Saints Row series
 

Has anyone played these? Can anyone speak to what they're like? Apparently they begin like the GTA games with a lot of gang intrigue but quickly descend into weird goofy stuff and alien invasions?

I played 2 and it felt like the evolution and a better game than GTA, then I played 4....yeah now you had superpowers and it felt weird and didn't play it anymore since it wasn't what I was expecting. Unsure how well 2 has aged or if any of the other ones are good, but saint row 2 had a large following online so it wasn't just me, and it's not a series you hear about much anymore so i'm guessing no.

I played and beat the 4th one. The 2nd one is by far the funniest.

It started as an unapologetic GTA clone and pretty much gained a following for beating GTA to the 7th generation consoles. When GTA IV came out and completely shifted away from San Andreas with its realistic approach, Saint's Row ended up finding its niche by embracing chaos and customization and doing things people were looking for in GTA games that they weren't getting anymore.

You're not gonna get the same narrative, characterization, and scope out of Saint's Row that you would GTA, but what I loved about Saint's Row is that it ended up becoming a co-op franchise with the 2nd game which just made the game so much more fun. I also think the games just generally have better gameplay than the GTA series as well since it's not trying to mimic real human momentum which ends up making combat way more engaging. Saint's Row 2 even let you pick between different fighting styles and the weapon variety just kept getting more insane as the series went on with stuff like pimp hands, farts in a jar, and dubstep guns.

It's also different from the GTA series in that the story follows the same group of characters from game to game with your custom character having climbed the ranks in the first game and rebuilding the Saint's gang in the 2nd. The first 2 games are very similar thematically and artistically. They're very street level gang oriented games with the 2nd being one of the most beloved entries and a personal favorite of mine as well for how it built on the first game in just about every single way while also having some of the most memorable story moments in the series.

Part 3 is usually frowned upon by diehard fans for changing the series' identity and taking itself less seriously. The Saint's are no longer a common street gang and are instead a giant criminal organization in a brand new city and the game has a far more humorous tone than the previous entries. Regardless, it is usually in the conversation for best game in the series right next to part 2 as many feel the series finally found its identity in the refresh as it fully embraced the core pillars of what made the 2nd game so good.

The 4th one on the other hand is the entry that jumped the shark. It took the philosophy of the third game too far and just went into bizarre territory with all sorts of pop culture references and jokes that took the game from a wacky yet grounded sandbox to a full on sci-fi superhero game. It wasn't a terrible game by any means, it just strayed too far from what people enjoyed about the series. Overall though, I'd still highly recommend getting into the series. They were easily some of the best experiences I had on the 360.

At first they were intentionally absurd parody of GTA 3 and forward. But as the GTA series got more and more serious in tone, the Saints Row series kept things ridiculous and fun. I think the third one was my favorite. I didn't care much for the most recent one where you're in an alien simulation, it was really good game in itself but the city just felt boring.