Saints Row (series): Difference between revisions

[[File:Saints Row logo 5537.png|frame]]

 

 

 

Games in the series so far:

* ''[[Saints Row]]''

* ''[[Saints Row 2]]''

{{tropelist}}

* [[Action Girl]]: Lin in the first game has her moments, and if your character in SR2 is female, then ''especially'' her.

** Dabbled with in the first game with the {{spoiler|death of Lin and when Playa is apparently killed in the secret, true ending.}}

** Brought out in full force in the second. {{spoiler|Sometimes by your hand, regarding Julius.}}

* [[Back Seats Are Just for Show]]: Hardtop cars with two doors but four seats can't be used to carry more than two people, but convertibles can be used since gang members hop over sides.

* [[Badass Crew]]: You ''don't'' fuck with the Saints. By the third game, they've amassed enough power that, depending on player actions, {{spoiler|they can openly challenge the United States military in a second Civil War.}}

* [[Bare Your Midriff]]: Lin and Tanya in the first game, and Shaundi and Jessica in the second. You can also dress the Boss like this, if you wish.

* [[Bash Brothers]]: Johnny Gat is probably the only person in the world capable of keeping up with the Boss in terms of combat pragmatism and sheer kill totals. At the beginning of Saints Row 2, Gat is on trial for three hundred eighty seven murders. "But with the statute of limitations it really ought to be closer to two-fiddy." In cutscenes, the Boss and Gat can clear a room of mooks as fast as a bomb strike.

** A fake interview with him (is there any other kind when it comes to fictional characters?) reveals his kill tally is actually around 16,000, at least according to him. But would you call him a liar?

** One of the Ronin missions takes place in a restaurant named Kanto which is the Japanese Dialect spoken in the Tokyo region. It also seems to be the dialect that the Ronin speak.

*** The hilarious irony of this is that sometimes the "Zombie" voice will say "Fluent in six languages!" seemingly apropos of nothing.

** One of the Developer's given reasons for the Saints' huge popularity at the start of ''[[SR 3]]'' is Stilwater is much better off (from a certain point of view) without three warring gangs and a corrupt corporation scheming to screw everyone for profit. In fact, the population expects a little hijinks from the Saints now, with SWAT officers asking Saints undertaking criminal activities to please put down their guns... [[Crowning Moment of Funny|after autographing them.]]

** [[Black and Black Morality]] in the second game. At least the Saints in the first game were explicitly there to stop the other gangs from causing too much of a ruckus. The Boss is explicitly out for himself, {{spoiler|especially when s/he kills Julius.}}

** Through played straight when Killbane goes and blows up the bridge that leads back to Stilwater after {{spoiler|Johnny Gat's burial}}. Its just seems like the Saints just can't roll on 3rd Street or Stilwater anymore.

* [[Bullying a Dragon]]: Anytime people start talking shit to the Boss or try to confront the Saints, the end results are truly horrifying.

*** The first Ronin mission has him trying to plan an elaborate [[Ocean's Eleven]] style robbery, only to have The Boss and Johnny tell him it's much more fun to bust in with guns.

* [[Car Fu]]: Aside from the obvious usage of this trope, the series also has an "evil cars" cheat which makes pedestrians in cars and motorcycles chase you down in an attempt to run you over.

* [[Cardboard Prison]]: When you get busted, you respawn at the nearest police precinct, less a chunk of your cash.

* [[Character Customization]]: You can customize nearly every aspect of your character. The system is so good (especially in the second game) that a lot of people have made celebrities and posted the formulas on message boards and [[YouTube]].

** Ironically, "Karma Chameleon" uses those colors, and sure enough, when you listen to the song on The Mix 107.77, as the song is ending the DJ will sometimes lampshade the colors mentioned in the song to the three gangs that took over Stilwater in absence of the Boss.

** Ultor have a thing for black and orange in the second game. See the Masako "special-ops" teams in particular.

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: Inverted. Military vehicles controlled by the player are noticeably more durable than those controlled by NPCs, to the point that the Boss can use one tank to take out three other tanks without much trouble.

* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Benjamin King is a little like one in the first one, but Ultor Corp. is this full stop in the second game, especially Dane Vogel.

** Not to mention you can sometimes hear him calling The Mix and requesting Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", calling it his theme song.<ref>This continues even after his demise!</ref>

* [[Crapsack World]]: Stilwater: Pretty on the outside, really fucking nasty on the inside. [[It Got Worse]] in ''Saints Row 2'', what with the Saints no longer being a vigilante gang.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: While the first game had its moments , particularly the death of {{spoiler|Lin}} despite arguably being funnier the second game goes further particularly the Ronin missions {{spoiler|"Bleeding Out" and "Rest in Peace"}} and the Brotherhood Missions {{spoiler|"Red Asphalt" and "Bank Error In Your Favor"}}.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: A bunch, mostly from the Boss.

* [[Death Is a Slap on The Wrist]]: See Cardboard Prison; replace "busted" with "smoked" and "police precinct" with "hospital".

* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: Stefan does this in the radio ads for Impressions, the clothing shop where you shop for clothing, and Foreign Power (''FOREIGN POWER!'').

* [[Depraved Bisexual]]: The Female Boss is heavily implied to be one.

* [[Double Entendre]]: Friendly Fire (weapons), On the Rag (natural clothing store), Peep This (theater), Phuc Mi Phuc Yu (faux Asian food store, which sells Sum Yung Guy and Sum Old Guy), Sloppy Seconds (second-hand clothing), Rim Jobs (car mechanics), Mourning Wood Cemetery, and Freckle Bitch's menu and radio ad. There's also TNA Taxis' (and Big Willy's Cabs') phone response. Not to mention the phone numbers for the aforementioned taxi services, which are 555-455-8008 and 555-819-8415 respectively.

* [[Enemy Chatter]]: Gang members will often talk amongst each other when not in combat.

* [[Equal Opportunity Evil]] : The Saints, especially in the second one.

* [[Escort Mission]]: Drug Trafficking, Escort, Snatch, and Heli Assault (in the second game). Along with a bunch of story missions.

** In the second game, the Boss and Shaundi disguise themselves as electrical repair technicians in order to sneak into the monitoring room in the Police HQ so they can tap into the CCTV network and track down The General's limo. Amusingly, the uniforms are purple so they can still represent the Row, even while undercover.

*** And, of course, Troy, who was trying to bring down the gangs from the inside.

In Saints Row

** [[The Chick]]: Lin

In Saints Row 2.

** [[The Hero]]: The Boss

** [[The Chick]]: Shaundi

** [[Tagalong Kid|The Tagalong Kid]]: Carlos Mendoza

* [[Four-Temperament Ensemble]]

* [[Foreshadowing]]: {{spoiler|Those who learn about the history of the Vice Kings will notice that it practically reads like a [[Recycled Script]] for the history of the Saints - complete with equivalent characters - across both games: from their origin as a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] vigilante group by Benjamin King to clean up his section of the city from the onslaught of Los Carnales, down to their descent into corruption and [[Motive Decay]] until they became as bad as Los Carnales and the others. And just like the Kings, the Saints have their leader usurped by a depraved, power-hungry villain.}}

* [[Fleur-de-Lis]]: The symbol of the Saints.

** Id: The Boss

** Superego: Pierce

* [[From Nobody to Nightmare]]: ''The player character''. The main character at the start of the first game is just some random pedestrian who gets caught in gangland crossfire and is adopted by the Saints. By the end of the second game, s/he's a full blown psychopath who's just taken over Stilwater, [[Sequel Escalation|with eyes on the rest of the world]]. Goes a step further in Saints Row 3, in one ending {{spoiler|the protagonist takes Steelport and secedes from the US.}}

** Ultor too, since they were just a clothing store in the first game.

* [[Hyperactive Metabolism]]

* [[Hyperspace Arsenal]]: I'm sure he was carrying a machine gun and not an RPG-7 just a few seconds ago.

