Saints Row: The Third – The Trouble with Clones DLC review

Reviewer's note: This review contains spoilers regarding the first few moments in Saints Row: The Third. Read at your own discretion.

At the beginning of Saints Row: The Third, we witnessed what appeared to be the death of Saints member Johnny Gat. Since that moment, there seemed to be a rift in the attitude of many Saints members. Obviously, these fine, murderous gangsters missed their friend, and it was sad seeing a longtime character go. Now, the latest missions pack for Saints Row: The Third has launched, and it sees the return of Johnny. Well, sort of.

The Trouble with Clones is the third downloadable mission set for Saints Row: The Third, and as its title indicates, it's centered around the cloning of Johnny. A Saints stalker named Jimmy narrates the story and talks about how he spent his days collecting everything from chewing gum to slimy gel-greased combs — all from Johnny. Upon learning about his hero's death, Jimmy decided to clone him and, in a sense, bring the infamous Johnny Gat back to life. Thankfully for the players, things go terribly wrong, and what we get is easily the best Saints Row: The Third DLC yet.

Like Gangstas in Space before it, The Trouble with Clones features three brand new mission. Once again, this is a very small number, and because the missions each take about 15 to 20 minutes, you'll probably be finished with the DLC in an hour or so. This has been the recurring trend in all of the mission packs for Saints Row: The Third, and it really is a shame that The Trouble with Clones, in particular, isn't a bit longer.

That gripe aside, there's absolutely no denying how enjoyable the latest DLC is. Unlike the last two mission packs, The Trouble with Clones hits a lot closer to the main story in Saints Row: The Third. By basing the three missions around the return(ish) of Johnny, developer Volition ensured that fans of the game who wanted some resolution in terms of the beginning moments in Saints Row: The Third got exactly that. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the ending in The Trouble with Clones is pretty damn awesome, and it's even a bit chill-inducing… and then it's hilarious.

The first mission in the DLC is very action-oriented. You'll find yourself gunning down rival gang members, cops, and vehicles. It's a ton of fun, and it's exactly what made a lot of the missions in Saints Row: The Third so exhilarating. The second mission is a bit more out there and has the distinction of featuring a special gun that shoots out swarms of bees. Suffice it to say that blasting people with that weapon is a great deal of fun.

The final mission bleeds the madness that made so many gamers fall in love with Saints Row: The Third in the first place. After Jimmy tampers with a can of Saints Flow, your character gains insanely cool superpowers. The abilities to throw fireballs hadoken-style, destroy enemies with a single punch, and even run at insane speeds (swatting off cars along the way) are all granted to your character after being under the influence of Saints Flow, and it's so freaking awesome.

It really is a shame that the only unlockables are two new Homies to back you up in combat and a truck with a giant horn on it. The bee gun and the special Saints Flow abilities would have been great additions to the game. Still, you do have the option of replaying the missions in The Trouble with Clones (and you can now replay Gangstas in Space thanks to a patch), so you can mess around with the new abilities and weapons some more. It doesn't make up for the fact that the unlockables are lacking, but at least the bee gun and superpowers aren't completely gone.

At $6.99 (free for Season Pass owners), The Trouble with Clones is priced about right. What you get is the best downloadable mission pack yet, a few new Trophies, more Saints Row: The Third insanity, and a great ending. While the last two DLC packs were easier to recommend to die-hard fans who wanted to raise more hell in Steelport, The Trouble with Clones is obviously geared toward a larger audience. If you liked Saints Row: The Third and want to see some resolution to the first instances in the game, you should definitely check out this highly enjoyable, often comical DLC pack.