Do you appreciate GTA IV more after playing Saint's Row 2??

I remember the initial feeling I had when I had played a lot of SR2, it was "WOW, this is everything GTA IV should have been!!" More weapons, more crazy stuff to do, and that raziness that GTA IV was lacking. But after a few months of not playing both, I went back to SR2 a bit at home and played some GTA IV at a friend's house, I really noticed how GTA IV has so many things that SR2 was missing. The level of detail, the graphics, the physics engine, the driving and shooting mechanics, the story, etc.

Does anyone appreciate GTA IV more now after you've played both games? I know I do.......

I seriously know how you feel.

It was like going from a BMW to a Honda and then back to a BMW. I also really, really hate the driving in SR2.

Still, running around doing everything naked never gets old.

Hey dude we must be brothers from another mother or something (lol) because I DEFINITELY and I mean DEFINITELY!!! feel the exact same way as you do. A similar situation happened with me. I took a month plus off of Saints Row 2 and GTA IV because my Xbox 360 broke, so I couldn't play anything. During that time I was focusing on completing my work in college. When I thankfully got anothe Xbox 360 for Christmas one of the first games I put in was GTA and it almost felt as though I was playing it for the first time again. The graphcis, physics, cover system, everything you previously mentioned felt incredible and wonderful. Then when I played Saints Row 2 it felt as though I was playing Saints Row 1 compared to GTA IV. I'm not going to lie because at first I was like you - when I initially played Saints Row 2 my brother and I thought it was so much more refreshing than GTA. And then when my 360 was broke and I received another one for Christmas, GTA IV looked and played leaps and bounds beyond Saints Row 2.

So yeah, you weren't the only one dude. You weren't the only one... lol

Since I had previously played SR1 extensively, the game I inevitably compared SR2 to was SR1, not GTA IV. My first reaction to SR1 actually mirrored yours after I first played it on the 360 two years ago, only the game at the time that I obviously compared it to was GTA: SA. My initial, gut reaction to SR2, however, was one of profound disappointment concerning the lack of improvement made in the graphics over SR1, and the less than stellar frame rate and vehicle controls.

That said, comparing GTA IV to SR2 actually makes me appreciate the uniqueness of the SR franchise more, not vice versa. There are many features in SR2 that I'd love to see incorporated into future incarnations of GTA, especially the "create-a-thug" feature. In addition, the folks at Rockstar have neutered the GTA franchise to such a large extent by removing all the over-the-top humor that the series was once famous for. The result was that GTA IV felt less like a "GTA style" game than SR2 did.

Yeah after playing Saints Row 2 and then going back to GTA I appreciated it a lot more I mean GTA has better characters, story, Graphics, Physics is technically impressive and has great little details and touches and better car handling. Saints Row 2 is fun sometimes but is to cartoony for my tastes I prefer the direction Rockstar took with the game, going realistic was what made it great imo.

I would love to disagree with you TC but I can't. When I went back to play GTA4 after playing Mercs 2 and SR2, I found myself enjoying and having a better appreciation for the game compared to when I first played GTA4. GTA4 was designed very well and separate itself from the rest of the sandbox games.

I appreciate GTA IV even before I played it,

I don't think I would get SR2, my budget is quite limit...

I felt the opposite. When I played Saints Row 2 my hate for GTAIV just grew. I know it is probably just because of how much I loved San Andreas and when I first heard about IV I expected a next gen San Andreas, I was wrong. The realism in it was cool for a while, but imo it got old alot quicker than the wackyness of Saints Row 2.slip_killer

Same here.

My disappointment on GTA4 grew while I was playing SR2 and grew even more after finishing SR2.

IMO, SR2 is a million times better than GTA4.