History Fridge / SaintsRow

* In the series, the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally [[CrapsackWorld crapsack.]] While it initially seems to be this for the laughs, there is no other way to explain why the Boss can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world, the Boss would have been likely jailed after the first 10 murders, and probably executed soon after.[[note]]This is TruthInTelevision, the nature of American politics means that even a SpreeKiller with the highest body count can walk away like a free man[[/note]]\\\

* In the series, the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally [[CrapsackWorld crapsack.]] While it initially seems to be this for the laughs, there is no other way to explain why the Boss can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world, the Boss would have been likely jailed after the first 10 murders, and probably executed soon after.\\\

* The Boss, despite being [[ShapedLikeItself the Boss]], keeps getting back to the street to handle problems on their own. Seems like an egregious case of TheMainCharactersDoEverything, right? Why the hell a crime boss bother to dirty their own hands with street crimes when they have an army of criminals working for them? But then, it's revealed throughout the series that this is exactly what keeps the Saints together, with The Boss as their Boss. As long as The Boss proves willing to dirty their own hand, as long as they prove willing to take a bullet in the streets, the other Saints will rally behind them. The other Saints will stay loyal. In real-life, lower-ranking gang members are known to snitch their superiors, either to the cops or to other gangs, when they feel their superiors don't give them respect. The Boss' staying in the field averts such a fate: it proves The Boss as someone worthy to serve, thus keeping the whole gang intact.
** Also, from a more cynical bent, it also serves to instill a bit of fear among the rank and file. Because The Boss is showing that they are, in fact, still very capable of utterly and completely demolishing any opposition, more often than not by themself. If The Boss isn't earning loyalty for being the first to fight the Saints' enemies, they are most definitely earning fear for being able to kill hundreds of enemy gang members or police without any backup.
* In the series, the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally [[CrapsackWorld crapsack.]] While it initially seems to be this for the laughs, there is no other way to explain why the Boss can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world, the Boss would have been likely jailed after the first 10 murders, and probably executed soon after.
** In fact, most Japanese crime sandbox games shows what happens when murder was committed, even between competing organizations, as both police and other criminals treats murder as the perpetrator crossing a serious line. Hell, fighting cops is not encouraged in ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' or ''VideoGame/KenkaBancho'', let alone murdering policemen.
** ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'', set in a supposedly modern-day Hong Kong, similarly follows that country's famously strict gun laws (you can't buy one and even the crooks generally don't have them). And don't go committing murder in broad daylight. It'll end poorly for you.

** In fact, most Japanese crime sandbox games shows what happens when murder was committed, even between competing organizations, as both police and other criminals treats murder as the perpetrator crossing a serious line. Hell, fighting cops is not encouraged in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' or ''VideoGame/KenkaBancho'', let alone murdering policemen.

** ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'', set in a supposedly modern-day Hong Kong, similarly follows that country's famously strict gun laws (you can't buy one and even the crooks generally don't have them). And don't go committing murder in broad daylight. It'll end poorly for you.

** One of the worst setbacks the Saints experience in the first game is when Gat is captured by the Vice Kings while trying to take out Tanya. What makes it more understandable, however, is that the one who tipped Gat and Playa off on Tanya's location at that time was Troy... and that it happened soon after King requested Chief Monroe's help in dealing with the Saints. Add to it the fact that this took place at an abandoned police station, and it becomes pretty obvious that the whole thing was a trap by King and Monroe, with the latter using Troy to lure the Saints right into it.

* The Boss, despite being [[ShapedLikeItself the Boss]], keeps getting back to the street to handle problems on his/her own. Seems like an egregious case of TheMainCharactersDoEverything, right? Why the hell a crime boss bother to dirty his own hands with street crimes when he has an army of criminals working for him? But then, it's revealed throughout the series that this is exactly what keeps the Saints together, with the Boss as their Boss. As long as the Boss proves willing to dirty his/her own hand, as long as s/he proves willing to take a bullet in the streets, the other Saints will rally behind them. The other Saints will stay loyal. In real-life, lower-ranking gang members are known to snitch their superiors, either to the cops or to other gangs, when they feel their superiors don't give them respect. The Boss' staying in the field averts such a fate: it proves the Boss as someone worthy to serve, thus keeping the whole gang intact.
** Also, from a more cynical bent, it also serves to instill a bit of fear among the rank and file. Because the Boss is showing that they are, in fact, still very capable of utterly and completely demolishing any opposition, more often than not by themself. If the Boss isn't earning loyalty for being the first to fight the Saints' enemies, they are most definitely earning fear for being able to kill hundreds of enemy gang members or police without any backup.
* In the series, the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally crapsack. While it initially seems to be this for the laughs, there is no other way to explain why the Boss can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world, the Boss would have been likely jailed after the first 10 murders, and probably executed soon after.

