Agents Of Mayhem: Volition's Finest (feat. Jason L. Blair)
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- čas přidán 8. 08. 2022
- DX tells the story of Volition's Agents Of Mayhem with help from the game's lead writer, Jason L Blair. From its start as a Saints Row reboot, to gaining its own identity and finally seeing release. Also discussed are its marketing, critical reception, cut content and DLC that was never realized.
Intro, Thumbnail, Title Card, and End Card art by Azuma Yasuo: / azumayasuo96
Admixon's Saints Row IV Mods seen in this video: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
Sources:
www.gdcvault.com/play/1023985...
www.dsvolition.com/publicatio...
• Defining A Project Vision
Thank you to Ethos for the DOOM footage.
#volition #agentsofmayhem #saintsrow - Hry
All of the art for my new intro, the video's thumbnail, its title card, the cut agent renditions and the end card were all done by artist Azuma Yasuo. Check them out here! twitter.com/AzumaYasuo96
Feels like a blast from the past, back from when you did AIFH and shit like that.
Hey DX, are you ever thinking of doing another DX Plays series?
@@themoviereviewernextdoor5327 Nah, I think my days of playing bad games for that sort of content are over. Never say never but it's not currently in the plans.
@@DXFromYT I understand. Hope everything is well, as I love your content.
Hey can you review Kanjo-Okarishimasu(Rent-A-Girlfriend); it's a terrible anime that everyone love.
This video is better marketing than the game ever received.
*RIP Volition and the Saints Row franchise*
And wow!! Someone actually liked AoM
crystal ball over here
for the first 10 minutes i thought this is a satire video, but no. bizarre.
AOM is a game I will endlessly defend. Playing it for the first time and seeing every single character have entirely different animations for every action on top of having dialogue ready to continue conversations while swapping was endlessly impressive. The buff/debuff based combat on top of the verticality is something I adored and would only be somewhat matched later on by Anthem. Hearing 27:03 - 29:24 put a lump in my throat as I can feel their disappointment like it were my own.
They should have made zeus
I like the 2d animated cutscenes. Fits with the saturday morning cartoon style they were going for.
Same. Little known fact: Powerhouse, the studio that did the animated cutscenes for Agents Of Mayhem went on to go do the Castlevania series on Netflix.
Great interview by my boy, Jason. One of the hardest development times in my career. Still proud of the work we did on it. The fun we had during character creation and animation was a great time. Thanks for not letting AOM die!
A lot of great folks worked on this game! Those feelings Jason reiterated around the 29 min mark were felt across the studio by all I believe
It was fun. I replayed it last month. Too bad it underperformed. Would've liked to see a sequel.
Loved many of the character. Daisy, Fortune and Hollywood were one of my favorites.
You guys did a fantastic job with the game, and the heart and soul put into it was easy to see as it burst from within all the various aspects in the game from the characters, the dialogue, to just everything in general. That intangible sort of feeling often comes through in some way or another, and it just sucks that sales always seem to make the final call on a games life span. There are games that sell millions of copies that are virtually unrecognizable from one another, which feels like an unfortunate compromise of artistic vision due to the rising costs of development. Still, it's disappointing that this is what often reaps the rewards while something born and made from the ground up with a real passion gets boiled down to the numbers that represent financial sustainability. From the outside looking in it just feels so unfair that such a soulless process is what dictates the survival of a game who's heart is still beating to those who got to connect with it. You guys are pros and the work will always be appreciated!
A great title held down by a identity crisis. I felt if it was its own IP and not marketed as a SR mixture it would have been a great IP.
Should've laid off every person on the marketing team
Damn, sounds like a good game that a lot missed out on, R.I.P Volition
Nobody "missed" it, everyone bitched that it was an overwatch clone or mad it wasn't saints row and refused to buy it.
It's funny how people call it an overwatch clone I always thought it resembled more of crackdown.
Volition is literally my favorite developer, ever since I played saints row 2. Then realized that they also made red faction (which I also loved) and now I can't wait to play the saints row reboot.
