Volition shows off canceled Saints Row Undercover on PSP

By Gabe Gurwin Published January 23, 2016

Inside Volition: Saints Row Undercover

Volition’s Saints Row series may have never become as huge as Grand Theft Auto, but the wacky and sometimes supernatural open-world games have been among the most creative in the industry. The franchise (and studio) even survived the bankruptcy of former parent company THQ, but there was one game that Volition didn’t make the cut: a Saints Row for the PSP.

Titled Saints Row Undercover, Volition originally planned to port Saints Row 2 to the PSP before deciding to focus on a handheld-exclusive game. In the studio’s own words, it “isn’t a handheld developer,” so work was delegated to a separate studio. Development of the game didn’t get incredibly far before the game was canceled in 2009, but Volition employees still seem surprised by what the studio was able to do on the console with the time it had.

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“It has some minor player customization — there’s an actual open world here,” says associate video editor Josh Stinson. “It was honestly kind of shocking that this was so far along.”

As you can see from the video, this isn’t exactly the “console quality on the go” that Sony pushed when the PlayStation Vita hit the shelves a few years after Saints Row Undercover was cancelled. The framerate is horrendous, there are virtually no shadows, and the draw distance only extends to about 50 feet in front of the player.

“We have it so good now, with the graphics,” says video producer Alexander Mejia. “When we look at a PSP game, it’s just like, ‘oh gosh: how can it be that way?'”

But what you’ve seen in the five-minute video is just a fraction of what Volition is willing to show off. On January 28 at 5 p.m. EST, the studio will be streaming the game on Twitch. Perhaps the support it gets from fans will inspire them to develop a Saints Row for the Vita or the 3DS … but probably not.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Saints Row reboot still looks wacky, even if it’s formulaic

The main character of Saints Row glides in a wingsuit.

The Saints Row series is making its grand return after seven years. The Saints Row universe fully reset at the end of the Saints Row IV DLC Gat Out of Hell, so Volition's next game is a full-on reboot of the series. After the underwhelming Agents of Mayhem, this reboot allowed the developer to redefine what a Saints Row game could be without the constraints of classic characters or settings. Unfortunately, that new vision is much more plain than I'd hoped despite the series' expected madcap tone.
While the results of this reimagining have the enjoyable and wacky Saints Row flair that one would expect, I was left quite underwhelmed by a recent hands-off preview of several missions, combat, and the open world in Saints Row. This upcoming game is set in a new Southwestern city of Santo Ileso and features a new cast of Saints characters, so Volition has an opportunity to go big and bold here. Ultimately, it's looking formulaic for a series that's known for being off-kilter and wildly creative.
SAINTS ROW – Game Awards Gameplay Trailer
Grounded absurdism
During my hands-off preview, I got to see the new team of Saints in a variety of missions. These include a loan agency robbery gone wrong that results in a big car chase, a raid of a car-loving Panteros gang's headquarters in a helicopter, and a rescue mission for one of the player-character's friends after he's kidnapped by a bunch of Deadmau5-looking crooks from a gang called the Idols.
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Also, because it's an entirely new cast of characters that have yet to prove themselves to fans, there isn't any nostalgia factor that can help make up for subpar jokes. Currently, Volition's strategy is to give the narrative a sense of "groundedness" despite its kooky aspects to make players care about this character and that narrative.
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Absurdly generic
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Vehicles in Saints Row.

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In a lengthy showcase, Saints Row developer Volition detailed the game's deep customization systems. It all starts with the new boss of the Saints, whom players can make into anyone they want. Customization starts at what has been available in previous games in the franchise -- yes, including crotch and breast sliders -- and then some. If players want, they can make a true-to-life Shrek, or they can create a boss fitted with running blade prosthetics and pearlescent skin. Every part of the body can be customized, and when it comes to facial features, things don't have to be symmetrical either. Players can have their boss look like a veritable Picasso painting if they want.

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The crew of the Saints Row reboot stands against a wall.

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