If you think jumping out of a helicopter in nothing but your super stylish underwear is wild, wait until you experience the downloadable content (DLC) of 'Saints Row: The Third'. Developed by Volition and released in November 2011, this game took the open-world action-adventure genre and wrapped it in satire and humor until it barely knew which way was up. The game was set in the fictional, bustling city of Steelport, where players could wreak havoc to their heart’s content. To ramp up the chaos, Volition released a slew of DLCs that added new storylines and allowed even more mayhem.
These DLCs didn't just tinker around the edges; they brought in complete new stories, characters, and weapons. Take 'Genkibowl VII' for instance, released in January 2012. The DLC introduces a flamboyantly bizarre professor and pits the player against absurd challenges in a blood-sport tournament broadcasted across the city. Complete with lions and a giant ball of yarn, this DLC is far from ordinary. It's like running a marathon while juggling chainsaws—impossible to look away from but utterly absurd.
'Horrible, horrific, and hilarious' sums up another DLC known as 'The Trouble With Clones', released in March 2012. This content sees a nerdy fanboy reviving a dead character from a clone, only to have it run amok throughout Steelport and gain superpowers more from a comic book than a crime saga. Promising gripping absurdity, it challenges the players' sense of morality with action-packed sequences not lacking in flair.
As much as these additions gratify the thirst for more hilarity, there’s 'Gangstas in Space', released shortly after 'The Trouble With Clones'. Here, the main protagonist is inside a science-fiction movie, bringing their gang-banging prowess to an intergalactic stage. For those who believe alien conspiracy theories should be a genre themselves, this DLC delivers with cosmic fights and ridiculous costumes.
Critics and longtime fans were quick to notice how the DLCs maintained the core of Saints Row's identity—being unashamedly ridiculous and challenging norms. For every person who appreciates the game's focus on having fun at the expense of realism, there's someone who raises an eyebrow at the sheer outrageousness. It's a blend of styles that won’t suit everyone’s taste. Some crave subdued storytelling, while others thrive on exaggerated nonsense.
Discussions around these DLCs frequently touch upon consumer habits in the gaming industry. Here players face a little tension about the expectation that more content means forking over more money. While there's no denying that receiving something new adds value, there's an ethical discussion on how much content should be paywalled.
Volition catered to an audience willing to glorify the craziness. Their DLCs were more than sparks in the dark. The critics, including those wary of microtransactions, couldn’t deny the unique developments and treats these additions offered. And all this in a world where repetition in gaming can lead to blunt spectacle.
DLC is not a universally embraced concept. As with many aspects of the gaming industry, there exists a fine balance between continuously offering new experiences and exploiting fandom wallets. Saints Row: The Third, however, feels like a classic in the way it manages to craft bizarre narratives and characters absent elsewhere, challenging the conventional and inviting endless explorations.
Thoughts on Saints Row and its additions often spark debates within the gaming society, with players arguing both for and against its infamous reputation. Those in favor argue it successfully distills entertainment to its essence, stripping away pretension and focusing singularly on fun. Detractors sometimes wish for richer, more meaningful storytelling and less chaos.
Yet, by all accounts, this eclectic marriage of hyper-ridiculous scenarios and player autonomy strikes a chord with a particular crowd. It fits snugly as a cultural reject, uncaring of disapproval and leaning hard into its identity. Saints Row: The Third and its downloadable content will remain an artifact of gaming history, opposing conventionality and serving as a game that doesn't take itself too seriously.