Also side note, I love that you gave them the love they deserve.
@@lordd_juvtoomuch8166 How you liking that reboot?
womp womp
I got this for £20 not long after it came out and have to admit I did find it pretty repetitive and ran into a couple of bugs here and there, but I still had a really fun time with it and definitely got my money's worth.
And as someone who loves Deadly Premonition and the BloodRayne games I know what it's like to adore something so many people write off as mediocre and worthless, so I'm glad you found something to love in the game and made this video. Maybe someone else will give it a chance and love it as much as you do.
I bought the game after seeing this video for 3 € on the Ps store. I've been having some fun with it but I feel the repetitiveness of the content holds it back quite a bit, using different characters with different combat styles is pretty fun but less so if you have to keep doing the same mission over and over again. I feel most of the effort was put into the characterization, as explained in the video, but you really can't expect a game like this to boom in the current market
I van enjoy everything for the right price.
Volition attempt for redemption with Saints Row is potentially aging like milk.
They must to do something ASAP. Very mixed early reviews on a unoptimized and poorly written game.
I chalk up AOM’s failure to volition consistently NOT listening to their fans. Nobody asked for agents of mayhem. They keep making shit nobody asks for.
IMO Agents of Mayhem is so misunderstood and under-appreciated. I really liked this game because it was just fun, didn't take itself too seriously and had some good character abilities
saints row 3 then?
Nah it's just garbage.
It sucks
Just won't be the same without Volition kicking around.
This was a game I have never heard about until you mentioned it several times as one of the games you were anticipating to play.
I also remembered seeing artists on DeviantART commissioned to create artworks of the characters the same way Blizzard did with Overwatch.
It was such a fun experience and was my introduction to Volition.
While it’s sad it underperformed, I don’t regret the time and money I spent on it.
I have really enjoyed this video.
"Finest"
Gonna cry?
about what?
the problem with AOM wasn't the characters, gameplay mechanics or story, but the bugs that made me hate the game. It was unplayable at times, you'd get a goal that would be unreachable because it glitched into the wall, you couldn't dodge while attacking so you could die pretty quickly if you have a lot of enemies on you, and the worst, was that on the last mission in the game where you had to drive to a certain area, would always crash the game, every time, the game could not get past that bit. It does make me hope they'll give it another try though, I'm optimistic about the reboot of Saints Row, but I have some doubts for it.
I have to wonder if the efficient new city crafting tools post-SR2 are the reason why Steelport, Hell and Seoul are such boring flat worlds. SR2 Stilwater was complete harmonious chaos with several different districts but it all just worked despite how hard it was to create
Nah, definitely not. Tools are just tools, it's what you do with them that matters. Yes, a city like Steelport does suffer from samey districts and a lack of interiors, but another of its biggest problems are its forgettable NPCs and that has nothing to do with their world creation tools. Also, Red Faction Guerilla was presumably built using the same methods as Saints Row 2 and it also has a generally bland world, and I don't think "it's Mars" is a compelling argument to justify that. I think Santo Ileso will more than likely be Volition's best open world since Stilwater in 2.
I forgot about this game
Man, an open world, western style game set in a post apocalyptic Rio actually sounds amazing. Shame that idea was dead on arrival.
Really been loving these past few videos i'm loving the direction you're taking with your art.
Thanks DX u reminded me of this game i didn't play as a kid cause I didn't have any money backthen but I knew volition couldn't disappoint. I bought the game recently and am loving it. When I get far into it I'll comeback and watch the vid
Hope you enjoy the game!
The reboot will not age well lol
I still remember talking to you about this game when it came out, and our own disappointment of the general public reaction to what was easily the most fun we had with a game in some time. It's so wild to see that all these years later, you'd be able to realize a dedication to such a bombastic, wild ride that was clearly made by talented people who loved what they were doing. Not to mention this is the finest work you've done yet. You raised the bar yet again!
