Saints Row 2: Video Game Review

Saints Row 2 was released in North America on October 14, 2008, to eager fans on both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 video game consoles - and fans of the series have been stuck inside the house, in front of their television sets ever since. To make a long story short, this game doesn't disappoint by any means. There were some glitches with the initial release, some minor and some major, but the developers quickly released a patch and there have been very few complaints since.

One thing needs to be made very clear from the start however concerning the video game Saints Row: This is a violent game! Perhaps even more so than its obvious influence, the popular series known as Grand Theft Auto, which has seen more than its share of negative media attention due to in-game depictions of violence and sex. Saints Row 2 rivals this, and perhaps, in some people's eyes, this game even crosses some lines that the Grand Theft Auto series stops at.

The violence in Saints Row 2 however, is very comically done. Most of the neighborhoods, characters and vehicles featured in the game look like they are straight from the pages of a comic book, some of which have been known to be quite graphic in their own right.

Everything in the game is highly customizable, right down to the appearance of the main character. You choose your own look, all the way down to hairstyles, skin color and even eye color, and you can dress your character up with a variety of different clothes that are available for purchase at the various clothing stores that can be found throughout the game. Cars are highly customizable, too, and you can add everything from a new paint job to hydraulics, nitrous and a wide array of accessories.

The main storyline of Saints Row 2 picks up right where the first one left off, and it is relatively short when compared to some other games in this genre. But there are a lot of extra activities to keep you occupied long after you finished the game's story. You can spend some time driving a taxi cab around, selling drugs, picking up trash, or stealing cars for the local chop shops. You can participate in brutal no holds barred fights in the fight club, and even drive your own car in a brutal and highly destructive demolition derby. If you find yourself hurting for cash in the game, you can always go and jump out in front of a speed car, commit insurance fraud and cash in big time! There really is a lot of variety when it comes to the gameplay of Saints Row 2 - and that's what makes it an instant classic, and a must have in anybody's collection; as long as you are old enough to play it, of course.

Saints Row 2 features rag doll physics which are handled through the Havok engine, which makes the insane violence look completely unrealistic. This helps them to curb some groups who would like to see video game censorship - however, not all of them. Because of the extreme violence, drug use and nudity that are featured in the game, New York City police are even actively taking steps to try and have the game removed from store shelves in their city. As history has shown however, they are likely to be unsuccessful and gamers will continue to enjoy living the life of a hardcore gangster in Saints Row 2.