The Saints Row series is known for a lot of things, but memorable characters aren’t high on that list. Aside from Johnny Gat or Shaundi, Stilwater was largely populated by ciphers and forgettable wannabes. Of course, while you’re spraying raw sewage on passers by in a septic truck or setting them alight in a go kart, you’re probably not too concerned about making new friends.

With Saints Row: The Third, Volition is going out of its way to deliver loads of action as well as a lineup of interesting friends, rivals, and other people. This week, Game Informer is highlighting just some of the folks you’ll be interacting with in Steelport.

The wrestling-masked Luchadores are one of the more flamboyant criminal organizations in Steelport, so it’s only appropriate that the gang is led by someone equally peculiar. Killbane is a former professional wrestler who also founded the Luchadors with his tag-team partner, Angel. Killbane became jealous of his partner’s success, which led him to publicly unmask and shame his former friend. Eventually, Killbane was banished to Mexico after he killed an opponent in the ring. That exile didn’t last, and the grappler is back and running his group.

“He’s obsessed with his legacy and is a total fame ***,” says Steve Jaros, lead writer on Saints Row: The Third. “In some ways, he’s like a dark mirror to the player.”

Killbane’s given name is Eddie Pryor, but he doesn’t respond to that moniker. His mask is a constant presence, whether he’s on the streets, being interviewed on television, or attending a Syndicate board meeting. “He’s always embracing that luchadore spirit and never wants to let it go,” says Jaros, adding that while Killbane might look a little clownish he’s not someone to be taken lightly. “He’s very volatile. He can be charming and debonair one moment and then just snap off and break your neck.”

And what of Angel? He’s still dealing with the disgrace of being unmasked, but he’ll prove to be a helpful ally to the player as he navigates the unfamiliar streets of Steelport.

Even though Steelport is a city where groups of wrestling-masked gangsters stalk corners without anyone giving it a second thought, don’t assume all of the city’s crime involves ostentatious displays of costuming, rocket launchers, or remote-controlled drones. Sometimes, even the world of Saints Row calls for subtlety.

Matt Miller is the Syndicate’s go-to guy for those instances. As leader of the Deckers, Miller (no relation) is in charge of the city’s cybercrime. As with a lot of folks bolstered by the anonymity of the Internet, Miller is all swagger when he’s at his keyboard. Take him out of his element, and it’s another story. “The thing that’s interesting about him is that when he’s by himself he thinks that he’s god,” says Steve Jaros, the game’s lead writer. “He’s super cocky and kind of obnoxious and is very self-assured in what he does. However, when he’s around Killbane or Phillipe, he’s like a 15-year-old kid sitting at the big kid table.”

Even if he does clam up during those meetings, Phillipe and the rest of the Syndicate appreciate his contributions. It’s always good to have someone smart in your corner, particularly when it’s so potentially lucrative.

“Phillipe Loren is the leader of the Syndicate, in particular the gang called the Morning Star,” says Steve Jaros, lead writer of Saints Row: The Third. “He’s kind of like a Bond villain. He’s statuesque and poised and elegant, and he’s a total gentleman. He’s not a fop—he’s not effeminate—and he’s not going to play to that European stereotype. He’s coldly logical and dangerous and very savvy.”

Phillipe is the main antagonist in the game, essentially kicking off the game’s story by kidnapping the player character, Johnny Gat, and Shaundi after a botched bank robbery. The game’s first mission takes place in Phillipe’s jet, as the player blasts his way out of the aircraft and down into Steelport.

It turns out that the player has made a powerful enemy in Phillipe, who’s far more powerful than the street level thugs that littered Stilwater. “He’s made a killing being an international arms dealer. He’s pretty much the leader of the criminal fraternity in Steelport. He calls all the shots, he directs everybody, he’s the guy that you just don’t want to f--- with.”

As Steelport’s oldest pimp, Zimos is a fixture in the criminal ecosystem. At first, the Syndicate tolerates the eccentric character, and he even forges a friendship with Phillipe Loren’s protégés, Viola and Kiki DeWynter. The relationship goes south for as-yet-unknown reasons, and Zimos finds himself locked away in the basement of one of the Syndicate’s human trafficking hubs.

After being rescued by the player, the temporarily gimp-suited Zimos becomes an important ally. His ties to the criminal underworld are critical in the player’s early days in Steelport, and he’s a great guide to the city. “In general, he’s kind of like the lovable granddad of the Saints,” says lead writer Steve Jaros. “He’s too old to care, he has a lot of swagger. Pretty much he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s too cool to be scared or offended.”

In addition to the role of de facto tour guide, Zimos provides plenty of comic relief. He has had a tracheotomy, though that hasn’t stopped him from smoking through the subsequent hole in his throat. He speaks using an electronic voice box, which has been autotuned. In other words, everything he says sounds like it was plucked from a T-Pain song. Stay classy, Saints Row.