I love these videos so much. As long as you keep making them, I will keep watching them
This is an amazing video, I really have nothing to say here because you said exactly everything I would have said for me. You're a real one.
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
This was a well put together video of a beautiful game. Love your videos bro
Yet another great video about a game's development. Lovin' it
Played the game start to finish...it's not worth the praise and honor in this video.
I'm starting to think DX is my spirit animal. Black Ops 3 and AoM are two brilliant masterpieces that I feel are always misunderstood by the general audience and even fans of their own franchises, and now just staring at the video title alone already fills me with joy. I preordered AoM back in 2017, put 30 hours in it and until today I'm still floored by the sheer style and energy it harnessed, and the combat is simply one of its own. In fact the combat is so good that the new Saints Row put me off big time because every footage I've seen looks like the game regressed to the old boring SR The Third's primitive point and shoot gameplay.
Big thanks for the video m8. I really hope it sells the game to more people and how brilliant it is.
Bo3 a masterpiece?
I never see enough people praising bo3, it's in my opinion these most fleshed out and cared for cod. The most fun best zombies one of the best multi-player experiences just a boring campaign is all it has
@@mrxyz985 Train go boom
A Call Of Duty game is a brilliant masterpiece. That is a truly adorable statement.
I think you're getting Black Ops 3 mixed with Black Ops 2, chief
I've never played AoM but SR2 is legitimately one of the funnest games I've ever played
That new intro is so AMAZING!!!
Loving the new intro/Channel art, feels really sleak!
Love the new graphics, and again, glad to know someone gave this game the credit it deserved so long ago.
Haven't clicked on a video so fast in weeks.
Thanks for making this informative and entertaining video. I had overlooked this game but have now bought it after watching this.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
@@DXFromYT I most certainly did. An amazing game, and a steal at the $5 I paid for it.
@@KesGaming Awesome!
fantastic video and fantastic developers
Why do marketing underestimate the power of video game trailers? One bad trailer can completely turn-off lots of potential buyers to the point they no longer want to see anything else related to this same game. So i think its one of the reasons the game flop.
The livestream were good (that's what sold me on the game) but most players won't go out of their way to watch an hour long livestream of a game they have no interest in to begin with.
Yep and yet they did it again with the reveal of this new SR Reboot. I think a new marketing team is in order or hell a community feedback manager because they ain't listening.
I don't know how you do it but your videos get better and better with each upload. I feel so bad that this game flopped and it may be too late now but I'm definitely buying this game.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Great deep dive into development and the game 👏Hope we see maybe something like Gat out of Hell for Agent's of Mayhem after the Saint's Row reboot and its DLC are shipped. Like a standalone expansion, maybe with coop ? that'd be freaking cool. Regardless I'm glad Volition still exist and are making the games they want to make. Thanks you for making this.
I just love your videos. Wish you could post them more frequently
Thank you for making this video.
It helps to deepen my appreciation for this game, as I am forever last-gen.
I JUST picked this up for the xbox one, for...$2 or $4?
As a fan of the SR and RF series', all I knew, was that it was by volition and most people weren't feeling it.
Its fun has been unveiling itself like an onion.
A fun addition to their legacy.
Be proud creators!
This video made me realize how much personality this game had that I hadn't realized playing it on release because of it not being what I wanted. Redownloading it on steam right now
It kind of sucks that Agents of Mayhem was overlooked because it's marketing. I just bought it recently and I had fun with it.
Its not good 😂
Aged like milk
@@SovietMarmalade I know lol
See? This is why I love your channel man, first there was your video on Wolfenstein Youngblood and now THIS? Oh yeah!
I'll always defend Agents of Mayhem, it was a whole lotta fun.
The chances on Agents of Mayhem 2 are highly low, but i still believe there is little hope that Deep Silver let Volition make a perfect sequel, just like Saints Row 2.
Man thou shout out to the new intro and general rebranding, looks slick as fuck.
