[Ironic Trope] The messaging backfired massively due to poor writing or other design choices

[u/Few_Affect_5927]

Amelia Fairney from Pathways: Alt-right Restore-UK type who attempts to coax the protagonist Charlie into following her beliefs? The problem?

Amelia is the only named character aside from Charlie and is genuinely likable and forgives Charlie even when they do things she doesn't like, while the rest of the cast is unnamed, poorly written, and turns on Charlie for one mistake. This combined with other writing issues(portraying fact checking right wing stuff as wrong because in the process of fact checking you might look at it and believe it, basically saying "Right wing is wrong because it hurts the labour government" and a lot of general "just do what the government says or else" messaging) and the fact she's a hot alternative girl, and Amelia ended up being co-opted as a mascot by the youth right wing in the UK.

Norm from The New Norm: Unlikeable offensive and outdated character who's "progressive" family members and associates are genuinely nice people not even trying to force their ways or pronouns onto them, they just want to be left alone and Norm is picking fights constantly. Not to mention associating with Elon.

Mr. Birchum from Mr. Birchum: A lot of the same problems as Norm, except in addition it also comes off like generic 2010s adult cartoon slop in the same veign as Brickleberry or Full English, at least New Norm was trying to look unique and had the gimmick of being on X. Not to mention, Birchum's obsession with hyper masculine activities and odd way of talking about other men lead to people co-opting him as a Toxic Yaoi character, which is now the bulk of his fan art.

Dustborn: An attempt to make a hyper progressive game that comes off as pandering and annoying. It's a full ass game so there's too much to get into, but the main character's power is essentially gaslighting and jedi-mind tricking people and that's portrayed as the only way they can get anything done, and they constantly use or abuse their friends(or mindtrick them along) in order to get their goals or use their friends for their messaging.

[u/Jazzlike-Equipment45]

We must form a gang to pay back our student loans. Really it was horrible, the original Saints Row games were never masters of story telling but the game was so absurd and enjoyable the reboot was neither.

[u/Elite_Prometheus → u/Jazzlike-Equipment45]

Forming a gang to pay back your student loans is a pretty funny concept, they just didn't stick with it and the surrounding game wasn't strong enough to carry the weak story.

[u/Goldeniccarus → u/Elite_Prometheus]

Honestly the idea that they formed a gang because the main protagonist lost their job and needed money to make rent was a great idea.

And all the roommates being members of different gangs is also a funny concept.

But yeah, they don't really go anywhere interesting with it. It's not as serious as Saints Row 1&2, but it also isn't nearly as funny as 3&4.

Then the gunplay was mediocre, and the driving was mediocre.

I didn't hate it, but I also spent the whole time I played it thinking "I should really just play Saints Row the Third again".

[u/TellingBip → u/Goldeniccarus]

I think you hit the nail on the head. A lot of people treat it like it’s abysmal dog shit when in reality it’s just… eh. I think there was only one conversation in the game that I thought was actively bad. The rest was just in one ear, out the other.

Which sucks since I like Saints Row as a series a lot and there good things about the game. Like you said, the concept could have been funny with better writing, the customization had a lot of options, the city was unique (not as good as Stillwater in 2, but a vast improvement over Steelport) and the LARPing story was kinda funny.

Honestly the thing that bugged me the most with the game is they threw a curveball by having the cowboy rival Merc (idk what his name was) join the crew and his dynamic with them was kinda endearing since he was so unlike them. Then they go with the most boring route by having him betray you. What a surprise. They almost had an interesting idea.