Finally, a game that can hold it's own when it comes to being called "another GTA game". The story is somewhat similar to San Andreas where your gang has to earn respect and take back the streets. So you start off by making your character look the way you want him to. Customization doesn't fall short here as you'll be pimping your car out and much more.

The game has tons of missions and the city has much to be explored. If your a GTA fan, you won't find anything lacking here. Although the controls can get a little clustered trying to swtich weapons and so forth. The aiming system here is better as you have more control without a full auto lock-on that makes used to make it a hassle to aim at the right target.

If you have 60 bucks and are looking for a solid game that is "good enough" before GTA hits the block, this game should do for the time being. Saints Row definitely delivers on the 360.

Saint's Row is obviously not afraid to copy GTA. Many features are blatant ripoffs, like the handy mini-map and go-anywhere, do-anything attitude. But what Saint's Row does is take the classic GTA formula, and improve upon it in every way. Shooting is fluid and easy, meaning you'll rarely be caught in a situation where there's a guy right in front of you, but you end up targeting the guy to your left (something that happens often in GTA). The driving mechanics are much improved, as well, delivering the sense that not only CAN you make it between those two cars in front of you, but you believe you can. As for fun factor, Saint's Row delivers plenty of that. While some of the story missions are relatively bland and unoriginal, it's the side-missions that make Saint's Row shine. Whether you're throwing yourself in front of oncoming traffic to commit Insurance Fraud, or just shooting anything that moves in Mayhem, you'll find plenty of fun things to do in the city of Stilwater. While Saint's Row improves upon much of GTA's past, it still falls behind in several key areas. For one thing, there aren't any boats, aircraft, or even motorcycles. The relative size of Stilwater is very close to Vice City; not small enough to complain about, but not expansive enough to rave about. Gaining new gang territory is also copied directly from GTA, but with a small difference. Instead of all the territory being available right off the bat, waiting to be taken over, in Saint's Row, a new section of turf becomes available after completing a mission. Unfortunately, you then have to gain that territory through the usual means of assassinating several gang "leaders". This basically means that you have to do twice the work in order to get one stretch of land, making gang takeover one of the more longwinded and boring aspects of Saint's Row. However, Saint's Row more than makes up for it's faults by having a great character customization system (one of the most forgiving systems ever; you can even change appearence mid-game via a plastic surgeon), great gameplay, and a familiar and unique, if somewhat scaled-down, city; something that games like True Crime, the Godfather, the Getaway, and Driver have failed to accomplish. If you're a fan of the so-called "sandbox" genre, then Saint's Row is definitely worth purchasing, if only to hold you over until the next GTA comes along.

As pretty much everyone knows, Saints Row takes the GTA sandbox form of gameplay and improves upon it. Almost everything from the GTA games is present, but everything, and I do mean everything, is done much better.

When you first start the game you are given the option to customize your character. You can adjust just about everything you can think of and then some. After you start the game you always have the option to go to a plastic surgeon and change your appearance, as long as you have the money.

Once you are through with the character creation you are treated to a nice opening sequence in which you are almost killed. You are saved at the last moment by a member of the Saints; one of the gangs in Stilwater (the city the game takes place in) battling for control. After this sequence you are set free to do whatever you like. You can tackle the main quest, or go out into the city and try to earn money and respect by doing some of the seemingly endless activities.

The controls work extremely well. Shooting works much like FPS controls. There's not a lock on mechanism, but the aiming is done so well that you probably won't miss it. To me the driving controls seem a little odd, but they do work fairly well, and honestly the vehicles are easier to control than the vehicles in GTA. Some of the few things found in GTA that are missing in Saints Row are motorcycles, boats, and planes, but the lack of these is barely noticed.

Of course the game looks 100% better than any GTA made, but since it's a 360 game that's to be expected. Explosions look amazing; I've went around the city many times just blowing things up so I could watch debris launch in every direction. The lighting effects in the game are also phenomenal; shadows and the progression of time from night to day really help to make the city seem real.

The online game is also good, but it has some problems. First of all is the match making. Sometimes it can take a long time to get enough players to start a game. Another problem online is the lag, especially when someone is driving a car; I can't count the number of times I've been killed by a car that I never even saw.

