It is hard to mention the Saint’s Row series without mentioning Grand Theft Auto, there is no doubt that this is one game that looks to the people at Rockstar to provide influence and inspiration, however that is not to say that this is a bad thing, in fact Saint’s Row 2 even has the cheek to do some thing’s better than it’s rival.

Saint’s Row 2 starts with action from the off, your character wakes from a coma and discovers himself in a high security prison and then before long you are breaking out, only to discover that the entire city has changed beyond recognition, once out in the open this is when the fun really begins and it’s also when you start to notice the striking similarities to GTA IV. Unfortunately if you have ever played GTA then you will notice that the presentation in Saint’s Row 2 doesn’t really compare, the acting isn’t particularly pleasant to listen to, the dialogue from non player characters is fairly tasteless oh and speaking of tasteless just wait until you try the Ho Diversion task in the red light district (what’s that all about? Well I know what it’s about but come on, is it really necessary?). Other problems in the game that will come as no surprise to GTA fans include characters getting stuck in scenery and other graphical glitches which often making an appearance just to frustrate the hell out of you, though to be fair to THQ they certainly don’t have the budget that Rockstar does when planning a game such as this, so in that respect they have done a decent enough job presentation wise.

Thankfully, despite what I have mentioned above, Saint’s Row 2 is still a very good game and is enjoyable to play, there are plenty of vehicles to highjack, many missions to work your way through and then there is your apartment, which comes equip with the amazing Zombie Uprising game where the aim is to beat up a set amount of Zombies, it’s brilliant and you probably won’t stop playing it, you didn’t think of that did you Rockstar?

Earning respect is what makes your character the man ( or woman) in Saint’s Row and there are many ways to do this, such as the 50 tagging missions where you have to spray the saints tag on the wall, these tags are hidden throughout the city and when actively spraying you usually end up being shot at mid tag, so be careful not to bleed over your artwork. Other ways of earning respect come in the form of your driving, the way you look and how you decorate your apartment of course most of this requires you to have money though and this is where the missions come in.

There are two types of missions in Saint’s Row 2, the side missions which see you do things like race on power jets, hijack cars with passengers, escape the police and hold them hostage until they pay you, or steal a taxi’s and deliver the passenger to their destination aka Crazy Taxi. Then there are the main story missions in which you will probably spent most of your time, these will see you play through set tasks gaining a reputation and watching your influence spread across the city as you gain control of each of the games territories. Most of the missions in the game will see you shooting at people or blowing things up, however the fact the doing so builds your reputation and sees you take over the city is what sets this game apart as different from GTA.

As in GTA there are plenty of vehicles and weapons to keep your entertained, planes, cars and bikes all make an appearance as do hand pistols, bottles and rocket launchers, so you should find plenty of variety should you just wish to wander around and explore, in fact there is even a record shop where you can change your tunes for a small cost, (I’m sure I saw Boy George in the list, strange track for a gangster don’t you think?).

Without a doubt the greatest part of the game though is the Co-op mode, although disappointingly no split screen has been implemented this mode allows you to join another players game, take part in some missions, and then return to your own game with any progress you made being carried over, it actually works really well, though I am a bit skeptical as to how long people will still play this mode after the games release.

Other multiplayer modes include Gangsta brawl and Team Gangsta brawl, which are basically a single player deathmatch and a team deathmatch, these are fun however the combat in Saint’s Row 2 doesn’t really make for the best time, meaning it’s probably best to stick to your Call of Duty’s for your deathmatch kicks.

Overall Saint’s Row 2 is a fairly decent, if slightly flawed game. The acting is lame and the swearing tiresome, some of the mini games do lack taste also, however if you enjoy jacking cars and shooting anything that moves then this game is definitely what you are looking for, just don’t forget to play Zombie Uprising.

Overall Rating: 7.9/10