Ok, I had Saints Row 2 for the PC, and had some thoughts (before I un-installed it)

The good:

1. I like the graphics of Saints Row 1, and 2. Clean, kind of antispetic looking, but detailed enough.

2. Character creator is nigh-insane.

3. I love the voice acting of Saints Row 1 and 2. Neil Patrick Harris, Jay Mohr, Keith David, Michael Rappaport, etc. Everyone is "cool" in my book. Especially compared to GTA: San Andreas's voice acting.

4. Decent mission selection, and diverse side activities.

5. I like some of the characters. Johnny Gat among them.

6. I like the GPS crap.

The Bad:

1. The PC version was fairly busted. It wasn't super unplayable, but would lag heavily. Granted, this isn't the most powerful PC ever, but I've read enough stuff (including GS's review) to know even on much more powerful machines, the game is still broken.

2. I really don't like aiming. 360 aiming is good. But I want a lock-on function, like GTA had.

3. The city is kind of confusing at times.

4. The big one: I don't like being required to do BS "respect" missions in order to get through the story. That's what caused me to stop playing Saints Row 1. It would've caused me to stop playing SR 2, but I got a trainer and just gave myself infinite respect, so it didn't matter. It's good to have the options to do mini-missions (mayhem, racing, escorting, etc.), but having them be required to get through the story is insane.

5. The game is kind of shallow. There's a bunch of stuff to do, but a lot of it feels hollow. I'm not sure why.

Anyways, I un-installed it, mainly due to the game dropping to a speedt 5 fps during a mission, and me failing to complete it, due to this fact. It's probably better on consoles, but I dunno, I really want to like Saints Row, but I just don't. And I loved GTA: Vice City, and San Andreas. I'm not really sure what the problem is.

The reason I don't post here anymore:

This place seems dead. The same 4 or 5 people keep posting their stuff, which is fine, but that's about it. I got a buddy list of 82 people, and only about 5 of them are doing anything. The people I know on here don't post here anymore. Not to name names or anything (as that would likely get me some stupid flaming moderation), but yeah, there's not enough activity for me to really care.

There used to be a lot of cool people here, DawnBurn, MsCortana (who did have a valid reason for leaving, but still), ReconGoddess, Kasia, Loopy, etc. Most of those people don't exist here anymore. The only other reason I used this place was to talk to Gamespot editors. Jeff Gerstmann, Greg Kasavin, Justin Colvert, Kevin VanOrd, Guy Cocker, Ryan Davis, etc. These are all cool guys. Granted Jeff, Greg, and Ryan aren't on here anymore (for obvious reasons), but even the Gamespot editors don't seem to have a presence anymore.

Hell, I got a response in Twitter from Guy Cocker like a month ago. When was the last time that dude posted here?

(Not to besmirch him, he's a good guy, busy and the like, but why bother having a community aspect to a site, when the staff doesn't use the tool, and the community is dead?)

Yeah, that's about it. Not a lot of people care anymore. Far less than are on this site. This isn't some BS post about me leaving, as I'll still probably do stuff on here (reviews and the like), that can't be encapsulated in 140 words or less. But, I've resigned myself to the fact only 3 people (if that) are going to read it, so really, what's the point.

Oh, also, I don't like the moderators here. Bunch of walking egotrips with a smidgen of power, and no sense or idea as to what to do with it.

At least someone fixed the random stupid "class" blog error. Only took about 3 years.

An old poem I wrote:

Four Levels of Stains

On the first stop we will experience the unvarnished skin. The majestic tranquility of the smooth new surface, brilliantly reflecting the cold white light, casts a dim shadow on the ground below.

I feel a special bit of pride in the first object. Almost as if it's a holy grail, and my unclean hands aren't fit enough to even touch it.

The second stop on our tour begins at the next splendor object. Not as exquisite as the first, but still wonderful in its own right. The surface is lightly stained however, and doesn't sparkle quite as bright. Small stains are at the bottom, green and blue in color, creating a nice painting against the white backdrop.

This is my favorite to use. I feel a small sense of security and relaxation whenever I'm able to partake of its services.

The third stop is about 50% stained. Blue, green and brown mar the white surface. There are also small cuts, scratching the surface. It doesn't mirror the light quite as much, but it's still a little refractive.

I use this only when I need, only when my favorite is occupied, and in use. I feel a small twinge of discomfort whenever I step up, but if I need to, I will.

The last stop is by far the worst. Splotches of all color decorate the once white skin. Sitting here since the 1960's, being used by generations past, going in and out and never being cleaned. It also tends to smell late at night, when no one is around but me. The cold dull surface almost is evil with its grime and dirt.

I avoid this at all costs, never wanting to use it at all. The smells and looks disgust me in ways I could never imagine. I feel afraid, and so does everyone else.

R. Mutt

Urinals, have to love them.