Lords of the Row2: Return of the Bling
The game takes place 10 years after the original, starting with you as the protagonist of the first game you wake up in the prison clinic badly hurt after an explosion that left you in a coma. Upon waking you're confronted by some guards who tell you that your days are numbered. This leads you into your first mission which is too escape prison and also serves as your tutorial, as tutorials go it's pretty epic as you escape you'll be facing guards unarmed, get into a gunfight and even get chased by helicopters and boats.
The storyline like the first centres around you as the leader of the third street saints as you struggle to reclaim your lost territory and rebuild your gang, standing is your way are 3 gangs and mega corporation Ultor. Most story missions in the game are of the driving and shooting variety and at times do feel kind of repetitive but remain fun none the less and the story is certainly competent if not ground breaking.
The true fun to be had in this game is in the side missions or diversions in the game which range from the hilarious Car surfing to the truly destructive heli attack, like the story missions these can be tackled in either solo play or in co-op, for instance in heli attack one player will fly the helicopter as the other controls the guns.
The amazing thing about the co-op is the sheer scale of the playground that players are presented with, rather than place artificial constraints on the players by imposing a maximum range or blocking off areas, players are given free reign of the city and are able to travel to opposite ends of the map and many of the side missions can be played solo should you feel the need to go it alone. The most fun to be had however is what the players can do themselves using the digital playground created by volition some of the stands out moments from my own time with the game are the unscripted ones, riding through the city doing stunts on mini motorbike or taking an armoured car and an attack helicopter and running riot in the city and these are the moments where the game truly shines.
The games controls are handled differently than most others in the genre with the in car controls handled with the face buttons by default and it does take a bit of getting used too however the combat is meaty and satisfying allowing you to grab human shields, throw your enemy or even pull off one hit executions. Car control while not realistic is certainly in keeping with the rest of the game. Take to the sky however and it's a different story, controls can be unwieldy causing you to sway from side to side and even at times your vehicle will just fall out of the sky for no reason.
Those aren't the only problems in the game however, enemy AI can be pretty poor at times and the occasional glitch will see you falling through the earth or getting lodged in some scenery, several times I have had to restart missions due to the target not spawning or an object that I need to destroy doesn't register, these bugs and glitches can become frustrating and stop the game from being as great as it could be.
The Graphics in the game are also quite nice, they have a distinctive zany look about them and the characters and building are detailed and nicely varied, the city is pretty sizeable and each district has a distinctive look from the slums to the suburbs right up to the high class shopping district and china town area, the one major problem though is constant pop up in the way of vehicles spawning just in front of you as you drive or cars disappearing as you attempt to hi jack them.
In a world where GTA is king Saints row holds court as the beloved jester, lovers of the genre won't be disappointed, the action packed fun filled world is a riot to play in even if it has more "street" than a city sidewalk.