Saints Row IV

"Sex without love is meaningless," said Woody Allen, "but as meaningless experiences go, it's pretty damn good." The Saints Row franchise has always existed in the shadow of Grand Theft Auto, but instead of competing directly, SR eschews social commentary and tasteful aspirations and just goes for the jugular: Even more than before, Saints Row IV is a bottomless buffet of mayhem, vulgarity and – of course – dubstep.

Our story begins with the antihero gang leader as US president. Following an alien invasion, our hero is captured and trapped in a virtual Matrix-like world, similar to the Saints’ hometown of Steel Port, but now with added aliens, superpowers and surrealism. Will he go insane in his virtual prison, or take down the system from within?

Because Saints Row IV is essentially a game within a game, there are even less consequences for the carnage than usual. The postmodern setting also allows the developers to make fun of cultural and videogame tropes (referencing everything from The Room to Space Invaders to Shakespeare), and to dial up the insanity: Heroes leap up skyscrapers, shoot guns that create black holes, and fly fighter jets that look like eagles.

As sandpit crime games go, you couldn’t ask for better value. There’s the traditional stuff (shootouts, car chases, heists), and fresh challenges based on your new superpowers (levitating and throwing objects at targets; leaping over buildings in races against time). Then there’s the tone, which is self-aware, irreverent and funny more often than not. “Like all good stories,” the voiceover says, “the second act begins with a call to action . . . and the building of a giant robot!”

As meaningless experiences go, it's pretty damn good. saintsrow.com