Were they? Their three releases since Saints Row 4 ten years ago weren’t that well received. It’s not like they were releasing smash hit after smash hit (lately). Maybe they killed themselves.
SR4 is where the series jumped the shark for me. Turning up all the wacky random insanity worked great for SR3 and helped it find a niche to differentiate itself from other GTA-likes, but trying the exact same thing again made it go from parody to farce. It was very obviously trying so hard to top SR3’s absurdity, but it just went so insanely overboard with it that I got desensitized to it, and it all came across as just plain stupid.
And on top of that, they give you superhero powers that basically make using cars obsolete… in a GTA-like. The vehicle customization was one of the best systems of SR3, but they actively disincentivized using vehicles altogether in 4.
Deep Silver was very problematic with completely unrealistic expectations and deadlines, Volition’s leadership was also complicit to not fight it too much, what the actual devs wanted to make was a SR 2.5 in tone.
Were they? Their three releases since Saints Row 4 ten years ago weren’t that well received. It’s not like they were releasing smash hit after smash hit (lately). Maybe they killed themselves.
And even SR4 had a bit of a divide between people who really liked it and those who saw it as a $60 DLC for SR3.
SR4 is where the series jumped the shark for me. Turning up all the wacky random insanity worked great for SR3 and helped it find a niche to differentiate itself from other GTA-likes, but trying the exact same thing again made it go from parody to farce. It was very obviously trying so hard to top SR3’s absurdity, but it just went so insanely overboard with it that I got desensitized to it, and it all came across as just plain stupid.
And on top of that, they give you superhero powers that basically make using cars obsolete… in a GTA-like. The vehicle customization was one of the best systems of SR3, but they actively disincentivized using vehicles altogether in 4.
Deep Silver was very problematic with completely unrealistic expectations and deadlines, Volition’s leadership was also complicit to not fight it too much, what the actual devs wanted to make was a SR 2.5 in tone.
This channel is pretty good since he knows people inside but also doesn’t have his hands tied since he trashed the reboot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yawfVO4-_gM