I actually haven't seen much Saints v. GTA threads around... i think this is the first... good job adding Mafia 2 as an added bonus!
Let's see, three open-world sandbox games revolving around organized crime that toys with the protagonist, of whom may or not be as serious or too serious as some of us like him.
In an industry that makes money off of hanging onto coattails such as Halo, Call of Duty, God of War, even Everquest, GTA 3 has to be the one game that nearly every open-world game can attone to, may that be Assassin's Creed, or Prototype, even Superman Returns.
Let's get started on Mafia 2. Not gonna lie, my brother did something to my game when i was halfway through so now i can't play it anymore, so let's get what i know out of the gate. It's a story-driven game based around an Italian man who i think's name is "Vinnie" or something else generically italian that must climb up the ranks of the crime world to do.... something. I never really got that. What's odd about this game is that the open world is kinda... there. GTA lets you live a second life in its game, and Saint's give you enough cheat codes and ****-slinging trucks to start a small seizure, but aside from a few side activities, Mafia 2's city is very arena-like... it contains the protagonist and just throws stuff at him to watch him squirm. Mafia 2 has to be the odd one out here. It's not as good as the other 2 but still, it's quite good. It's like the Dragon Age of the Hack 'n Slash genre, odd, but the good-unique odd. I also enjoy how it takes place in POST WW2 1940's, a realm forgotten by all of history like the aryan genocide in the Middle East, or the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Grand Theft Auto 4. After who knows how many side shows, a full-fledged sequel with a shiny new engine and shinier, i mean, grittier, new graphics, was dropped onto us like a ton of bricks and russian vodka in 2008. Met with multi-universal critical acclaim, reviewers treated GTA like it was the gilded fecal-matter finally deposited into their gaping maws by the Highest Being of Existence.
Bah.
Don't get me wrong, GTA is good. Roman is funny, the world is large, the cars are fast (albiet feel like I'm carrying so many dead russian mobsters in the back that they've formed their own gravitational pull) and it's a very polished experience. but still.
Bah.
The graphics were so gritty they left an awkward taste in my mouth, character models weren't up to par, the cars had that above stated problem, and the story... well... i got a quarter through and just quit. It seemed like Niko was just making lateral movement. He helps out his cousin, then kills some dude who's role is godknowswhat, then faces little-to-none reprocussions if he ignores a phone call from his cousin. It has none of the cartoony fun of GTA 3, a PS2 hit, and locks off entire parts of the world with the mighty word of Law. You can still go to the other islands... if you want the US military to declare war on your bearded Eastern European face. It's not bad... its better than Mafia 2, but compared to other games released in 2008 (Dead Space 1, Fable 2, Merc. 2, Bad co.) It's just not the Diamond of Christ everyone calls it. the Ruby of Grit, that's a better title for this game.
Saint's Row 1 was a GTA 3 clone at heart with a 3 gang territorial backdrop to keep Rockstar off its tail. Fresh from failures in Red Faction, Volition joined the bandwagon of 3rd person-open world city games and hit the ground... jogging at a pace. Saint's 1 was not a gem, but it was that game that was "Like GTA 3, but with more stereotypes and seizure-prone moments". Saint's Row 2 kept the city and teh gangs and the turf-war, but took some more crystal-marijuana in the eyes and then came out for the world to see in 2008. This game is as over-the-top as games can get. Wanna fly a plane, base jump onto a truck, then start doing drive-bye's while the unsuspecting civilian drives along, acting like nothing's happening as he pops his 96th cyanide pill?
Yea.. you can do that.
The territory acquisition lets your buy ok guns and ok cars from businesses, as well as invest in the businesses themselves, which will dole you out more money to buy even better guns and better cars and better pads for your respect, which is required to do missions. YOu get respect by doing activities. You know. Demolition derbies, fight clubs, racing and blowing stuff up while on fire, just blowing stuff up, painting the town brown, it's all standard fare in Saint's Row 2.
The best part is that when the military is called in, unlike GTA where Niko, despite having a contact list full of people who think he's an ok Soviet, your fully-customizable protagonist can call in other gang members who can be decked out in a number of outfits (ninjas ftw!) or even calling in a cop, a zombie, the crazy asian, the druggee, the token black guy, or the crazy helicopter pilot. The game also seems like it's giving you a fighting chance when the military gets called in. Your Protagonist in Saint's Row 2 doesn't hide like the illegal immigrant Niko is, NO! He jumps on top of a car and then shoots out tires on the bridge to send the 5-0 hurtling to their doom in the lake. Then he snipes out a helicopter pilot before turning on "Evil Cars", where that fighting chance is removed as the world's numerous cars see you as an all-you-can-eat twinkie buffet and they're all fat guys. Seriously... those cheat codes are ******. Not to mention one of the shotguns is called "The Pimp Cane", and your character actually walks around with it out, strutting his stuff, till the *****es be crazy and he gotta keep the pimp cane strong, ya digg? (christ i love this game)
Saint's Row 2 was an over the top fun-fest that stood with Bad Company and Mercenaries 2 yelling at games like GTA, Fable, and World at War that games are FUN. We don't want to live a second life in a chicago-remake, or marry a set of zeroes and ones, or know about the one story of that one russian who happened to save the day in an unnamed Eastern European city. Granted, all games mentioned are enjoyable, but Saint's Row 2 maintained its title as "Craziest game" until Just Cause 2 came around.
In order of fun?
3. Mafia 2
2. GTA 4
1. Saint's Row 2
Honorable Mention: Mercenaries 2
