14 DAY TRIAL // 
Sandbox adventure games have been, for quite some time, synonymous with Rockstar's very popular Grand Theft Auto franchise. Since GTA III, a first 3D installment in the series, people have always weighed other titles against it, with the most common result being that these titles couldn't compare to it. With the next-gen iteration in series, GTA IV, Rockstar placed the bar even higher, as the game won critical acclaim from a lot of reviewers.
But while it offered a stunning experience, both visually and in terms of story, it lost the fun factor that was plentiful in previous installments such as GTA: Vice City or GTA: San Andreas. That's why the team at Volition decided to create their own take on sandbox adventure games, with the Saints Row series. While the first game didn't really impress a lot of people, with the recently launched Saints Row 2 that thing has changed. Without further ado, here are my impressions on this open-world title.
Story
The story of the game is pretty straightforward, as it picks up five years after the events in the first Saints Row. If you haven't played that game, well let's just say that the ending leaves your character in a pretty bad shape. You are now in prison, and, thanks to the miracle of plastic surgery, you can create your own customized character, which will be represented in all the cutscenes. Waking up from the two-year coma, you are now pretty stunned with the world, but no time to admire the hospital in jail as, with the aid of a small Asian guy named Carlos (such ironies are quite frequent), you will escape from the maximum security prison.
After you arrive on shore, as the correctional institution is placed on an island, similar to Alcatraz, you find the city of Stillwater completely changed as opposed to how you left it two years ago. Your own Saints Row neighborhood is now completely remodeled, courtesy of the Ultor Corporation, a company that profited from the fact that your own gang, the Third Street Saints, is no longer active, and which has more financially lucrative plans for the city of Stillwater.
Now, as the highest ranking member of the former Third Street Saints, it's your duty to get the gang together once again and to defeat all the other rival gangs that are now active in Stillwater: the Ronin, the Sons of Samedi, and the Brotherhood. Only after you take them down will you be able do defeat the Ultor Corporation and claim the city of Stillwater once more.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Saints Row 2 is very extensive and you can do almost anything while exploring Stillwater. From the hilarious minigames to the over-the-top main missions, you won't get bored anytime soon. This, coupled with the fact that it has one of the most extensive character building options I've seen implemented in games, offers a unique experience every time you play it.
The main missions aren't very repetitive, as they range from typical drive-bys or escort missions to destroying things in a Monster Truck competition or stealing radioactive waste only to dip it in your enemy's tattoo ink to make him suffer. Also, you won't be able to shoot your way through the whole game as some battles will be scripted for you to use only specific weapons. Case in point, a battle with the Yakuza-like gang the Ronin, in which you will fight one of its leaders while using only a katana. Such things are a refreshing change of pace and can really make a lasting impression on the gamer.
The side-missions are actually where the game truly shines, and where the huge amount of imagination from the Volition team has been put to work. These minigames offer some extremely interesting experiences, and almost anyone will find something attractive about them. From protecting celebrities from violent fans or defending your gang with the help of a helicopter gunship to the already famous Septic Avenger missions or driving around in a fire resistant suit on a quad bike engulfed in flames, something will certainly make you laugh for quite some time.
The respect you gain on each of these side missions is used to unlock various accessories for your own character and, most importantly, to unlock main story missions. While you won't be forced to take your friends out around the town, as in Stillwater, completing side missions will give you bonuses such as the ability to enlist gang members to complete missions with you, increased skills with certain weapons or even unlocking new clothes and cars for your gang.
Unfortunately, the game isn't without bugs – while they aren't very grave, they are encountered quite a lot. Also a major drawback is the pretty stupid Artificial Intelligence, as your gang members will get stuck behind 2-inch high obstacles or won't get behind cover even though a plethora of bullets are hitting them. But the overall fun factor of the game makes you forget some of these bugs in the end.
Concept
The concept of the game isn't quite original as, due to the somewhat poor-quality graphics and the fact that you need to take down gangs or large corporations, it takes me back to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where you would play another gang member, CJ, who tries to take his own group, the Groove Street Families, back on top of its rivals. Various gameplay features, like defending your own territory from the attacks of another gang, are taken directly from that game.
While this isn't something very severe, as the Volition team only took something that was very successful in that game, it isn't an extra point in the franchise's try to depart from the status of GTA-clone, placed upon it by a lot of industry critics.
Saints Row 2 takes the urban gang fighting theme and gives it an over-the-top atmosphere, even though some sequences try to be dramatic, only to be ruined by the fact that your main character is a black guy wearing a floral themed backpack and, most importantly, a purple Spartan helmet. This is the world of Saints Row 2, it doesn't take itself too seriously and tries to offer a funny and entertaining experience, even though it isn't the most original thing out there.
Visuals and Audio
Sadly, in terms of visuals the PC version of the game disappoints. While it could've been one of the most popular titles coming to the PC, this port of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version shows that Volition still needs to improve its staff. At high details and resolution the game handled awfully on our review configuration, a dual core, 4 GB of RAM, and 8800 GTX graphics board PC.
As such, in order to maintain a playable frame rate that wouldn't make any car chase a living nightmare, we were forced to reduce the details to a very low setting, but occasional slowdowns were still present from time to time. The port is badly done but hopefully Volition will take notice of it and try to create a patch in the near future. While the minigames and missions are still pretty fun, the poor graphics ruin the whole experience.
In terms of audio however, the game stands on its own, with a multitude of radio stations, out of which almost anyone can hear their favorite songs. Also, as an added plus, I heard a classical music station for the first time ever in a video game. Let's just say that doing drive-by shootings while listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons is an experience you won't forget very easily.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer aspect of the game is pretty decent, as the co-op feature really gives players a great experience. You can play with your buddy through all the singleplayer missions but the enemies will have their health booster as they are against two human players. The fact that you can wreak havoc in any part of the city while your friend is in another neighborhood doing the same thing is quite rewarding.
The game also has three dedicated online features – Gangsta Brawl, which is basically a deathmatch in which every player is on his own, Team Gangsta Brawl, which is a team version of the deathmatch mode, and, one of the most interesting, Strong Arm, in which two teams compete against each other in a race to rack up 100,000 dollars through various activities in the game. Of course you can meddle in the efforts of the other team by either killing them or preventing the completion of certain tasks, which provides a much more fun experience
Conclusion
Saints Row 2 is a very fun game, providing some great and memorable moments by either fulfilling the main story or by taking part in various activities throughout the game. While the graphics and the occasional bugs tend to appear from time to time, the game makes up for it by the sheer amount of fun you can have while playing it.
If you don't own it, then this is a definite must buy as it will surely help you relax by having some mindless fun after a hard day. If you're already interested in it, purchase the console version, as the PC one will only add some frustrating moments to the fun you'll have in Stillwater.
