What we want from Saints Row: Drive By
A new Saint’s Row game has already been announced for the 3DS. But will it prove an escapist thrill or a footnote in the console’s line up? And can it better that “other” sandbox crime game? Here’s what we want from the 3DS version.
If Grand Theft Auto is gaming’s answer to Pulp Fiction, then Saints Row must be our Kill Bill. The Saints Row series does a fine job of impersonating the basics of GTA, but brasher, bolder and – whether this is a compliment or not I’ll let you decide – stupider. GTA with bells on; very silly, attention-seeking, immature, but often entertaining bells.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars won great acclaim on the DS. Yet so far, there’s been no announcement of a 3DS GTA from Rockstar. That leaves a big gap for a competitor to fill; something Saints Row: Drive-By is hoping to do. We don’t really know much about the game apart from the title. The Drive-By suffix suggests the focus is on driving, and there’s something about the name that suggests it’s a fleeting, bite-sized experience. The only other nugget of info is that it’s also coming to Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade as a stand-alone download.
This leaves our imaginations to fill in the gaps. Will Drive-By on the 3DS be a pass-upon or a flavoursome joyride? Here’s what we want from Volition’s criminal caper;
Chinatown Wars; a hit for Rockstar
More is more…
Saints Row is never going to be as polished as GTA – the selling point is the developers cramming in bucketloads of over-the-top content; and they know it. That’s why a streamlined handheld version just wouldn’t work. Here’s hoping that Volition really push the most out of the 3DS’ generous 2GB cartridges with plenty of activities and customisable options.
Use the camera
Talking of customisation, Saints Row 2 allowed you to deck out your character in very detailed – and potentially, very silly – outfits. Why not push it further for the 3DS – a console that can take both normal and 3D photos? I don’t just want to plaster my mug over my character’s face though – Saints Row’s world is hardly sacrosanct fiction, so why not get creative? I’m talking about running for mayor and making your own campaign posters – in-game billboards with 3D snaps of yours truly. Or how about using your own photography as vehicle decals? The potential is massive.
No 3DS shots yet - so here's a shot from Saints Row 2
Share the love
After I’m done with my tasteless creations, it would be nice to share them with other players – and check out their handiwork. Saints Row 2 also included co-op and other multiplayer options – it would be a shame not to see some of them appear on the 3DS.
Do you enjoy the wanton havoc of Saints Row? Or is the original still the best?
i hope it will be….saints row like not some minigame
or racing only. the 3ds with 2gb cartridges can do it “yes it can”
nintendo fans knew, that the gamecube had games with graphics that
overpowered the ps2 a lil’ bit and that’s with less than half disc space
compared to the 4,x gigs a playstation 2 game offers.
i know they can do a lot of impressive things with the ds
but that’s in the hands of the game-programmer.
the only limit is our own imagination, and hell yes we have tons of awesome
idea`s so im looking positiv in the future….
i would like a saints row like saints row 2, even a port would be nice with 3ds features
Saints Row could either be amazing, or an epic fail, although I'm leaning towards the negative one. I hope they do it right.
I'd much rather have a 3DS GTA though. If Rockstar does what they did with Chinatown Wars, and improves the graphics, we'll have a hell of a game.
[...] full on GTA3 style crime-sim is definitely plausible. There’s already a danger of upstart Saints Row stealing GTA’s crown, so Rockstar would be smart to announce a [...]