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