After GTA IV rejuvenated the Grand Theft Auto franchise of games, it's hard to imagine an open world game doing it better, especially one who's predecessor was essentially a "GTA clone" though a very good one. Yet, Saints Row 2 delivers in spades, and not on the strength of it's presentation or it's storylines (as it was with GTA IV) but in its sheer overthetop ridiculousless and self-degredating humor that we like to see in this type of open-world game.
The gameplay itself hasn't changed very much from the original. The HUD still looks pretty much the same and the GPS system, while improved to incorporated shortcuts found through exploration hasn't really changed either. The main additions are the inclusion of a more precise over-the-shoulders Gears of War-inspiried aiming mode and the inclusion of unlockable melee combat styles (which are unlocked as you beat the campaign missions). The missions themselves are very reminicient of the original game as well as some of the missions seen in GTA IV or other open-world games. So expect to spend alot of times shooting opposing gang members, cops and innocents as well as chasing down enemies with cars and motorcycles, a few helicopter missions and even some minor stealth elements thrown in for good measure.
The storyline continues a year after the original and you are once again tasked with taking backing Stillwater from the clutches of rival gangs as well as evil corporate overlords. The dialogue and cutscenes are necessarily cheesy and over-the-top and the actual plot is pretty thin. In fact, skipping the cutscenes all together won't really take away much from the game, though they are pretty fun to watch (most of the time anyway).
There are a ton of weapons in the game as well as a variety of cars, mothercycles, boats, helicopters and yes planes. Though many of the cars are taken directly from the first game, there are a few new additions such as the APC, which is a heavily armored four-wheeled vehicle that will appear when you get a five-star notoriety rating. Driving the cars uses the same basic controls as the original game, though two other alternative control schemes are made available including one that makes it much easier to drive and shoot at the same time. The addition of cruise control to most of the vehicles also can make life easier for you when you have to shoot and drive but personally I didn't find it all that useful, especially if you use one of the alternative control schemes. Like cars, most of the original weapons in the first game make an appearance but there are also several new ones introduced, most of which are unlockable (the pimp cane makes a triumphant return as well). These include wackier ones such as a minigun or a flamethrower. There seems to be a greater focus on melee weapons this time around and as such you are given a far greater variety of melee weapons then in the fist game such as katanas, stun guns, and shock paddles.
The notoriety system is also more or less the same and attacking innocents, police officers, blowing up cars, etc will increase your police notoriety rating from 0 to 5 stars. As with the first game, the only way to clear your notoriety rating is either to wait for it to go down or pay it off by driving through a Forgive and Forget. While this mechanic isn't as interesting as GTA IV's method where you can simply escape a notoriety rating by outrunning the cops, this also makes for some quick amusement near a Forgive and Forget station (i.e. get up to a 5-star rating near a Forgive and Forget and start your own battle with increasingly large numbers of law enforcement). The same goes for the gang notority, which also increases from 0 to 5 stars. Though gang members usually aren't quite as persistent as the police and FBI when it comes to tracking you down or ramming you off the road.
Similar to the original game, you earn style points in Saints Row 2 in order to play more campaign missions. These style points can be earned in a number of ways including clothing, changing the style of your cribs, various driving manuvers (such as powerslides and near misses), as well as the various activities available in the game. Activities this time around only have six levels compared to the original eight but some of them can still be quite difficult. Aside from favorites like Drug Trafficking or Mayhem, there are a few new, and even wackier activites such as Heli Assault, Trail Blazing, and Septic Avengers. Aside from activities are diversions which can be triggered in various locations in the game as well as driving particular vehicles or doing particular actions. For instance, driving an ambulance truck will trigger the Ambulance diversion and shooting several people from inside a vehicle will trigger the Drive-by diversions. These diversions give you cash but not style. Cash this time around is also more easily gained then the original, especially if you buy up all the available cribs and stores. As such, I never felt like I ever needed to go on some sort of money-making spree during the game.
Saints Row 2 is just as fun, or in fact even more so than the original game. Running around and kiling random civilians, starting battles with cops, or just blowing stuff up is just as fun as ever. But ridiculous tongue-in-cheek activities such as Septic Avenger (which involves stealing a sewage truck and spraying sewage all over various buildings and landmarks) or diversions like "Ho'ing" (which I think is pretty self-explanatory term) just kind of brings a big smile to your face or at least makes you chuckle. And yes the game is often very childish, very crude, and very incredulous, but at least its never boring.
Yet while Saints Row 2 is definitely a lot of fun, it does have some unfortunate problems and shortcomings. One annoying glitch I found was that the game would times fade to black screen in which the game apparently was still running but you couldn't actually see anything, hear anything or do anything, often requiring you to restart (or if your connected to Xbox live, join a coop game then quit). The framerate, while mostly smooth can take big dips depending on the amount of activity on screen. There are also random freezes that occur that will require a hardware restart (though these are uncommon). The coop, while very fun, is also relatively poorly implemented. Yes you can join anyone's single player game as long as they allow you to. But once you join, chances are you'll often be dropped. I found that the dropping issue is quite prevalent and will occur regardless of the bandwidth of your internet connection. Considering that Xbox live itself is a pretty robust system, it's unfortunate to see dropping problems especially in coop games. Other problems/shortcomings aren't technical but gameplay-related. For instance, the lack of alternative view perspective when driving a car or motorcycle is a little disappointing. The mission variety is decent but many missions still feel very similar. One particular missions type was also poorly implemented: the melee combat during the Ronin campaign. While it seemed like a interesting concept, it just doesn't feel right as the combat is inconsistent and, to be honest, lacks challenge. The same goes for the "boss" battles which are also very inconsistent with some being much more difficult than others (i.e. the last boss battle in the game is much easier than some of the earlier ones). The phone mechanic is also not as well fleshed and as well implemented as it could have been (i.e. as it was in GTA IV) to the point where I barely use it except to occasionally summon a homie or two.
Overall, Saints Row 2, like it's predecessor has managed to be different enough and fun enough that it can stand on its own, without having to be relegated into the category of a "GTA-clone". The gameplay is different enough and the presentation is wacky enough that no one would ever mistake this for a Grand Theft Auto game (and certainly not a more elegant game like GTA IV). And whether or not your a GTA fan, Saints Row 2 is definitely a game worth picking up for anyone who enjoys a fun, if ridiculous open-world game.
