Saints Row (Xbox 360)

In a nutshell:
There’s no new Grand Theft Auto game scheduled until late next year, but in the meantime 360 owners have got the next best thing, as you and your fellow gang members try to take control of a whole city to turn into your personal playground.

The lowdown:
It is pretty hard to describe this game without mentioning Grand Theft Auto, since the gameplay and even mission structure is based very closely on Rockstar’s classic. Of course being on the Xbox 360 the graphics are better than they ever were before, with a huge draw distance and streets that are very much fuller of vehicles and people than the real Grand Theft Auto. In fact the only thing that’s missing is Rockstar’s trademark black humour, replaced here with constant references to pimps and “hos”. There are though over 80 different vehicles to commandeer, all of which can be customised however you want.

Most exciting moment:
Although the city in which you battle is already bigger than Vice City the most impressive thing about the game’s graphics is the enormous amount of damage you can cause to vehicles and buildings. The game even remembers individual bullet holes on your prized car.

Since you ask:
The characters in Saint’s Row come in all shapes and sizes – not just the physically perfect mannequins of most other games. You can completely customise your own character, making them as fat, thin or buff looking as you wish.

The bottom line:
Grand Theft Auto 3.5 in all but name, that should make the wait till next October all the easier.
HARRISON DENT

Under threat from rival gangs and corrupt officials, the 3rd Street Saints must conquer the city of Stilwater or face destruction. From the spectacular opening battle to regain control of the local hood, Saint`s Row offers an unparallel level of freedom to explore this living, breathing city. The player is free to engage in the multitude of different activates at his/his leisure, all the while building up respect in a gameplay-rich world. Build enough respect and the 3rd Street Saint`s lieutenants will trust the player with more dangerous missions.
Saint`s Row features no ordinary city. Gateway to the Rust Belt, Stilwater is a vibrant urban environment where all the players` actions really matter and enemies may strike back at any time sending the player reeling for support.

Redefining online play for an open-world game, Saint`s Row will also fully utilise many of the incredible features of the Xbox Live online game service to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer gaming experience.

• A fully dynamically lit world: Car headlights and muzzle flashes light up the world of Saint`s Row
• Next Gen shaders allow the creation, in real-time, of effects previously reserved for movies
• Pedestrians react to your actions and remember who you are. Fail to represent, and other gang members will lose respect for you. Bling up your latest car, wear expensive clothes and women will flock to you
• Freeform game play gives you increased choices: Purchase an item at a store, or rob the cashier at gunpoint and run away with the cash, unless you prefer to break in at nigh for a full-scale robbery
• Ragdoll physics allow for real-time reactions of the game characters and objects to impacts, be it combat or collisions
• Extensive car damage modeling means vehicles bend and crumple when they hit obstacles and an incredible level of detail in the breakdown of component