I didn't find GTA4 that bad, just a little disappointing with the lack of customization options. The gunfights were pretty good even if the cover system was a bit fiddly, and usually I can get the hang of driving/player physics pretty quickly (like the jets in blockland etc.) so driving wasn't too bad either.
Likewise, Saints Row 2 was also good in its own way but the missions became increasingly repetitive and frustratingly fiddly what with the bad driving mechanics coupled with the bad PC port performance issues. The customization was pretty amazing though and so was the co-op mode which I almost played through entirely with another friend. I had finished the game, so I had all the cool stuff like the entrepreneur cane to show off.
I just love when I'm driving extremely fast and being a total ninja driver by dodging every single car that runs my way then someone calls me but the ringer is so obnoxious I have to stop to press a button. Then, I answer the phone, lose control of my Cavalcade, smash every car on screen then fly out the windshield and just to agree a date with Kate in which I arrive too late and it's canceled. That is just dandy.
Since I'm running the PC version, I remapped the phone button to mouse3 so I can use the phone and scroll up and down and stuff while driving. It works pretty well.
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