Pressing start brings up the full map, and allows you to set waypoints. From the in-game map, you see dynamically updating GPS directions as colored blips on the road. If you go down the wrong street, the path is recalculated on the fly. This is a sweet system, and makes traversing the large city easy.
You can also filter the map to show only activities, stores, or missions. This clears the map of all the clutter when you just want to get to your safe house.
Yet another feature ripped straight from GTA is your mobile phone. But just as developer Volition's MO, this too has been fleshed out. You can call your backup, an ambulance, and a number of other things.
Other game play mechanics you will find that are borrowed from GTA are stores, fast food restaurants, radio stations, police wanted levels, and humor. Your earned gang land will also become contested, just like in San Andreas.
These are all handled different, thankfully. There are more options for customizing your character with clothes and jewelry, plus this affects the respect you gain.
There are four slots (mapped to the D-pad) to store food purchased from the game's restaurant, Freckle Bitch's. Your health bar also regenerates slowly.
Along with the standard police wanted level, where increasing levels of law enforcement come after you as you cause more havoc, there is also a gang wanted level that works the same way, too. If you get both of these up to five stars, you are in for one heck of a firefight.
But if anything feels out of place in Saints Row, it is the humor. It is usually forced, crass, and crude. There is a fair amount of good writing, but a lot of times the humor goes too far. The talk radio station is absolutely hysterical though.
It just seems Volition was trying too hard to capture the humor from GTA. On this note, they have failed miserably.
Along the lines of making the game more enjoyable, you can restart main story missions right away if you fail them, save your progress anywhere, revive "homies" when they are taken out, and save any number of cars in your magic garage. Ultimately, this helps a lot.
The game is not very hard, not until the very end. Also, having invincible allies that can be revived (within a 30-second window) puts this game out of reach of the controller-tossing fits that many GTA games exhibit.
Soundtrack of Saints Row
In place of the AAA music found in GTA, Saints Row goes the indie route. But this doesn't mean you won't hear familiar music. I was happy to hear Local H while driving down the road.
Article comments
1 - Roberta
My brother can't seem to put this game down. He traded in Oblivion for it. Much better than GTA.
2 - kevin
the game is spectacular9i have beat it 100%).i like the game alot it is a game you can still play even after you beat it.but sadly the ending if horrable.you go meet the chif of police on a boat that has a boam that juleus put on it(but your guy does not know about it). then he calls his thugs out. right when you get ready for a big fight you here a bepping.then booooooooom.the boat is split in half and no one that was on the deck is to be found(not even you).then you listen to the creadets and all that.then you are foced to load your last save. which is a bad ending(personaly it should have let you be able to roam with the game beaten). that is one of the few downers to this game.so do u think that is a good ending or do you agree with me!?????
3 - pops
yea i really dont like the ending
4 - POOP12
a ppl do u know how to get over ralls on saints row? Because ive been trying to see if i could on multi player and it didnt work! Everybody has over ralls now but exept me!!!
5 - Matt Paprocki
What the hell is a rall?