Can I skip to Saints Row IV?

It is better if you play the previous games :3

Storyline...? Hahahahahno, you should be fine. They'll talk about characters as if you know them but from my experience of jumping in at The Third, I didn't have any problems. Probably missed an inside joke or two I suppose.
Saints Row The Third was a pretty good game though and I've heard lots of good things about 2 as well.

I played SR3 and SR4 (on free weekend). I highly recommend SR3. The story is much better than in SR4 (in any case you have to set your standards low ^^). Graphics are not better or worse.

You could play SR4 and the storyline won't be too confusing. You will meet tons of old characters from past games but the way the game is setup it pretty much recaps as you go. I would recommend getting the full package though, SR3 is an excellent game. SR2 is a pretty crappy port but there are mods to fix it and its pretty enjoyable as well.

Start with 3, play 4, and then if you want go back and play SR2 and if you have a 360 play SR1.

Thanks for the suggestion guys!

So I probably won't buy the full package but I'll get Saints Row 3 (without DLC) and Saints Row IV GOTC as a gift (redeem later or trade if I decide not to play it).

More opinions are welcome though, keep em comin'!.
I still have until tomorrow to make my final decision.

I enjoyed SR3 much more than SR4. Never bothered to finish 4.

You need at least finish the third (which was way better, btw), before starting Saints Row IV to understand the story

I preferred 3 to 4.

IV is the worst of the series imo, i played it on a friends pc and didn't even want to buy it for myself, 2 is the best, 3 is still kinda good.

Played, beat, enjoyed The Third.
Currently playing and also enjoying IV.
Just get the Franchise Pack so you don't regret it later.

Third is the best. I recommend you get that and then IV.

yes you can skip to the 4th but i dont know why you want to.. its the weakest game of the franchise.

no, but if you want to play one of the older titles, I recommend the second

I played all of them, I think IV is the best. Saints row has always been silly but the 4th is so silly it's hilarious. Game always has a nice soundtrack too. 4>2>3>1

I started with SR3, then played SR4, then lastly watched the "movie" of all cutscenes for SR2 on youtube. I enjoyed it all and didn't feel lost doing it this way. I'd imagine that after playing SR4 with superpowers you wouldn't have as much fun in SR3 if you played that one after.

You can miss SR2, it's awful, it's buggy and runs like shit. But SR3 is a must, really good humor, some intense gameplay and a lot of weird crap to see. 4 is a direct sequel, and it even lets you import your character, so I'd start with 3 right away.

I honestly can't stand the new Saints Rows. 1 & 2 felt like a decent alternative to GTA, but 3 & 4 felt like they were pushing the goofy humor and what not a bit too far. Maybe it's just not my kind of game.

The only really fun ones I found were 3 & 4. 3 for getting the open world plus wacky right then the 4th for going way overboard for it but feels a little like an expansion due to the nature of how the 4th came out under studio changing hands.

I never played SR1, but SR2 was great and SR3 was okay.

You will find a lot of divided opinions on this matter, but there is a good reason for this. Saints Row 2 was more serious than the later games, and while it did have a strong sense of humour, it also played out like an actual gangster story sandbox with childish shenanigans thrown in. A bit like the Metal Gear series, which has a gritty military story but also blends in a goofy sense of humour at random points. SR3 is far more over the top and humorous, like a high-budget action movie with more comedy than seriousness. SR4 seems to be almost all action-comedy with minimal seriousness.

So sorta like this :
Seriousness <---------------------> Comedy
. . . . SR2 . . . . . . . . . SR3 . . . . . . . . . .SR4

All of them have a ton of action, a sense of humour and some seriousness, but the difference between the games is mainly in what proportions. Naturally the more recent games have higher system requirements along with better visuals and a more refined underpinning system, and what I assume is more variety.

I would still suggest you play SR2, then SR3, then SR4 in order. Just because.
It's entirely up to you, and you could easily jump to SR4 if you wanted, but I guess I just have fond memories of SR2, and felt that SR3 had a little something cool going for it. Yeah, it will be time consuming, but I would also recommend taking a break between playing each of the games too.

SR3 is awesome. Beating people to death with a giant pink dildo bat = pure win. Would dildo again. 10/10.

SR4 has many more inside jokes. Also, superpowers make it a bit too easy to get around near the end of the game for my taste but it was still good fun.
Worst of the series is the first game, but that never got a PC port anyway. That's just a straight-up, bland GTA3 clone. SR2 is where the series starts to grow it's own identity.

I'd say play from the start too, why would you want to skip the earlier titles

I think you can safely skip to the last installment, without missing out on the main story, which is very tongue-in-cheek anyway. That said, SR3 is definitely a game I'd suggest playing. It might even be more fun that SR4, judging from some opinions I've read.