I got it expecting to hate it, but as I kept playing, I found myself legitimately enjoying it. Not begrudgingly enjoying it, not enjoying it outside of one or two small details, but actually being engaged in the story and gameplay. Which leads me to wondering why people had a problem with this game in the first place again?
It plays like the good old Saints Row games (I didn’t like the hell one, and the alien invasion one was also not that great to be honest). However, games have grown and developed over the years. You can’t expect someone to pay full price for Mario 64 anymore if it came out today.
I like the story and the characters, and honestly I didn’t really care for most of the old characters. The game just feels very empty, though. There are people and there are cars, but they don’t seem to do much. In games like GTA V or even Cyberpunk, the people around you feel a lot more engaged with the world around them.
It’s not a bad game, but it’s not great either. Early on the internet hivemind decided that this game was Bad and therefore every true gamer must call out that the game is Bad wherever people are playing it online, no matter how much fun they’re having. Yes, people could watch other videos online, but the gospel of Game Bad must be spread, it is every True Gamer’s task in life.
I liked the Hell and Alien Invasion one, but I understand why people wanted something more grounded, and tbh, I didn’t like the introduction of Super Speed. While the “Powers” idea is a good one, being able to fly and run REALLY REALLY fast make the vehicles pointless…