Back when the franchise was first created... it kind of looked like a more colorful GTA. It's quickly become a completely different, more wacky game, and SR2 was the first real step in that direction. I ordered both of these within a small amount of time, and finally got around to playing 2. I'll be playing the Third later, but I first thought while the game was fresh that I could enlighten you about how I felt about it.

Graphics - 7

The graphics are nothing special. And I mean that in a good way. They don't detract from the gameplay which is really what makes Saint's Row the amazing series it is. It can be cartoony at times, and other times it can be insane how much effort went into it. Keep in mind the time period this game was made in, and then compare it to a game like Grand Theft Auto IV. Both came out somewhat close to each other. While GTA IV is definitely more beautiful, graphics aren't everything.

Sound - 9

They got a lot of really good singles for the game surprisingly, and there's a fair deal of music in this game. Everything in the game just sounds right, and this is probably why I really enjoyed every second of the game. Give me good music, and even the most mundane crap will be fine with me.

Addictiveness - 8

I couldn't put the game down the past 2 days (I don't have a job, so I play games for most of the day. When I am awake, I play games till I fall asleep) and that's generally a sign it's addicting enough to play for 2 days straight. It's not the most fun game on the market, but it's a pretty decent time sink (I spent 30 hours, and have a lot of the side stuff completed too.)

Depth - 6

Which brings me to depth. There's not all that much to do. Yes, there are CDs and Spray Paint Locations, and tons of activities and diversions, but any moderately skilled gamer will plow through them rather quickly, even with the weird controls of the cars. The hardest for me is probably Insurance Fraud, which seems mostly based on what type of car comes rolling by at what time. I spent 30 hours on the game and have beaten most everything... so there can't be too much more to this game... since once you beat the final boss, there's not much more fun factor left. Unless you like running from cops.

Story - 7

It actually felt a bit stale at parts, and a lot of it screamed that they were trying to rush the story when it didn't need to be. There's no better example than the end. I literally started the final string and finished it before I knew what hit me. I was expecting a more violent and epic end than what the game had in store for me, and I was sorely disappointed. However, the mature dialogue kept me entertained for the most part. The voice acting could have used work... but it wasn't so bad that I muted the TV. All in all, it was a pretty decent delivery, although it could have been so much more.

Difficulty - 4

I always rate based on the medium difficulty (or normal, or whatever you want to call it), because that's how a lot of people play the game. I imagine it's harder on higher difficulties, but this game gave me no trouble at all. It takes a lot of bullets to die, and it's not like they are that good at hitting a moving target anyway. I died all of about 10 times in the entire game, and most of those were because of the helicopter scenes. For those unaware, they make you hold your PS3 controller and tilt it the way you want to go. Maybe other people like it, but it felt clunky and unneccesary for my tastes. Most of my deaths were due to my inability to fly a plane or helicopter, which brings me to the issue that the hardest thing about the game SHOULDNT be the controls.

Overall - 8

I'll cut the game some slack since it's supposed to be taken in cheek. It's a great alternative to GTA for those sick of the series. The characters are odd, the customization is excellent, and there's enough to do that it will keep most gamers entertained until they can get their hands on a new release. There could be some improvements, which I hope are addressed in the third game (which I am about to start). All in all, a good game, that could have been even better.