** Also, from a more cynical bent, it also serves to instill a bit of fear among the rank and file. Because the Boss is showing that they are, in fact, still very capable of utterly and completely demolishing any opposition

** In fact, most Japanese crime sandbox games shows what happens when murder was committed, as both police and other criminals treats murder as the perpetrator crossing a serious line. Hell, cop fighting is not encouraged in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' or ''VideoGame/KenkaBancho'', let alone murdering policemen.

* The whole series is a bit of Fridge Brilliance if you consider the standard course of games in its genre. In most gangster movies and games the protagonist accomplishes his goal and either stops there, [[TheHeroDies dies]], or goes to jail. Here? You just ''[[SerialEscalation keep going]]''. [[AlwaysABiggerFish Took over the gang? Time to take over the city and one of the biggest corporations in the world. Done? Time to take over the largest crime organization in the world.]] Finished with that? Time to take over the [[{{Eagleland}} most powerful nation on Earth]]. Who else can take you on? [[AlwaysABiggerFish Enter aliens.]] The story keeps getting bigger and more grandiose because The Boss (and by extension, the player) just keeps '''winning'''.

* In the series, the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally crapsack. While it initially seems to be this for the laughs, there is no other way to explain why the Boss can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world the Boss would be jailed and probably executed soon after.
** In fact, most Japanese crime sandbox games shows what happens when murder was committed, as both police and other criminals treats murder as the perpetrator crossing a serious line. Hell, cop fighting is not encouraged in Yakuza or Kenka Bancho, let alone murdering policemen.

* Why is Troy so adamantly opposed to the idea of investigating the Vice Kings and Benjamin King in particular when Julius assigns gang duties to his lieutenants in the first game (to the point of ''Gat'' has to take over)? That's because, as we learn later, Troy is a cop, and King is paying off the SPD to stay off his trail. In other words, Troy isn't afraid of King, he is afraid of Chief Monroe.

* This troper has found himself wondering why in free-roaming crime games like GTA and ''Saints Row'' the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally crapsack. I assumed it was just for comedy, but then it hit me. There is no other way to explain why the protagonist can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops, soldiers and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world the player would be jailed and probably executed lickity split.

* Related to the above, I found the character of Johnny Gat to be boring and flat. A gangster jerkass who loves killing, bo-o-o-oring. Until I realized that he is a satirical version of the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' protagonist, made into an NPC.
** Well, his name ''is'' an anagram of GTA.
** Gat's supposed death in the very beginning of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' may actually have a meaning to it, to signify that this time, for once, the series no longer merely [[FollowTheLeader follows the leader]] but has gone completely OffTheRails.

* Why is Troy so adamantly opposed to the idea of investigating the Vice Kings and Benjamin King in particular when Julius assigns gang duties to his lieutenants in the first game (to the point of ''Gat'' has to take over)? That's because, as we learn later, Troy is a cop, and King is paying off the SPD to stay off his trail. In other words, Troy isn't afraid of King, he is afraid of Chief Munroe.

* During the opening cutscene to the mission http ://deckers.die, Kinzie mentions to the Boss that dying in Matt Miller's virtual world means becoming brain-dead in the real world. It explains why Matt was [[OhCrap so damn scared]] of getting killed after the Boss destroyed his avatar... But then you wonder : those dozen virtual Deckers you've been slaughtering on your way, were they nothing more than defensive programs ? Or were they actual members of the gang, connected to the usenet ? If the latter is true, it basically means that [[FateWorseThanDeath you just rendered brain-dead dozens of teenagers]]. Granted, they ''are'' gang members and you can still kill them viciously in the "real world", but still, that's a pretty fucked thing to consider.
** I'm pretty sure it's mentioned that the device Boss uses to enter the virtual world is one of only two, so the virtual deckers were probably... [[ShapedLikeItself virtual]].

* During the opening cutscene to the mission http://deckers.die, Kinzie mentions to the Boss that dying in Matt Miller's virtual world means becoming brain-dead in the real world. It explains why Matt was [[OhCrap so damn scared]] of getting killed after the Boss destroyed his avatar... But then you wonder : those dozen virtual Deckers you've been slaughtering on your way, were they nothing more than defensive programs ? Or were they actual members of the gang, connected to the usenet ? If the latter is true, it basically means that [[FateWorseThanDeath you just rendered brain-dead dozens of teenagers]]. Granted, they ''are'' gang members and you can still kill them viciously in the "real world", but still, that's a pretty fucked thing to consider.

