Saints Row IV: Re-Elected Review (PS4)

So I started this game about 2 years ago when I first purchased it. I finished the game, then I got frustrated with the game, and then my buddy @tjarvinen86 kicked my ass into shape and said he would help me get the platinum trophy for this game because it was super easy and there was no reason why it should just be sitting in my backlog. So after going back to this game after 2 years away, that’s what I did. With the help of my buddy I was able to get all of the trophies for this game so that means that it’s time for a review.

In Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, you’ll continue your journey as leader of the most popular street gang in the world, The Saints. Basically picking up where the third game left off, you are now so popular that even the government wants your help. So that’s what you’ll do, you’ll help out the government for a small portion of the game before becoming the President of the United States in a weird little twist of events. All is going well as you basically try to run the country the same way you ran your gang, that is before aliens invade and basically destroy the whole world leaving only you and your gang buddies alive in a simulation. It’s now up to you to make your way through digital Steelport, save your buddies, reunite with an old friend, and defeat the evil Zinyak.

I have to say that I thought this game was great. It takes the crazy shit that goes on in each and every Saints Row game and just amplifies it by 100%. Not only that, but it throws in some RPG elements just for shits and giggles as it parodies Mass Effect and throws in some other sci-fi nerdy stuff to parody just for fun. What’s not to love about that? I thought that the story to this game, while crazy, was still super fun to play. Not to mention now you have super powers to go along with a digital simulation since it’s not the real world anymore. Need a car? Not anymore as you can just zip through the city as you run at super fast speed. Need to get up on a roof? Not a problem, you can super jump from the floor to the roof, or wall run on really tall buildings. Did I mention that you can also hover and kind of fly? You can do both of those things too. Some things remain the same though as you still have to take over parts of the city, but this time you’re taking them over from Zinyak and his aliens instead of other gangs. You’ll also be participating in those crazy mini games that have also been amplified by 100% like Insurance Fraud, Tank Mayhem, and a new Professor Genki bowl.

The playability of this game is similar to the other Saints Row games, but you now have to get used to using the super powers. It’s not that hard since you don’t get all of them at once so you’ll be able to adjust and they’re actually a welcomed change up because they make the game more interesting. Unfortunately though this game does suffer from some bugs and glitches. I hate the fact that I had to save my game every so often for fear of the game crashing, which it did through the main campaign on several occasions, in order to save my progress on challenges. Not to mention the servers are a little sketchy, but we’ll get to that in a little bit when we talk about the multiplayer.

Now I would say that these aren’t the best graphics for a game that’s on the PS4, but before writing this review I went back to the PS3 version of this game and holy hell I have to say that when comparing the graphics, you can see huge changes from the PS3 version to the PS4 version. That’s great considering that this is a remaster because I’ve played a bunch of remasters and I usually don’t recognize the difference. Maybe somethings are a little more clearer or a little more detailed, but this game got a huge overhaul. So while these aren’t the best graphics that I’ve seen on a PS4, they are way better than the PS3 version of this game.

Now onto the trophies for this game, there are a total of 51 trophies for this game, 71 if you add on both DLC’s that come with the game. Now the trophies are super easy just like my buddy said, they just require some work, grinding, and some major dedication. That being said, they are doable either by yourself or with a buddy. I have to say that if you have a major grind for trophies, it’s always more fun with a buddy so if you’re thinking about getting this game, make sure you have a buddy to play with so the grinding won’t be so bad. The trophies are what you can expect from a Saints Row game and have basic story missions trophies, crew loyalty trophies, just another parody of Mass Effect, and of course some crazy trophies thrown in there because it wouldn’t be Saints Row if there weren’t crazy trophies.

So while there is no multiplayer for this game, there is co-op. I always find that co-op games are more fun to play anyway especially when you have a buddy to play with. Special thanks again to @tjarvinen86 who already had this platinum trophy, but came back to this game just to help me get mine. While I easily got bored playing this game alone and gave up on it, playing in co-op mode just made this game more fun and was a real highlight of the game. That being said, there were some server issues and it took a while to connect to each other’s game, but when the game was connected it worked just fine. Now while co-oping with a buddy is fun, co-oping with random people is not. This is one of those games where you want to play with a buddy, not with some random person. This isn’t a serious game and a lot of random people playing this game are really serious, it was nice to play with my buddy and get to act like a complete jackass as we both had fun with it.

