Saints Row Xbox 360 screens + hands on impression

[OrangeSoul]

Reps from Volition were on hand at THQ's press event today to show off an updated version of Saint's Row. The upcoming third person action game for the Xbox 360 has come quite a ways since we got our exclusive look at it earlier this year. Though the version on display didn't stray too far from what's been shown previously in terms of content we managed to get a look at some new areas and get our hands on the game for a bit.

As with the E3 version of the urban action game, the demo of the game let you check out a district in the massive city being crafted for the adventure and get a brief taste of the assorted mechanics you'll use. We were able to walk around, jack cars, visit a shop, and bust caps into fools. The biggest point of note to everything on display was that the game was running on final Xbox 360 hardware. Despite the game's unfinished state and a few missing effects we finally got a proper sense of how it's going to run on the 360. The most striking aspect to the visuals was the 720p support which we have yet to be properly captured in screens and video for the promising game. To see the game purring along on an HD monitor is quite a sight. Despite the Volition reps expected obsessing over what was missing, the game still had a respectable amount of visual polish thanks to hi res textures and a striking sense of scale that was complemented by an impressive draw distance. The lighting still wasn't to where the team wants it to be, although a demo of the day and night cycle showed that it's certainly headed in a positive direction. Soft shadows and anti aliasing were also lacking but there was still plenty to appreciate on the visual front.

Aside from the visual flair on display we got an update on the various features that are being locked down for the title. The game will feature 80 base type vehicles that each feature unique handling. However you'll see hundreds of different cars thanks to a bevy of variants that will feature all manner of different looks for the vehicles in the game. You'll even be able to trick out your wheels to suit your tastes and have a sweet custom ride that includes little touches like working spinners on your rims. An in game MP3 player feature has been expanded to allow you to import tunes from any external device such as an iPod and use them as part of the game's soundtrack in addition to letting you use tunes you buy in the game to flesh out the music you'll be listening to. As far as the radio stations in the game go you can expect 10 music stations that will feature over a 100 music tracks and two talk radio stations. Another cool bit about the game's audio is the use of celebrity talent to spice things up. The game's voice cast is set to include a number of notable folk such as Michael Clark Duncan, Tia Carrere, Daniel Dae Kim, David Carradine, Michael Rappaport, Milla Kunis, Keith David, and Freddy Rodr?guez.

One element that was still coming together is the customization feature. While we weren't able to see the most recent iteration of the entire character creation system, we did get a look at what you can modify in the game's clothing shop. Besides the expected gear such as shirts, jackets, pants and the like, the Volition gang has gone the extra mile and included an underwear option to ensure that you have power over what kind of drawers people will be seeing.

We also got a look at the homie mechanic, which lets you ring up one of up to six characters you'll encounter in the adventure and gain as crew member, to see how it's being refined. In our demo we saw a feisty woman named Lin called over to help bust some caps in people. Though the demo showed Lin taking a passenger side position and basically supporting you by targeting whatever you shoot at to back you up, the team is aiming to tweak the mechanic to give you the option of having the AI controlled homie drive while you focus on shooting from the passenger side.

The last part of our demo gave us a look at a never before seen downtown area that had a San Francisco feel to it thanks to towering buildings and the chance to inspect some of the NPC's in the game. We got an idea of the level of pedestrians and cars to expect in the game, although Volition reps stated that both would increase some by the time the game is released. The pedestrians also showed the feedback mechanic that will find them reacting to your character by verbally commenting on his appearance. Besides the pedestrians we got a look at some of the NPC'S in the game and the detailed facial expressions they can do. Much like the cars in the game, you'll find a respectable number of character archetypes that can be modified to offer dramatic variations that bear little resemblance to the original models.

Once all the demoing was over we had the chance to try out the game ourselves. The on foot mechanics handled like a third person action game. There wasn't much in the way of surprises there, however the car mechanics did yield some nice touches. Driving, aiming, and shooting are a multitasking challenge to be sure at the moment although the mechanic is still in the process of being tweaked. However the nice touch to the driving is the camera which did an impressive job of automatically adjusting as we drove. Trusting the camera to do this took some time as we had our thumbs on the right analog stick our of habit. Based on this updated look Saint's Row appears to be on point to follow through on the promise we saw a few months ago. Though the game makes use of a now tried and true formula, Volition is playing with conventions and appears to be giving the 360 a strong game in its fledgling line up. Look for more on Saint's Row this October when we bring you more information on the game from Microsoft's X05 press event in Amsterdam.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/sai...0_flashtop_read

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

REALLY not the type of thing I would expect from a so-called NextGen console. Those graphics are more akin to XBOX than X360 in my mind!

