After defeating all of their opponents in Stilwater at the end of Saints Row 2, the Saints quickly transformed their street gang into a media empire by uniting with the Ultor Corporation. They have since become an icon, with their energy drink, a massive fan base, and a film deal in the works. When a fellow actor, Josh Birk, attempts to “research” his role for the Saints film, they rob a bank and are apprehended. The Syndicate, an international crime organization, buys the police and frees the Saints’ leaders, Gat and Shaundi. They are then brought before the Syndicate’s chief, Phillipe Loren, to try to do business. Loren promises them in flight that they will be permitted to survive, provided they give over two-thirds of the Saints’ revenue in Stilwater. The gang leader declines his offer, resulting in a firefight. The leader and Shaundi flee the plane, while Gat tries to hold off the enemies and is likely dead.
To exact vengeance on the Syndicate, the Saints travel to Steelport, a city previously known for its thriving manufacturing but now suffering from economic ruin. The Syndicate already controls Steelport through three gangs: The Morningstar, led by the DeWynter sisters and Loren personally, the Luchadores, led by Mexican wrestler Killbane; and The Deckers, led by Matt Miller and his group of computer geniuses who deal with money laundering and oversee the Syndicate’s security. The Saints must now take control of the city, fighting off rival gangs and attempting to recover their former grandeur.
The third main game in the sandbox shooting and driving series is Saints Row: The Third. It, too, concentrates on third-person action, free-roaming driving, and urban combat. The protagonist, the leader of the Third Street Saints, travels Steelport and completes missions that advance the game’s plot and side missions. Activities are launched at random spots in the game world; Strongholds, opposing gang bases that can be taken over to control areas of Steelport; and Flashpoints, which are actual gang combat.
Mission completion grants the player money, guns, automobiles, and gang notoriety. Previously, reputation was used to access new missions in Saints Row games; The Third uses reputation as experience points, which can be spent to improve weapons and cars with various features, such as adding scopes or extra barrels to guns. Money can be used to alter the gang’s appearance, clothes, and headquarters. An Initiation Station feature allows players to post their generated characters to an online community and even download other players’ characters to use with their save game. Finally, money can be utilized to acquire shops and other assets in Steelport, which will become a source of income for the gang over time. Some missions can be approached in several ways, and others require the player to make decisions.
Along with the usual arsenal of handguns and automatic firearms, novel weaponry is developed. Players can order airstrikes on enemy camps or use a remote control electric insect to operate vehicles from a distance. Unlike the previous two games, no health recovery consumables are available; instead, health regenerates faster outside combat. Holding down a particular button speeds up almost every action in the game; for example, hijacking a car causes the player character to missile-kick the driver out of the seat.
The game also has a co-op mode. Like Saints Row 2, the second player participates in all missions and activities and receives credit for completing them. When there are two players, some activities have different regulations. Co-op features necessitate a one-time online pass. The game has no competitive multiplayer mode.