Overall I give this game a 4 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ It’s Saints Row so it’s a crazy game. The storyline is crazy, the gameplay is crazy, and it’s your typical Saints Row game. If you’re a fan of Saints Row then this is great because it’s everything that you want in a new game.
+ The parodies are strong with this game and if you’re a Mass Effect fan, this game will be hysterical as it pokes fun of crew loyalty missions, romance options, and even the controversial Mass Effect 3 ending. Not to mention it also parodies a bunch of other sci-fi nerdy stuff and it was great.
+ The gameplay is basically the same from previous games with some added changes that are easily slip into the game making it still the same Saints Row game that you know how to play already.
+ While these aren’t the best PS4 graphics, compared to the original graphics on the PS3, there’s a huge improvement in this remaster. So huge that it’s noticeably obvious that this game had a complete overall to be brought over to the PS4.

What’s Not So Great:
– This game is filled with bugs and game crashing glitches that it’s a must that you save your game at least every hour or every time you complete a challenge because this game is that unpredictable.
– While the servers for this game work, they aren’t all that stable and you might have a hard time connecting to a buddy or a random is your looking to actually utilize the co-op function for this game.

I would say that out of all the Saints Row games, that this is probably my favorite one. I love the story and the crazy antics that Saints Row brings and I love how this game parodies a bunch of stuff including Mass Effect. That being said, I guess the parodies would be lost on someone who hasn’t played Mass Effect or lived through the Mass Effect 3 ending drama. Even if you haven’t played Mass Effect or seen the sci-fi movies that are parodied in this game, it’s still a fun game to play and if you’re a Saints Row fan I would highly recommend it. If this is your first Saints Row game, I would say that you’re going to be a little lost on the game story wise as it relies heavily on the fact that the player has played the previous games, but it’s still a playable game. Just expect to be a little lost every once in a while. Since I’ve only played the third Saints Row game, some of the earlier stuff was lost on me, like when it went back to stuff that happened in Saints Row 2, but it was still enjoyable. I would say that if you’re a fan of games like GTA, then this might also be a game for you because it has the same aspects of a GTA game, just in a more funny setting and universe. That being said, this game, like all games, isn’t for everyone so if this isn’t your type of game, then it’s just not your type of game.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected – Enter the Dominatrix DLC Review (PS4)

I really can’t remember the last time that I’ve played DLC or even reviewed it because to be honest with you, I’m not really that big into DLC as of late as I used to be. Even for games that I like, I rarely buy it and it seems like the games that I want DLC for, yes I’m talking about you Mass Effect: Andromeda, I don’t get it so what’s the point. Anyway, the only reason I played this DLC and finished it was because I had most of it done already when I initially played Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and in the process of getting the platinum for that game I was also able to collect all of the trophies for this DLC so that means it’s time for a review.

In Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Enter the Dominatrix, you play as your character after the main campaign of the game. This DLC tells an alternative version of Saints Row IV in a comical way where instead of the digital Steelport being run by the Zin and Zinyak, it’s being run by a rouge AI called the Dominatrix. The whole DLC is basically told as “lost footage” that’s found by some random reporter and each Saint will have something to say about the scenes and what takes place during the DLC. While not that long of a DLC, it has the same humor as Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and fits the game nicely while giving you some new weapons to cause mayhem with.

So, I thought that this DLC was OK. It was a while since I had originally played it to when I actually finished it so there was about a two year gap in the whole progression of the story. I like the “exclusive” interviews that were given during the DLC where the Saints talked about how things should have been done differently and how they were over budget for some scenes so it’s done as a story board instead of an actual game portion. It has the same humor that Saints Row IV carries throughout the rest of the game so it was a fitting DLC, it wasn’t that long of a DLC though, but it did give you some more badass weapons to add to your arsenal so it was kind of a give and take DLC.

