Saints Row 1 is disturbingly overtly racist, homophobic and mysognistic.

[DudeistBelieve]

So it's spring break for me, and I wanted a game to play on a budget, and I mostly like to play games these days that let me create my own main character. I hadn't played the orignal Saints Row since it first came out, and Saints Row 2 is one of my favorite games this generation.

I have heard random pedestrians say as they walk the street "What the fuck are you doing, ******?" so many times, and it's said in such a disgusting not-over the top manner. Like the pedestrian saying it was a KluKluxKlan member level of hate.

Walk further along the streets of Still Water, I pass by female pedestrian in a lady-suit and a male pedestrian. The male pedestrian says loudly "I WONDER IF HER PUSSY IS TIGHT", like hey I'm not a prude. I might of snickered if this was spoken in a whispered/hushed tone, instead it's more of THIS IS A WOMAN PEDESTRIAN THE PLAYER CHARACTER MUST WANT TO FUCK HER type deal. Not even to mention the fact the number of hookers wandering the streets asking to suck my cock and objectify them. Like yeah, Grand Theft Auto had the hookers too but I scant remember more then them saying "Lookin' for a good time sugar" not an unapologetic "I don't have time to be coy! YOU WANT YOUR DICK SUCKED OR NOT?!"

Lastly theres this parody Conservative talk radio station in the game. Now I listen to a lot of Conservative talk radio in real life, I love the Sean Hannity show for example, so I got a real kick out of this and it's probably my favorite saying by the way of displaying the right to it's absolute extreme... but even that has this....

Host 1: So we're talking about Flag burning...
Host 2: Yes. Burn them.
Host 1: ...What?
Host 2: Burn them. Burn those people.
Host 1: What are you talking about? We're talking about FLAG burning.
Host 2: Oh sorry... I didn't hear the L.
Host 1: Ohhhh...... Oh okay.... and if we're talking about the same thing, I entirely agree. Burn those people.

Now, okay, the gist of that station is trying to demonize conservatives. I get it. And I can appreciate dark humor. I can appreciate shock humor sometimes. But this, joke one particular joke considering the setting of the game comes across very disturbing to me.

Considering how bent out of shape people get when a developer talks about adding a "Girlfriend Mode" to a game, how the hell did this game get a free pass? Just playing it, it feels like it was created for drunken white frat boys.

 

[piinyouri]

That doesn't surprise me too much considering the first game was trying to emulate GTA badly.
And it did in fact, emulate GTA.
Badly.

I remember in San Andreas hearing pedestrians say things sort of like that but they were actually funny.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I never remembered the first Saints Row having a big following. Most people only ever played the second and third games in the series, so that's probably why there was no outcry about this. I mean, the first Saints Row was basically thought of as a poor man's GTA.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I never remembered the first Saints Row having a big following. Most people only ever played the second and third games in the series, so that's probably why there was no outcry about this. I mean, the first Saints Row was basically thought of as a poor man's GTA.

I remember playing it and enjoying it, but a lot of the first game is just bad. I also don't remember the game being this terrible ethically.

The look of the three gangs is very generic. Like K-Mart style generic jerseys and hoodies on each gang member, the character models look like hardly any effort has been put into them. Aisha looks 100% different then she did in 2.

 

[putowtin]

It's an ok game, and I don't think Volition are homophobic/racist they just thought they were being funny, and some bits are.

Just cause you find something offensive in a game doesn't mean that people who find it funny are wrong, or visa versa.

 

[Antari]

Saints Row as a series is a joke to begin with. Which puts my concern over what content they put in the game to pretty low. I took the most offence to the physics engine, whatever universe it came from.

 

[hazabaza1]

Okay, that flag burning thing made me laugh. It shouldn't, but it did.

 

[Smeatza]

The great thing about the GTA series has always been the humour. They must have some fantastic writers there because they always hit the nail on the head. The jokes are sound, well handled and funny in spite of the often controversial subject
matter.
Copying someone else's gameplay, art style, storyline etc. is easily done. But to copy someone else's humour and get it right is highly, highly difficult. If the humour one is copying deals with controversial subject matter/ideas then getting it wrong will likely lead to it being crude and offensive to many.

Just look at "Family Guy - Back to the Multiverse." The writers on that game failed to copy the humour of the very show they had licensed. And as a result the game was slammed for being homophobic, sexist, racist etc.

It's simply what happens when people who are not good at comedy attempt controversial comedy.


In any case it's hardly something to bat an eyelid over.
I mean really, some fictional characters, in a game that prides itself on being ridiculous and over the top, that's based on a game which successfully parodies pretty much everything, are saying something that might be offensive, as a joke.
I would have to spend years trying to care about such a small issue and probably never would.

Also, that Conservative Radio bit

Spoiler: this bit

Host 1: So we're talking about Flag burning...
Host 2: Yes. Burn them.
Host 1: ...What?
Host 2: Burn them. Burn those people.
Host 1: What are you talking about? We're talking about FLAG burning.
Host 2: Oh sorry... I didn't hear the L.
Host 1: Ohhhh...... Oh okay.... and if we're talking about the same thing, I entirely agree. Burn those people.

