Volition Entertainment put a time-bending end to the Saints Row Franchise the last time we saw a game from them, so expectations were high for the storied studio's first post- Saints adventure. Enter Agents of Mayhem , a homage to campy action hero cartoons of the 80s and 90s.

Agents are the right mix of goofy and fun; Switching between Agents at will; GI Joe aesthetic works big time; Animated cutscenes are beautiful

Repetitive missions drag the game down; Missed potential with Agents themselves; Open world; but no reason to see it; Glitches galore; mostly in the background

In all honesty, the Saints Row games became gaming junk food. They weren't master classes in design or anything like that, but they did offer a jolly good time. Saints Row offered players wacky and wild world to explore, managing to create some enjoyable oddball experiences.

Frantic combat; Interesting Agents; Deep customisation

Repetitive missions; Lives in Saints Row's shadow; Forgettable story

While technically not a part of the main Saints Row franchise, Agents of Mayhem shares quite a few themes and design choices, with more importantly the fleur-de-lis symbol iconic to the series once again taking the centre stage here as the logo to the superhero (Think S.H.I.E.L.D.

Brilliant Voice Acting; Unique Characters With Personality; Particle Effects; Well Animated Intros; Actually Humorous

Game Breaking Bugs; Repetitive Mission Structure; Lacking Optimisation on PC; Paywalled Skins And GAT Behind DLC

I looked forward to seeing what Volition would do with a new open-world franchise. They turned Saints Row into something much more unique than the franchise's GTA-inspired roots, and a new take on that universe could have been a great move for the developer.

People talk about the difficulty of integrating comedy into video games ad nauseum, but few mention the fact that comedy ages in video games in ways that it doesn't in other mediums.

Moment to moment action is fun; Team concept is surprisingly enjoyable; Mindless fun at times

Concept deserves more than just "mindless fun; Does nothing with interesting environment; Mission design is painfully repetitive

Volition has been bringing us Saints Row titles for over a decade. What started as something that was essentially a Grand Theft Auto clone, transitioned into something really special that stood on its own as the developers started incorporating an over-the-top story that took a low level street gang...

In a year where everything old is new again, it seems fitting that one of gaming's oldest franchises gets a new lease of life. Sonic Mania isn't just another Sonic game to fill the gap; Sonic Mania takes all the hopes and dreams for a classic-style Sonic game and makes it a reality.

When Saints Row first came out, gamers pegged it as a Grand Theft Auto clone. To many extents, they weren't wrong. It wasn't until the sequels that the Saints Row series stood out on its own with its whimsical game play.

Overall, Sonic Mania is the perfect callback to the series that Sonic needed. Fans of the series will remember their old gaming days, while newcomers will see what made Sonic such a great series years ago.