GTA4 sucked. There, I said it.
Don’t get me wrong , there were plenty of things that it did right. The entire city was portrayed with incredible realism, the missions felt like those a real gangster might attempt and the physics when colliding with a moped at 180km/h were accurate and appropriately gratifying.
But therein lay the problem: it was all too realistic. Almost too slice-of-life. And it took itself way too seriously. What happened to driving explosive-rigged RC cars under your targets? Or taking a combine harvester for a Sunday drive through hordes of hapless pedestrians?
Fortunately, in the wake of GTA4 (or as we like to call it, The Sims: Russian Immigrant Expansion) came Saints Row 2, a copycat sandbox game that reminded me just how fun it can be to kill, maim, destroy, pimp and pillage for fun and, most importantly, profit.
Saints Row 2 continues from the events of the first game. The player wakes up in a prison after a six-year coma, only to (naturally) bust loose in true gangster fashion. Heading back to your town of Stilwater, you find that your gang, the Third Street Saints, has disbanded thanks to the absence of its famous leader. Three rival gangs now rule the streets, and it’s your task to get back on your feet, rebuild your crew and take back your turf.
Players will follow a series of missions for each of the three gangs that they need to defeat. In order to unlock these, however, players need to earn Respect; and, as with any true gun-wielding, bloodthirsty urban gang leader, earning it ain’t gonna be easy. Fortunately, there are a host of ‘Activities’ (essentially side-missions) which allow you to gain it.
Now this is where the real fun comes in. Fancy driving a septic tank around, spraying enemies with raw sewage? How about piloting a decommissioned military attack chopper to rain death from above? Or maybe running drugs, committing insurance fraud or competing in illegal fight clubs is more your speed? And, of course, one can always turn to the true gangster favourite: good old fashioned pimpin’.
Completing these not only unlocks more missions for you to play, but reveals cool rewards and unlockables for your character, crew and cribs. Speaking of the latter, players will need to secure various hideouts around the city if they are serious about being top dog. These can all be blinged out (with the obligatory jacuzzis, stripper poles and entertainment centres) to raise your style rating, which in turn gives you a multiplier to help you earn more Respect.
The customization options are seemingly endless, and one can spend hours changing every aspect of the game to their liking.
The missions themselves reminded us of the fun we used to have when we first discovered sandbox games. Granted there are the standard issue assassination attempts and gang brawls, but players will find themselves covering every inch of Stilwater as they complete an eclectic mix of tasks.
Even if it is a simple ‘kill all the bad guys’ mission, players can be sure it’ll be implemented in a fun and interesting manner. Like, in a crowded strip club. With an RPG.
On the down side, Saints Row 2 doesn’t really do anything groundbreaking in the visual department. Framerates are definitely an improvement on GTA4 though, even though at a glance you’d be forgiven for thinking this was one of the earlier GTA games. It’s not the kind of title that players will fire up to show off to their friends, but then again, not many sandbox games are. Fortunately an average presentation is saved by a sweet soundtrack and a suitably well-unravelled story which is supplemented by cutscenes that are actually not completely boring to watch. Yes, that’s right GTA4. I’m talking to you.
The single player campaign will last you a good 40 hours or so if you choose to do the bulk of the optional missions as well, giving Saints Row 2 a lot more bang for buck than its peers. Plus, players can cause mayhem online in a variety of game types or you can play co-op through the single player missions: a tasty bonus to an already solid package.
If you’re a GTA fan, get Saints Row 2. Even if you aren’t, get Saints Row 2. Hell, even if you’re a puritanical geriatric who can only stomach Little Big Planet in small doses, get Saints Row 2. It’s a great example of how much fun a game can be when it takes things just a little less seriously.
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