This game does not run as smooth as the ps3/360 version, but it runs way better than the steam version. i have had no crahses or other issues with the game so far.
It's basically a GTA with a more cartoonish movement (walking, running, driving), same wapon handling and a very different health system and "wanted" system. The story is very good in my opinion, Saints row allows itself to be merciless and much more violent than GTA. Customization is insane (for the time). I really liked the game.
I already have a boxed copy of Saints Row The Third, so when Saints Row 2 popped up on GOG for FREE and having not yet played SR1 or SR4, I couldn't resist. Even having read the far from impressive reviews suggesting problems of all kinds, bad console to PC port, etc, etc...
Personally, after spending a little time looking into the Gentlemen of the Row mod, I decided that was the way to go, even before trying the game beforehand without. Given what that extensive mod apparently fixes and adds, I certainly recommend it as the way to go.
Overall installation was fine (game and GotR mod), the game ran smoothly throughout and I suffered no crashes or lag. Playing through the main story and side missions was fun, even if the controls (keyboard & mouse) took a little getting used to at first. Being a PC gamer, I obviously always have a preference for mouse and keyboard. However, I do have an XBOX controller for some games, so might give the game another whirl with that and see how things fare as a comparison.
All in all and considering I got the game on GOG for free, I feel my 4/5 rating and level of satisfaction would have been entirely the same had I paid list price or a discounted price. As with any "older" game like this though, it's not difficult to find mods or improvements that significantly improve the original release. My rule of thumb is that if I see enough negative reviews, be they technical or gameplay related, it's always worth having a quick browse to see what mods are around that resolve things. Gentleman of the Row mod did that for me and is easy to find with a quick Google search.
One of the worst PC ports ever made for a game. Even after installing ‘Gentlemen of the Row’ along with several other mods, it’s still barely functional.
By far the worst offender is the constant CRASHING. With or without mods, the game randomly crashed on me.
The framerate is choppy, vehicle handling is unresponsive, loading times are long and the list just goes on. After a while I just gave up on trying to fix this mess.