Hardcore Streets

It's hard to imagine a making a game like Saints Row any more hardcore than it already is. Between the foul language, adult situations, questionable occupations, and lack of morals, you should feel like part of the hardcore world from the moment you step into the game.

This is not a pretty world, yet in spite of that, the developers at Volition have woven a thick stream of humor throughout the game. To appreciate it, though, you probably need a hardcore sense of humor.

Your cozy home.

War in Stillwater
In Saints Row, you'll be taking on a series of missions. Your attitude will determine how you go about accomplishing these goals. Are you a bad-ass who doesn't care what kind of collateral damage he inflict on innocent citizens, or are you the nice kind of gangster who doesn't see any reason to waste local human resources just for kicks? It's up to you.

The fact is, being a hardcore thug with no respect for the law or human life makes this game much more difficult. You draw the attention of the police a lot faster and you'll make a lot more enemies who want nothing more than to put a bullet in the back of your head.

War is war. Back in the American Civil War, brothers were killing brothers. The same thing happens in the here and now in Stillwater. This isn't a friendly game of chess. These people are killing each other and they'll gun for you while they're at it.

Feel free to walk on egg shells as you move through the city and engage in gunfights, but that won't get you any respect. You have to charge in like you know for a fact that the angels are on your side. Shoot first, and let God sort them out.

Forgiveness is for wusses. If you really want to be a hardcore homie, then to hell with confession. You earned your reputation as a hardass fair and square. Why would you want to get rid of it?

If you can't outrun the cops, then you have a problem. Cosmetic surgery sounds like something a prissy rich housewife would do, but if you get in a real bind with your identity, it's more hardcore than going into a drive-through confessional. That's just … lame.

Most of the online multiplayer modes will have you
sweating to stay alive, and that's hardcore enough.

All About Respect
Most of the truly hardcore play in Saints Row is going to happen online. The Xbox Live® component of Saints Row sets it apart from its predecessors and gives you the chance to show the world what a hardcore hot shot you really are.

When you first enter the online game with your custom designed character, you'll have the clothes on your back and nothing else. As you win and your holdings increase, you can snazz up your character with slick duds and all the bling you can carry.

Most of the online multiplayer modes will have you sweating to stay alive, and that's hardcore enough. For example, the Gangsta Brawl Mode doesn't require much in the way of additional challenge. If you want more challenge, choose your opponents for their skill and dedication to eliminating you.

Nobody's ride blings more than mine, you hear me?

In the Hood
The Bling Your Ride Mode also plays as quite hardcore on its own. You and your teammates snatch a car and do whatever is necessary to earn the money to bling out your ride. Once you get it up to Level 4, you have to take it to a checkpoint and keep it safe there for a certain amount of time.

Doing such a simple task as keeping your car together wouldn't be a problem, except that the other team is now trying to damage or destroy your beautiful sled. You, of course, are trying to do the same to their car, but what else would you expect?

The Protect the Pimp Mode has all the hardcore goodness you could ever want built right into it. In this game, you have two teams of six players each, one team defending against the other.

One of the players on the defending team is randomly chosen to be the pimp. His teammates have to keep him alive long enough to get to the endpoint. The other team, naturally, wants the pimp dead. One shot is all it takes for homie to bleed out and die, so it's all or nothing. Now that is hardcore.

You're goin' down.

Hardcore Twist
The multiplayer mode that is most ripe for the hardcore treatment is the Big-Ass Chains Mode. In this game mode, it's every man for himself. When you kill an opponent, he body drops a chain. Collect the chains and take them to a jewelry store marked on your map for cash and prizes. It's like a really violent version of Mardi Gras.

Remember, everyone wants your chain, too. To bring the hardcore element, simply see how many chains you can collect before you sell them off. How big a pile can you collect without getting beaten down? The more chains you have when you turn them in, the bigger the multiplier your reward will have. Of course, the more chains you have, the bigger your icon glows, and the better a target you are.

There's nothing gentle about Saints Row. It's all hardcore action, hardcore story, and hardcore cringe moments. Get your homies together and form your own gang, then wreak havoc all across Stillwater on Xbox Live. Everybody knows the score. You gotta pay to play, and it's blood in and blood out. That's the hardcore rule.

Article by Hardcore