Saints Row: The Third Switch Review - "Third rate saints"

The Nintendo Switch now has such a diverse variety of games available that there is something for everyone's taste. Fighting games, long RPGs, open world adventures, visual novels, platformers - the Switch has them all, and with Saints Row The Third, it officially has a hype crime-'em-up to complete the library.

Saints Row: The Third Full Package is the Saints Row game you remember, bundled with all of the DLC, and made portable. Not a bad set up at all, and having the third Saints Row game in a portable form factor is pretty great.

But wait, there's something amiss here. There are more than three Saints Row games, meaning that the Nintendo Switch is technically getting an older port, and not, say, Saints Row IV. Why is that?

Well, honestly it seems to be because Saints Row IV just wasn't as well received as The Third, and as such, we're getting the fan favourite. I'm here to say that's a good thing.

Saints Row: The Third was the first, and last, Saints Row game that I truly felt excited by, and with all of the DLC available on Nintendo Switch, revisiting the game has been a blast.

Explosive streets

Saints Row The Third Nintendo Switch

Blast being the key word. Saints Row: The Third has aged somewhat, and frankly dealing with some outdated feeling shooting and cover mechanics could quickly become frustrating, if it weren't for explosive DLC.

Tanks, armoured SUVs, big guns and a flying bike are all available to you, and all make the game way more interesting.

For those who don't know, the Saints Row series is basically Grand Theft Auto, if that series still had a decent sense of humour. The Saints are a street gang that somehow achieved Hollywood celebrity status in a city where crime is as much a part of the economy as any other job - if not more important.

The streets have regular gun fights, explosions, robberies, muggings, and more. Heck, even the story is ridiculous, seeing a hulking Eastern European beast cloned over and over again so you can shoot him down in the street.

Saints Row: The Third was the game where they realised that aping a series like GTA was a dead end, and decided to go on an absurd bender where they transform the game into this self-referential, ridiculous romp. And it's wonderful.

This is a game designed to be a game. These city streets are designed solely for the gameplay. It's great.

The story of the Saints overtaking the city and monopolising crime is just really dumb fun, a stupid story thrown in so the player has something to work towards, and that's all it needs. Saints Row: The Third is aware of what it is, and doesn't pretend to be something more.

The Third Rate Saints

Saints Row The Third Nintendo Switch

It's just dumb fun. And that fun is magnified when you have ridiculous weapons, one which summons a shark to eat people out of the street.

So should you play Saints Row: The Third on Nintendo Switch? That is a more difficult question. Frankly, this is an older game now, and if you have a half decent laptop, you can probably already play this on the go, with all the DLC, at a much cheaper price.

But, this is on Nintendo Switch. Yep, you're basically paying a convenience fee to play it portably on the handy handheld. And I'm torn as to whether it's worth it.

It's a fun game, and you'll enjoy it if you've never played before, but those outdated cover and shooting mechanics might frustrate the experience.

This is still a good game, but might be better for those looking to revisit it to have some fun, rather than those who have never experienced it before.

Regardless, this is yet another great title for Nintendo Switch owners to consider, and is surely the essential open world crime game for the console until it gets a port of Grand Theft Auto V or something.

Saints Row: The Third Switch Review - "Third rate saints"

A great open world adventure with plenty of shooting, explosions and a sense of humour. Not amazing, but well worth playing
Score
Dave Aubrey
Dave Aubrey
Dave is the Guides Editor at Pocket Gamer. Specialises in Nintendo, complains about them for a living.