Saints Row 2

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Saints Row 2
File:Sr2 cover.jpg
Developer(s)	Volition
Publisher(s)	THQ
Designer(s)	Volition
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release	August 26, 2008
Genre(s)	Action, Driving
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Saints Row 2 is an upcoming sandbox-style action-adventure video game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and is a sequel to Saints Row. It is being developed by Volition, and published by THQ.

CFO Edward K. Zinser revealed the game in a conference call on May 11, 2007. The game will ship simultaneously on both platforms on August 26, 2008.

Plot

The game is set an unconfirmed amount of years after the events of Saints Row. However, roughly 15 years of development would've been necessary to get Stilwater to where it will be in Saints Row 2. The protagonist was disfigured from the climax in Saints Row, and undergoes plastic surgery, giving the player the chance to create or recreate their character. . The plot will continue on from the first game with "a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge and redemption against the city that has left him for dead." A preview by GameSpot states that the game is centered around the rebuilding of the Saints Row gang some time after the release of the first game with three new gangs now in power around the city of Stilwater. Troy Bradshaw is the new police chief. Julius Little is confirmed in an article on IGN, and Johnny Gat is said to be on death row in the same article. This has led some fans to believe Johnny is in the prison island that will be appearing in the game.

Location

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The prison island featured in Saints Row 2

The new Stilwater is roughly 150% of the size than it was in Saints Row. New areas will include a graveyard, trailer park, university, marina, and also hidden caves. There will also be a new prison island, much like Alcatraz, where Johnny Gat is said to be waiting on death row. The new Stilwater will also feature a new nuclear power plant. There will also be underground sections of the city. There will be major expansions to the west of Stilwater, particularly Misty Lanes. Saints Row has been turned into high rise buildings and apartment blocks. There will be a new suburb called Waterman Plains, with a rural feeling to it. The seaport that dominated the southern areas of the southern island has crumbled into the ocean and has been abandoned.

Gameplay

The entire single player campaign will be playable in online co-operative mode. The player may also have the ability to chokeslam an enemy, as shown in the weapons of ultor trailer. The player will be able to use satchel charges on cars, walls, and other surfaces as well. The player will also be able to throw objects in the environment, like stopsigns, furniture or even people. The game will include additional weather effects. Pedestrians will be much more responsive to both environmental stimuli (such as opening umbrellas at the sign of rain) to possibly crowding around someone that has just been shot, allowing the player to use the distraction to get away. Alternatively, the player can attempt to use other characters in the game as human shields. As in Saints Row, there are five police and gang notoriety levels. An article on IGN reveals that police will use non lethal means to deal with the law breaker, using pepper spray and nightsticks. At two stars, however, they are more alert and will shoot with their trusted NR4 pistols and pump action shotguns. They will also hunt you down with wavecraft if the chase leads onto the water. From then on, if the player attempts to use a human shield, they will no longer attempt to flank them, and instead shoot at the protaganist regardless of whether the shield is a police officer or citizen. Police will also set up roadblocks with the Bear APC and its 360^o mounted machine gun if you manage to reach three stars. SWAT police officers will use AR-50 assault rifles at these roadblocks, and SWAT helicopters will also be dropping off more troops to manage the fight more. Police will also unleash the Tornado attack helicopter at four stars, which uses a manned minigun and heat seeking missiles. If the fight escalates to level five notoriety, then chaos ensues. The FBI are called in with their reinforced SUVs, and will be strapped up in bullet proof vests and have either the AR50, AS12 Riot or GHDC 50 at the ready. It is at this point that the players skills of survival and warfare are truly tested.

Customization

Character customization has been greatly improved, with the option of playing as a female, as the player character was disfigured in the climax of Saints Row, and must undergo cosmetic surgery in order to look presentable in society again . With this addition, the player can buy clothes from clothing stores and dress up as the opposite sex. In addition to the very extensive character customization of the first game, You can also customize how your character walks, talks and holds their weapon. You can also customize the age of the player. The game will introduce a taunting and praising system- that is, giving people 'the finger', chest bumping and also things like high fives, thumbs up etc. Vehicle customization remains, but with the new feature of being able to tune your vehicle's performance as well.

Gangs and characters

Saints Row 2 will feature some new faces and some old characters from Saints Row. Julius will be returning in an unconfirmed role, Troy is now Chief of Police, and mayhem magnet Johnny will be returning on death row in the new prison island of the game. Other characters that have appeared in Saints Row have not yet been mentioned.