The playability of this DLC was basically the same as the main campaign of the game especially since this was just an extension. Nothing really changed and everything basically stayed the same. The good thing that came from this was that it ran bug and glitch free so that deserves some kudos and some extra bonus points.

The graphics of course are also the same as the main campaign of the game and match up perfectly. I have to say that after waiting and then playing again two years later, I thought that the graphics were pretty good and held up well. They weren’t the best graphics, but let’s face it that overall game doesn’t have the best graphics, but they match the rest of the game and that’s what matters.

There are a total of 10 trophies for this DLC added onto the already existing 51 base trophies for the game and the other 10 trophies for the How the Saints Saved Christmas DLC. The trophies are fairly easy to get and just require some grinding along doing some specific things. I was seriously done with trying to get the final three trophies that I needed to get for this DLC until my buddy @tjarvinen86 basically pushed me to get the trophies because I had to have the 100% in this game. Thanks for helping me grind the weapon trophies buddy and for helping me pop all of Paul’s polyps. I couldn’t have made it through Paul’s ass without you.

Since I’ve already said that my buddy helped me, there is multiplayer in this game, but not a PVP type of multiplayer, but a Co-Op mode. I don’t mind this multiplayer especially when playing with a buddy who wants to just be a complete jackass with me and not be so serious about things. Gaming should be fun right? I have to say that this is one of those rare occasions where the multiplayer was just great because the game is just a silly one and it’s fun to be just a silly with someone while playing the game.

Overall I give this DLC a 3 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ This is a pretty fitting DLC and it tells an alternate but shorter story than the one told in the main campaign. It even throws in some extra stupid things for shits and giggles because what would Saints Row be without all of the crazy shit that it does?
+ The playability and graphics are consistent with the rest of the game and there are no bugs or glitches to report about. Even two years later the graphics pretty much hold up on the PS4.
+ One of the rare games where playing with a buddy is more fun than playing by yourself as long as you have the right person to play with.

What’s Not So Great:
– This DLC is extremely short and the only reason that it was played was because it came with the game. If I had to pay for it I would have been even more disappointed because it wouldn’t have been worth the going rate of how much DLC costs now a days.
– Some of the trophies require a real grind and can become annoying at times especially some specific mission based trophies that require you to do something. There is the option to go back and not start the whole DLC over again but pick the missions that you want, but who the hell wants to do the same mission over and over again in order to get one trophy?

So if you have Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, you might as well play this DLC because it came with your game. It seems foolish to not play something that’s included and you’ve paid for. Anyway, if you’re going to play, I would suggest playing with a friend because that’s how Saints Row was made to be played and it makes the game 10x more fun as you can just be a jackass with a friend. If you’re thinking about purchasing this DLC for Saints Row IV on the PS3, I would say that unless you are absolutely in love with Saints Row and have to play every single thing available to you, then skip it because it’s short and not worth the time it’ll take to just run through it and it’s not really worth the money.

This Week in Trophies 11-11-2018 – 11-17-2018

This week had its ups and downs. While I was able to acquire two platinum trophies this week, yes two, I did go without internet for a while which meant that I wasn’t able to stream and I couldn’t play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as much as I wanted to. This put a little damper on my gaming, but I think I recovered nicely, so keep reading to find out what trophies I was able to get this week.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected – 100%

I finally got the platinum and 100% for this game this week and it’s all thanks to my buddy @tjarvinen86. I won’t say much about the game here, because everything will be in my review. As you probably already know, my reviews are backed way the hell up so it’s going to be a little while, but please be patient with me as I promise that a review for the whole game as well as the DLC Enter the Dominatrix will be out soon.