(also lol i failed the challenge of 100% that game before your video came out but oh well)
new intro dope as hell
I never knew it was so in-depth!
I’m not the biggest fan of this game, but I definitely see the effort that shined in the game and I can tell a lot of effort went into it. I wish the game did better and it’s sad that the recent Saints Row reboot is, in my opinion, the worst Saints Row games ever made.
This will be on play list for whenever I get a gaming pc. Really would like to see this at 60fps which is something the consoles won’t ever get an update for. Liked the story and much of the game
love this game
also forgot about the agent breakdown type streams they did. Those were dope. Especially cause they had the voice actors on.
one positive thing that born from the disaster of the new saint row is that make me search for something better to play and i give this game a chance and man i kicking me for not play it when it launch but is good and it shows the heart and soul that was put in his development
I feel like saying AoM doesn't have character customisation is kinda misleading, since honestly it has the best character customisation where it really counts, gameplay. Each operator plays so uniquely to each others and they can be customised to suit any specific niche, it's amazing. I honestly thought this was a stepping stone for the next Saints Row, where we can customise how the Boss played.
That new intro is sick
It's a fun game. I still play it. I was just disappointed how buggy it was on release
Amazing video bro now that's how you sale a person a game
You made me really interested in playing this game. I honestly forgot it existed. When it came out I think I also just assumed it was some hero shooter or online game and ignored it. As someone that doesn't give a shit about online gaming, that was an instant turn off.
It definitely goes to show how poorly marketed this game was.
Saints Row’s legacy, fandom and marketing killed Agents of Mayhem.
It is unfortunate that the first reveals make everyone’s thoughts that this is a new Saints Row game and discontinue what made Saints great. Gat out of hell, made the things worse. If they just straight dropped the entire SR references and cameos they could have a chance.
Now the Saints reboot is being already criticized the same way Agents had, due to their apparently change of tone, the new characters, and the early assumption that customization was not here when they first revealed.
Liked that Video, subbed you, i hope the rest of the Videos got the same quality, would be good.
Also nice, that you got an interview partner, 35 minutes are different if you got an dialog insted of an circlejerk monolog, like alot of creators do.
I preordered it. I really wish there was a sequel.
Hey DX, just discovered your channel earlier tonight. Actually a 5 year old video of you going through some really shitty games. You provided me with exactly the content I was looking for. I love older games and games that aren't exactly what everyone thinks of as good games.
I especially love janky games.
Then I saw you posted this and it was your most recent video. Your style is great and held my attention fantastically. I also loved this game. For whatever reason, I'd always run into problems playing it (my computer would struggle to run it, and sometimes controller support just wouldn't work for me) but I never ended up playing this thing for less than 90 minutes whenever it would run. It was so fun, I loved the cohesion and there was so much attitude and confidence I loved it. Even hearing the music they were putting up on Soundcloud for the game's factions. There is just something so joyous about beating the shit out of the enemies in the game. And something so wonderful about the movement systems. Thanks for this video. I'm glad to know that the team looks back fondly for the most part about the development. It's well deserved.
I'm probably going to buy Agent's of Mayhem now. It's underated and it's really sad that it performed so bad. I just didn't have time back then. Now I feel bad about the people in the studio.
Damn, I wish a new Red Faction would be made.
I simp for daisy! I loved this game so damn much and I wish it got more support.
Woah nice new intro
That's some sick intro.
I went and bought this game when it first came out on PC and despite what bugs I encountered... I liked it. it was fun. The characters were well done and I enjoyed the unique, tag-team aspect of gameplay. Hell, I found the game was so enjoyable/likable that a few years later, I tracked down and bought a steelcase edition for PS4. I do wish AoM had done better, especially after hearing in the video about the potential expansion and modding that never bore fruit.
Awesome video, filled with interesting info. Unfortunately, the game is nowhere near what it should have been. None of the individual parts are very good, and the sum is somehow lesser. Regardless of the game's quality, I will always support these small "docu-like" retrospective, and I appreciate all the work that you put into this one.