A game trailer introduces a corporation called Ultor Unlimited. Dane Vogel is CEO of the corporation, and will play a role in the storyline, the 'big boss' who is trying to take down the four gangs that are still in power through town. The corporation was referenced in Saints Row at different times. The Ultor Arena, one of the southern island's major landmarks, appears in the game, as well as Ultor's very own brand of sunglasses. Ultor is also the antagonist faction in the PC FPS Red Faction. The Stilwater Police Department has been overrun by employees of Ultor, acting as patrollers, and also as the helicopter drivers, SWAT team etc. It is safe to assume that Stilwater would have been almost the same as it was in the first game if the corporation had not risen to power. The company has spent over $300, 000, 000 cleaning up and rebuilding Stilwater, however, some areas have still detorrierated and become deserted e.g. Stilwater Marina. The company is largely responsible for the clean up and reconstruction of the city in the game, turning beach side neighborhood Saints Row into an urban utopia.

The 3rd Street Saints are still active in the game, however, with the extinction of the Vice Kings, Westside Rollerz, and Carnales, three new gangs have risen to power in Stilwater:

• The 3rd Street Saints: They are the first gang and are the only surviving gang from Old Stilwater. The main character is now leader of the Saints, who have fallen into despair and have been almost completely wiped out.

• The Sons of Samedi: They are based in the new trailer park district of Stilwater. Gang members are primarily of Caribbean descent. Their gang color is green. They specialize in the drug business.

• The Brotherhood of Stilwater: They are the third gang. The Brotherhood are a biker gang and wear red.The Brotherhood is based on the Aryan Brotherhood. They specialize in destruction and violence.

• The Ronin: They are an Asian gang, and mainly hail from Chinatown. The gang's color is yellow. They specialize in gambling and prostitution.

According to Volition's Greg Donovan, the gangs will feel more 'unique' than they did in Saints Row. They will be more various in their strategies and styles, with more realistic personas and members.

"You're going to know which gangs you're fighting at the time, and you'll have to change strategies when fighting one gang against another," Donovan said in an interview with totalvideogames.com

The player can also customize their gang's color, style and more. With this addition, the player can buy up to nine locations around Stilwater for cribs for their gang, ranging from run down shacks to massive mansions. The player can furthermore buy items for their cribs, including furnishings, electronics etc.

Missions and activities

Saints Row 2 will feature activities from the previous game. Aside from cash, respect, the key system used to unlock missions, may also be earned for completing the activities. There will also be a new Diversion system, where the player may earn respect by killing enemy gang members, pulling stunts in vehicles and more. Most of the activities that were seen in Saints Row will remain, however they have been updated and will feel slightly different to when they did in the original game. Activities will now have six levels, instead of the eight that were seen in the original.

Some new activites in Saints Row 2 will include:

• Car Surfing: The player must get onto the roof of any land-based vehicle, except for motorcycles, and stay on there for as long as they can, moving the joystick as the car moves around to stay balanced.
• Helicopter Assault: The player must enter a helicopter and protect a drug dealer as they drive through the city.
• Fuzz: The player must pose as a cop and bust sex offenders in the streets. More money can be earned by being creative in how the player deals with the criminals.

Weapons

Saints Row 2 will boast more weapons. The player can now pick up and use objects from the environment as melee weapons. A new feature in the game is dual wielding weapons, including pistols and sub-machine guns. Other new weapons in the game include automatic shotguns, machine guns, bazookas, chainsaws, flamethrowers, katanas, stun guns and mini guns. The player may also use flashbangs and shock pads. Also included are limpet mines, which the player can throw and detonate. Limpets in the game can stick to walls, cars and even people.

Vehicles

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Driving a monster truck on the prison island

In Saints Row 2, there will be a broader range of vehicles available to the player. New vehicles include boats, jet skis, planes, helicopters, monster trucks, bikes, APCs and even moon buggies. Also, screenshots of the game confirm certain vehicles, like the Venom and the Hammerhead, will be appearing in the game. A vehicles trailer shows off some of the new vehicles available to the player. The Bear, Hooptie, Water Craft, Tornado and Wolverine were shown in the trailer. An article from IGN also details the bikes that will be available to the player, including the Standard, Crotch Rockets, Dirt Bike, Streetfighter, Scooter and Chopper.

Development

THQ has stated that with Grand Theft Auto IV due out prior to the release of Saints Row 2, they plan to allow Volition enough time to completely finish the game in order to obtain the best quality game possible. Additionally, the streaming engine has been improved to reduce the amount of "pop-in" due to spawning distances that were criticized in the first game. New weapons will also be available for playable characters in the game.

Gamespot reported that in regards to the multiplayer aspects of the game, Volition and THQ have "learned a lot from the first game and won't be making any of the same mistakes again".

Marketing has begun on the game, but with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, officials do not want to publish too much information about the game until after the release GTA IV as many gamers will be more focused on this than Saints Row 2. However, a short 40 second teaser trailer has been released. Also, online movies starring Gary Busey depict some new features in Saints Row 2. Another trailer was released, as a promotional video for Ultor Unlimited, showing off some of the new weapons and vehicles usable in the game.

External links

• Official Saints Row 2 site
• Volition, Inc. home page
• Saints Row 2 page at THQ