Saints Row (2022) (Xbox One/SX)

Saints Row will zurück zu alten Open-World-Tagen, vergisst dabei aber aktuelle Gepflogenheiten wie Missionsdesign oder Optik mitzunehmen. Kurzweilig, albern und charmant kann es ein wenig besetztes Feld im Genre abstecken. Doch ein wirkliches Reboot ist es dabei nicht. Eher ein Zurückfahren der Verrücktheit und Auffahren von alten Tugenden.

It may not push your new hardware to the limit and is a little rough around the edges, but the latest Saints Row is everything it needs to be, delivering a wonderful comedic experience with plenty of depth.

Its story is simple and fairly predictable, yet spending time with its diverse and well-rounded characters makes it worth seeing through to the end. It's a shame the gameplay isn't quite as progressive, opting instead for out-of-date mechanics and level design. Combat is decent, and the story missions are enjoyable when at their most over-the-top, but there's too much bland filler in between.

This latest outing is my favourite game in the series to date, so while basic combat and dips in visual quality are disappointing, they did little to keep me away from Santo Ileso. You'll struggle to find anything ground-breaking though this sandbox is bursting with entertaining things to do, ideal for sharing with a partner in crime.

The campaign likely isn’t going to strike a chord with a lot of people, but the muck-about nature of the world map kept me playing longer than I expected. A sequel that leads into its biggest strengths has a lot of potential.