Saying that none are is harsh, gameplay and design wise its a great game. It just lacks depth in some areas for me.
@@mrshadowduh9394 The gameplay is one of the major problems with the game. The shooting lacks feedback, enemies are either too bullet spongy, or pushovers, character progression isn't very deep, or rewarding-what's "great?"
To be clear, I'm not saying it's garbage, but the game does nothing particularly well. If you like the game, that's cool, but the claim that "gameplay and design-wise (whatever you thinks this means) its [sic] a great game" doesn't seem to align with most people's reality.
In any case, I don't think saying that it isn't "very good" is harsh.
@@null_subject Did we play the same game? Did we even watch the same video on this game? What most people think says nothing about the quality of a game, GTA Online is fucking dogshit but R* makes millions with it every day.
Bullet spongy doesn't seem like a very valid complaint when the game's 15 different selectable difficulties allow you to control enemy health. There's also no difficulty where the disparity is such that enemy health is that binary. I guess you could make an argument across grunts and bosses but that's quite literally all games.
Damn Zeus looked like an incredible concept.
If AOM simply had real multiplayer, no one would hate it as much.
You mean like PvE Co-op or a PvP?
PvE like the other Saints Row games, but with 3 players instead of 2, and a PvP mode 3 versus 3.
@@syntheticderangement PvE Co-Op could have been cool, but a PvP would have probably been harder to pull off.
Funny how everyone has a bit more of a delayed appreciation for the game after the Saints Row reboot
@@BucketOfFuk yep, the reboot sucked balls, even after the bug fixes
I wish I agreed about AOM being so much fun, but after about 5 hours with it myself, I was bored out of my mind. I think that Saints Row 4 but better was what I was looking for and AOM was too different. Different isn’t bad mind you, I just couldn’t get behind it.
Everything is definitely not for everyone, nothing wrong when something just doesn't click.
@@DXFromYT Amen. Great video tho - always love to hear behind the scenes stuff from devs. Damn shame what this game’s reputation did to Volition - such a great studio. Here’s hoping the SR Reboot is good
i bought the game around two years ago and it didnt click for me because i kept thinking of it with saints row on my mind and now recently i just got back on it and started from the beginning....its such a good game and its so under appreciated plus all the dlc and characters add so much more fun
Majority of people love to bash this game but never play it
I played it and it sucks
Alright now I'm gonna buy this game even though servers are shutdown and you can't access online elements. Animations and it's artstyle looks great and gameplay looks engaging instead of on rail linear sp games that I've been playing recently
The online was mainly used to help upgrade the Agency faster and get more in game cash. The game is an offline single player game through and through despite seeming like it should have had online co-op. You'll be fine without the online functionality.
Yay new content
This got me wondering about the new saints row and what differences there will be from the older games
No joke, I remember watching the Streams they did prior to launch. I had only saw snippets prior to this mind you, when I saw Daisy, I had to find more info. So during one of the streams they brought on Daisy's Voice Actress (Misty Lee), from that point onward I was all in. She's my most played character and I still go back to the game cause' there truly isn't anything else like it. With so many characters to choose from, I've drifted all over the place, have tried many different builds and line-ups, like every time I go back now, I'll try an entirely different team with an entirely different build, I'll drop a few hours between a couple difficulties depending on how much of a challenge I want, toy around with some Gremlin Tech for a bit too.
Honestly, I think I'm right about that though, there really isn't anything like Agents of Mayhem. The tone, the style, the inner 90s kid who wishes he was an 80s kid cause' he grew up with 80s shows (Transformers, GI Joe, Captain Planet, He-Man, good grief this list goes on). I'll never not smile when I hear the AoM jingle "more you know" reference, the little guitar riff gets me every time. No joke, I don't even think I've seen all of them (100hrs+ playtime, in-game counter, might be longer though) during the load screens, such an ingenious idea to have those placed there, who ever pitched that idea deserves a medal. Honestly, I could keep gushing but yeah, it's a game I still hold dear.
