I know this has probably been stated in this thread but I've just got to add my two cents here.
I really enjoyed GTA4, like a lot. In fact I've played through the entire game twice (including the DLC), but I have to admit I sort of missed the carefree-wacky nature of GTA:San Andreas. Saints Row 2 totally (TOTALLY!) scratched that itch for me. In fact it took me by surprise because I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I mean even though GTA4 took a more serious step forward (again, completely awesome though) it made me miss the wackiness.
I think the great thing about these games is they can co-exist very comfortably without causing any open-world GTA fatigue to the game. Even though they get compared quite a bit--and I think it's because of the "gangster/mob" theme more than anything else--they are really different experiences (at least to me).
But in regards to SR3, I do hope the find a way to exploit the really fun gaming bits (like the side stuff because to me that was the stuff that was totally the most enjoyable). My respect for Volition has grown considerable over the last few years and I now have huge exceptions for SR3. I'm really curious where the improvements are going to happen. One thing I'm really interested in seeing are the technical upgrades. Danny Bilson (THQ) stated a few weeks ago they have invested heavily in the technical growth of the game and said "people are going to see the game and say to themselves 'oh, that's where they put their money'".
I think there is a chance here that this game--even though some of us are really excited for it--could possibly be better than we anticipate. I'm secretly hoping they somehow integrate an AutoLog system (a la NFS How Pursuit) for the side stuff.
