Saints Row: The Big Purple Package

Genre: Compilation / Open-World Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless, Online)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Saints Row: The Big Purple Package, released on Nintendo Switch in 2024, is a Compilation of two Open-World Action-RPG games from the long-running Saints Row series – Saints Row: The Third: The Full Package, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected.

I have separately reviewed all of these games. Here is what I thought of all of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Saints Row: The Third: The Full Package	Open-World Action-RPG	1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless, Online)	B+
tl;dr Saint’s Row: The Third is a Grand Theft Auto-style Open-World Action-RPG with the absurdity level set to absolute maximum (including the sex and violence). The game still has some graphical issues even after being patched, but they don’t interfere too much with the gameplay, which is absolutely brilliant, and well worth playing for anyone looking for a game like GTA on the Switch. However, I don’t appreciate that this decade-old game looks and feels like a decade-old game but is still being sold for $40. Still worth it if you can get a good deal on it, though.
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected	Open-World Action-RPG	1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless, Online)	A-
tl;dr Saint’s Row IV is a super-violent off-the-wall Open-World Action-RPG that starts out like Grand Theft Auto, but soon adds superpowers, becoming something more like Crackdown. It’s a solid port of a joyously good game, but the price difference here is outrageous, and while I think this is a game that should definitely be played, Switch owners who also have another modern gaming platform will save a lot of money getting it elsewhere.

In short, I think both of these are incredible games. Saints Row: The Third might be the closest you’re going to get to a Grand Theft Auto game on Nintendo Switch, despite that there actually are Grand Theft Auto games on Switch now. And Saints Row IV turns up the crazy dial to eleven making something bizarre and bonkers in a way that I found absolutely delightfully fun.

I should take a moment to address concerns about bugs, and honestly I feel like post-launch patches for Saints Row The Third have done a pretty good job at correcting these issues, and Saints Row IV was pretty good at launch to begin with. Now, neither game is graphically ideal on Nintendo Switch – Saints Row: The Third in particular has some ugly aliasing going on, and naturally cannot even come close to what we saw when the game was re-released in a remastered version in 2020. But given the underpowered nature of the Nintendo Switch’s hardware, it’s pretty decent.

Then, there’s the question of value. When these games were originally released on Nintendo Switch, both featured a bloated price tag, with The Third selling for $30 (twice the price of the Xbox 360 version, and only $10 under the modern remaster) and IV selling for a disgusting $40 (twice the cost compared to other platforms). However, in the time since, these games have been reduced to $20 each, about on par with their current price on other platforms. Now, in this collection, you can get both games for a mere $30, a solid savings over the $40 it would cost to buy the games separately.

I know people have some pretty extreme feelings about these games. Some people are put off by the silliness and absurdity, some see them as just trying to ape the Grand Theft Auto formula, some see them as better than Grand Theft Auto, some see Saints Row: The Third as the last good game in the series, and some think that the more crazy the series got, the more fun it was. Not everyone will share my opinion here, I get that.

But as far as I’m concerned, these games are a true delight, just bursting with fun and creativity, and while there were clearly a few places where the Nintendo Switch versions had to be cut back and reined in compared to modern platforms, overall I still think they fare well on Nintendo’s console. Furthermore, this package is a solid deal for these games, even if it’s coming extremely late to the game, considering the shutting down of developer Volition in 2023. A cynical person would see this release as publisher Plaion sifting through the pockets of Volition’s corpse after killing it, trying to find any spare change remaining. But even if that’s the case, it is still a good deal on two great games, and anyone who missed out on them prior to now would do well to get them. Better late than never.

tl;dr – Saints Row: The Big Purple Package is a Compilation of two Open-World Action-RPG games – Saints Row: The Third: The Full Package, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected. Both games are outstanding and highly-creative, even if the Nintendo Switch ports had to make unfortunate graphical cutbacks, and this package is a solid deal on the pair of them. If you missed out on these games and want some great Open-World Action on Nintendo Switch, do not miss this bundle.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Value ($30) – Let’s ignore the fact that this bundle regularly goes on sale for an insanely low price under $5. This is a two-pack of incredibly enjoyable Open-World games that (thanks to post-release patches) run great on Nintendo Switch and are a blast to play. If you enjoy games like Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown, this is a must-have bundle that will be incredibly easy on your wallet given how much great gameplay is contained within.

Runner-Up: Best Compilation/Collection

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Saints Row: The Big Purple Package

Genre: Compilation / Open-World Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless, Online)

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Review:

The Saints Row games have had a rocky time on Nintendo Switch largely thanks to a pretty lousy release for Saints Row: The Third, but that game was improved by a post-launch patch, and now we’re looking to see how much both games have improved in Saints Row: The Big Purple Package, a bundle containing both games.

In short, both games have seen quite an improvement, with increases to resolution and framerate, as well as much shorter loading times – the time to load up these games on Nintendo Switch was 18 seconds and 30 seconds, but on Nintendo Switch 2 that has been reduced to 9 seconds and 12 seconds, respectively. And once you’re in the game, the visuals are much more smooth.

That said, both games still bear all of the graphical flaws that weren’t tied to resolution and framerate, and that means both games have ugly aliasing and pop-in, and Saints Row: The Third still has horrendous shadows and a hideous graphical shimmering that makes the entire thing look quite ugly, despite the other improvements.

As a result of this, both games are definitely improved, but it’s Saints Row IV that looks much better at the end of the day, since it doesn’t have as much of the graphical baggage as the Nintendo Switch port of Saints Row: The Third does.

In any case, these are still two excellent games in an absolute steal of a bundle. Just don’t expect anything that looks even close to modern visuals, especially in Saints Row The Third.

tl;dr – Saints Row: The Big Purple Package is a Compilation of two Open-World Action-RPG games – Saints Row: The Third: The Full Package, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected. Both games are outstanding and highly-creative, even if the Nintendo Switch ports had to make unfortunate graphical cutbacks (though this is somewhat improved on Nintendo Switch 2), this package is a solid deal on the pair of them. If you missed out on these games, don’t mind dated graphics (and in Saints Row The Third, outright ugly visuals) and want some great Open-World Action on Nintendo Switch 2, do not miss this bundle.

Grade: A-

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