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One of the more shameless Grand Theft Auto clones ever released, the original Saints Row was a largely by-the-numbers take on Rockstar's blockbuster sandbox game. Yet the over-the-top title also improved on some areas, namely by offering online multiplayer action, GPS navigation, and detailed customization features. Now Saints Row 2 expands the size and scope of the original's city, offering interior locales and plenty of things to see and do. It’s not unlike watching an episode of Cops: it's crude, you know exactly what to expect, and yet you still can't tear yourself away.

Stir Crazy

Saints Row 2 opens with your character in a prison infirmary, recovering from the explosion that rocked the city of Stilwater at the end of the first game. After breaking out during a tutorial sequence, you find the city to be markedly different from the original. The Altor Corporation has spent a considerable fortune in prettying the place up, transforming the gang-ridden slum into a burgeoning metropolis. Crime, however, is still a part of daily life. Your goal is to rebuild the Saints' once feared name, recruiting "homies," building respect, displaying style, and remodeling your crib or safe house.

One of the original game's distinguishing features is back and improved. Rather than be saddled with a male protagonist, you are free to build your own male, female, or even a "mixed" character with aspects of both genders. Want your girl to sport a moustache? No problem. Want your guy to talk in a high voice? It's all good. Sex, race, build, age, hair, makeup, personality, and more can be assigned with numerical sliders. Permanent facial expressions are even possible, from evil and grumpy to angry and disgusted. In other words, Dick Cheney's entire persona. Humorous touches include clown makeup and a diverse selection of taunts and compliments, such as Fonzie's signature thumbs up with an "Aaaaaaaay" from Happy Days. You can even make your gang members perform Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" routine.

As in Grand Theft Auto IV, the view is set behind your character as you walk, sprint, or drive across the pedestrian-filled city, while a circular mini-map highlights enemies as red triangles and displays GPS waypoints you've toggled on the larger, full-screen map. Except that the camera angle is set much closer behind your character than in G.T.A., so it’s harder to see when enemies have surround you, which they do quite frequently. Combat can also be frustrating since, as in the original Row, your weapons require manual aim instead of locking-on. On the bright side, though, your health automatically regenerates if you seek cover.

Besides the somewhat close perspective, the presentation falters in other key areas. Stiff animation makes it seem like your character is wearing an invisible back brace. The environments have nice detail, but the colors are strangely washed out, while cars often handle like bathtubs on training wheels, and too much activity wreaks havoc with the frame rate. Even the simple matter of looking around gives the game some minor hiccups, so expect to see some fade-in and pop-up here and there as the scenery struggles to catch up to you.

Fortunately, it's not all bad. The pedestrians are varied in appearance and are consistently amusing, while the voice acting is excellent across the board, and the cut-scenes will show all the wacky clothing and accessories you've bestowed upon your character in the name of style.

Busy Work

One of the few complaints of GTA IV was that it offered comparatively less to do than its predecessors, from absent rampages and occupations to the limited weapons, collectibles, and "goodies." Saints Row 2 doesn't have this problem. In addition to the main storyline missions, which have you trying to reclaim 45 hoods from rival gangs, you can engage in jobs, activities, diversions, stunts, mini-games, and more, while getting to drive such vehicles as motorcycles, cars, boats, choppers, and planes.

To be fair, most of the tasks were also part of GTA: San Andreas. You can rob stores, purchase shops, extinguish fires, play blackjack, enter demolition derbies, spray tags, and go on Mayhem missions that have you destroying property within a time limit. You'll also act as a bodyguard for celebrities, drive prostitutes away from the paparazzi, and beat up criminals as a cop who’s being filmed for a reality series. It may not win points for originality, but Saints Row 2 does make you fondly recall when GTA was all about goofy, giddy fun instead of running errands or shooting pigeons.

The developers also included a wide variety of multiplayer options. Drop-in cooperative play is supported throughout the campaign, and without the location restrictions placed on such titles as Mercenaries 2, which placed a limit on how far you could roam away from your teammate. Up to 12 players can compete in individual activities from the main campaign, or together in one unifying mode called "strong arm," an addictively chaotic mode that has two teams vying for control of the neighborhood by advancing through a series of events that include tagging competitions and races to demolition derbies. Each event has you trying to amass more cash than your rivals,  allowing you to buy back the neighborhood and win the game. 

Saint Or Sinner?

There is no comparison to Grand Theft Auto IV in terms of gunplay, presentation, story, ambient city life, or driving. Rockstar has this beat by a country mile. But while Row’s lack of polish and rough exterior make it the less attractive choice from a technical standpoint, for those who felt shortchanged by GTA IV's scaled-back features (especially when compared to San Andreas), Saints Row 2 will help fill the void. Its relentless sense of cheesiness is also appealing, and you might be surprised at how much you'll laugh at some of the dialogue or situations. Think Tarantino over Scorsese, and you'll have a good idea at what the developers were shooting for.

Review By: Scott Alan Marriott