Screen Play: "The Saints Row series has been taking aim at the well-entrenched Grand Theft Auto series ever since its inception and release for the Xbox 360 back near the console's launch. Saints Row originally tried to fill the void of left by the lack of a Grand Theft Auto title on the new generation of consoles. Now that the excellent GTA IV has been released, the second iteration tries to take down its competitor in one fell stroke. The real question is, though, is Saints Row 2's aim true?
Seeing that Saints Row 2 has set itself up to be Grand Theft Auto's biggest competitor, and the one to bring it down, it's only fair to begin by comparing and differentiating the two...."
Gameplay - 5/10 - Controls can be frustrating, have to do activities to get to missions which breaks the flow of the game. Combat and driving are fast and furious. Great use of weapons and melee attacks.
Graphics - 7/10 - The graphics are reasonable. Water is well rendered, you can see quite far when flying over the city. Characters and environments aren't overly detailed, though.
Sound - 8/10 - Radio stations have a good variety of music, but no talk station. Voice acting is very well done. Guns and cars make their own distinctive sounds.
Plot - 7/10 - It's big and over the top, like the rest of the game. Missions are laid out so that you want to find out more, but unfortunately, you have to go back to activities...
Overall - 6/10 - Saint's Row is a game most Xbox 360 and PS3 owners would want to play. I didn't find it as deep and thought-provoking as Grand Theft Auto, but then, despite the marketing, I didn't believe it would be. I'm looking forward to this franchise being continued, developed and matured.