Burly Men at Sea – 100%

My second platinum trophy for the week, which is always a rare but welcomed occurrence. I can’t say much about this game either which just kills me because I want to talk about this game. This review will also be coming out soon, so just bear with me as I try to get everything out as soon as possible.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – 31%

So I was able to get one trophy for this game this past week and I’m fine with that. What I’m not fine with as that my internet was down again so I couldn’t stream this game and didn’t play. This has made me come to the sad conclusion that I just won’t be streaming open world games anymore making this my last open world game that I stream. They just take too much time to play and stream that it’s just not working for me. I do love this game though and will continue to enjoy it as I slowly make my way through it.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – 7%

So I’m still not able to get into this game and I just started chapter 3. I’m not sure if the game picks up from here or what’s going on, so at this point I’m a little disappointed and would have rather that I waited to get this game on sale or purchase Fallout 76 instead. I’ll continue to play this game as it seems I have no choice, but I’m not really all that happy about it.

A total of 30 trophies for the week, which basically cuts last week’s total in half, but I did get two platinum trophies so that has to count for something right? I’m also close to hitting the 9,000 trophy mark which has me really excited as I should hopefully be able to do it before the end of the year. Now for the upcoming week I plan on playing some more Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2, and some Dying Light in co-op with my buddy @tjarvinen86. I’ll let you know how things go next week.

This Week in Trophies 11-4-2018 – 11-10-2018

I have to say I had a pretty damn good week when it came to trophies. I was able to get one platinum, which was a given and thanks to my buddy @tjarvinen86, I was able to come really close to getting a platinum trophy in a game that I’ve been ignoring for the past two years. Anyway, onto the trophies.

Goosebumps: The Game – 100%

Just as quickly as I started this game, I also finished it. That means that I won’t be saying much about this game here and you’ll have to wait for my review of this game which should be out in a few weeks. I have a lot of game review and DLC content coming out within the next few weeks so be patient with me as I try to get everything posted.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – 36%

Can I tell you how much I still love this game? Yes it’s true, I’m totally in love with this game and I play every chance that I get. It’s an amazing game and I can’t stop playing it. That being said, the trophies are coming really slow and that’s fine with me because the one thing I love doing in this game is exploring.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – 4%

So I’m slowly coming around to this game, probably as slowly as this game is progressing. I’m not spending a whole lot of time with it, but I am spending some time with it and I still feel like I’m learning the ins and outs of it.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected – 93%

After finally being able to get a co-op session in with my buddy @tjarvinen86, this was the game we decided to play and because of him I’m one trophy away from my platinum trophy and I was finally able to finish Enter the Dominatrix. While I won’t say much about the DLC or the actual game since reviews on both of those will come in time, I will say that I had a great time co-oping this game with my buddy and this is one of those games that works better when playing with friends.

What Remains of Edith Finch – 100%

I didn’t know what to expect going into this game. All I knew was that it was short and I could basically get it done in one sitting. So I did all of that, got all of the trophies and before I talk more about it, you’ll have to wait for a review.

That was it for this week and are you ready for my total? A total of 60 trophies this week! How awesome is that! Pretty damn awesome for me. Now for the upcoming week, I doubt I can get another 60 trophies but I plan on finishing up Saints Row IV: Re-Elected once and for all, playing and finishing Burly Men at Sea, and of course playing some more Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2. I’ll let you know how things turn out next week.

Saints Row IV: Re-elected – How The Saints Save Christmas DLC Review (PS4)

While I like the Saints Row games, I really do, I’ve never really been into the whole idea of getting the DLC for this game. Luckily for me the DLC was included in the Re-elected version of the game for PS4 so I was able to finally experience what a Saints Row DLC included. Keep reading to see if I enjoyed it or now know why I’ll probably always pass on them.

It’s Christmas time in the world of Saints Row! Yes, even though the whole world is gone and it’s basically just the Boss and your crew mates, your crew will still be in the holiday spirit and want to celebrate Christmas because I hear it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I can relate to the Boss this time around as he/she is not a big fan of Christmas, neither am I for my own reasons, but it comes down to the fact that Christmas needs to be saved from the evil Clawz and since there’s no one else to do it, you’ll be assigned the task. Will the Boss be able to save Christmas? Will the Boss finally believe in the magic of Christmas and Christmas time? You’ll have to play the DLC to find out.

