Saints Row

Solid sandbox game with lots to do. My only real complaint is why do developers feel the need to make me start a mission over and over again. Its one thing to start at the action, but another to have to do a 1 or 2 minute drive to get to the action, when nothing happens on that drive. No story, no action, just a drive from A to B. Its fine the first time, but when you get stuck on a mission, it becomes frustrating to have to do it over and over and over again.<br /><br />Control was ok, not great, but acceptable, story was solid, although Im confused by some of the choices made by the characters. They arent really fleshed out. Maybe it happens in the sequel.<br /><br />Overall not a bad game to rent.

Ok, most everyone is familiar with the Grand Theft Auto series -- you're a gangster, and you commit crimes and fight enemy gangs to conquer the street wars. The game has a wide-open environment that makes it fun just running around, without even following the game's main storyline.<br><br>With that alone, it's good stuff. But I'm not about single-player games. I'm about Xbox Live play, and that is what places Saints Row head-and-shoulders above GTA!<br><br>You customize your online gangster -- from his physical features (face/body) to his clothes to his BLING jewelry and tattoos. But you have to earn money to buy anything beyond the default jeans and black t-shirt. Money is earned by playing Live matches.<br><br>You create your own gang, and give it a name and a tag -- the tag is a prefix to all your members' gamertags. You invite your friends into your gang, and you fight against other gangs.<br><br>I LOVE the matchmaking. Saints Row features Halo 2-esque matchmaking -- your gang joins you in a lobby, and you get matched against another gang. When the match is over, your gang returns to your lobby, and you start your next match against a new gang whenever you're ready. WHY more game makers can't figure out matchmaking like this is beyond me, but the THQ guys did, and cheers to them.<br><br>There are 4 game variations, including the standard deathmatch.<br><br>My Live gangster runs around in nothing but his underwear and a yellow baseball cap (my gang decided yellow would be "our" color). I'm not too good (hence my underwear being my only clothing), but I do earn a $15 each game I play. Maybe one day I can afford the PIMP FUR COAT, which costs a hefty $2,500...<br><br>Anyway, I say all that as an example of the uniqueness of the game. Just plain FUN.<br><br>Warning, though -- the language in the game is like a true gangster movie. F-bombs galore. So, with the additional violence of beating innocent bystanders with baseball bats, don't plan on playing Saints Row with kids around.

Finally someone actually creates a GTA clone that is better in some ways than GTA itself. 1st off the graphics are a lot better. Explosions from the cars and weapons are awesome to look at. The game seems to be different almost every time you play it. People do different things, although the story doesn't change. The side missions are a little more random, at least with the locations of where things are done. Another plus is the no load screens, except for those cut scenes. But that also leads to one of its flaws. The streaming engine sometimes cannot keep up and cars/people/roads/etc do not appear or disappear right next or in front of you. The gun play in SR is great, I love being able to shoot in any direction.<br><br>The other problem in the game is online, for some reason almost every Xbox 360 title has the same problems online. Lag that has to be patched later on by the developers. COD2, Prey, SR, Chromehounds, etc. have all had the same lag or disconnect issues.<br><br>Another plus to this game is the amount of time you can spend playing it. I have not done every side mission yet, but have completed the main story and logged over 48 hours of game time. That is great and all games should shoot for at least 20 hours. Anyone who loved the GTA games will love this game, everyone else should at least rent it.

What can i say this game is one of the greatest gangster games ever made. It contains all the elements of the come up. Its about a guy that joins up with a gang and fights for control over the streets. If you liked the GTA series then you will love this game. It has nothing to do with the mafia. its just street gangs doing their best to control the street on their hustle.<br><br>The online play is great. The way the match making was set up was perfect. You didn't know who you were playing until the game started. Its a lot like halos match making in a way. Lets get to the point. Your gang verses the other gang. You can play up to 5 or 6 players on a team, and after your done playing that round you will back out and go to the lobby room, and if you want you can start it again when everyone is ready.<br>I love to play these game from time to time. If your ever online and need someone to play with send me a message or f/r. My GT is NYC EASY.

Now unless this is the first review you've read talking about Saint's Row, you know how close it is to GTA. This doesn't matter unless you need an original game and can't stand clones.<br><br>I think that this is a great game and doesn't deserve anything less than a 7. You must not like open world games to give it lower than that. The graphics are great and looks much better than San Andreas, but still this is because it's on the 360 and not the playstation 2. Another improvement over GTA is the reticule that you use to shoot with. This is the best aiming I've seen in any game of this genre. The controls are also very fluent and easy to use on both car and foot. The wanted level and gang notoriety is the same as GTA. There are also many small things that make this game great. For example when you hit a paper box or parking meter with a car, coins comes out that you can can pick up. There are also semi-trucks and limousine hummers, which are fun to drive. I also really like the fact that you can go inside a store and you don't have to load. When I go into these stores I love holding the place up and get some money.<br><br>The activities are also a lot more fun than the ones in GTA. These activities you need to complete in order to earn respect and you will enjoy playing them. Along with all of these improvements, you can't forget about the upgrade in choosing your weapon. Instead of cycling threw all of your weapons, you can press B and then use the Left Stick to choose the weapon.<br><br>there aren't many problems with this game, and the ones that are there are very small. for example your character will never talk threw the whole game. The world is about 1/4 the size of San Andreas, and the music selection isn't the best. Still that can be overlooked since you have an MP3 player where you can put play lists on that you have on your 360.<br><br>All in all this is an awesome game that you should at least rent if you liked San Andreas. this is why i gave it a 10

When I ordered this game, I expected another cheap Grand Theft Auto knock off like Scarface. I was dead wrong. Saint's Row is not only good in its own way, it's actually quite fun. With all of the customization options, the easy-to-understand aiming system, and the great storyline, this game stands up to Rockstar in a sensational rite. Though it misses out on the immense humor that the Grand Theft Auto games provide, it does have its moments. If you are looking for a great time, look no further than Saint's Row..... unless it comes to 4/29/08, in that case go to GTA4<br><br>9/10

this game is better than grand theft auto i loved it

This game was absolutely amazing. There's not much I can say about it besides its customization and game play aspects are wonderful. Some may be thinking, "Oh, great, yet another GTA clone..." Well, for those whose thoughts I guessed correctly...JUST TRY IT! Don't instantly judge it by mistaking its quality with that of most other GTA clones. This game has raised the bar for sandbox style games, and I have doubts GTA IV will be able to even compare to this. The only problem I see in this game is the poorly animated facial expressions on the leader of the 3rd Street Saints gang. Please try it out. You'll be glad you did, permitting of course that you don't hate the genre.