Extreme Violence + Incessant Criminality = Good Fun

By Jay Williams

In Peru a small tribe of mountain shaman say that every time a butterfly flaps its wings, a gang member gets a gun.

I've never been to Peru myself, but I have been in a gang (during my carefree youth) but because firearms were banned in Australia after the Port Arthur massacre we had to make do with blades and home made explosive devices, or HMEDs.

Saints Row 2 is all about gangs and protecting your brothers and loyalty to the gang, and like the Peruvian butterfly analogy, there are lots of guns.

To sum up this game in Internet code, try these xml tags: <tatts> <guns> <crime> <car theft> <violence> <drugs> <insanity>.

If you're wondering what Saints Row 2 is, think Grand Theft Auto - a sandbox or 'free roaming' game that allows for destruction on a massive level. If this sounds good to you - go buy it now, you'll love it.

However, there's more to this game than guns, gangs and free-roaming.

There's a fairly amusing story that involves a cast of over-the-top characters that comprises more than 40 story missions that take a while to churn through, and you can customise your player too (male, female, skin tone etc), something that GTA IV didn't allow.

As well as the single player game there's co-op modes which are really cool, and also some very silly scenarios (keep an eye out for the Ultor corporation) such as one of the side missions where you have to help a buddy lower the value of houses in a suburb by - get this - spraying the entire area in sh*t!!

The person you have to help is driving a stolen septic truck, while you get to aim the hose and coat cars, bikes, mansions, flats, trailer parks and pretty much anything else in your way with crap, causing enough damage to advance to the next level.

In addition to strange missions like this, there is a wide variety of side missions you can tackle such as drug dealing, escort missions, street racing and vigilante missions, all of which unlock new extras such as better weapons and that sort of thing.

Where Grand Theft Auto IV is a semi-serious, almost feature-film experience, Saints Row 2 is a tongue-in-cheek, comedic take on the genre, albeit with a slightly less polished look and feel.

The main story is entertaining and revolves around the various gangs and their disputes, whether territorial or personal. 

It begins with you getting out of jail and your main mission starts out being to put the Saints Row gang back together.

These story missions involve doing things like breaking into a nuclear reactor and stealing radioactive waste, which is then used to scar the head gang leaders face.

There's kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking, stealing, larceny, and a lot of other highly illegal activities.

Anyway, getting back to the side missions, they reward you with money, respect (which you need to unlock new story missions) and character power ups, such as increased melee attacks and secret weapons.

I'm up to this point where I have unlocked twin cobras, even the names suggest that there are cool, well they are: dual fully automatic pistols with laser sights.

Can I get a hell yeah?!

These pistols make mince meat out of any foe, in addition to these puppies there is a wide variety of weaponry to choose from, such as numerous rocket/grenade launchers, a flame thrower, uzis and assault rifles.

The weapons work well too, and targetting enemies is intuitive and gunning them down is a lot of fun.

Using the rocket launcher to unleash hell on various parts of the fictional city of Stillwater never gets old and engaging in gang warfare on the streets can be scarily rewarding as people run screaming and bullets go flying.

Cars explode, property gets damaged and the bodies litter the streets in the aftermaths.

Overall, the gunplay is very cool, and if you're looking for all-out action you can't go wrong with this game. 

There's also a chainsaw which is lots of fun.

In the non lethal category there are few and unique item's to choose from, like capsicum/pepper spray and even a tazer.

The Tazer can be nasty fun. 

Just cruise around the streets tazering unsuspecting people and watch them hit the ground on the street. It will make you laugh.

Saints Row 2 does have its charms and quirky little things that GTA IV does not have like, fully customizable cars that you can save in your large garage at any safe house. 

This aspect lends the game an almost Midnight Club feel and was one of the things that never made it into GTA IV despite the fan support.

There's also planes, trains and automobiles. Well mainly aeroplanes. One of the best things about this game - and something you can't do in GTA IV - is that you can hijack a variety of planes throughout Saints Row 2, from old school WW2 Sopwith camels to private Lear jets.

But that's not the coolest part about flying.

You can skydive - and it pwns!

But the easiest way that I have found to get a decent jump is by hijacking a helicopter, taking it straight up in the air, far above any building and then bailing out.

Awesome stuff - just be sure not to get hit by the falling chopper.

The main difference between GTA IV and Saints Row 2 is the attention to detail and enhanced realism of GTA. 

It's not a bad thing - it makes Saints Row 2 more of a 'pick up and play for kicks' kinda game whereas GTA IV is a bit more structured.

Don't get me wrong, both games are very enjoyable and fun to play but I think, with it's new game engine and tighter, more realistic mechanics, GTA IV is a better game. 

It's more realistic, gritty and in your face, making Saints Row 2 look like a jumped-up show tune. Saints Row 2 has a more cartoony look and feel, but the violence and destruction is a bit more enhanced which will probably please a lot of the long-time GTA fans who didn't like number four.

If you ever get the chance to go to South America, remember to visit the reclusive Peruvian shaman tribes and if you own an Xbox 360 and need another Grand Theft Auto free-roaming blast fest, go to the games shop first because this is still a very, very entertaining game. 

But then go to Peru, for on the highest peak you may find the answers for which the prophecy has created questions...

Game: Saints Row 2
System: Xbox 360
Players: 1-multi
Online: Yes
Developer: Volition
Distributor: THQ Games

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)