Posting the same review for Saints Row and Saints Row 2 because they meld together in my mind thanks to how similar they are and how close together I played them. I do remember having pros and cons to each though and they are separate games.
Saints Row 1-2 aren't great games, but they've got something special. The primary problem with them is just how many side activities you have to do to rack up enough respect to continue the main quest. It's a great idea because it forces you to engage with all the side content and you'll find yourself doing a lot of minigames and going shopping and whatnot to earn respect, but it goes too far with it and you feel like all you're doing is side quests and they're getting samey and you eventually drop it. However, the gameplay until you drop it is awesome and I've never enjoyed shopping for clothes as much as I did in Saints Row 1-2. Might not be the best or most polished games around, but they offer something special I haven't found elsewhere and I love them for it.
Saints Row 1-2 aren't great games, but they've got something special. The primary problem with them is just how many side activities you have to do to rack up enough respect to continue the main quest. It's a great idea because it forces you to engage with all the side content and you'll find yourself doing a lot of minigames and going shopping and whatnot to earn respect, but it goes too far with it and you feel like all you're doing is side quests and they're getting samey and you eventually drop it. However, the gameplay until you drop it is awesome and I've never enjoyed shopping for clothes as much as I did in Saints Row 1-2. Might not be the best or most polished games around, but they offer something special I haven't found elsewhere and I love them for it.