Can Saints Row 2 challenge GTA IV? |
|
| BY Adam Sandberg Jun. 3rd, 2008 | More on: |
Upcoming Saints Row 2 from THQ, which was recently delayed until October 14 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, is now making its way to the PC as well. This might come as a surprise to some, since the first game was exclusive for the consoles. Is it possible that THQ thinks that some gamers who are waiting for the PC version of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV will ease their cravings with this instead?
If you compare the original Saints Row with, let’s say Grand Theft Auto III, it’s obvious that most people will announce GTA 3 as the winner. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Saints Row is a bad game, the GTA series will always be what people compare other games of this kind with. Besides Saints Row, Vivendi’s Scarface: The World Is Yours and Eidos’ Just Cause were both trying to compete in some way with GTA, but they never really made it all the way. Has the “Grand Theft Auto TradeMark” become something that makes competition in this particular genre a waste of time?
When GTA 3 came, it revolutionized gaming as we knew it. That game and its followers have repeatedly set new standards regarding freedom of choice and movement. Just remember the hype not too long ago before GTA IV was released. To me, it seemed like some people saw GTA IV as something divine, a game that would take the step to perfection. Now that has settled. GTA IV recieved amazing reviews, but if you’ve tried it, you know that the distance between GTA 3 and GTA IV isn’t as wide as we all thought when we saw the first trailers.
What I’m trying to say is that GTA lives on its reputation. I think that if GTA had a meeting with Saints Row, it wouldn’t take too long before Saints Row recieved a wedgie. GTA is a badass and that’s what appealing.
To compete with GTA IV, Saints Row 2 needs to make some changes. First of all, a major part of most GTA games has been rivalry between gangs. The original Saints Row was all about that, so Saints Row 2 needs to focus less on gangs and make the story deeper and more intriguing. A good example is Illusion Softworks’ Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. The difference between Mafia and Saints Row is that the latter tries to be an alternative to GTA. Becoming a more successful alternative today is practically impossible and the only way for Saints Row 2 to challenge GTA IV is by not challenging it.
[See also: Saints Row 2 gallery]
June 4th, 2008
at 10:04 am
Saints Row 2 will have more activities and things to do in than GTA 4.
Makes SR2 a winner.
Please stop blogging on the net.
And thanks for letting me use your email address to make this reply.
Now stfu and go play Saint’s Row.
June 4th, 2008
at 11:06 am
^ You sir are an idiot. You cannot make comparisons based on speculation… pure idiocy….
June 4th, 2008
at 11:32 am
Wow, aggressive!
Firstly, I think you have misunderstood the purpose of this post. Secondly, Saints Row 2 hasn’t been released yet, so neither you nor me have a clue of what will be the “best” game. It will be exciting to find out later though.
June 4th, 2008
at 1:18 pm
Saints Row:
Ups -PC version will be out immediately with the console versions
Downs -SR seemed to be a total GTA ripoff with some changes -too homie style for my liking
GTA IV:
Ups -Unbeatable GTA formulae
Downs -Still no word on the PC version -they increased the level of graphic nudity, which was pretty pointless
Verdict: I’ll wait for both games to come on PC
June 4th, 2008
at 5:10 pm
Um Saints Row> GTA3 btw.
June 5th, 2008
at 12:56 am
No. Just no.
June 9th, 2008
at 4:49 am
Saint’s Row is definitely better than GTA3. Yes, it’s a blatant copy, but it’s a polished blatant copy. It improved on all of the things that GTA3 thru GTA:SA stubornly refused to address, namely, the gunplay. In that respect, it’s still better than even GTA4. However, I think it would be difficult to argue that SR is a better game that GTA4, overall (SR’s story and personality, in particular, are hollow immitations of GTA).
Because GTA4 has raised the bar so high, however, I see little hope that SR2 will have the kind of impact that the first did. The first was good because it was a GTA clone that played better than GTA. The second will have to simply be more than a clone. Like I said, I’m not keeping my hopes up.
August 13th, 2008
at 12:56 pm
Kropotkin Kritsky.. Is the increased level of nudity a down? Are you gay?
December 27th, 2008
at 7:21 pm
ive got saints row 2 and its brilliant
December 27th, 2008
at 7:26 pm
u get to custamize ur gang members at ur hide out witch is great and u get to custamize ur crib witch is great and u get to buy shops and cribs
January 7th, 2009
at 10:33 pm
I dont think GTA4 is greater than Saints Row 2 or vice-versa. Saints Row 2 is more of an arcade style, while GTA4 concentrates more on story and realism. To compare them together would be stupid since they are very different from each other. I personally like the contrast between them.
January 8th, 2009
at 12:02 am
saints row was bug riddled.
GtA 4 was not.
Pretty much the only thing you cant argue about.
The rest is just up to preferance.