From the lengthy and fun missions to various oddjobs (Emphasis on the word 'Odd') and side missions to the high amount of interactivity with the world means that you will have plenty to do. 'Variety' is the key word in Saints Row 2. I had fun with it because I always love churning out mutants with these things. The various clothes, tattoos, accessories and highly varied character customization tool gives you several different options to create any character you like. You can create just about any character you imagine, from a cool Sean Connery-esque pimp in a pinstripe suit to a fat transvestite with big breasts and a Mexican accent wearing nothing but a garter belt. The controls become second nature and sometimes you'll forget you have a controller in your hands.Ĭharacter customization is awesome. Even flying in planes and helicopters controls damn near perfectly, something that games simply can't seem to do. The on foot controls are just as good, weapons, motion, everything just feels right. Using weapons in cars is a second nature, with a crosshair always on screen and the ability to shoot while still driving straight is a great thing. Cars control great, you can pull off just about any maneuver with ease, style, and grace, and you will rarely get into an accident unless the AI or yourself intended it to happen.

The controls are also perfected from the GTA formula. Its fun to run around with mush brained lackeys and gang wars are always intense and fun, and its satisfying to take chunks of land. They also put up the most interesting fight, bringing some supernatural elements into the mix deep into their mission line. Not only was their leader awesome with an awesome suit, any gang modeled after Baron Samedi gets props from me. My favourite gang was by far the Sons of Samedi, both fighting them as well as observing them. It works great and tackling each gang brings a unique string of missions that all stand out. Each area of the map is owned by various gangs, and you have to take over that territory through missions and wars. San Andreas was a great game, but it was experimental and had flaws, but the concept is nearly perfect here in Saints Row 2. It doesn't try to be GTA IV so much as a lighter toned version of San Andreas, perfecting the concept of taking over gang territory and having a posse of gangbangers follow you. SR2 is no GTA IV, and I think it understands that. It was so loud that people couldn't help but take a gander, and one of those people was my wife, who a day after bringing it home didn't emerge from the gaming room until 3 days later. Saints Row 2 then found itself in an awkward position, GTA IV was looming on the horizon and so not many people payed attention to Volition's work, so Volition quickly buckled down and shoveled in as much content as possible, gave the game as loud a voice as possible, and unceremoniously threw it into the fray. It was a mere snack to tide sandbox crime fans over until Rockstar released a true next gen GTA game.

Saints Row first appeared at the beginning of the current generation, and while it garnered a following, it was not much more than a rip off of GTA San Andreas and didn't really do enough to really gain much attention. Crass & Offensive, but undoubtedly one of the most entertaining games ever made.

Saints row 2 map vs gta4