That's a good joke. Not the most sophisticated, or original. But a good caricature of conservative media figures.

 

[Lethos]

Not even to mention the fact the number of hookers wandering the streets asking to suck my cock and objectify them. Like yeah, Grand Theft Auto had the hookers too but I scant remember more then them saying "Lookin' for a good time sugar" not an unapologetic "I don't have time to be coy! YOU WANT YOUR DICK SUCKED OR NOT?!"

.....You do know what hookers do for a living, right? How can a hooker not be objectified? It's sort of their job. I don't know if you have ever seen and talked to a hooker in real life, but subtlety isn't exactly what they go for.

Anyway the game is basically an overblown interpretation of gang filled, poverty stricken America. The gangs have been elevated from street thugs to paramilitary crime organisations, the amount of sleaze has been multiplied, and all the characters are flaming stereotypes taken from a cop drama. SR is no where near as zany as it's successor, but it still exaggerated everything.

 

[Psycomantis777]

I dunno about much of this, it wasn't trying to be serious, but does anyone remember the guy in one of the chop-shops who you catch reading gay porn, he's all "Whoa, I'm not, I mean" and your character just sorts of waves his hand in the manner of "don't worry, it's cool". The garage dude then said something like "Cool, it's straight... well, er, you know..."
I laughed a bit...

As for the rest f it, it's intentionally overdone so that it's just silly, but it's not aiming to be offensive...

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

snip

It's like you missed the whole point of the game.
All the offensiveness is there BECAUSE it's awful

 

[Milanezi]

In my opinion the first Saints Row, and even the second (didn't play the third) were funny exactly because not only did they not give a fuck about anything at all, they insisted on being offensive and immoral. They had no boundaries, like a bad taste joke you're always eager to make amidst family and close friends, but never near anyone else. Saints Row is about taking it to the extreme, but never doing it seriously. Personally, I did not get offended by it at all.

 

[snekadid]

I don't understand the problem. Is it offensive? Yes, welcome to humanity. I actually congratulate SR1 for showing realistic portrayals of people in a game and not putting forth the usual facade of bullshit you usually see with these games, treating us like we are children that can't handle offensive concepts.

We never learn to react to offensive subjects unless we are subjected to them and quite frankly, as a human universal, we all seem to content to ignore things happening that make us uncomfortable. It's just too bad the game itself isn't very good. I will now leave before the argument of SR2 Vs SR3 breaks out.

 

[Mr Fixit]

I picked up SR 1 & 2 this weekend, found a nice double pack for cheap. The games are supposed to be offensive, it's kinda the whole point of the game. I for one am enjoying the over the top horribleness, does that make me a bad person. Yes, yes it does.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well it depends on your perception really, Saints Row was always draped in offensive absurdity and you either laugh it off or you get horribly offended.

Now I'm sure plenty of people would have a field day with witch hunts (especially now that games are responsible for all rape, murders, terrorism and possibly global warming), but this is how some comedy is made.
It's not something everyone can stomach, heck mostly I don't either but I understand their intent was absurdity and not degradation of people, while "music at the clubs" have the exact opposite intent and yet people love that shit... interesting how that works out isn't it.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

Congratulations! You have matured as a person over the years!

I am not being a jerk, it's a good thing to look back and see that stuff you liked as a kid you find insultingly stupid. It's the understanding from growing up that some things, like trying to be edgy for edgy's sake are just not funny and are childish and silly.
Saint's Row 1 is not gritty or realistic or mature as much as people like to claim it is (usually in comparison to the other 2 in fairness) Which is ok if thats what you are into I guess, even adolescents need humour. But growing up and finding gay, racist, etc. jokes not funny is fine. because they usually aren't anyway. It's for kids who thinks just because something is 'taboo' it's automatically funny. It's a teenager mentality which we all go through but not all of us get out of.

 

[Rblade]

lost browny points for taking saints row seriously. That game is one huge extended joke, maby you don't think the joke is funny, but that doesn't make it offensive. Because like I said, it's not meant to be taking in the least bit serious. This was more obvious in 2 and 3 but I'm pretty thats how 1 was intended for the most part aswell.

 

[DEAD34345]

Isn't it obvious? The series is supposed to be a parody or satire, even if it isn't all that great at it in the first game. All these things the characters say are supposed to be offensive, it's not like the game is ever endorsing them or making them appear normal.

The reason people were offended by a "girlfriend" mode is that it carries with it the assumption that girls cannot play videogames, and it was said in such a way that it was meant to be taken semi-seriously. In Saints Row on the other hand, you're not supposed to take anything said at all seriously, and I was never under the impression that the developers actually acted the way their characters did.

 

[Jonathan Canterbury]

Yeah, what ^ he said. Seriously, get the fuck over your self. Nothing in that entire series was meant to be taken seriously.