Posted in: E3, Games, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: agents of mayhem, Deep Silver, e3, E3 2017, Saint's Row, Square Enix, volition

Sowing The Seeds Of Chaos With Agents Of Mayhem At E3

Last year I got the chance to take an early build of Deep Silver and Volition's Agents of Mayhem for a spin, and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the game functioned. The over-the-top characterizations, the cringe-worthy catchphrases, and absolute absurdity of the gameplay made it incredibly enjoyable. Agents of Mayhem has not once taken itself seriously, and that is something I greatly enjoy about the game. It's also rather familiar territory for Volition, as the main Saints Row series is similarly irreverent.

While Agents of Mayhem is a spin-off, early versions of the game had less obvious ties to Saints Row, even though it takes place in an alternate reality created because of events from the Saints Row series, and that was pretty fresh. We've seen more obvious ties now that we creep closer to the end of the 2017 launch window, and that's alright.

All that said, being able to create an absurd amount of madness in the world around you is the major draw to this game, and regardless of which characters you have control of, there are a myriad of ways to wreak complete and utter chaos through the game. Either by being a terrible driver, like yours truly, or by using your specific skillset and specials to maximum effect.

Being able to switch out characters mid-mission is also a fantastic help with that, as you can essentially chain moves and set yourself up for some stunning combos if you get a good handle on things.

I just wish we'd have gotten something a bit more, well, new out of this year's demo. Sure, we had more playable characters and got to see some of the 2D animated cutscenes, as well as take the many Rides of Mayhem for a spin, but other than the differences in how each character plays, there wasn't much new. I suppose, when you start a game off with the excessive violence and pithy one-liners turned up to 11, things just get a bit stale after a while. Even Spinal Tap knew you had to work up to 11, you know.

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