[OrangeSoul]

REALLY not the type of thing I would expect from a so-called NextGen console.  Those graphics are more akin to XBOX than X360 in my mind!

586499427[/snapback]

the last similiar game on xbox

:rofl:

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

But I am comparing it to the BEST I have seen on the Xbox, and this doesn't really even come close.

As I have said before though - a screenshot isn't always a fair comparison.

[OrangeSoul]

But I am comparing it to the BEST I have seen on the Xbox, and this doesn't really even come close.

As I have said before though - a screenshot isn't always a fair comparison.

586499488[/snapback]

different genre of games have different graphical representation. for instance splinter cell on xbox will look inferior to splinter cell on xbox 360. the thing you have to see is, that saints row would be the minimum graphics just like grand theft had inferior graphics to alot of other xbox games. its a matter of perspective. :laugh: aahh this is funny

[OrangeSoul]

What's funny?  That X360 games are failing to inspire me?

586499505[/snapback]

whatever you say :laugh:

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

What's funny? That X360 games are failing to inspire me?

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Oh man, the fact that I am just not inspired is funny?

What is funny is that you can't take 1 tiny piece of criticism about the X360. Worse than JediXAngel. Bloody fanboys!

[stezo2k]

hardly impressive i agree... nothing that cant be done on the xbox.....

spose its more about gameplay too

[OrangeSoul]

Oh man, the fact that I am just not inspired is funny?

What is funny is that you can't take 1 tiny piece of criticism about the X360.  Worse than JediXAngel.  Bloody fanboys!

586499518[/snapback]

i like your criticism, its quite funny. anyway back to the screens and impression shall we

[OrangeSoul]

hardly impressive i agree... nothing that cant be done on the xbox.....

spose its more about gameplay too

586499519[/snapback]

ya gamespot said the gameplay looks awesome

[Danny Weed]

The car's are jaggy, so are the heads. Nothing that i'll be dieing to buy when it comes out tbh..

[Ironman273]

njlouch, the reason GTA doesn't look so good on the XBox or PS2 is that the resources are being used to render a whole or possible 3 whole cities at a time, with traffic, pedestrians, etc. We accept the GTA graphics because of the gameplay value. Now, here comes Saint's Row that not only gives us all that, but good graphics to boot. Either you're trolling or you fail to grasp this simple concept.

You can create a room and fill it with high-poly objects and look around it in the XBox or PS2. Great. That's a lot of fun... It's close to real, but insanely boring.

[TheTerminator]

The lighting is good but the textures and polys are so low? What gives?

[OrangeSoul]

The lighting is good but the textures and polys are so low? What gives?

586499572[/snapback]

Despite the game's unfinished state and a few missing effects.....

[Noveed]

doesnt look bad but then again its not looking very next gen... i can see some next gen touches to it but not much... anyone who says it is same as xbox look at it again and then say it.... if not u need ya heads testing...

[munashii]

Well, they better get their asses moving because the graphics are looking pretty crappy. I'm an xbox360 fan all the way, but get serious.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Why does everyone think I'm talking about GTA here????

I think GTA looks RIGHT for it's style. People need to read what I actually say. What I said about this was:

The graphics don't look very NextGen, which I stand by. I don't give a rat's ass about gameplay, size of city, whatever - because we are looking at STILL SCREENSHOTS. A still screenshot is only really able to be judged as a graphic, and these one's ain't great.

I've seen other X360 graphics that I think are amazing!

[betasp]

Futher proof that the 360 is an evolution, not a revolution.

[Andrew Lyle Global Moderator]

im not impressed with those graphics.. they are nice and all.. but at xbox 1's max potential.. you could run that game.

i seen better graphics in PGR2 for god sakes

[Toxicfume Veteran]

"Unfinished states and few missing effects" huh? Let's see how much more can they improve from those screenshots until the finished state.

[Hipster]

watch in motion and you might change your mind a little.

[Veedems Veteran]

That video actually looks much better and I love how the character can be hit by flying debris. That said........stop ripping off GTA.

[Noveed]

video looks much better than screens.... GJ :)

[killmaster84]

Looks alright.