** Your character will also pull out a cigarette and smoke if left to their own devices, other areas (such as the prison yard) also have their own specific animations.

** In the second game, left to their own devices, the Boss will make a number of comments, from musing that her father used to say you could never have enough guns to pondering why they can't write a book if King did.

** After {{spoiler|being indirectly responsible for an important gang member's death? Generally, I don't blame Donnie, but the man's a jinx.}}

** Matt Miller to some degree too. In the real world, he is extremely shy and careful; only in cyberspace is he powerful and even that gets destroyed by the Boss and Kinzie.

** In ''Saints Row'', boobies jiggle on most of the women.

** And in ''Saints Row 2'' and ''The Third'', The Boss' booty (if you're playing as a female) can bounce when you walk.

* [[Life Meter]]: Run out, and you're "Smoked."

* [[Mega Corp]]: The Ultor Corporation. [[Word of God]] and the Ultor Exposed DLC confirms this is the same Ultor Corporation from [[Red Faction]].

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Ultor='''Ult'''eri'''or''' Motives

* [[Mugging the Monster]]: At the beginning of ''[[Saints Row 2]]'', right after the Boss breaks out of prison after being in a five-year coma, s/he goes to a bar and watches the news. A member of the Brotherhood has the TV turned off and when the boss tells him that s/he was watching the TV he responds, "I guess you're not watching now, [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|are you bitch!]] [[Grievous Bottley Harm|He promptly gets his own beer bottle smashed into his face.]]

* [[Neck Snap]]: While not present in the first game, the second one allows you to execute human shields like this (provided you're unarmed or holding a thrown weapon), and, in the Fight Club activity, this is the only way you can defeat your enemies (and vice-versa).

* [[Nitro Boost]]: You can purchase it for almost any car at the garage.

** You can even install it on the [[Awesome Personnel Carrier]] in ''2'' and ''3.''

* [[No Communities Were Harmed]]: Stilwater is based off both Chicago and Detroit.

** In ''Saints Row 2'', it bears some resemblance to Manhattan and a few "modernized" cities.

** [[Truth in Television]] on the first one. Gang initiations frequently consist of getting the crap beat out of you by the other gang members until the leader calls for it to stop.

** In the third game, you can complete a challenge by beating 25 enemies to death bare-handed.

* [[Optional Traffic Laws]]: It's hard to actually follow traffic laws when you're listening to Wolfmother.

* [[Pimp Duds]]: A clothing option is the classic [[Pretty in Mink|fur-trimmed]] pimp coat from [[The Seventies]]. In the original game, you have to earn it by completing Snatch missions, but in the second game, it's available for sale at Impressions right from the get-go. Zimos wears these in the third game.

** And, at least for ''Saints Row: The Third'''s Female 2, The Boss had to fight their father's dogs for dinner.

*** And she also went to college.

* [[Purple Is Powerful]]: The Saints main color, and boy are they powerful by the end of ''2''. They only get more powerful from there, too.

* [[Rainbow Pimp Gear]]: Although it can be avoided if you can choose the color of any clothing you purchase. In the first game, choosing purple (the Saints' color) increases the amount of "Respect" you earn during activities if you're wearing it.

* [[Really Gets Around]]: Shaundi. A running gag involves her getting near-constant info on rival gangs or Ultor from people she's had sex with.

** ''Civilians'' will comment on it. Doctor NPCs you pass by will tell you to have Shaundi call them, because her blood test is probably more potent than HIV, cancer, and hydrochloric acid combined.

** In the second game at least, they are nigh indestructible - [[Death Is Cheap|every time they "die", you could just "revive" them with a bottle of alcohol]], making them passable comrades. Although, god forbid if one of them manages to lay his hands on a rocket launcher...

** In ''The Third'', you can upgrade their health and weapons, making them harder to kill and more useful in combat. You can also increase the time it takes for them to die for real when you have them as homies.

