Saints Row preview : Anarchic fun, dull characters

If you chart the history of the Saints Row franchise, what started out as a fairly generic open-world game in the model of GTA eventually wound up with the player character becoming President of the United States and fighting their way out of hell. While the original incarnation of the franchise lasted less than a decade, it managed to evolve to such levels of lunacy that an attempt at a Saints Row V feels like it would be impossible, short of Johnny Gat fist-fighting God. That’s why the latest game – the first since 2013 – is a full reboot, in which The Saints aren’t quite as you remember them. VGC recently got to watch a gameplay demonstration, which begins at the start of the game when The Saints gang isn’t even formed. Early on, your character will be taking on odd jobs to make cash in order to begin building their empire. The first mission we saw featured the players robbing a payday loan shop. Interestingly, the robbery itself was entirely in cutscene and didn’t become gameplay until the character was