We loved Saints Row the Third when we reviewed it a few weeks ago, but it does take a little getting into and can be quite daunting when you get going. Even several hours into the game we found ourselves a bit lost as to what to do next, or struggling to beat off a crowd of bad guys (no, not like that). Since then, Prima Games have been good enough to send us a copy of their Saints Row eGuide and if only we’d have had this from day one then everything would have been much clearer…
Prima seem to revel in open world games. You only need to spend half an hour with their Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed or Rage guides to see that, and while their portfolio stretches into less open titles like Battlefield and Halo it’s the larger games that come into their own. And just like the Skyrim guide that we reviewed not long ago, the Saints Row the Third guide is a detailed, beautifully written and insanely helpful guide that will not only guide you through your giant-purple-cock-swinging adventures (it’s a weapon…) but also get you in the know about every weapon, vehicle and hidden extra that you’ll come across, whether it’s in the main game or the recent DLC.
As usual, it’s broken down into several areas. The Essentials area will help you understand the basics of the game and all the bits and bobs you’ll need from beginning to end (which, if you’ve played it, you’ll know is a huge amount) and the Walkthrough is exactly as it sounds – a breakdown guide to every mission in the game including the main missions and other activities that crop up as you go along. The nice little diversions such as Insurance Fraud (throwing yourself into traffic and hurting yourself as much as possible) and Tiger Escort (transporting a tiger around while entertaining it with fancy driving) are a deceptively tough task, but the guide does a great job of helping you find the right spot, take the best route or just generally cause more chaos than you were before.
And then there’s the Multiplayer section, which isn’t huge but still has some useful nuggets of information. With the Saints Row co-op being the same game with two of you playing (and the never-dull Whored Mode) there’s not much to know, but every last difference is outlined and there’s some nice ideas on how to make up your own one-on-one competitive games by tweaking some settings and chasing each other round the map. It’s something that could easily have been left out, but Prima have done their usual trick of covering every angle and if the co-op interests you then you’ll be catered for in the guide.
And so, yet again, Prima have delivered a huge guide for a huge game. The guide intro promises video clips and interactive maps which I couldn’t find, and these would definitely be welcome (unless I’m being blind, which is a distinct possibility) – if they’re genuinely missing then it’s a huge shame, but there are still a series of maps for various occasions and there are bucket loads of screenshots to accompany the info at every turn. It’s possibly not quite on par with the Skyrim guide as a result of the lack of interactive features, but it’s still an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to get the most out of Saints Row the Third.
Definitely worth a go!
The Prima Saints Row the Third Strategy Guide is available where all games are sold. Visit www.primagames.com for more information
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