For some people,GTA IV lacked a "something". And that "something" is what Saints Row 2 is all about.
Saints Row 2 begins a few years after the ending of Saints Row. Basically you were blown to pieces and left in a coma,you then wake up in a prison.
Because your character's awesome body got toasted in the first one,you have to make a new one with the new improved character creator. You can now play as a female character if you want to. You can also choose between different voices and walk styles.
The main story is okay,it isn't deep and the humor is hit or miss. Some people describe it: "the game has the same sense of humor as a 8 year old that just learned the F word". The voice acting is good.
Stillwater has changed quite a lot. Especially the area around the church that used to be the Saints' main crib. Your not able to enter hair salons or cinemas anymore (don't worry,you still get to replay cutscenes and missions). Other than that,the city just expanded a bit.
Your gang is quite a mischievous bunch.When you usually see them on the streets,you will either see them beat a random pimp to a pulp with a baseball bat or kill a bunch of policemen. Its quite funny actually.
Everything about the game has been improved (except the graphics),you can now duel wield any one handed weapon. You can ride a bike or fly a plane. You can also buy shops and an hangar or a dock (to store your planes and boats in). There is also a lot more weapons and other things you can use.
You can also customize your gang now. You can choose what style clothes they should wear (like ninjas or 80's) and you can also choose the type of cars they should drive. You can't choose what type of color clothes your gang should wear though.
When it comes to combat,the game is fun. You can now choose between 4 fighting styles (3 of them must be unlocked). Each style has its own attacks and finishers. The gunfights are easy and fast. You can also use a person as a shield now.
The gun sounds are good and the music selection is the best,you even have an 80s pop rock station with music from bands like Aha,Duran Duran and Lover boy. The cars also sound good,the bike engine sounds are disappointing though.
All the side missions from the first game returns with new,great ones. Some of the old ones,like the assassination missions,have been improved. And it will take quite a while to finish them all.
Although the game may feature a lot of new things and great vehicle\character customization,it definitely has a few setbacks.
The graphics didn't improve much,the game looks old. But fortunately,it isn't so bad your eyes will start bleeding. The AI is stupid,especially your teammates AI. They will sometimes get stuck behind a wall and just keep running into it.
There is also a zombie mini-game,its good,but its too easy and not even close to scary. The only freaking thing about the mini-game is how it looks when they bite a person.
The main story missions are short and easy,you can easily finish the main game in about 10 hours. Fortunately,you have millions of other things to do in the game,so you'll be playing for a long time.
All in All:
Saints Row 2,like I said,is hard to describe. If you don't mind the bad graphics and okay story,you will have a great time. But if you love beautiful graphics,a deep, long, story and hate profanity,stay away.