I wanted to add some more here. It was annoying that you couldn't win missions earlier, ie, missions where you chase somebody, even if you hit them it doesn't matter until the specific point you're supposed to kill them. If you want to replay missions, there's no way to do that. Times where you can kill a person or spare them don't really have any effect on the plot. The characters were very memorable. Most of your friends are cool and clever and I actually cared enough for Roman in the end of the game to do the ending that didn't get him killed. Trying to get cars and whatnot was weird to me. There is no garage, you can only keep cars in front of the house, but when you play a mission that doesn't end you back in your car, it's gone and you can't get it back. Meaning it's best to just take cabs everywhere, it saves so much time.
I have not played the dlc packs but I do plan to so I'll try to comment more after I finish those.
I agree with most of this, but to me the story felt all wrong. Niko was a very well written criminal ... which is bad. Sure, all the other protagonists of GTA have been mass murdering psychopaths aswell, but they were basically [1] charicatures. Going on a rampage with CJ was goofy and fun, doing the same with someone who actually feels like a real killer is just ... depressing. Overall, the story was much darker and way too Serious Business. Gone was the jumping out of planes to catch other planes and hitting people in the face with a dildo. When I played GTA IV, I found it so forgettable that I didn't quite bother to understand why, but recently I played Saint's Row 2 and realised that it's what the GTA games used to be: murderous yet silly and fun. Here's to hoping that Sain't Row 3 doesn't mess it up.
I played GTA IV as my first GTA game, so I came without expectations. And loved it way more than the other games (I bought a package on steam).
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A Chore
That's the best way to describe this game, a chore. Compared to previous installations, and even the Saints Row series, this one fails in so many basic things. First, the controls. Cars drive terribly, taking turns way too long and spinning out all too often. Helicopters are even worse, and motorbikes will clip and turn at the slightest impact, and there's a lot of stuff to hit, especially with all the tedious chase missions the game takes you on. Especially when you have to shoot all the time.
Missions do have some variation, but they are mostly, go here, kill everyone. And there are almost no checkpoints. There is one in the final mission, but that doesn't excuse getting to the end of a mission and having to start all over, including driving there, because your health ran out. And it will run out often, because there is no way to heal yourself in missions outside of health packs in the mission, which are rare.
Music is bad, considering the series is known for great soundtracks this one is awful. So few songs are on each station and most of the time commercials or djs are playing anyway. Combat is, eh. Guns have auto aim, but it's hard to switch between opponents, and sometimes when the target you have dies, it won't let you get a new target without getting out of crosshair mode. Also, sometimes enemies will get up after you kill them for no reason.
The story is okay. It takes until the last third to get really rolling, but then the last missions are so difficult they lose any sense of fun you might have had. One tough spot in particular involves trying to speed up a ramp on a swervy motorbike on a sandy beach with obstacles right in the way, then trying to control a helicopter, fire a gun, and dodge rockets at the same time. He gets away here, or you die? Bye, back to the start of the gunfight. And when you do restart missions, you don't get all your items back, which makes no sense.
The friendship system isn't that bad, actually. They don't call too often and the minigames are pretty fun. The sidequests are a refreshing change as well. Graphics are kind of weird, some characters look good, some don't, and the city is very brown. Last things, picking clothes takes too long, cops come way too easily, and both ending are unrewarding, one slightly less so. Ten words left: Frustrating, boring, don't play, Saint's Row 2 much better.