Reviews// Saints Row 2

Carrying out your mission objective invariably involves a gunfight. Saints Row 2 doesn't employ an auto aim feature, which having been weaned at the teat of GTA's auto-lock feature, I always find initially frustrating. It does, however, have a little aim assist, so pinpoint accuracy isn't necessary, which is thankful given the difficulty of aiming with thumbsticks. This does make gunfights feel a bit scrappy, but I found them quite enjoyable; lending to fights the impression that I'd had to put some real effort in to completing missions.

The selection of weapons is limited to one of each type; melee, pistol, submachine gun, shotgun, assault rifle, RPG and grenade. Oh, and there are always your fists. Now, fist fights do have a tendency to be button-bashing fests. You can, however, always pick up anything that isn't nailed down, such as a chair, cinder block or barrel, and use it to throw at or beat your enemy into submission (i.e. dead). If there's a bystander, er, standing nearby, you can grab them and use them a human shield and, with almost Jedi-like powers, throw them several metres.

This kind of 'breaking eggs to make omelettes' is pretty common in games of this ilk. It's not unusual that the odd bystander rolls over your windscreen or gets caught in a little crossfire. Or, if you've had a bad day at work, you'll go on a rampage for the hell of it and see how long you can last the wrath of the police and SWAT teams.

Saints Row 2, however, managed to dial things up a little with mission objectives that require you to attack and kill innocents. Apparently Saints Row 2 has a dark and sinister side that has been "blended that with the same light-hearted humour from the original"... it says here.

I'm still waiting to see evidence of comedy (light, dark or mottle mid-tone) in the missions where I'm introducing a bunch of homeless people to the less orthodox use of a cinder block or launching them into their makeshift dwellings. These are moments in the game when the tone is incredibly dark and, dare I say it, uncomfortable. Murdering homeless folks so your can nab their squat doesn't make for a fulfilling mission. Mind you, shooting cops for their guns and car shouldn't feel fulfilling either, but at least that fits into the context of gang warfare.

The driving element, which you'll possibly spend more than half your time doing, isn't as enjoyable as it could be: the controls are twitchy, giving driving a very bizarre, high-speed 'Benny Hill' feel. The mini-map doesn't give a wide enough view when you're travelling at speed. If you don't keep on eye on the map, you'll be right on top of the turn as soon as you see it.

Having to glance away from the road to regularly check the map reveals another issue: collision detection that turns a glancing blow into a stop-dead pile up. Couple these problems with a camera angle that is just a little too low to get a good view of the road ahead and it's not looking very healthy at all. With a bit of persistence, practice and a few trips across town and back, however, you do become accustomed, but why should you have to? These are all relatively minor tuning issues, not failings at the core of the game.