Saints Row IV

Our analysis

The completion of the series' transformation from subpar GTA knock-off into pure wacky comedy, casting the Saints leader as a superpowered US president fighting aliens in a simulated rerun of Steelport. It reuses the old sandbox but layers in Crackdown- and Prototype-style superpowers, plenty of licensed music, and relentless parody, even if the imitation sometimes mistakes reference for joke. The result is a complete mess, but a fun, funny, well-paced one that earns its chaos.

Our analysis

Initially skeptical, this turns into a winning superhero simulator carried by creative superpower traversal and combat, sharp sci-fi and pop-culture parody, and genuinely fun drop-in co-op. The biggest misstep is granting full superpowers within the first hour, which trivializes the challenge and makes vehicles and most content pointless, and the recycled city and weak gunplay show. Still won-over enough to earn a strong recommendation.