Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is a bit of an oddity when it comes to the recent wave of remastered and re-released games. It was released almost a year and a half ago (check out our review) and, while having a strong fan base, it isn’t on the same level of popularity as a Grand Theft Auto V or The Last of Us. I’m sure that I can speak for many people when I say that it getting the remastered treatment was a bit confusing. With that said however, it’s a hilariously fun game that does deserve a second chance at success —a “second term”, if you will.
I’m just going to come out and say it. As far as remasters go, Saints Row IV is probably the least impressive one I have ever played, and I’ve played a ton. The resolution and frame rate is higher, but that is a given since it’s a remaster of the original. There are some commands that are operable with the touch pad on the PlayStation 4 edition, but since they are somewhat clunky, you’ll probably just stick to using the face buttons anyway. Aside from that minor change, the game is exactly the same from the visual standpoint. Don’t get me wrong; the art style is great, and each character model has its own unique personality, but it isn’t very different from its previous-gen iteration.
The game does include all available downloadable content for the game, along with a completely new Gat out of Hell expansion (which we’ve reviewed). Enter the Dominatrix offers an alternate take on the events of the game. As you may know, this DLC is what gave birth to the full Saints Row IV game. The Saints Save Christmas is a silly side-adventure where the Saints have to kill human sized ginger bread men in order to save Santa Claus from aliens. Yes, it’s just as ridiculous as it sounds but this is Saints Row, so it fits perfectly. The stand-alone game is already a robust experience, but with these DLCs thrown into the mix, it adds even more bang for your buck.
I won’t go into super (pun intended) detail as you can read our full review, but the actual Saints Row IV game itself is just as fun as it always was. With each game in succession, the Saints Row franchise continues to go more and more over the top as the series continues. I thought the third game was already completely outrageous and excessive but this one cranks the crazy all the way up to 11. The fourth wall is constantly being destroyed with the characters commenting on how ridiculous their situation is. Let’s not forget all of the gameplay elements which just add to the overall insanity.
As far as the story goes, Earth is invaded by aliens who trap the residents of Steelport in a virtual version of the city. In your fight against the protagonist, you gain superpowers and use them to thwart the aliens in hilarious ways. Running at hundreds of miles per hour, gliding, and using all of the zany powers and alien weapons never gets old. Though you eventually become an overpowered god, you don’t care because you’re having a blast (literally). The repetitive nature of the missions doesn’t matter when you’re causing so much havoc around you.
As fun as the game is, it’s far from perfect. Yes, there are a wide variety of cars and modifications for them, but vehicles essentially become useless once you gain the ability to glide and run at super speed. Most of the story missions themselves take your powers away for various reasons. This ups the challenge level, but it feels a bit cheap. Finally, though you can use your powers in them, the game is comprised mostly of side missions. These missions are fun of course, but the amount of them almost makes it feel as though the game is just a bloated DLC whale, since actual story missions are few.
If you’ve played Saints Row IV and own the previous DLCs, then it’s probably best to just buy the stand-alone Gat out of Hell since that is the only new material here.
Though this is an overall fun game, it’s not worth getting if you’ve played Saints Row IV before. Gat out of Hell is the only new addition and that can be purchased separately. Those who have not played the original definitely owe it to themselves to check out Saints Row IV: Re-Elected. While it may be a bit heavy when it comes to side missions, it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable open-world experiences you could have with a game that contains so much hilarious satire.
This review of Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is based off a retail copy for the PlayStation 4 which was paid for out-of-pocket.
