Much like the PlayStation Vita, the Nintendo Switch has quickly become a way to play high quality games on the go. This has led to a lot of beloved games, be it Final Fantasy or Dragon’s Dogma, getting a second life on the console. With games like Grand Theft Auto being among the most in-demand titles, something that has y5et to be announced or even hinted at, Deep Silver is here to fill the void with Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package. Is this enough to fill that void or is it just a reminder how much better Grand Theft Auto would be on Switch?
Saints Row: The Third follows your customized character after overcoming the gangs and Ultor Corporation in Stillwater from the second game. After claiming victory and achieving superstar status for their actions, the Saints are back in action to where they can pretty much do whatever they want, which leads to a bank heist. Hoping they will succeed in what they are planning, they fail in which they have found themselves in bars soon after- thus getting the attention of a large crime organization called The Syndicate. With the new crime organization planning to take over Steelport, the Saints must reclaim their forces back and fend off the Syndicate.
With the job of doing whatever it takes to take back Steelport, you will do every mission it takes to do just that. With a plethora of main missions and sidequests that you can do, your quest in reclaiming back Steelport will be possible as long as you go all-out.
Similar to Grand Theft Auto games, Saints Row: the Third is an open-world crime game. From the get-go, many will find it to be a clone of Grand Theft Auto but digging deeper into it, Saints Row: The Third offers more when it comes to gameplay that makes it super fun to play.
At the beginning of the game, you start off with creating your customized character. The choices that you get to choose from can be overwhelming but once you get past that and the prologue bank-heist mission, that’s where the game starts. Immediately after landing to Steelport, the city is yours to explore. Quickly gain access to activities, story missions, gather new gang members, or just do any events that are just available at every corner of the city. For an open-world game, the amount of content Saints Row offers is as many as Grand Theft Auto games. What makes the two games apart from one another is the way Volition tackles the missions and the amount of sidequests that you can do and how crazy you can go about it. Yea – does swinging a dildo at your enemies sound fun to you?
The content in the Switch version of Saints Row the Third is massive. After arriving in Steelport, a plethora of previously-released DLCs from the PS3 and Xbox 360 version gets unlocked. This means, the DLC missions like Genki Bowl will be unlocked right away, and all sorts of customization that you can do for your character. After finishing the story mission of Saints Row: The Third, it doesn’t simply end there as you can drive your way up to the massive city of Steelport and take up the extra content the game has to offer. Trust me, when I say the game is massive, it really is as there are a lot of things the game has to offer if you take the time to explore.
One of the questions many are asking about the game is how well the game runs on the Nintendo Switch. Being an open-world and all, the game runs fine on handheld mode. At 720p, the game is playable but the technical problems that were found in the original version isn’t fixed at all. That means expect glitches all over, screen tearing, and texture pop-ins here and there. As far as docked mode goes, many would expect that it would run a lot better but that’s actually not the case. In docked mode, the slower frame rates are more noticeable and the edges are just too rough. Comparing it to the original version, it’s clear that Deep Silver’s Fishlab did a lot of compromise to make the game run on the Nintendo Switch. It doesn’t play perfect but it’s bearable to play it from beginning to the end. Between the docked and handheld, I would play the game all the way on-the-go as it provides a better experience.
Visually, Saints Row: The Third looks alright on the Switch, As mentioned earlier, the compromises the developer has to do to make the game run on the Switch can be clearly seen. It’s compressed – so don’t go expecting it to be looking as good as the original. If you get pass its technical problems, then you are in for a joyride on-the-go.
Gamers who love co-operative play will find it in Saints Row: The Third. With Nintendo Switch Online required, players can look for other people to play where they can jump into your game and do missions together.
Verdict
Despite technical limitations, including subpar frame rates, glitches that were present in the original, and weak performance while docked, Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package remains one of the best open-world games on Switch. This makes it, like always, a solid choice for newcomers or those who want to explore a world on the go, assuming you can overlook the shortcomings.
[Editor’s Note: Saints Row: The Third was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