(EDIT: Side-note, my man team is literally the Thumbnail, haha, Daisy, Fortune, and Lazarus.)
Going back to the old style.
I'm glad somebody else loves this game besides me.
I feel that AoM would have benefitted a lot by agents having super-powered ways to traverse the city. Like flying or superspeed. Whatever’s easiest to implement. I remember thinking at the time that this was the only thing the game sorta lacked.
Great video and Interesting piece on yet another Volitions missteps IMO
If Saints Row 4 was your first Volition title then I can see jumping into AOM that you had a blast but the fact is, fans of SR didn't know how to look at AOM other then a weird enigma of clashing ideas. Just like BF: hardline was to Visceral games what AOM was to Volition. A identity crisis that completely destroyed the game. I liked AOM and Hardline but the majority of the core audience it was marketed for felt unheard and disconnected.
My main concern for Volition going forward is repeating the same mistake but in a different way in this new Saints Row Reboot. It now has the gameplay of a SR title.....but its lacking the core heart of what older fans wanted out of a new title. We will just have to wait and see if this new SR try will hit or miss but for me I will have to sit back and watch yet again since I waited for AOM in that bargin bin for a reason. The developers have heart but the ears to the ground on what people want are tone deaf.
Loved this game. Of course it wasn't perfect but all the characters and their abilities were just super fun.
I fucking love this game. Now it makes me want to play through the game again.
Is it any better now?
@@phantomvulpe791 I played the game far after the patches were released. Give it a shot man or if you want wait till it goes on sale to try it.
I recommend it.
@@CodenameCMB I see it right now in ps premium that's for free so I'm willing to give it a shot when I have the time
@@phantomvulpe791 Just don't put your expectations at a saints row game. Marketing killed the game in that way, see it as its own thing.
Just a little tip to keep in mind.
Good advice. It's absolutely not a Saints Row game.
I think I wanna try this game out
Ngl I should buy that game again on Steam sometime. I bought it during a sale on my PS4 and thought it was pretty fun.
I grabbed this game for £4 a few months back, been sitting in my backlog ever since. Worth booting up guys? Family member of mine just passed away, so currently into just mindless fun.
If you already have it give it a try, personally I got bored after the tutorial and first mission. It's nothing like Saints Row. If you want mindless fun try SR 4.
woah fire intro
I love this game. Downloading on ps5 now
It runs great on the PS5. PS4 had a bunch of frame drops but on the PS5, you get a sweet 60fps with HDR.
@@JVLY is it actually 60fps on PS5?
Fast forward to the new Saints Row and it’s the worst games they’ve ever made and quite possibly the last
rest in peace
Coop would have been a game changer here. I think AoM should have been developped around that idea completely.
Just wondering, how do you feel about the 2022 reboot of saints row? Brilliant video BTW, genuinely the best marketing AOM has ever gotten lmao
Okay people if you wanna try the game cause of this video, at least on PlayStation the game is currently 2.99 USD and is part of PSPlus extra, vice versa if you want to get a physical copy they are really cheap
Before I start the vid...nearly everyone I've heard till now said this game wasn't very good.
Interested to see where this vid goes.
Like DX, I really enjoyed it. It's a flawed game with a few disappointments, but I found a fun and vibrant gameplay experience at the core of the game.
Such an underrated and sorta forgotten gem!
Is it possible they made the game more for the devs than their players?
Volition almost always makes the game that they want to make instead of making what the fans want. That's mainly why they're so hit or miss as of late. Though they're one of the few, if not the only studio that takes risks, especially ones this big.
@@Wol1427 Okay. Thank you for that info :)
@@Wol1427 It's sad to see the risk aren't very good risk, I love seeing things expand and try new things, god of war and metal gear coming to kind in style switch ups. It's okay to fail and try again but sometimes ruining your reputation isn't good in the long run.
Playing rn, its bretty gud
The game was alright, but it was nothing to write home about