Well folks it isn’t the Master Chief this time, its an all new game. Yep, you star as a rookie ODST(Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) and from what we saw at E3 and some of the preview videos, it looks to be one of the best Halo Games so far. A whole new campaign and a brand new multi-player mode called Firefight make this new Halo game worthwhile! Now we just need to wait a few short weeks for this release, September 22nd it is due to hit shelves here in America! Head over to http://www.gamestop.com/gs/landing/h3o/default.aspx if you want to reserve the game and find out where the Halo ODST transport truck will be.

The original Saints Row, released in 2006, didn’t try to change the sandbox genre formula and instead focused on making everything just plain fun. Saints Row 2 follows that same plan, and while it doesn’t do anything new or different, it is undeniably enjoyable. Also, and this comment may blow your mind, but while GTAIV is easily more polished in terms of graphics and gameplay, Saints Row 2 is easily the more fun game thanks to its over the top tone and wealth of stuff to do.

In terms of sheer variety of the activities you can do and the amount of fun you can have, Saints Row 2 has GTAIV beat. In terms of the core gameplay, however, Saints Row 2 hasn’t really moved forward while GTAIV made some significant improvements. For example, there is no lock on or cover system in SR2. Instead you just have to prey on the inconsistent A.I. and charge forward guns blazing, which usually works since half the time A.I. characters just stand around and don’t do anything even while other enemies right next to them are doing their best to try and kill you. Also, the driving just feels a little bit off. The cars feel kind of like driving boats, honestly. Sort of floaty with wide turn radiuses. Not bad, certainly, but far from the precision you’d like to have when wading through traffic or winding through city streets trying to lose the cops.

Saints Row 2 does a lot of things right, though. The entire map is open to you right from the start, which means all of the fun minigames and vehicles are available right away. Missions also have checkpoints which means if you fail you usually start over at the middle rather than the beginning. Also, the over the top physics and action make pretty much anything you do fun and potentially funny. My take on sandbox games is that you should be able to play how you want and make your own fun, and Saints Row 2 fits that description perfectly. It isn’t serious, it is goofy and crude and an absolute blast to play.

Saints Row 2 isn’t just a single-player experience, there are also co-op and deathmatch modes available as well on Xbox Live or system link. In co-op, the entire map is open to both players and you can both do whatever you want, and when you tackle missions together the game adds in extra enemies to balance out the addition of the extra player. Competitive multiplayer shrinks the map down to individual neighborhoods, but the smaller play area keeps the matches fast and furious.

The only truly disappointing aspect of Saints Row 2 is the graphics. Technical problems such as pop-in, texture tearing, and vehicles and objects appearing and disappearing seemingly at random are pretty big issues. Also, the game just has a sort of ugly look to it. The textures simply don’t look very good, but at least it is consistent across everything (clothes, buildings, roads, cars) so the game has a coherent look. The game does run at a smooth framerate at least and there are some nifty looking explosions.

The sound is fairly good. The dialogue is silly and filled with swear words, but it works. The music selection isn’t particularly good, however, and the lack of a talk radio station really hurts.

In the end, Saints Row 2 is a solid sequel to the cult favorite original. It isn’t the prettiest looking game and the core gameplay isn’t quite up to GTAIV’s standard, but Saint’s Row 2 manages to be fun and gives you lots and lots of ways to make your own fun which is something that GTAIV was sorely lacking. Between all of the funny minigames and side missions, the amazing Zombie Uprising game, the story filled with good characters, and the overall solid design of the city around you, there is a lot to like in Saints Row 2. If you were let down by the fact that GTAIV cut out a lot of the fun stuff from previous games in the series, Saints Row 2 will not disappoint. It is light hearted and silly, and that is why it is so enjoyable. Saints Row 2 is a good game no matter how you slice it and is highly recommended.