I went into this DLC not really knowing what to expect. I knew it would be crazy because it’s Saints Row, but I thought this DLC was a little over the top. The quests that go along with this DLC are mediocre at best and really only take a few minutes each to complete making this DLC take about 1 hour, 2 if you really stretch it and try to get all of the trophies. This time around you’ll work with future Shaundi and the original Santa to take down the evil Clawz. There are a few cool cut scenes and the end cut scene was probably the best out of the whole DLC. I’m not saying that this game made me believe in Christmas again or even like Christmas all that much, but it was nice.

The playability of this DLC is similar to the rest of the game. You’ll go to the ship to get your missions and then go from there, there isn’t anything special that you really have to do or new things that you have to learn. If you’ve been playing this game then it’s the same thing. I didn’t experience any problems with the DLC even though I’ve had a few problems with the game itself, but overall it ran smoothly.

The graphics are the same as the main graphics for Saints Row IV: Re-elected. I have to say that this being a remaster and all, I wasn’t really that impressed with the graphics. I found them to be similar to the PS3 version and not that much improvement made to them. Out of all the remasters that I’ve played, and I played a lot, this was one of the ones where I didn’t spot a visible difference. Maybe it’s just me.

Complete this DLC and you’ll be able to gain an additional 10 trophies. The trophies are pretty easy and if you miss some, because they are story related, you’ll be able to go back and get the trophy that you missed. This was pretty cool since I missed a couple of the story related ones but was able to go back and replay one mission to get the trophy that I needed instead of having to start a new game and play the DLC all over again.

There is co-op play for the whole game and even though I didn’t use it, I’m pretty sure you can play the co-op mode for this DLC as well since everyone who owns the PS4 version should have the DLC. Anyway, if you have a buddy who is also playing Saints Row IV: Re-elected, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to play this together.

Overall I give this DLC a 2 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ It’s a Christmas version of Saints Row, chock full of all the crazy antics that Saints Row has to offer.
+ Smooth running DLC that can be played after the main game or while you play the main campaign.

What’s Not So Great:
– A story that was a little over the top even for Saints Row.
– DLC doesn’t really add all that much to the original story of the game and is only really 1-2 hours long.
– For a remaster, the graphics are a little underwhelming and if there’s a Saints Row V, it hopefully will look a lot better.

So, I finally came to the realization that I’ve been missing absolutely nothing when it comes to the Saints Row DLC. It doesn’t really add anything to the story as a whole and it’s just another crazy couple of missions that take place in the Saints Row universe. If you have the Re-elected version of this game then I would say there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t play it since it’s there, but if you have to pay for it then I would say to give it a huge pass because you really aren’t missing anything.

This Week in Trophies 07-24-2016 – 07-30-2016

This was an exciting week in trophies as I was able to get a ton of them. This was due to the fact that I was wait for it…wait for it…demoted this week. Yes, one whole week after my promotion to begin with I was once again demoted. There’s a long and boring story that goes along with it that seems like something out of a movie, but that’s just how it goes. Anyway, I channeled all of my extra energy that I had exerted the week before into my new position back into gaming because why the hell not. Anyway, here’s how my gaming week went.

Saints Row IV: Re-elected – 83%
I finally finished the main story of this game and was able to get into some of the DLC. Unfortunately I still have a bunch of things to do for this game and it’s getting a little more than boring now. I really want to get the platinum trophy for this game but I’m losing a lot of my original interest in it now as I just play to complete challenges and try to get my 40 hours in. I did finish one of the DLC’s completely and I’ll have a review of that DLC within the next couple of weeks.

Fallout 4 – 90%
Not only did I play the new Vault Tech DLC that came out this week, I even went back and completed the previous Contraptions Workshop DLC. Neither of these DLC’s were what I was expecting them to be and I’ll have my review for both of those DLC’s this week and next week. While I’m not going to be playing Fallout 4 again anytime soon, I still look forward to the release of Nuka World.

Minecraft: Story Mode – 88%
With the release of episode 7, I figured I might as well play it since I payed for it even though I wasn’t really into it all that much. Needless to say, I completed the episode as I always do when I play and the review for this newest episode will be up within the next couple of weeks.