** In fact, most Japanese crime sandbox games shows what happens when murder was committed, it is taken quite shockingly by all sides. Hell, cop fighting is not encouraged in Yakuza or Kenka Bancho let alone murdering policemen.

* ''IV'' apparently setting up the Boss for a HeroicSacrifice in the first mission might seem like a cheap way of milking some tears. A GenreSavvy player "knows" that the player can't die in the first mission! Then you recall that the games have been steadily upping the AnyoneCanDie stakes, and suddenly it looks a whole lot more plausible. It doesn't actually happen, of course, but the possibility is very convincing.

* If ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' is still a canon continuation of the timeline, Earth, or at least the United States, is on its way to become a {{Dystopia}} PoliceState. Considering one of the endings for ''Saints Row: The Third'' involves Steelport [[DividedStatesOfAmerica leaving US jurisdiction]], one can wonder if this kind of occurrence was what forced the government to cut down on personal freedoms. NiceJobBreakingItHero.

* I'm pretty sure it's mentioned that the device Boss uses to enter the virtual world is one of only two, so the virtual deckers were probably... [[ShapedLikeItself virtual]].

* During the opening cutscene to the mission http://deckers.die, Kinzie mentions to the Boss that dying in Matt Miller's virtual world means becoming brain-dead in the real world. It explains why Matt was [[OhCrap so damn scared]] of getting killed after the Boss destroyed his avatar... But then you wonder : those dozen virtual Deckers you've been slaughtering on your way, were they nothing more than defensive programs ? Or were they actual members of the gang, connected to the usenet ? If the latter is true, it basically means that [[FateWorseThanDeath you just rendered brain-dead dozens of teenagers]]. Granted, they ''are'' gang members and you can still kill them viciously in the "real world", but still, that's a pretty fucked thing to consider.

* ''IV'' apparently setting up the Boss for a HeroicSacrifice in the first mission might seem like a cheap way of milking some tears. A GenreSavvy player "knows" that the player can't die in the first mission! Then you recall that the games have been steadily upping the AnyoneCanDie stakes, and suddenly it looks a whole lot more plausible. It doesn't actually happen, of course, but the possibility is very convincing.

** SleepingDogs, set in a supposedly modern-day Hong Kong, similarly follows that country's famously strict gun laws (you can't buy one and even the crooks generally don't have them). And don't go committing murder in broad daylight. It'll end poorly for you.

** Gat's supposed death in the very beginning of ''Saints Row: The Third'' may actually have a meaning to it, to signify that this time, for once, the series no longer merely [[FollowTheLeader follows the leader]] but has gone completely OffTheRails.

* This troper has found himself wondering why in free-roaming crime games like GTA and Saints Row the world is always portrayed as very cynical, greedy and generally crapsack. I assumed it was just for comedy, but then it hit me. There is no other way to explain why the protagonist can waltz into a store and walk out with a rocket launcher, get away with killing thousands of cops, soldiers and civilians with nothing more but a fine and a slap on the wrist, and generally get away with anything. In a more balanced and sane realistic world the player would be jailed and probably executed lickity split.

* Related to the above, I found the character of Johnny Gat to be boring and flat. A gangster jerkass who loves killing, bo-o-o-oring. Until I realized that he is a satirical version of the VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto III protagonist, made into an NPC.
** Well, his name -is- an anagram of GTA.

* If ''RedFaction'' is still a canon continuation of the timeline, Earth, or at least the United States, is on its way to become a {{Dystopia}} PoliceState. Considering one of the endings for Saints Row 3 involves Steelport [[DividedStatesOfAmerica leaving US jurisdiction]], one can wonder if this kind of occurrence was what forced the government to cut down on personal freedoms. NiceJobBreakingItHero.
** It might be possible that the other ending, though, leads to an alternate storyline, in which the Red Faction plot is only a WhatCouldHaveBeen speculation on the part of movie producers, as the final mission shows.
* The whole series is a bit of Fridge Brilliance if you consider the standard course of games in its genre. In most gangster movies and games the protagonist accomplishes his goal and either stops there, [[TheHeroDies dies]], or goes to jail. Here? You just ''keep going''. [[AlwaysaBiggerFish Took over the gang? Time to take over the city and one of the biggest corporations in the world. Done? Time to take over the largest crime organization in the world.]] Finished with that? Time to take over the [[EagleLand most powerful nation on Earth]]. Who else can take you on? [[AlwaysaBiggerFish Enter aliens.]] The story keeps getting bigger and more grandiose because The Boss (and by extension, the player) just keeps '''winning'''.

** Or it can be shout out to another [[PeterCullen Peter]] that's associated [[{{Transformers}} with Big Rigs.]]