When it comes to open-world games, there are two types of players out there. There are those that like to play through the game’s campaign, collecting hidden objects, playing through sub-missions, and generally going through the motions of the game’s storyline. Then, there are those who just like to jump in and blow crap up, causing a ton of damage without scratching on the surface of the game’s storyline. For the second brand of open-world gamer, there is Saints Row 2.

As far as Saints Row 2 is concerned, there is no avoiding comparison to Grand Theft Auto IV. They both touch on common ground in terms of gameplay and overall theme, but there are some things that Saints Row 2 does take to set itself apart from the latter. Whereas the Grand Theft Auto series has been taking an exceedingly realistic approach to the genre, Saints Row 2 seems to go the complete opposite route, allowing the player to truly get into some ridiculous situations that look insane, but are also a lot of fun to pull off. While the game certainly has some shortcomings, like technical issues and buggy gameplay, it’s still a blast for gamers who just want to hit the streets of Stillwater and blow something up.

In terms of story, there’s not really much to be had in Saints Row 2. Whereas Grand Theft Auto IV had Niko, a conflicted and deep character with a troubled past trying to forge out his own success story in a rough city that he doesn’t understand, your homebrew avatar in Saints Row 2 has no such delusions, opting to kill as many of his enemies and make as much money as he possibly can.

Sure, there are some elements of a story that is revealed through cut scenes in which your character wakes up from a coma and begins attempting to rebuild the Saints gang in a vastly changed Stillwater, taking on rival gangs that filled the power vacuum and reasserting your dominance, this element more than plays a back seat to the gameplay. You’ll recruit lieutenants for your gang, placing each in charge of a different rival gang in the city, allowing you to branch off into different story arcs in which members of your crew will die, adding some gravity to the situation and even causing some subtle changes to your avatar’s demeanor. However, the story is a pretty average for a gangster-style game and won’t be particularly pulling on your heartstrings at any point.

Then again, this isn’t really the point, as gameplay is king in Saints Row 2. Saints Row 2 features what you’d expect from a game of this sort in terms of mission structure, meaning you’ll usually drive a car to a location, take out a few bad guys, or get into a car chase, rinse, lather, repeat. A mixture of vehicles and on-foot combat will generally be what you’ll do from beginning to end throughout the main campaign.

While the mission structure certainly feels like other games of the genre, it’s the sandbox nature of the game’s universe that truly make it stand out against its peers. You’ll be able to run a variety of insane side-missions and generally get into all manner of ridiculous trouble right from the beginning. In fact, in order to progress through the main storyline, you must fill up your respect meter by performing any number of unrelated activities, a move that encourages exploration through the game’s universe and myriad side quests, including a Mayhem mode which gives you unlimited ammo and grenades and requires you to tear through and cause as much collateral damage to an area as possible within the time limit, a mode that requires you to impersonate a cop for a TV show and drive around taking out “criminals,” and even a mode that lets you rack up a medical bill by throwing yourself in front of cars. Needless to say, Saints Row 2 doesn’t strive to be the most realistic game in the genre, and adds a ridiculous and wholly unique element to it.

Saints Row 2 also features some pretty impressive multiplayer features. Online, players will be able to play through the game’s storyline co-operatively with a buddy, or take on several players in some competitive multiplayer modes.

Unfortunately, Saints Row 2’s open-world carries with it a plethora of bugs and technical issues. There are some problems with collision detection, pop-up, framerate dips, and general bugginess throughout the whole experience, which pulls you out of the game. The game also suffers from some pretty spotty AI issues, with enemies and bystanders alike pulling off some pretty curious moves.

Graphically, Saints Row 2 is a mixed bag. While some of the things that you can pull off in the game’s world range from awesome to ludicrous, the aforementioned technical issues bog the game’s aesthetic quite a bit.

The sound fares quite a bit better than the game’s graphical presentation. The voice acting is top-tier, featuring some quality work and a few well-known actors like Gary Busey. The soundtrack is also pretty diverse, featuring a wide range of genres like metal, funk, rap, electronic, and so on.

Saints Row 2 falls prey to some pretty frustrating technical glitches, including problematic AI and general bugs. Plus, the story is a bit underwhelming and won’t be the element to pull you through the game. However, the ludicrous nature of the game’s sandbox mechanic is still a blast to play, and the myriad side-missions are great fun and should keep fans of the genre busy for a while.

Gameplay: 8.0
Saints Row 2 provides an interesting alternative to other games in the genre by featuring some pretty outrageous situations and gameplay elements that are a lot of fun to play through if you weren’t a fan of the realistic approach taken by the GTA series. There are more than a few technical shortcomings in the game unfortunately, hurting the game’s score.

Graphics: 7.0
While some elements of Saints Row 2’s look are great, there are more than a few issues that pop their heads, like pop-up, framerate stutters, and clipping problems.

Sound: 8.5
Saints Row 2 has a very solid soundtrack representing a wide range of musical genres, and the voice work is top-notch.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
What Saints Row 2 lacks in story it makes up for in over-the-top gameplay elements and game modes.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The inclusion of co-op for the whole campaign is a great touch, as are the competitive online modes.

Overall: 8.0
Saints Row 2 has more than its share of technical problems throughout that hurt the experience, but when the over-the-top nature of the gameplay is firing on all cylinders, then it’s a blast.