We all know how Jonah crowed on and on about how the original Saints Row was so much better than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, even though it was far more limited in scope, and was missing the variety and craziness of that game.  Of course, most of his insistent fanboyism derived from the fact that it was an Xbox 360 exclusive!!1!!!!!1! 1!!! .  That being said, the game did have better and more stable graphics than GTAA, and the aiming mechanic was easier to use, as you didn't have to hold down one trigger to free-aim.  But, again, the scope of the game.......not up to snuff. Anyway, now that Saints Row 2 has dropped in price, I picked up a used copy (360), _base_d on the reviews that stressed the fact that it was stupidly entertaining and rectified some of the omissions of the original.  I loved GTA IV, as it was very atmospheric, had a sense of realistic weight to everything, and had pretty good graphics.  But it took a step back in too many areas in favor of being cinematic , to appease the Roger Ebert-wannabes working at the likes of Game Informer.  So could Saints Row 2 fill in the gap? First of all, the graphics in Saints Row 2 are, sadly, average, and the city looks very video-gamey.  Much of the terrain is too flat and undetailed.  To its credit, though, throwing aside realism makes design choices like sticking a mini-mountain or a farm not a quarter of a mile from dense city blocks easier to swallow, given the aesthetic.  However, the game world still feels too small when compared to last generation's San Andreas. The good news is that keeping the graphics simple and cartoonish also minimizes the danger of slowdown during heavy action sequences, and during the general chaos you can inflict.  And make no mistake: chaos is this game's strong point.  Whoever designed the throwing mechanic earned his or her bonus, because wandering around and throwing people around is very entertaining.  The Gears of War-_style_ aim-zoom and human-shield mechanics help gunplay, while the slight roadie-run camera effect helps provide a sense of connection to the action. Melee combat is very satisfying (deadly pimp-slaps and groin kicks are funny as hell), as is the free-aim system. The side missions have been fun so far, and throwing crazed fans into a deadly baggage scanner while protecting a Keith Urban clone certainly made a good early impression for me.  Flying an attack chopper or a plane in this game does make up for many of its shortcomings.  It's not what I call a big event game that garners anticipation, but I see it as an addictive chaos simulator with a lot of potential longevity.  Think of it as a slightly dumbed down, shrunken version of San Andreas designed for frat dudes, with better control mechanics and hilarious physics.  If this had been released as the first Saints Row, I think the series would've gotten a much better reputation.  But as they say, better late than never .  Volition has finally atoned for Red Faction 2 in my book.  Bring on Saints Row 3- but please, please DON'T remove things the way Rockstar removed things from GTA IV.