Crowning Music of Awesome: Saint's Row the Third

     There are times in gaming where the music sets the mood perfectly. Be it a moment of kicking ass and taking names to just staring in absolute shock as your love interest died at the hands of your mortal enemy. These moments are few and far between, but when they happen, it sticks with you. It also proves to be the defining moment in the game. Today's article is the first in a recurring series where I take a look at one game, regardless of genre and highlight the Crowning Music of Awesome.

     I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to Saint's Row the Third. I admit that it is refreshing to play a goofy, gory sandbox game, especially coming off the depressing Grand Theft Auto 4, but sometimes I feel it is too silly for its own good and the story is lost in the mayhem. When I first began playing Saint's Row, I felt underwhelmed by the radio stations. In the GTA series, there was usually one or two radio stations, not including the talk radio segments (which are down right hilarious), that appeal to my tastes, and sadly Saint's Row the Third failed to deliver on that.

     That was until I got to the mission Party Time.

     If you are a frequent reader, then you are aware about my feelings on Hip Hop and Rap music. At first I groaned at the choice of song that played during this mission. Not being a fan of this genre of music, I felt put off by the song and there was no way to turn off the song save for muting the TV. After subsequent playthroughs, I found that the song had grown on me and I began seeing Saint's Row the Third as a movie in a game. All the tropes are present; the death of one of your allies early on, a good heist gone bad and being knocked from the top of your criminal empire to the bottom are all major themes in a movie and lastly, a key song for an epic showdown. Especially if the movie could be seen as a parody of the ultra violent flicks from the 80's. Power was that song.

     The second song that gave the game that special moment of awesome was during the penultimate mission Three Way and like Party Time, they had one song playing on an infinite loop. Instead of Power however, it was a classic song from the 80's. Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero was playing giving the game that 80's action movie vibe.

     Despite my personal issues with the game, it is these two songs are what sets Saint's Row the Third above. With Power playing during the first major mission and Holding Out For A Hero playing during the climax, it makes the game feel more like a cinematic experience. To those who grew up in the 80's and watched the action flicks from that era, you would feel right at home.

     Next Wednesday, I take us to the Opera to showcase that video games have been an art form for years. I am Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.

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Go to TV Tropes for more examples of awesome musical moments.