There’s no doubt that theSaints Rowgames borrowed heavily from theGrand Theft Autoseries when they both began their currents runs in the sixth console generation – excludingGTA’s early top-down phase of course. However, after numerous sequels these games have significantly diverged from each other in ways both significant and minor.
Saints Row IVandGTA Vhave very little in common apart from aspects that are also common features in most third-person open-world games likeWatchdogs,Infamous, andSleeping Dogs. These differences include more than just cosmetic changes and choices - such as clothes and vehicle types. A lot of the entries on this list are for gameplay mechanics and plot devices.
10SAINTS ROW – Fighting Alien Invaders
The storylines inGTAalmost exclusively focuses on dealing with the criminal underworld. There isn’t much deviation from this overarching theme throughout the series. InSaints Row IV,the game completely deviates from this original theme, instead having the player fight against an invading alien force as the President of the United States rather than criminal (or government) forces.
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The closestGTAgets to this is inGTA Vwhen Michael hallucinates and imagines alien creatures are attacking him. Other alien appearances can be found inGTA V, but these are Easter eggs (that can’t be interacted with) and not major plot elements and certainly don’t qualify an invasion.
9GTA – Switch Between Characters
A new feature that Rockstar included inGTA Vwas the ability to switch between three characters at almost any time during gameplay. This switch is nearly seamless with only a brief zooming in then out. Meanwhile, theSaints Rowgames only give the player one character to play.
This helps keep the game fresh as each of the three characters (Michael, Franklin, and Trevor) have special abilities, side-missions, properties, and dialogue to set them apart.Saints Row Vis expected in 2020 or 2021, though there is still no word if it will include more than one playable character or not.
8SAINTS ROW – Character Customization
SomethingSaints Rowlets player do that Rockstar has yet to include in aGTAtitle is to create their own character.Saints Row’slevel of customization is on par with other AAA games that also have this feature – like theFalloutandMass Effectgames. There are drawbacks to allowing player to make their own character, though.
The biggest of these drawbacks is the character’s spoken dialogue. Most games with customizable characters don’t have the protagonist say much - if they say anything at all. When a game has pre-made characters, the developers can just use one set of audio files for the character’s voice. Allowing players to make their own character would necessitate multiple audio samples, at least two sets anyway (male and female). But compared toGTA’smandatory protagonists,Saints Row’soption for creativity is a massive plus.
7GTA – Swimming & Diving Under Water
Saints Rowallows the player to swim, but that’s all a player is allowed to do when in the water. This was also how interacting with bodies of water operated in theGTAseries - untilGTA V,that is.GTAV allows players to dive and explore the underwater realm. This doesn’t add too much to the game however, it is fun to explore the ocean floor from time to time.
It’s a shame Rockstar didn’t do much with this. though. In the end, there really isn’t that much to do underwater aside from hunting for collectibles. One area players might want to check out is the mysterious hatch on the eastern part of the map but other than that, there isn’t a whole lot to the seabed. Still, this fares better thanSaints Row’scomplete lack of underwater fun.
6SAINTS ROW – More Diverse Gameplay
GTAis exclusively a third-person action game, except forGTA Vfor the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, which allow for a first-person view. In contrast,Saints Row IVgives the player different game modes from time to time that do a lot more than zooming in and out.
For starters, there is a part of the game where it switches to an old-school side scrolling beat ‘em up similar toStreets of Ragefor the Sega Genesis. There is also the mission that allows players to fly an alien spaceship – this section has a very “Starfox” feel to it, complete with very familiar dialogue.
5GTA – Sprinting Faster By Tapping The Sprint Button
Saints RowandGTAboth have a sprint button that makes the player run faster.GTAallows the player to rapidly tap the sprint button to get an extra burst of speed. As simple as this idea is,Saints Rowdoesn’t have this option.
Many players of both series have, at least once, chased a car inSaints Rowand wish they could tap the button to catch up quicker. This is one of those under-appreciated features that players don’t realize how much will be missed until it’s taken away. This is another feature that will hopefully be included inSaints Row V.
4SAINTS ROW – Shooting Dubstep At People
The weapons in theGTAgames are, for the most part, grounded in reality. There is a wide variety, but they are guns and blades that can be found in real-life.Saints Row,conversely, has some very wacky weapons apart from certain wobbly purple baseball bats. One of these crazy weapons is a gun that allows the player to shoot dubstep music.
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This has the hilarious side-effect of making nearby pedestrians dance. To top it all off, the music played by the gun is determined by the costume the player is wearing. One common problem with this gun is that it can be difficult to aim accurately.
3GTA – Changing Viewpoints While Driving
When operating a vehicle inGTA,the player need only press a button to change the viewpoint. This is extremely handy since some players prefer to have a first-person view, while others like a zoomed-out (almost top-down) view.
TheSaints Rowgames do not give players a choice – instead, they are stuck with the view provided by the game. The ability for players to change their viewpoint has been a part of driving games since the 16-bit generation of consoles. This is a feature that seems almost deliberately left-out by Volition to minimize comparisons betweenSaints RowandGTA.
2SAINTS ROW – Getting Around Town Like A Superhero
The playable characters inGTA Vhave abilities that are extremely useful. Okay, it’s really only one ability (slowing time) that the characters can use at specific times. Meanwhile inSaints Row IV,the player is essentiallyNeo inTheMatrix.
Midway through the game, players can run fast enough to run up the sides of buildings. Another power is the ability to leap tall building in a single bound. Lastly, the player can glide and dash through the air. This is incredibly fun but this also makes getting around by car almost completely unnecessary and boring no matter how fast one drives.
1GTA – Playing Sports
Apart from side missions that break up the monotony of the mainline missions,GTA Vgives players the ability to partake in sporting activities. Players can play a round of golf at the country club when they get tired of causing mayhem. Another option is to play some tennis, which is as fun as most stand-alone tennis games.
Some other sporting activities inGTA Vare: competitive cycling, swimming, and running. The player can also practice yoga, as well as play a game of darts or pool. These sporting activities add an enormous amount of replay value toGTA Vthat is somewhat missing in theSaints Rowgames.
