Bloody hell, this Summer’s taking its time.  I’m sure it’s Gamescom soon, right?  Maybe then there’ll be something to write about.  There’s no way 2013 was this bad.  I suppose there was all the hype surrounding the new consoles, but the only parallel in 2014 is to write articles about the Xbone’s continued death spiral.  It’s either that or mocking Nintendo’s 3-year wait for most of its lineup.  Neither of these topics are particularly original, nor do they make for good reading.  This may not stop me, but luckily I’ve got something else to write about today.

While we wait for interesting things to happen, you should all go buy Saints Row IV: Game of the Century Edition on Steam.

It’s on sale this weekend, you see.  While the GOTC Edition has apparently been released on consoles in a stupidly small number of countries, there’s no way you’ll get it for this low a price anywhere on Earth.  I purposely put off buying SR4 for this very reason – I knew that it wouldn’t be long before there was a version on sale that would offer the game and all of its DLC in one, low-price purchase.  This is that version and I was stupidly happy to pay the £16.66 it cost.

People like to say that Saints Row is what GTA used to be before it went and took itself too seriously.  That’s a good place to start, but I like to think of it more as an example of a perfect storm of gameplay and humour.  You see, those fellows making Sunset Overdrive for Xbone?  They are trying too hard to be funny, which has resulted in gameplay that looks like ass, topped with a frosting of poorly implemented wit.  As already mentioned, you have the other end of the spectrum dominated by GTA, or possibly even Watch Dogs: games that focus too heavily on the story, at the expense of a bit of fun.

That’s not to say that GTA V wasn’t funny in places.  It’s just that SR4, for me, is better in every conceivable way to all of the other games I mentioned above.  Because it’s ten times more fun.

Some of the humour is subtle.  Most of it is decidedly not.  But no matter what, it is weaved into the fabric of the gameplay.  Everything in SR4 is fun or funny, or both at the same time.  I particularly enjoy the way the developers marry certain scenes with hit music, lending an already epic adventure a new tier of hilarity and all-round awesomeness.  SR4 revels in being over the top in everything; extreme becomes the new norm, but never ceases to be entertaining.

Whether it’s leaping through the air or sprinting along the ground, picking people off with dual pistol headshots or obliterating a fleet of alien ships with artillery, or even just dressing your character, crew or vehicle: you will never be bored.  I could wax on about the fun I’m having, but that would detract from your own.  Go and buy this game on Steam right this second.  If you already own SR4, then you are excused from this responsibility, but are charged instead with the task of making sure all your friends own it as well.

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