Saints Row is a great game, and anyone that enjoyed the GTA games should at least give it a try.

This is actually an ok game. If you've only played the Demo, give this a chance. While it is fun, it lacks originality. Seriously. You wouldn't believe it either. If you like GTA, give this a chance. It has extra elements like drug trafficking, pimpin', things along those lines. You do get to take out loans which is alright I guess. While I did like it, originality is a factor that greatly effected my score, but I do think it is about right.

Gamers everywhere have been waiting to get their hands on the next-gen Grand Theft Auto. The open-endedness of the games in that series would be completely realized with the newest technology. However, we all must wait until October 2007 to get GTA 4 on the new consoles, but Saints Row is a great way to quench our thirst until then. Volition, the creators of Red Faction and The Punisher videogame, has crafted a wonderful world of violence and mayhem with Saints Row. You start off with a character creation option thats only true rival in variety is Oblivion. After you design your hoodlum, you must go to fight your way into the 3rd St. Saints gang. The game starts with a bang and never lets off. You go from hooker snatching, to store robbing, and even large scale urban gang warfare. What makes all the action so fun is not the context in which it happens, but how it is presented to the player. The graphics, while not the best on the Xbox 360, definitely set a new high standard for games in the free-roaming game genre. The textures are smooth, the draw distance is phenomenal, and the lighting makes everything shine with sophistication. The controls are another part of the great presentation. No more crappy auto-aiming here. You get full control over your bullet-spewing friends with an FPS-like control scheme. The activities in Saints Row are another step up from big papa GTA. The Insurance Fraud activity lets you smash your bones for cash in a morbid take on Burnouts crash mode. The Havoc physics engine really lets you appreciate the flying bodies. This activity alone is so good, they could honestly sell it as its own game and it would be worth a purchase. The game does have some downsides, though. There are some pop-up issues when driving on the freeway and the A.I. can be a little trying at times. But all these issues are much worse in other, similar games. They are flaws, but the flaws are so minor that they never interfere with the fun. This game could easily be called a GTA clone because of its unapologetic reproduction of the many things that make GTA great, but the gameplay is so fantastic, it would be a shame to pass up this superior replica. I give this beast a 4.5 out of 5.

Fantastic game. I have seen many people talking about Saints as being a ripoff of the popular GTA series and you know what? it is, so what?? The game is actually great, better than the GTA games up to now. You play the game as this new recruit in the 3rd Street Saints where you do services for you gang to gain respect, money, and more. The things I like from this game are the more open ended feel the game has. You start with the entire world open to you so you dont have to work in one area to unlock other areas. You pick and choose your missions based on what you feel you want to do. You arent forced into any one or 2 specific missions. They're are plenty of missions all over the map and when you complet missions more pop up.

Graphics on this game are solid. They will be some that say it isnt next gen looking but oh well. They are solid. Tons of destructible objects you can wreck with your car and destroy. Makes for some fun. The game also uses SpeedTree for the trees so they look real good and move naturally similer to the forests in Oblivion. Oblivion also used SpeedTree. The game play is flawless with seemless loading and smooth framerates and I find that the controls are spot on. Some have critiscized the aiming system which lacks the autoaim in the GTA series. Frankly I like it better

Online was a little bit of a let down but I dont see this as one of those games you would want to play online. It plays good online all except the lack of any indication you are getting shot. it like your walking do do da da, BAMM your dead! Bit of a drag as it doesnt allow you to fight back or get to cover. Hopefully and update will fix this in the future. If not oh well, I dont really see this as an online heavyweight anyhoo.

This game sucks. Blatent rip off of GTA series and didn't even get it right. The sound track sucks. Can't drive from inside the car. Side missions are hard as hell once you get past the 3rd or 4th level. If your smart you would save your money for GTA 4. The worlds greatest gamer (no lie) Jagman

xbox 360 fights back with its own streets and lets just say they by far took the rest .... this is just 1 of the many reasons xbox 360 will over take the mistaking machine also so known as ps3

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Saint's Row improved on everything that GTA messed up on.This game has alot more stuff to do than any GTA game that I've ever played.You can customize your player's and everything.You can have more than one car in your garage.The graphics are alot better also there are more guns to choose from you can also go in the store and buy drugs and get high. This game is almost perfect.