Yay Saint's Row 2! My favorite game of 2008!

Truly Elysium is a wise and beneficent leader. Not like that Certis bastard.

I respectfully disagree with the trashing that GTA4 gets at the behest of games like Crackdown, GTA: SA and it's spiritual successor in Saints Row 2. While I haven't played Saints Row 2, I did play San Andreas and Crackdown extensively and can say that while those games are fun, there was nothing particularly grabbing about them. I found GTA4 to be far more immersive, expansive, and daring in it's ideas than any of those games, and I guess that's what I found fun about it - "emo-wear trenchcoat" or not. Sure, not all of them panned out, the plot failed in the 2nd half, the main story was too long, nico seemed schizophrenic etc. etc. etc. - but at least it tried to move the genre forward.

In my humble opinion, games that "revel in wanton madness" are a dime a dozen - and while there isn't anything wrong with liking that or having fun with that, I feel like it's representative of the "workmanlike" quality of games in the past year that we've been talking about.

Then again, I never played it and never will, mostly because I can't get passed the thug-life motif, ironic or not.

Also: "Bigfoot - Collision Course" conjures the image of massive apes driving tiny bumper cars into each other. How can that NOT be game of the week?

I've been having a ridiculous amount of fun with the game on the 360. GTAIV was more a technical/immersive game that forgot to emphasize the fun. SR2 has elicited bouts of laughter from me, something GTAIV never got (except maybe Brucie). SR2 seems to not be trying so hard to wow you, and instead, to entertain you. Both are good games, for different reasons.

As much as I love Saint's Row 2, I think the title truly (and obviously) belongs to Paws & Claws Pet Resort.

Please. It's OK for a game to be stupid. We aren't the monocle-wearing type around here.

Well, OK, some of us wear monocles, but that's only so they can pop out of our eye humorously when we're shocked.

My word.

I'm trying not to be an apologist but I think you ought to try the game before you lump it in with the "dime a dozen" crowd. Saint's Row 2 does it particularly well. I also don't think Elysium is saying there's no room in gaming for something as serious as GTA4 but clearly it follows a different philosophy and it's been put on a pedestal as some sort of masterpiece. And yeah, GTA4 is more innovative and daring than Saint's Row 2. The point is that Saint's Row 2 doesn't have to be innovative OR daring to be a good time.

I'm all about the fun. Everytime someone releases a GTAIV or MGS4 I wonder what the hell they were thinking. Fortunately, these titles are so heavily hyped and followed by legions of fans that they never actually have to worry about silly things like gameplay or entertainment value.

Not that I'm belittling those games, I know people who were not fanbois who legitimately enjoyed them. But let's not make a saint out of a sinner here. Both games had significant problems in the gameplay arena and would not have reviewed or been received near as well if not for brand recognition.

I have no interest in Saint's Row 2 simply because I'm tired of "the thug life" when there are other sandbox games to be played. GTAIII was great when it was the only game in town, but that hasn't been the case for years.

Saint's Row 2 represents something desperately needed. Competition. I enjoyed the original Saint's Row far more than GTAIII or Vice City. The GTA series lost me when they seemed determined to become derivative of themselves and replaced gameplay with gimmicks. It doesn't "triviliaze" the genre, SR2 provides incentive for Rockstar to improve. Competition is good.

Saint's Row 2, to me, is all about fun, which is 80% of why I play a game in the first place. In my mind, I'm not playing a 'gangsta simulator.' I know some people have a hard time dealing with the actions in these sorts of games, but I have a hard time getting into a game so much that I'm not just looking at pixels on a screen versus actually killing innocent bystanders with my reckless behavior. Clearly Saint's Row 2 isn't the bee's knees for everyone, but for me it was the epitome of gaming experiences in 2008.

Does Retro Game Challenge count as next week? I can't find a confirmed date on the official website, but IGN and Amazon.com are saying the 10th, oddly.

Not that I'd seriously consider it a "Game Of The Week" contender over Saints Row 2, but it's the only thing I'm interested in.

fun > depth

I think that's oversimplistic.

Depth is an aspect of a game. It cannot make a game "fun" anymore than photorealism will make a game "fun". A game may not be fun because it's deep, but the depth of a game may add an aspect that some players will find more entertaining. Just because a game lacks depth, next gen graphics, or quick-time events doesn't mean it automatically isn't fun or less fun.

I agree with you completely - this is the part that I was oversimplifying.