Who needs serious storytelling when you can have this much fun?

When the first Saints Row title released, I wasn't exactly thrilled to check it out. The whole thing looked like a big knock-off of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a title that I really enjoyed, and I'm not usually a big fan of copycat games. Still, I did give it a try (what with the next-gen sheen), and ended up being pretty surprised with how much I enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was definitely a title that owed its entire existence to the GTA franchise.

Now with Saints Row 2 I didn't have nearly as much hesitation as I did with the first title, already having a pretty good idea of what to expect. Even with GTA IV still being fresh in my mind, which I definitely enjoyed as well, I figured that Saints Row 2 was going to offer up a pretty solid alternative to the serious tone that GTA has turned to, and for the most part it would seem that I was right. Saints Row 2 is still firmly rooted in that partially juvenile humor setting, with a lot of jokes that sometimes fall flat, plus a storyline that doesn't try to take itself too seriously. This is coupled with a world where most of the missions will have you tasked with taking on something impossible in an actual real world setting, often turning you into a one man wrecking crew capable of dishing out an ungodly amount of destruction on the world around you. I'd liken it more to what Mercenaries 2 did than GTAIV, in that for the most part you feel pretty damn invincible for a good portion of the game, and you really don't have a lot of trouble finding all the tools (weapons) you need to get the job done in any number of ways. Granted, I can't really tear down entire buildings in Saints Row 2, but the idea of doing what you want with little in the way of consequence seems to be just as prevalent here.

If you were to take Saints Row 2, and compare it side by side with GTA IV on a technical level, as I'm sure some of you will, then it might not seem to hold up that well. GTA has a story that's far more fleshed out and engaging (when it's on the main tale at least), and the visuals are definitely more impressive. However, Saints Row 2 just feels like it's more fun, which is something that's hard to relate to a player who's just reading a review or looking at videos/screenshots. The best comparison I can make is calling Saints Row 2 the Michael Bay version of the GTA universe. Short on intellectual substance, to be sure, but it's still pretty fun to get lost in for a couple hours each time.

There is a story in place though, one that does tie into the events from the previous game, which left you, the main character, in a bit of a bind (with that ship exploding while you were in it). When the story picks up here, you've just woken up from a comatose state inside of a prison hospital, where you've been parked for a few years. The character creation system kicks in here, and this time around you're able to choose from male and female options (that's one hell of an explosion), and there are a wide variety of options to choose from when it comes to the other features. Three voice patterns for both male and female, quite a few sliders for faces and body types, hair styles, facial hair, tats, etc. You can pick from a default fighting style, but as you advance you'll gain other styles to switch out with too, along with a lot more clothing options the more you explore the city and find different shops.

From there the initial mission has you escaping the prison, which really sets the tone for the over-the-top feeling the entire game has. You're able to lay waste to quite a few cops (and inmates) on your way out, culminating in an escape sequence that manages to be quite a spectacle without being frustrating to carry out. From there on in you're in the main city, which has undergone some cosmetic changes from the first game, but it didn't feel like there was a massive improvement over the original here.

There are about five different gangs running around the city, all of which have particular missions that relate to your crew. You can typically take these on in any order, mix and match, and so on. The storylines tend to remain separate for the most part, so you can't really screw up the timeline or anything wacky. If you're looking to just fool around with other stuff in the city, you'll find a large variety of tasks you can take on. In particular, there's a side-quest/diversion called FUZZ, which is basically putting your character into the police role for a COPS style TV show, wherein you're hired to take this camera guy around to various calls and up their ratings thru devious means. It's easily my favorite of the various side quest style missions you can take on, but for the most part the others available are pretty fun to play. They're all divided into levels, with the challenge obviously being ramped up between stages.

These side missions also provide a secondary function for the main story, since they're pretty much the best way to fill up your respect meter, which in turn allows you to take on more missions. It's probably my biggest gripe with the game as well, since the idea of having to fill up the respect meter to just play the main game is a little annoying, and it's a carryover from the previous game that I didn't really care for. That said, when you start to get farther along, your respect meter will definitely fill up faster than it does in the beginning, so eventually you won't be forced to take on many side missions to help you advance if you're just looking to go thru the main game.

The controls work really well, and while they're not exactly breaking new grounds in the sandbox genre, the lack of an auto-aim makes it easier to try and target whatever you want to shoot at. The sensitivity feels spot on when you start as well, so I really had no issues in finding and targeting enemies. You can zoom in with a closer view while still moving and shooting as well to take out far away targets, and headshots are instant kills that erupt in a geyser of blood. Driving feels fine too, with none of the early cars feeling like complete junk. Granted, certain cars are definitely better performers than others, but you'll be able to hop in just about any vehicle and have no real control issues with them. Also, a really nice feature for driving is the introduction of cruise control, which lets you hit the left button and lock in your current speed, giving you free reign to manipulate the camera without tying a finger down to the accelerator. You can set-up some pretty cool things with cruise control as well, if you're feeling inventive. Also, it's particularly useful to get used to keeping cruise control on and using the parking brake to cut turns instead of just braking, allowing your car to build up speed right away after every turn.

As far as multiplayer goes, Saints Row 2 features online drop in/drop out co-op that ends up being my preferred way to play the game. There's no set boundaries like Mercs 2, instead your partner can freely wander around the city without you near him, allowing you both to cause mayhem however you choose. Then there's a standard Deathmatch mode, and a Team mode called Strong Arm, that has both teams taking on a variety of tasks like those featured in the side missions of the main game. It's a pretty interesting way to handle an online team competition, but I really didn't see a lot of lasting appeal to it.

All together though, I really had a blast with Saints Row 2, and it fully delivered on my expectations. It doesn't have the polish that GTA IV has, but at the same time I just felt like I was having more fun here than I ever did in Liberty City. The sheer amount of freedom in how you do your missions (and the lack of scripted set-ups) is one of my favorite aspects in a sandbox environment, and right now, Saints Row 2 honestly serves up the best experience when it comes to just having some fun in a big city with no rules for a few hours. Definitely check this one out, and don't pass it by because it's a GTA clone of sorts, since it definitely provides a different experience from the current sandbox style games available right now.