all games are not created equal

There are some things that I like more in Prototype than I do in GTA4, and vice-versa.  I like how I can quickly pick up Prototype and breeze through a couple missions quickly before I head out somewhere.  With GTA4, it can sometimes be a chore to complete the missions, especially if you have to drive really far, only to get gunned down once you get there.

Prototype actually has a great system for little goals, like "destroy this building" or what would be the equivalent of the rampages in the old GTAs.  These mini side missions can help you gain EPs (the games experience points system) for upgrades to your character.  GTA4 does have this same kind of thing, but it's more hidden away and not painted out for you on a map like Prototype.

Sure, Prototype does do a couple things right, but man, GTA4 is a ridiculously detailed game.  When you drive around the city, each neighboorhood feels different.  The trains come and go, the people walk around with their coffees, cars rearend cab drivers who randomly stop.  It's all there.  Prototype's Manhattan has absolutely no life to it.  Each block feels as dead as the last.  There is actually a block in GTA4 that is exactly the block I live on.  The style of houses, sidewalks and everything is exactly the same.  It's pretty awesome.

Given this, Prototype is a free-roam game I suppose, but there really is no reason to look around the city, unless you're moving to your next mission or side mission.  GTA4, you can wander around Times Square or go down to Radio City Music Hall and just check it out.  You can walk around stabbing people who are annoying.  You can throw a grenade into the Burger Shot.  You can punch people doing yoga in Central Park in the face.  It's up to you.  Prototype has nothing near this level of interaction.

GTA4 for the clear victory.  It has hours of gameplay beyond the end of the game.  It really is a living, breathing city in GTA4's 'Liberty City'.

There are so many ways to describe how Fallout 3 is better than GTA 4.  Instead of doing a long drawn out comparison, let's just do some quick hits.

Character Customization:

Fallout 3 - Stats, armor, facial construction and haircut
GTA4  - A few clothes, two different pairs of glasses.

Story:

Fallout 3 - Vault dweller first steps out of his underground home/prison, finds an apocalyptic wasteland and fights for survival and eventually saves humanity
GTA4 - Niko Bellic arrives in America to visit his cousin and eventually reveals his own objective to find the man that betrayed his troop in the military.  It's actually a refreshing change of pace from the old tired "Start small and work your way big" storylines of Vice City and San Andreas.

Weapons

Fallout 3 -Rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns, gattling guns, lazer rifles/pistols, rocket launchers, junk-shooters (not THAT kind of junk ;) ), mines, grenades, knives, swords, flamethrowers, hammers, flame swords, animal claws, single-handed chainsaws, nukes, and molerat exploding sticks.
GTA4 - Rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, shotguns, sniper rifles, knives.

Violence

GTA4 - Drive around Liberty City, running over people.  Beat up people.  Crash so hard into someone that they die.  Shoot up everyone
Fallout 3 - Kill virtually everybody.  Shoot kids.  Watch people's heads explode in slow motion.  Shoot more kids.  Put grenades in people's pants.  Throw grenades at kids.


I think I made my point :D

Mostly a personal preference as I have not yet, nor intend on playing Saints Row 2.  I enjoy GTA IV for its quality, and from what I have seen of Saints Row 2, not much care was put into creating a better game as was keeping in tons of  cartoony modifications for your character and cars etc.  Give GTA some time to add more good stuff with newer releases and its apparent Saints Row is simply enroaching itself in an area it does not fully understand.

San Andreas was popular in my mind for it's insanely large map and amount of pure freedom it gave the player, but after playing Grand Theft Auto 4 it just seems too arcade like to me.