Favourite Video Games #5 - Saint's Row 2

I've not played the original Saint's Row, but I've heard it's just a Grand Theft Auto clone. However, the sequel very much impressed me, taking a much more comedic tone.

In the first game, you assumed the role of an unnamed and completely customise-able protagonist who joins an up-and-coming gang called the Third Street Saints. He/she embarks on a series of missions to eliminate the other three major gangs of Stillwater, culminating in them assuming leadership of the Saints before falling victim to a yacht explosion. Anyway, Saint's Row 2 takes place five years later, in which The Boss (as you're now known) wakes up from a coma in a prison hospital with the help of fellow inmate Carlos. In the five years that have passed, the Saint's territory has been renovated by the Ultor Corporation, and other gangs have emerged and taken over the city.

I really enjoy the creative freedom you have with customising your character in this game. In fact, I love the complete freedom you get compared to the more linear Grand Theft Auto. All activities and shops are available from the beginning of the game, although I do think the respect system seems rather odd - you have to earn a certain amount of respect before you can do the next story mission. However, this isn't a serious issue, as the side missions are hilarious.  I think my favourite activity is 'Fuzz' - you have to help someone obtain footage for a police brutality lawsuit by dressing up as a police officer and taking part in a reality TV show called Fuzz.

There are sequels, but the only one I've played is Saint's Row: The Third. It's good, and even sillier than the second game, but I prefer Saint's Row 2 myself.

Oh, and my advise is to do the base-jumping mini-game as soon as possible. If you land on the car in the drop zone, you become immune to falling damage.