13 hour campaign. While some of the side missions, like Escort and Trafficking are a little dull, the vast majority of them are a blast. Mayhem, Trailblazer, and Heli Assault are loaded with big explosions and destruction, while classics like Insurance Fraud have your character hurling themselves into traffic while ragdolling into as many other cars as possible. The much touted "Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax" is particularly fun.

Saints Row: The Third is my first in-depth taste of the Saints Row franchise and I came away wanting more. This ain’t no GTA I can tell you that, as Saints Row: The Third is the most crazy and insanely violent game I’ve played in years, perhaps ever, but it has a story to go with everything else and a very well implemented cooperative mode. The game is a well-done piece business, with obvious detail and care oozing out of every sin soaked pore.