Saints Row 2 > Video Game News, Inc.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Saints Row 2
By JoeBob @ 11:54 PM :: 5326 Views :: 0 Comments ::

:: 360

Before GTA IV the Grand Theft Auto series garnered critical acclaim despite “watered down” game mechanics (a lackluster targeting system, sub-par graphics etc.). Instead the games relied on creating believable, free roaming worlds in which the player could do pretty much anything. As long as this aspect was fulfilled, the other game mechanics barely mattered. Saints Row 2 disagrees with this concept wholeheartedly. The title focuses on improving the gameplay mechanics that previous GTA titles ignored. This sounds great in theory, but does the game succeed in emulating the charm of the Grand Theft Auto series?

The answer to this question is ‘no’. While the world in Saints Row 2 is just as open ended and realistic as any GTA city, the title nonetheless remains less engaging than any GTA title. This is mainly due to the disappointing lack of personality among the game’s characters. Saints Row 2’s story (like any GTA game) is based around many characters. The problem is that the characters are not even close to being vibrant and are also usually bland and uninteresting. The game’s world simply does not feel as alive as in a Grand Theft Auto title.

Although the characters in Saints Row 2 weaken the game’s story, this does not mean that the story isn’t interesting. While the title’s plot does not meet GTA standards, it nonetheless remains enthralling in its own right. The game’s plot is strengthened by random, uniquely strange events that occur throughout. One especially cool moment involves an R&B singer getting beheaded by a samurai.

In many ways Saints Row 2 seems to haves been influenced by Grand Theft Auto IV. This influence can be seen the most in the game’s presentation. The loading and menu screens look almost exactly like GTA IV’s. The low key lighting used in the environments also reminds me of GTA IV. Although GTA IV is a much better game overall, Saints Row 2 does improve upon that game in some aspects. One of these aspects is the side activities. In GTA IV you can do normal side activities like eating at a diner, bowling, drinking at a bar and of course going to the strip club. Saints Row 2 takes a far less linear approach to these activities. The player can do anything from playing a Resident Evil 4 inspired arcade game to flashing random people to participating in a COPS style reality show called FUZZ. Another positive characteristic of Saints Row 2 is the ability to play through the entire campaign co-operatively online or off. This is my favorite feature in the title, as nothing beats participating in a drive-by with a buddy. The title also features deathmatch and team deathmatch style competitive games as well as a unique mode in which players compete to see who can earn $100,000 the fastest.

Saints Row 2 is a great free roaming action game that happens to have extremely bad timing. Despite an extremely large amount of replay value, great minigames, an extremely fun co-op mode and polished gameplay mechanics the title still falls short when compared to Grand Theft Auto IV. Pick this game up if you have played through GTA IV and cannot wait for the DLC in order to get your free roaming fix.

7/10

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