Dueling Works: Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row

It isn't too hard to call out one series for being a copy or knock off of the other, especially when they play and act rather similar to one another. Then again, the creators of one series may take it upon themselves to stand out from the competition in a way that surprises the audience. This is especially true that, when you look at the series as a whole, you realize just how different it got from the first game to the last one released.

This is where today's pair of games come in: the 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Saints Row' series.

For those unfamiliar with the games, here are the briefest of summaries for you:

'Grand Theft Auto' is a series that is developed and published by 'Rockstar Games' for the majority of its run. It has been around since 1997, with seven games as part of the 'main series' with different spinoffs. Your roll is that of a character trying to survive and thrive in the criminal underworld in their respective cities (which are similar, yet legally different from their real life counterparts).

'Saints Row' is the series developed by Volition in 2006 and was published under 'THQ' before they went bankrupt and the rights were bought up by 'Deep Silver' back in 2013. The games have you starting out as a low-ranking hood part of the gang 'Third Street Saints' that work to control the crime of Stillwater while combating other gangs and grabbing their territories. From the first game onward, the series gets...stranger.

Look, lets get into why these two game series have often been compared to one another.

Where is the rivalry?

Both game are open world 'sandbox' games, allowing the player a lot of freedom to do whatever they want in a city with little to no issues. While there are mission that follow the main storyline, it isn't hard for the player to forget about doing some of them for a time and try their fun doing other things. Want to drag race down from one end of the city street to the end of town? That can be done. Want to randomly toss grenades into a busy intersection and then fight off the full force of the police? Easy enough. What to parachute out of a flying plane, naked and trying to land in a swimming pool from an obscene height? Do you even have to ask at this point?

Yeah, this all seems pretty ridiculous to do in both games, but the main differences of them both come through the story and general approach of the games as done by the developers.

To denser and wackier we go!

'Saints Row' has taken the bigger stretch into making itself stand out from its counterpart of 'GTA'. Some of the changes involve the narrative, where it is this one continuous story of 'the Boss', the lowly grunt of the Third Street Saints becoming its leader and more by the end of the series. How strange can it get from there? Well, in the first game, you end up fighting what could be 'similar yet legally different' gangs based around the drug cartel of South America, vice criminals who hide behind a legitimate record company, and gangbangers who prefer racing and stealing cars more than anything else. By the second game, you end up leading the Saints to retake Stillwater after you were thought to be killed, this time fighting a thuggish gang of monster truck riders and extremists, drug dealers with a Caribbean flavor, and what could be considered extensions of the Yakuza ( Japanese criminal counterpart to the Mafia ).

Then it gets weirder into the third and fourth installments.

The Saints end up becoming celebrities and taking on an organization called the Syndicate, made up of gangs involving Eastern European arms dealers, tech-out cyber criminals and an army of Luchadores in heavy armor. In the game after, you get elected President of the United States and fight an alien empire in a cyber world, who also blew up the Earth and took almost all of the human population with it.

Yeah, 'Saints Row' founds it own voice by becoming more 'out there' in terms of a personality. While 'GTA' stuck to being more grounded in real life (to its story, in a sorts), 'Saints Row' embraced its more cartoonish aspects and made it more paramount. It certainly got its own popularity for the efforts, with people complimenting them for actually gaining its own voice rather than just relying on the style used by their counterparts. Question is whether or not it helped pay off for them by their latest game.

Keeping it grounded

This seemed to be a major focus behind the work of 'Grand Theft Auto'. Yes, there are Easter eggs within the games that can border on the comical, not to mention some game modes that can be very unrealistic (especially since the launch of 'Grand Theft Auto Online'). However, from the story, the characters and the environment, you can probably find it in common with crime drama tv shows and movies. It boils down pretty much to the main character becoming a criminal and such to survive, but it does change it up slighty with each game. Sometimes, you are an immigrant to the city using his criminal experience to try and make a living for himself. In another, you are a former gangbanger framed for the death of an officer and try to survive against criminals after you.

It changes up enough each game to keep the story interesting, yet doesn't undermine the main gameplay elements that helped make 'Grand Theft Auto' popular. Its longevity also helped it become a 'franchise' of sorts, scoring high with game critics and the public through its works.

Who comes out on top?

From a financial standpoint, 'Grand Theft Auto' has had the time and experience to chalk up more cash from their earnings that 'Saints Row'. However, both game series are recognized as favorites of many fans.

Tune in next time for games featuring our titular heroes, though half of them could be considered sidekicks. Try not to tell that to their faces.

Until next time...