Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2
File:Sr2 cover.jpg "Saints Row 2" box art
Developer(s)	Volition, Inc.
Publisher(s)	THQ
Designer(s)	Scott Philips James Tsai
Series	Saints Row
Engine	Havok Custom
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release	PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)	Sandbox, third-person shooter, action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Saints Row 2 (abbreviated to SR2) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It is the second title in the Saints Row series. The game was preceeded by Saints Row and a sequel to the game has been rumoured. Saints Row 2 was released in North America on October 14, in Australia on October 16, and in Europe on October 17 in 2008, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC version of the game was released in North America on January 6, in Europe on January 23 and in Australia on February 5, in 2009. A smaller variant of the game has also been published for mobile phones.

Set in Stilwater, a fictional city based heavily on the likes of Detroit and Chicago, the game begins with the protagonist (referred to as male in this article) waking up from a trauma-induced coma in a water-locked prison hospital, five years after being blown up aboard a yacht at the end of Saints Row. After successfully escaping the prison with the help of a fellow inmate, he returns to Stilwater to find that it has been heavily expanded due to the work of business corporation Ultor. The protagonist then resurrects the 3rd Street Saints, an urban crime gang that he was part of in Saints Row, in a quest to reconquer the city, eliminate the three rival gangs who now control the streets of Stilwater, and to give retribution to those who betrayed him.

Like its predecessor, Saints Row 2 is composed of elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and features open world gameplay that gives players more control over their playing experience. An array of new combat and gameplay features have been made included in the game and in addition the customization system praised from the original Saints Row re-appears and has been heavily expanded, giving players unprecedented freedom within the game world. Saints Row 2 is the first console game in the series to feature an online co-operative play mode and also contains competitive multiplayer modes.

Since its release, Saints Row 2 has been generally praised by critics and fans alike and has received generally positive reviews. The game went on to gain numerous awards, including best freeplay game of 2008 by IGN and was given several mentions as one of the best games of 2008. However, there are common complaints of bugs and glitches and the PC port for the game was criticized for its poor performance. Also, the game has been known to freeze in some instances for all three ports of the game. As of January 2009, Saints Row 2 has had more than 2.6 million units shipped for all three ports.

Gameplay

Saints Row 2 has gameplay structured similarly to its predecessor Saints Row. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilising weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, jet skis, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and motorcycles.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. After the player completes a tutorial mission the entire environment is fully explorable to every detail. Although storyline missions are necessary as they are part of in-game progress, players can complete them at their own leisure, after filling up a bar full of respect, in-game currency which is used for missions. These missions can be completed at the player's own leisure and when not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and explore the environment, spend money on various shops and participate in mini-games called activities which earn the player more money and respect. However, creating havoc can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities and rival gangs.

The gameplay in Saints Row 2 is designed to feel responsive and fast, in a cartoon-like way. In addition, the game has kept the world-acclaimed 360-degree free-aim weapon firing from Saints Row, with lead producer Greg Donovan commenting that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This allows for fast-paced gunplay instead of relying on tactics meaning the player must make quick decisions in combat. In addition, the weapon selection system praised in the original game has been kept in. These changes were well received with fans, however the lack of power and speed for vehicles has been disfavored by many as many cars do not accelerate or reach speeds to the like of their real-life counterparts.

Customization

Customization has been described as one of the Saints Row series' strongest features. Although Saints Row incorporated elements of player and vehicle customization, Saints Row 2 has further expanded this feature.

Character customization is a heavily expanded feature in Saints Row 2. From the "presets" menu, the player can change numerous preset options for their character, including whether the character is male or female, a new option introduced in Saints Row 2. In the "body" menu, the player can modify the body shape, muscle, fat, age and skin color of their character. A new feature is the make-up menu, which allows the player to apply a small selection of make-up to their character's face. The personality menu is one of the notable additions to character customization in Saints Row 2. Here the player can choose three male and three female voices, facial expressions, movement styles, combat styles, taunts and compliments. Height modification was originally planned as a feature for Saints Row 2 and existed in the development stage, but was later cut due to bugs and syncronisation issues.

