Activities "offer some of the game's most memorable sequences". Scott Sharkey of 1UP.com noted that Saints Row removed frustrating elements from previous Grand Theft Auto games, like load times between city sections and combat reliant on auto-aim, but considered its attempts to recreate urban gang culture and satire "so hackneyed that they cast an embarrassing shadow over the whole thing". In Japan, where the game was ported for release on June 21, 2007, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one nine for a total of 34 out of 40. Detroit Free Press gave the game a score of a full four stars and said it was "the deepest and most exciting to date of all the freewheeling street shooter games. There are missions and activities galore." The Times similarly gave it a full five stars and said, "This is a game guaranteed to offend and entertain in equal measure, but it is emphatically not for children." The Sydney Morning Herald gave it four stars out of five and said that the game "lacks the clever subtlety and fun-loving sense of mischief of Grand Theft Auto, with much of its humour falling flat. But there's plenty of fun to be had while waiting for the real deal (GTA IV) to be released in October next year." 411Mania gave it a score of 7.5 out of 10 and said it was "as addictive and guilty-as-sin fun as the game it imitates, and this is one case where imitation is the best form of flattery." The A.V. Club similarly gave it a B and called it "the perfect thug sim for your younger siblings." Saints Row received awards from GameSpot for "Most Surprisingly Good Game of 2006", as well as Gaming Target for one of 52 Games We will Still Be Playing From 2006 selection. Saints Row sold over 2 million copies, and has since joined the Xbox 360 lineup of "Platinum Hits" games. References External links 2006 video games Cancelled PlayStation 2 games Cancelled PlayStation 3 games Cancelled Wii games Mobile games Multiplayer and single-player video games Organized crime video games Saints Row THQ games Video games with downloadable content Xbox 360 games Xbox 360-only games Video games set in 2006 Open-world video games Video games about the illegal drug trade Video games using Havok Video games set in the United States Video games with custom soundtrack