Karon wrote:So the gangs are Mexicans, Emos, and frenchmen.

corpsesarefun wrote:Wow, I'm quite impressed that the game has characters that actually look interesting instead of the generic "gangsta" bs.

Karon wrote:

corpsesarefun wrote:Wow, I'm quite impressed that the game has characters that actually look interesting instead of the generic "gangsta" bs.

This game is based off that whole idea....most gangs, I know from experience, are all black/mexican, and aren't very unique at all. They're killers, drug dealers, and hustlers. They do what they must to survive.

And yes, the Pimp is a part of the Saints though.

BrookM wrote:

Karon wrote:So the gangs are Mexicans, Emos, and frenchmen.

Don't forget the stereotypical pimp now!

BrookM wrote:Gat and Shaundi are in, Pierce appears to be left out.

In just a few short years, the 3rd Street Saints have grown from a small group of thugs to a major commercial force, with endorsement deals and piles of cash large enough to make Scrooge McDuck envious. That’s great news for the gang, but it’s a tricky setup for Saints Row: The Third. What do you do when you’re at the top of your game? The guys at Volition found the solution: get tossed out of a plane. Once you land in Steelport, it’s up to you to take over the all-new city from scratch.

“When you first get to Steelport, you immediately realize that the Syndicate has locked out all of your cash and that the Saints aren’t around you,” says the game’s lead designer, Scott Phillips. “It’s just you and Shaundi, essentially stuck on your own.”

Backup is only a phone call away, though. The player calls home and gets in touch with Saints lieutenant Pierce, who says he’ll mobilize as many Saints as he can and head to Steelport. Around the same time, Shaundi has a great idea on where the Saints can score some weapons—the National Guard armory. After that mission, Pierce, Shaundi, and the player put their heads together and strategize. Pierce and Shaundi have a little background on the Syndicate, and it becomes clear that the criminal collective will have to be eliminated if the Saints have any hopes of gaining traction in town.

First, however, the Steelport Saints are going to have to upgrade their living situation. “Eventually you decide that you need a better base than just some s----- apartment, so you go and attack a Syndicate penthouse, where they’re having a huge party,” says Phillips. That raid provides more than a posh place to crash. Since they were taken by surprise, the Syndicate has left behind documents and other information that provides valuable intel on the group’s inner workings. Now that they have a deeper insight into how they tick, the Saints are better equipped to take them out. That is, they will be once they’re fully resupplied.

Saints Row: The Third continues the series’ basic structure, where players slowly take over a city through various activities, like insurance fraud and tank mayhem. Complete these activities, and you kick gangs out of specific areas. You also earn money, which can be used to purchase business and strongholds. To fully move a gang out of an area, you’ll have to take out their flashpoint zones. “These are areas that the Syndicate will defend with their troops, because they’re key transfer points for their drugs or anything that earns them money; the guns the drugs, the steroids, the parties,” says Phillips. “The Saints come in and kick them out of it, the Saints roll in, and from then on the Saints will show up in that location.”

Those AI accomplices are key parts of the city. Players can recruit them off the street to accompany them during missions and other activities. As the Saints gain more of a foothold in Steelport, they become better equipped to deal with resistance, as well.

The most visible way players can make their mark on the city is through the strongholds system. Don’t think that the penthouse is the only place you’ll be able to call home. There are also skyscrapers and casinos up for grabs, as well as Phillips’ favorite in-game place. “[It’s] kind of a BDSM Playboy Mansion kind of place. If you also think of the movie Taken with Liam Neeson, it’s kind of like that. It’s a little dirty, a little disturbing, but it’s also nice, and there are people hanging out in the grotto.”

Strongholds can be upgraded, and those upgrades directly affect your gang. Phillips says the mansion can be upgraded several times, until it’s basically the biggest building in Steelport. “By upgrading that, your gang will get stronger and the people who spawn out in the street will go from pistols to SMGs to rifles. It’s a modifier for that territory, for the cash that you earn, for the respect that you earn in that area. It’s kind of like creating a ring of power; it just makes everything in that area better and better and better.”

Taking over a city is fun, but it’s also tough to balance. Once you start gaining momentum, games that feature similar mechanics tend to have economies that break down. Phillips says that the team has been keenly aware of that problem, and that they’ve taken steps to make sure things stay interesting. “Even if you do own large parts of the city, we have enough ways for you to spend that cash, so it’s not going to be like Saints Row 2, where cash and respect very quickly lose their usefulness,” he says.

Following a character’s rise to power is a proven storytelling technique, and it’s one that’s served Saints Row well in the past. It’s good to have a change of venue with the third game, and it’s nice to not have to start completely over from scratch. Sure, driving people around might make sense when you’re first starting out, but it doesn’t really work when you’re already running another town. One thing’s for certain: Steelport’s map is going to be saturated in purple before it’s over.