Saints Row 2 Xbox 360, PS3 Classification: MA15+ RRP: $110 Rating: 3.5/5 While Rockstar took a darker, more serious and mature tone for its magnum opus
Grand Theft Auto IV, THQ has been content to provide fun-loving criminals another dose of absurd, violent anarchy.
Most comparisons with
GTA IV are unfavourable -
Saints Row 2 lacks the compelling characters, the technological proficiency and the convincing urban landscape of Rockstar's game. And whereas Grand Theft Auto cleverly and sharply parodies American culture,
Saints Row revels in its moral bankruptcy and "gangsta" stereotypes in a manner that some players will find distasteful or tedious.
But it's hard to be too grumpy about a game that can offer so much freedom, customising options and entertainment value, whether played alone or with friends.
The sprawling story mode offers a plot of little substance but many enjoyable driving and shooting missions, with objectives such as destroying drug farms and gambling operations, assassinating rival gang bosses, protecting allies, rescuing hospital-bound mates, and bloody turf wars. At any time a friend can jump into the game and give you a hand, with human assistance proving much more valuable than your inept computer-controlled allies.
Other annoyances include technical glitches and the occasional unpredictable death but the developers provided generous checkpoints, so frustration is rare.
Like its predecessor, there is a vast amount of side missions, which are not entirely optional, as players often have to (annoyingly) build respect before they can tackle certain missions. Fortunately, many tasks are entertaining and provide pleasing variety, including car and helicopter racing, insurance fraud, creating mayhem using a grenade launcher or a flaming go-kart, and spraying sewage to reduce real estate prices.
Players can also enjoy various online multiplayer games, which include team-based and individual competitions. The best is the new Strongarm mode in which the objective is constantly changing.
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Review by Jason Hill for Sydney Morning HeraldYou can view the Saints Row 2 trailer here on TheVine.