My Rating: 9/10

It’s hard to talk about this game without comparing it directly to its obvious inspiration: Grand Theft Auto. I’ll have to say that I was surprised both at how much of a direct rip-off of San Andreas this is and how good it is despite that fact. Saints Row does a lot of things even better than GTA, but GTA has much better production values in its corner (like better licensed music).

The controls in Saints Row are fantastic. It has a third-person shooter feel, where you move with the left stick and aim with the right. This gives you the ability to cap fools through their windshields and have more control over headshots and the like. Having a reticule also helps you not waste ammo since you know for sure what you’re shooting. It’s A LOT better than the iffy lock-on mechanic that GTA used for its gunplay. It also has a better weapon selection tool, where you have a radial menu instead of just scrolling through all of the weapons in your inventory. You also have multiple melee attack options with the bumpers. Everything else about the controls is essentially the same as GTA’s as far as which buttons do what (getting in and out of vehicles, jumping, etc.)

The fundamentals of the game revolve around territories. Essentially the same as the gang land in San Andreas, color-coded map and all. The main difference is that you have to take out a building full of rivals called a “stronghold” to secure it. To advance the story, however, you need to earn enough respect to open the next mission. You earn respect by wearing better clothes (with a bonus for gang colors - Saints are purple), killing rival gang members, and completing a variety of “activities”. Activities consist of everything from pimping hoes to drug trafficking, and my all time favorite: insurance fraud.

This game one-ups GTA by letting you design your own character. Form your own gang with friends online for some Deathmatch or, even better, Blinged-Out Ride. Best of all, this game is just plain tons of fun.