* [[Reference Overdosed]]

* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: How else can you get away with half the content of this game? C'mon, they even called the fast food joint ''Freckle Bitch's''!

*** One of the lines when buying food from Phuc Mi Phuc Yu is "PHUC YU!!"

** And the Rim Jobs ad in the second game, for God's sake!

* [[Sequel Escalation]]: In terms of how outrageous it can get.

* [[Sexy Walk]]: In the second and third game, the lady models for the player avatar do this when walking the slowest speed.

** Hell, the fact that the main gang is called the Saints and that their logo is a fleur-de-lis is a pretty obvious shout out to the New Orleans Saints of the NFL (Might also be one towards the city of New Orleans itself, as it's the city's logo and also has three of them on the city flag).

** In the Pyramid, one of the announcements is [[Red Faction|"Mr. Parker, could you please report to the mining division."]]

** The Swindle and Mixmaster vehicles share their names with [[Transformers|Decepticons]] that use those [[Transforming Mecha|alt-modes]].

*** ''All'' of the available vehicles in the Demolition Derby [[Mini Game]] are also named after Decepticons: Ruckus, Rumble, Frenzy, and Rampage.

** If you walk around the prison cells on the prison island, you can occasionally hear a prisoner reading a letter out loud. [[Saturday Night Live|"Dear sister, by the time you read this letter..."]]

** There are several references on The Mix radio station (all 80's, all the time) to the movies of John Hughes. Occasionally a character named [[The Breakfast Club|Claire]] will call in requesting Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me", and before playing The Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink", the DJ will call out "[[Pretty in Pink|Ducky]], this one's for you!"

** When doing the "ho-ing" diversion as a male, you will sometimes hear your partner say, "[[Inuyasha|Call me Kikyo!]] [[The Immodest Orgasm|CALL ME KIKYO!]]"

** The achievement for killing all the Hitman targets in ''The Third'' is called "[[Assassin's Creed|Everything is Permitted]]." In the second game the same feat got you the achievement "[[Hitman|Hello 47]]"

** Sometimes the rock station host will say [[Castlevania|"What a horrible night to have a curse!"]]

* [[Sniping Mission]]: Each game has one.

* [[Spiteful AI]]: The one thing you can expect a panicking civilian car to do is run over you if you're on foot or force you off the road if you're in a vehicle, regardless of where you are and what's in the way.

** In the second game, this is accomplished by completing a series of insurance fraud missions. In the third game, it's part of the respect bonuses.

* [[Suicidal Overconfidence]]: Setting aside the ''usual'' issues with this trope, if you get your [[Wanted Meter|Notoriety level]] high enough, enemies will drive straight at you in their respective gang-vehicles at breakneck speeds. They will do this even if you're currently driving an [[Awesome Personnel Carrier]] which would shrug off the impact, which could potentially result in the driver of the enemy vehicle getting thrown through the windshield and killed.

* [[Take Over the City]]

* [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch]]: "Saints Row, Bitches!" is the gang [[Catch Phrase]].

* [[Timed Mission]]: Every game has several.

* [[Troperiffic]]: This series cranks up elements that ''GTA'' has been toning down.

* [[Vice City]]: Stilwater. There is a stark contrast between the north side of the river and the south side.

** Steelport. The Boss even comments that the city's mix of casinos and sex clubs make it a divorce lawyer's wet dream. Shaundi calls it "Bangkok's drunken, abusive step-father."

** Joseph Price, of the Rollerz, also seems to suffer one when {{spoiler|the Protagonist screws up the Rollerz' plans for a shipment, when his [[Smug Snake|Smug Uncle]] is killed, and after his car robbed by the Saints. It ends with him challenging the Playa to a showdown on the freeway.}}

** In the second game, it's possible that the Ronin were also suffering one near the end of their arc, when the newspaper on one of the missions reads "RONIN BECOMING DESPERATE" after {{spoiler|their failed assault against the Saints' hideout.}}

[[Category:Wide Open Sandbox]]

[[Category:Saints Row]]