Clothing and apparel customization allows the player to change what their character wears on their body. A large variety of clothes, tattoos and jewelry can be purchased for the character from thirteen different companies. Hats, glasses, shirts, pants, bras, underwear, shoes, socks, piercings and tattoos can all be bought for the player's body and can all be coloured and worn in certain fashions. The player can buy and save outfits at their crib and reload for later use.

In-game cribs are provided for the player, and are used to view cutscenes, replay missions, access a weapon stash, withdraw daily earnings and modify the player's clothing. The player can purchase six cribs from various points around the map. The Saints' hideout serves as a crib as well, and an underground loft is given to the player. These cribs can also be customized (except for the Saints' hideout, which is upgraded through game progress), which is a new feature in Saints Row 2. The overall style of the cribs can be changed; the walls, floors and furnishings are upgraded through this. The player can also apply and change pool tables, minibars, pianos, lounges, and televisions. Additionally, two docks can be bought to store boats, as well as an airport hangar which is used to store fixed-wing aircraft.

The player can modify the 3rd Street Saints' behaviour, fashion and more at their hideout. The player can choose from a selection of gang styles; this affects the way gang members dress and talk. The player can also change the gang's sign and tag. Three vehicle slots have a large list of most land-based vehicles, and these can be changed for free; this affects what the player's gang drives around in.

Combat and police response

File:Bank vault under attack- SR2.jpg

The player escaping from Stilwater Prison.

Combat in Saints Row 2 is a notable improvement in the series. Though the basics of hand-to-hand combat and 360-degree free aim weapon firing are still the same, the game offers numerous new features and an expanded list of weaponry the player can engage in. Hand-to-hand combat has been improved. The player can now charge up attacks for better power and if three consecutive hits are dealt to an enemy, the player performs a special move. Additionally, when the player has a gun equipped, they can perform a nut shot. To better improve accuracy for weaponry, a fine aim mode has been introduced which moves the camera behind the player character's shoulder with a more precise aiming reticule. Although the game incorporates no cover system (much to the disfavour of game aggregators), Saints Row 2 does allow the player to take human shields. When the player takes a human shield, they can run by holding RB and can still fire nearly every weapon available and can still use fine aim.When the player no longer needs a hostage, they can either perform a quick headshot, snap the hostage's neck, or pick up and throw the hostage away. The player can now pick up and use objects from the environment as melee weapons such as garden gnomes and cement blocks. FUCK YOU! BOOOM HEADSHOT!!! JUGGARNAUT IS LIKE A TAMPON EVER PUSSY NEEDS ONE The game incorporates the use of a vast array of weaponry, greater so than its predecessor. The player is capable of firing over forty different weapons and most of the weapons from Saints Row have been recycled in the game, but many new types have been introduced as well. Dual-wielding has been introduced on submachine guns and handguns. Saints Row 2 incorporates the use of a large amount of melee weapons, including a butterfly knife, chainsaw, machete, pepper spray, Samurai sword, shock paddles, a sledgehammer and stun gun. The game also features an expanded list of pistols, submachine guns and shotguns. The player can now take control of an assault rifle with underslung grenade launcher and a light machine gun. Several new 'special' weapons have also been introduced; these are some of the most powerful weapons in the game. The player can use a laser guided RPG, flamethrower and a minigun. The player can also throw flashbangs and satchel charges; which can stick to walls, cars and people. Many weapons can be bought from weapon stores across the city however some need to be unlocked throughout the game. One weapon is unlocked by completing all combat moves.

