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Saints Row 2
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Volition
Genre: Action
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
ESRB: M - Mature
Reviewer: Eric
 Grand Theft Auto IV was an amazing game when it came out. After some time the
game didn’t seem to fair too well and online play started to feel kind of
sluggish. When it was time for Saints Row 2 to hit store shelves the game got
delayed for some minor tuning. Was the extra time put into the game worth? Is
Saints Row 2 a Grand Theft Auto killer?
The first Saints Row game was a complete waste of time. Online play should have
been scratched and the single player mode felt real bad, it left a bad taste in
gamers mouths. Saints Row 2 on the other hand will wash that taste out and it
will make you shelf your copy of GTA IV. This is the sandbox game that we
expected from Rockstar, however there are a few problems that still plague the
Saints Row franchise.
For starters, to be fair, Saints Row 2 pretty much takes everything from Grand
Theft Auto IV and expands on it. Gameplay is great, the story is deep and online
play is incredible. The extra time the developers took on Saints Row 2 was well
worth it. Instead of playing certain sections of the huge city gamers can go any
where online. Get in a car and drive where ever you want with a friend. Online
play is endless and full of hours of enjoyment. Saints Row 2 is worth the price
for online play alone.
The story is Saints Row 2 is either hit or miss. Your main character is the same
person from the first game. He survived the huge explosion from the first game
and now he is in police custody. Thankfully the doctors gave him plastic
surgery. Pretty much what this means is you make your new character and the game
starts from scratch, that is if you never played the first game.
If you were one of the few people that played the original Saints Row then you
will love the story after the corny plastic surgery gimmick. The game takes
place a few years later and everything has changed. The gang territories have
changed and some of your friends from the original game are in places you would
have never expected. All of this leads into one deep story line, where you
ultimately have to reform the Saints again and take over your territory. Been
there done that, I know, but everything in-between is where the game shines.
The character creation in Saints Row 2 is huge. You can create the most
disturbing creations or you can create yourself. I would say the choices are
endless, but if you sit down and try to nip pick at things I’m sure you’ll find
some problems. Just like GTA IV you can buy new equipment too. Some of the
clothing items you can buy in this game are just random. But then again you can
earn a zombie mask and that part of the game is just plain old cool.
During your time in Saints Row 2 you can buy different properties. Again
advancing on the GTA IV aspect you can have different hideouts to businesses.
This aspect of the game makes things a lot more realistic. Trust me though it
does get annoying whenever you go in your crib and a hundred thugs are inside
acting like they’re in a Snoop Dogg video. Seriously, was this necessary?
There are some problems with the game though that do cause some problems.
Objects in Saints Row 2 like to disappear even when you are in a mission. Cars
and different individuals will go away from up to a few sections to almost
forever. Starting missions over is easy so there is no problem there, but still
this should not happen in a high profile game like this.
 Many times when you are just messing around with Saints Row 2 the graphics tend
bug out. Polygons will act in their own way and cars and people might just go
through a building. All of this is real and sometimes you can ever use it to
your advantage, that is if you figure out how some of these glitches work.
All around the game seems kind of easy. If you thought Grand Theft Auto IV was a
breeze to complete, for the most part, then get ready to get through the games
story without dying too much, maybe not at all. Weapons are extremely easy to
come by and the enemy AI is pretty weak. You are looking at over 10 hours of
gameplay though so that isn’t too bad.
Final Verdict
When I played Grand Theft Auto IV I feel into the trap. I thought the game was
perfect and no other game could compare. There are still some ways that GTA IV
is better, but as of now I think Saints Row 2 is better. The gameplay is better
for the most part and online play is terrific. If you love sandbox games then
there is no reason why you shouldn’t add Saints Row 2 to your collection.
Rating
8 out of 10
Saints Row 2 Trailer
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