Prison Architect: Playstation 4 Edition – 5%
I had a moment of weakness last week as there was a Black Friday in July sale and I kind of splurged some of the games I had been waiting to buy. This was one of them and since I was a little bored with Saints Row IV: Re-elected and this was the smallest game memory wise that would fit on my system, I figured I might as well give it a try. So far, I’m enjoying the game and the little story that goes with it. This is one of those games that I’ll definitely be continuing to play in the upcoming weeks.

A pretty exciting week gaming wise as I got screwed over royally at work. Now I’m not sure if the upcoming week will be as exciting since I do have a tattoo appointment mid-week to finish up my FemShep tattoo from a couple of months ago. Did I mention that I almost got screwed out of my tattoo appointment because of a horrible spiteful person that I work with that I now have to call my boss? That’s a story in itself, but needless to say I will be gaming in my free time as much as I can and that includes trying to get the last three trophies I need to finish up Mass Effect 3, trying to complete Saints Row IV: Re-elected, and getting into Prison Architect: Playstation 4 Edition a little more. I’ll let you know how things went next week.

This Week in Trophies 07-17-2016 – 07-23-2016

While this week wasn’t all that bad trophy wise, I will say that I was away from my systems for a good two whole days. I know, I know, it was extremely tough for me to do but it had to be done. As you might have already guessed since I’ve been talking about it a little more here, my work schedule was absolutely crazy this week. This isn’t really a surprise since I already kind of knew this, but it is what it is. Here’s how my week went.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected – 48%

This was the only game I played this week that I actually got trophies in. I found this game to be the nice relief that I needed after some of my more stressful days at work. Those two days away from the game were aggravating, but at least I did get a decent amount of playtime in. I’m unsure if I’ll actually be able to get the platinum for this game or not seeing as how I didn’t on the PS3, but I’m going to keep playing until the end which is near and I’ll start on the DLC after that so you never know.

That was it for this week. Next week will probably be more of the same as I have no idea how work is going to be. The more I’ve been saying that the more and more I get disgusted with all of it. What happened to those carefree days of playing video games from morning to night? Unfortunately they no longer exist and whenever I get a chance to play, I play. While I continue on my journey with Mass Effect 3, I had quite the shocker this week when I had to take out yet another former squad mate that I never did before, I’ll also be playing Saints Row IV: Re-Elected. If I can finish Saints Row, then I’ll probably start something new…something I might have bought on a splurge. More about that next week though.

This Week in Trophies 07-10-2016 – 07-16-2016

This week was pretty great for trophies. I finally hit 60 platinum trophies which is a huge milestone for me especially since I didn’t get my first platinum trophy until 2012. By this time I had my PS3 for quite a while and played a bunch of games, but never really cared about trophies. That first platinum was what stared it all and what made me the trophy hunter that I am today. Moving on though, after a super crazy week at work, I did manage to get some play time in and start a new game even though I didn’t plan to. Here’s how the week went for me.

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell – 100%

I really didn’t think I could do it this week. I don’t know how many times my schedule changed at work making my gaming schedule just totally unpredictable, but I did it. I finally got the platinum for this game and I couldn’t have been happier. By the time the platinum came around, I was truly done with this game. I’ll let you know what I thought about the game as a whole this week in my upcoming review.

Saints Row IV: Re-elected – 13%

I know I said I wouldn’t be starting any new games because I wanted to finish the games on my PS4 to be able to clear up some memory, but after the week I had at work I just had to play something that I didn’t have to overly think about and that was light and funny. It was just one of those weeks especially when you have other people you work with who are extremely spiteful and just write their name over yours on the calendar for time off. I mean seriously, who the fuck does that? So, I’ve played this game before on the PS3, but I’m excited about getting back into this game on the PS4 especially since I never got the chance to play the DLC. So far, I’m having a good time playing.

That’s it for this week. A nice amount of trophies and a nice platinum for #60. Now for the upcoming week, which is basically a joke because I have no idea when I’m working because my schedule is all jacked up…again. My main focus this week will be Mass Effect 3 and Saints Row IV: Re-elected. Other than that I have absolutely no idea. I’ll let you know how things go next week.