After nine years, the Saints Row franchise has returned on Aug. 23 with the release of their new game that adds a new set of characters.

We follow them as they create their own gang named ‘The Saints,’ and their plan to build a criminal empire and enemy gangs in Santo Ileso.

Like previous Saints Row titles, you can make your own character. The customization options are a step up from the last two entries, as clothing is a lot more varied.

Without going heavy into spoilers, the story never hits the mark in either tone or structure. The mix of comedy and drama is mainly inconsistent, often with the humor breaking any sense of emotion.

When it comes to structuring, the story moves quickly but without subtlety.

For example, the main character works for Marshall, a private defense company. After a couple of missions, you end up getting fired. The lack of good pacing hurts the story, as it feels like there’s no room to breathe in what happens.

The city of Santo Ileso is beautiful and vibrant. Loosely based in Las Vegas, there are a lot of sights to see. The game even encourages you to find out the history of SI, giving lots of lore to the city.

The downside however is that the desert doesn’t give you a whole lot to do outside of side activities, leaving it feeling like empty land.

The graphics for the game look pretty good, even compared to the previous titles. However, the cutscenes are glitchy at times.

Vehicle combat is one of the standouts within the game. During missions/activities, you can go on top of the car’s roof where you can shoot at enemies. It makes for great explosive action.

Another thing you’re able to do is sideswipe vehicles. It’s often most useful when you have to get away from enemies.

Weapon combat can be a bit of a mixed bag. Shooting at enemies feels like a hindrance as bullets come off spongey, similar to the previous entries. It makes killing an enemy more work than it’s worth.

Auto-aiming on an enemy can get irritating and if more than two enemies are in sight, your weapon will point at whoever’s closest. While other games work similarly, the weapons here never have a grasp on who to target first

Overall Saints Row is a good game, but outside of key aspects, it never feels like a step up from the previous games in the series. It’s a fun game but one that feels stuck in the past.

If I had to rate the game, I’d give Saints Row a 7 out of 10.