Saints Row 2 looks set to have the best character creation option we've ever seen. You see, while wrestling games or RPGs may let you make characters that look cosmetically different or you’re your favourite/most hated celebrities, Saints Row 2 integrates this character into the gameplay much more convincingly. For starters, there are six voices to choose from. We assume this means six different voice actors were involved in recording dialogue just for the main character. We like the sound of that.
Then there are the personality traits that you can select for your character. Not dull, boring stuff like +10 Charisma or Attack-3, but taunts and walking animations. The list of these in the demo version we were shown was impressively long, and all had a clear effect on the character on the screen.
The best part of all is that there's no discrimination between sexes - you can make your 50 Cent lookalike be as manly or camp as you like by adding a street swagger or woman's walk. Why not make your hard-looking gangsta man have a classic Jamaican patois-style pursed lips and hand to hip taunt? Or how about a ridiculous walk like Mickey from Shameless? There are more serious ones like the 'neck slice' threat, middle-finger or the cheeky 'Hot 'n' Juicy' where your character slaps their behind, Asda-price style. It's brilliant - and you can unlock more as you progress and switch them round mid-game.
Physically, the game has also got all the bases covered. You start off with your chosen character standing in their underwear, so you can see their physique in detail. You can choose to be a man or a woman, choose their ethnicity, go through the usual face and hair details, then (our favourite bit) alter slider bars to determine their age and build.
