Livin in a gangsta's paradise
If you haven’t had your fill of unadulterated open-world videogame violence this year with Grand Theft Auto IV, then there’s plenty more left where that came from!Gangland battles, pimps, bitches, drive-bys, police chases, bank robberies and cold-blooded murder are back on the agenda as the second installment of the gangster action series, Saints Row 2, arrives on shelves on October 17th.
As I've already experienced GTA IV this year, I did find it difficult to play through Saints Row 2 without constantly making comparisons. Graphically, Saints Row 2 is not as sharp or technically as impressive as Rockstar’s masterpiece, but there’s no denying that it is a game that deserves to be judged on its own merits and a title that shouldn't be over-shadowed by its rival.
Once again and from the outset, Saints Row 2 is extremely violent, full of sexual tongue-in-cheek innuendos and littered with crude street talk, but it also contains a heavy dose of irony and humour, whilst boasting a strong storyline that runs parallel to a multitude of varied and enjoyable missions and side objectives. There’s more than enough depth in Saints Row 2 for it to occupy the same space as GTA and certainly enough enjoyment for fans of the genre to get pleasure out of both titles.
Saints Row 2 picks up where Saints Row left off. After almost being blown to smithereens in an explosion, your character wakes up from a coma in prison hospital five years after the events of Saints Row. Throwing you straight into the action, the first mission requires you to escape from prison and make your way to your home turf, the blood-stained streets of Stilwater.
An explosive introduction and gratifying first mission sets a benchmark for all future missions that you undertake in the city and they don’t disappoint. Offering enough variety to keep the action fresh, each main mission is just as much fun as the first, whilst the dozens of side-objectives and the addition of new activities to the series provides ample entertainment.
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