Saints Row 3 honestly feels like a game that tries very hard to forget its roots
This has been Volition's MO since that game, yes. If I remember correctly SR2 was made by a different team or studio head or something, and the guy who took over after clearly did not understand and does not like SR2's tone and design. They've done multiple interviews where they've said that they don't like the serious moments, and that WACKY COCK BATS AND GOOFY DANCING LMAO is what Saints Row should always be.
Oh, it's fun unlike dour and serious GTA IV!"
This was definitely a major cause for the change. Volition is retarded though, because it's more funny to have a serious scene play out with your character in a hot dog suit than it is for your character to be riding gimpmobiles around the city while exchanging lolswacky quips with their partner.
when really all they meant was that there were more fun things to do in the world.
This is also a major reason why SR3 fucking blows dick. There's nothing fun to discover or see in this open world game. Saints Row 2 is packed full of interesting locales, Easter eggs, stores, weapons, hit targets, Steelport has none of that. The only thing you can find in the open world is boxes of blow up dolls.
Oh, also the pedestrias in 3 are massively dumbed down and lack any kind of personality. They just stand around. Peds in 1 and 2 are very fun to engage with and fuck around with because they have a much wider range of reactions.
Now it's just trying to be SAINTS ROW BUT NEW, FRESH AND HIP YO.
This game just proves that Volition really are the copycats they tried desperately not to be called for the past decade. They copied street crime gang games when they were popular, they copied Overwatch when it was popular, and now they're trying to get the Zoomer Fortnite audience while it's popular. I don't feel bad for them going under because they have no soul or originality.