Grand Theft Auto 4 vs. Saint's Row 2
Since the recent release of Saint's Row 2 internet message boards have been lighting up with a particular topic: Is Saint's Row the NEW king of the sandbox genre?
How did this come into question some ask? If you were to go strictly off review scores, you'd find that GTA4 averaged a higher score than SR2 professionally. Yet the debate is on and both sides make valid points.
GTA4 Overrated?
When GTA4 was initially released it seemingly wowed everyone with its scope and immersion. It was based in New York and it felt like New York! Rockstar did a good job of making the world feel alive and real with the sights, characters, and activities. The story takes place around immigrant Niko Bellic, whom after receiving so many letters from his cousin Roman about the American Dream lifestyle, finally decides to take his cousin's offer to join him.
GTA4 was all about presentation and immersion and in those areas it delivered. However, quite a few gamers started getting bored of the same old same old mission formula half way through. That formula was the” go-here-get-ambushed-chase-and-kill-some-guy.” It just felt like the missions were too repetitive in their design. The other complaint was that the story really took a nose dive at the half mark.
In the grand scheme of things, it was still a good experience considering GTA4 marks a point that the series went in a different direction.
Saint's Row 2 Underrated?
If you look at some of the scores that some review sites/magazines gave SR2 and then listen to some gamers, you'd get the feeling that the game was underrated and that it is clearly the superior title to GTA4. What makes SR/SR2 so popular? What about this GTA clone stands-out in a sea of other failed attempts? Is it the character creation? Is it the missions? The production value? The story? For a flat answer I'd have to say its popularity is its over-the-top approach to every aspect. Where GTA4 went for the more down to earth approach, SR2 went in the complete opposite direction! From the story to the outfits, most things are just laugh-out-loud in a good way. SR2 is packed with different things to do; you can literally play for 10 hours without even touching the main story missions and have a blast! Unlike the real-to-life Niko of GTA4, your character in SR2 is way more over-the-top and ruthless, sometimes a bit too ruthless.
Where SR2 falls short is in the production values and presentation. Graphically the game is just not very impressive and you can see the difference in production values when compared to GTA4. Also, 'Stillwater' just does not have that living, breathing feel that New York had in GTA4, not to say it's dead, quite the opposite there's life in the streets, it just doesn't feel as organic and as natural as GTA4. Case in point: taking a cab in GTA4 was an experience in a very subtle form that really showed you how alive the city really was. It's a feeling that SR2 never really nailed down in Stillwater, that feeling of a living, breathing city.
And the Winner is...
Whichever left you with the greater gaming experience. I see this as a toss-up in most areas. I wish GTA4 had some of the things found in SR2 and vice-versa. I enjoyed the over-the-top nature of SR2, yet I also enjoyed the realistic approach with the characters of GTA4. By the end of GTA4, I could identify and understand Niko's struggle. With your character in SR2, I was able to look past the obvious and understand the not so subtle changes in your character, but it wasn't as reflective and thought out as it was with Niko. Personally I enjoyed SR2 more mainly for the variety in activities/mission structure in comparison to GTA4, but I can understand why others would be put off with its over-the-top nature.
On a technical performance level GTA4 takes the cake easily. As I mentioned earlier, SR2 is just not visually impressive, yet GTA4 did a great job with the sights and sounds which really pulled you into its world. As for gameplay mechanics, they both control similarly when it comes to the shooting system. SR2's handling of cars is easier and more arcade-like, which really makes things easier on those chase missions, GTA4 went for more realistic car physics and handling which is fun when just driving around, but can really be trying when it came to those chase missions. Then when you add co-op ability to the mix the scale tips in favor of SR2.
Though they are in the same genre it's like comparing a thought-provoking action/drama to a summer action blockbuster. They're both great, just for different reasons. I think GTA4 is getting unfair treatment because it's so easy to forget how fun it was months ago when it was first released compared to the newly released SR2. On the other hand I do think it's good to see SR2 even mentioned with GTA, as that's an achievement in its own right. At the end of the day though, this question is the real haunting: If GTA4 simply just expanded on what was done in GTA San Andreas, would the GTA4 vs. SR2 issue be a popular debate as it is now? Or would SR2 just be filed in with all the other GTA-clones?
Manimal Forever Gamer's Perspective
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