In spite of its popularity among console owners, it is PC gamers who've reaped the most benefits from the Grand Theft Auto series. Besides the numerous skins and tweaks available, one of the most infamous mods for GTA is the one known as Multi Theft Auto. The modification allows players to get online and battle against other players for dominance. The idea has extended to other sandbox-style games, but like their single-player counterparts, the MTA cloning worked about as well as the GTA cloning. That is, no one's really come close to emulating it. Anyone involved in Saints Row who says that GTA had no influence on their title probably also has some beachfront property in Omaha to sell you.

With that out of the way, THQ sponsored an event in San Francisco to preview the multiplayer portion of Volition's next-gen title. We didn't go near the single-player portion of the game, instead opting to stay on the designated path of system link gameplay to see how Saints Row performs. What we saw was the concept of what would be known as another GTA clone extended to its next logical point on the 360: cloning Multi Theft Auto.


I'm not as cleared up on the single-player storyline of Saints Row, but it seems to involve lots of gangbanging, drive-bys, pimping, and other things bound to have some self-serving politician hopping all over it. One of the common threads between single player and multiplayer seems to be the ability to create a character. Players start out with four ethnicities and a variety of hairstyles, facial hair, and eye colors. I opted for an African-American albino with light blue eyes, silver Mr. T-style Fro-hawk with matching beard, and nothing but a grey blazer, his underwear, and sneakers. Mainly because it's a realistic depiction of myself. Okay, I'm being sarcastic.

Anyway, hopping onto system link against a variety of other reporters from other publications revealed a multiplayer lobby that's one part waiting room, one part shooting gallery. Players can run around a small map and try to exterminate as many other participants as they can while waiting for a game to load. Like EA Sports' playable menus, it's one of the more intelligent ways that we've seen next-gen developers find to keep players in the action instead of watching a loading screen. Kills aren't counted and ammo flows plentifully, with AKs, shotguns, Tec-9s, and pipe bombs being the order of the day.

The game modes all have over-the-top names, such as Protect tha Pimp, Big Ass Chains, Blinged Out Ride, and Gangsta Brawl. In some way or another, they're variations on the sorts of missions found in games like SOCOM and other popular shooters.