THQ has released a new Saints Row 2 trailer that asks the question we've all been thinking; wouldn't you rather being playing GTA IV?
"Would you rather go bolwing... or spray loads of sewage on pedestrians?" asks the fronting trailer. "Would you rather go to the cabaret with a friend... or inflict serious bodily injuries to your friend to earn a little insurance money?"
Although GTA IV isn't mentioned my name, you can see the direct comparison - they've even nicked the GTA font. Watch it over on THQ's site.
The game was recently pushed back to October 14, and at the very least promises to offer a ton of customisation over GTA IV - something we miss terribly from San Andreas. Read our recent eyes-on preview for more info.
Well done THQ marketing men, this is much better than your last video series with movie nutter Gary Busey.
They've definately made the right move. While GTA has gone down the more realistic route, Saints Row seem as though it's going to take off ffrom where San Andreas left us. How many clips in that video made you think "Ha, you could do that in SA, wish you could in IV." This is a defintite purchase for me. Sure, it won't be as "mature" as GTAIV but maybe thats a good thing. I prefer the PS2 GTA games and i think Saints Row is going to be the game that replaces them.
I'd much rather buy a game on it's own merit rather than 'how great it is compared to GTA'.
And the fact that i've done all of that stuff in San Andreas is beyond the point.
That's the feeling I got from it too. I think Saints Row does provide a lot of things that GTA does not, but I really wish they'd get away from always seeming to be hanging around in its shadow - there are enough differences to market it as a seperate entity and a great game in its own right....
I doubt they'll ever win over the hardcore GTA fans when they do stuff like this.
I may still pick it up though....well, as long as they don't make it so 'bling-tastic'
The reason they're using the GTA comparison is because they know it's going to happen anyway. It's not like they can say "we're developing a free-roaming action game based around gang culture set in the present day" without someone claiming it's a GTA clone.
But I have to agree Mark here - I've never found the whole "chav" "street" culture cool for the same reason as I don't find spinners or big chunks of excess bodywork on cars cool. So I'll be skipping this one. Mafia 2, absolutely. Crackdown 2, count me in. But not this.
It's pretty pathetic really. They're just using GTA's popularity to sell their own game. They know Saint's Row is never gonna be as big as GTA. Rockstar won't retaliate because they know they have nothing to worry about.
It's like being at school. Picking on the girls because you secretly had a crush on them
Jesus Christ CVG, do you have an Editor? Do you even attempt to proof read any of your articles? I swear half of your readers take more care in what they write on these forums.
I bloody dont! Thank God its not in GTA4. Same with the diet/eating, working out & all that other pointless crap.
Not pointless,more gaming fun i think.
Pushbikes,planes,jetpacks,a big mountain in the middle which i could not wait to jump off,the parachuting from the plane,swimming underwater,the massive game playing area,absolute classic.
The probelm with GTAIV was the lack of stuff to do after the story was completed. Saints Row 2 looks like it has a bit of life in it. I agree, i despise the whole chav culture thing but at the end of the day if a game holds any replayability it holds it's worth. GTAIV is already collecting dust and I don't think (for me anyway) that SR2 is going to end up the same. Also, the online sounds a bit more integrated than that of GTAIVs.
Although the Saint's Row franchise looks as chav as you can get, I personally agree with the sentiment of the trailer.
Whilst socialising with friends in GTA4 does at least provide you with bonuses - free cabs from Roman for example - the process of micro-managing all those mini games to get everyone liking you is pretty tedious.
Not really interested in "pimping my ride" or buying blingin' outfits for my avatar, because to be honest that's a bit too Sims for my liking. However, if the arcadey blowing stuff up elements are less realistic than they are in GTA4, then I'll be willing to give SR2 a go.
Jesus Christ CVG, do you have an Editor? Do you even attempt to proof read any of your articles? I swear half of your readers take more care in what they write on these forums.
Ha! I've just logged in to point this out and you've already beaten me to it!
I bloody dont! Thank God its not in GTA4. Same with the diet/eating, working out & all that other pointless crap.
Me too. If I want to spend hours grinding to increase a character's skill, I'll go play The Sims or a Korean MMORPG. I wouldn't have bought GTA4 if it told me that my own skill wasn't enough and I had to spend hours repeatedly doing something to increase strength. Those kind of stats should remain in RPGs.
I do agree that there is a bit of a void when you finish the GTA campaign though, but that's inevitable when you have a storyline that has a conclusion. You can talk about whatever extra activities the city holds until you're blue in the face, if it doesn't accomplish anything it will get boring after a while. "Yay, skydive!" "Yay, skydive again!" "Yay, skydiving!" Umm, woo.
Really can't wait for this, it should heopefully make up for the letdown that was GTA IV. It took itself far too seriously and was the most repetitive game i've played in a long time (Pacman included).
I bloody dont! Thank God its not in GTA4. Same with the diet/eating, working out & all that other pointless crap.
Me too. If I want to spend hours grinding to increase a character's skill, I'll go play The Sims or a Korean MMORPG. I wouldn't have bought GTA4 if it told me that my own skill wasn't enough and I had to spend hours repeatedly doing something to increase strength. Those kind of stats should remain in RPGs.
I do agree that there is a bit of a void when you finish the GTA campaign though, but that's inevitable when you have a storyline that has a conclusion. You can talk about whatever extra activities the city holds until you're blue in the face, if it doesn't accomplish anything it will get boring after a while. "Yay, skydive!" "Yay, skydive again!" "Yay, skydiving!" Umm, woo.
I disagree with you.
RPG Elements such as stat building shot not be "left" with RPG's. One of the enjoyable aspects of GTA SA was the stat building, although I do believe they could have made it more enjoyable. For example instead of having to eat to keep strong they should have removed that, but elements such as going to the gym to get stronger should have been retained. Why? Not so you had to be fit to survive the game, but to give you an option that broadens the way the game can be played.
I honestly applaud Saints Row for the inclusion of a fight club system. Looking at it a second time it doesn't actually look that good if its purely going to be an un-proffessional display of men dressed in casual wear breaking chairs over each other. But one element I felt was left out of both GTA IV and the previous SA was some form of pro-longed melee fight. I enjoyed the melee fights, espescially in GTA, but they were always over sooner than I'd of liked, so I never understood why they never included an MMA or boxing ring to fight in with perhaps tougher opponents, or even on the internet. Little things like this wouldn't have been hard to implement at all, and would increase the lifespan and options of the game immensely. I'd take an option like this or a real shooting range over the extra's GTA provided in an instant.
Not to say I didn't enjoy the TV shows, when I first turned on the TV and saw Baz Ruten I laughed my ass off, little details like this made the game worthwhile. But they were little details, and un-interactive, and thus made the game just a rush to complete the final mission. What would be the point of doing the side missions, more money? To do what with? To get achievment points? To do what with?
Overall I feel SA has some serious advantages over GTA right now and whilst I'm not 100% sure if I'll buy it or not, I certainly applaud its efforts at making a game with more interesting elements to it than just a storyline.
for all it's day-glo pimp my ride chavvyness the first Saints Row was a really good game. I'm glad they've taken it in the opposite direction to GTA and also acknowledged it's influence. This game gets slated for being derivative by some magazines without mentioning it's many good points and novel touches (the insurance missions were inspired). Look forward to playing it.
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