Committing certain crimes can attract unwanted attention from the police. Some citizens of Stilwater will even call police to the scene of a crime they have just witnessed. As in Saints Row, there are five notoriety levels, which are gained gradually as the player commits additional crimes. Notoriety levels are represented by the number of "stars" shown in blue. It is only possible to be arrested if the player has low health and is subdued with a Taser or pepper spray. When arrested, the player will respawn outisde a police station with a small bounty collected from their earnings. Police will use non-lethal means of submission in response to minor crimes such as assault and theft. If the player draws a non-melee weapon, police will retaliate with pistols and shotguns. Police are automatically dispatched to the scene from two stars onwards and will use standard weaponry to deal with the perpetrator. At three stars, roadblocks are established, and police helicopters dispatch SWAT officers to the fight. At four and five stars, the Tornado helicopter is introduced into the battle, unleashing torrents of firepower. The FBI are called in at five stars, using any means necessary to deal with the criminal.

Respect system

File:Saints Row 2 BASE jumping.jpg

BASE jumping, one of the many new diversions

The respect system is a recurring element in the Saints Row series to date. Respect is in-game currency used to unlock missions and progress through the storyline. Respect can be unlocked by completing activities and diversions. The overall respect modifier (amount of respect earned) can be increased through increasing the player's style rank, by upgrading cars, cribs and clothes.

Activities were first seen in Saints Row, where the protagonist would perform various tasks to earn money and respect, in-game currency used to unlock missions and progress through the storyline. In addition, numerous items and "homies" could be unlocked by carrying out such activities. Saints Row 2 includes nine of the activities from Saints Row, including racing, snatch, escort, drug trafficking, hitman, insurance fraud, demolition derby, chop shop, and mayhem. Loan shark has been dropped, and hijacking is now categorized as a diversion. All returning activities have been touched up slightly, and feel slightly different as compared to their original incarnations. In Saints Row, activities spanned out over eight progressing difficulty levels; however, in Saints Row 2, activities span out over six. The protagonist also gains unlockables like health and stamina enhancement, weapon enhancements, etc., for completing every three levels of each activity. Each activity only appears in two locations around the city, instead of three as in Saints Row.

In addition to the activities returning from Saints Row, six new activities are available for the player to participate in. Each activity has also been designed to suit co-operative play. New activities include: Crowd Control - the player acts as a security guard for a celebrity under attack from crazed fans; Fight Club - an underground fight club where the player must fight to survive each round; FUZZ - a parody of COPS, where the player dresses up as a police officer and busts menaces to society; Heli Assault - the player must protect a van with an attack helicopter as the van makes drug rounds around the city; Septic Avenger - the player must devalue property by spraying human waste on buildings and people; Trail Blazing - a quad bike is driven by the player in a flame-retardant suit who can ignite people and cars to earn more time for a checkpoint race they are competing in.

Diversions are mini-activities in the Saints Row world. Unlike activities, diversions do not have specific starting points listed on the city map. Many are voluntarily initiated by the player under specific conditions rather than at a specific location. Almost all diversions provide respect as a reward, but rewards beyond that--if any--more often than not are simply novelties, such as unique clothing items added to the player's wardrobe, unique songs added to the custom playlist, or vehicles with unique appearances (but unexceptional performance) added to the garage. The majority of diversions are less ideal for co-op play than activities, as they only provide the player who initiated the diversion with the waypoints, directions, and equipment necessary to perform the diversion.

Although the term "diversion" is new to the sequel, several elements from the original game are now classified as diversions--namely, hijacking, mugging, store holdup, tagging, and the collection of CDs and stunt jumps. New diversions include BASE jumping - available after the player jumps from a height; Jobs - ambulance, fire truck, taxi, or tow truck mini-games; Ho'ing - a sex mini-game; Drive-by - a minigame where the player must eliminate gang members from their vehicle; Combat Tricks - special combat techniques eg head shots, "nutshots" or one-hit-kills; Driving Stunts - unique driving manuevers eg powerslides, wheelies and car surfing; Poker and Blackjack - simple mini-games available at arcades and casinos; Flashing and streaking - a mini-game where the player performs acts of indecent exposure and Racing - various street, air and boat races available throughout the city.

Zombie Uprising is a video game within a video game. It can be played at arcades and televisions throughout the city. The mini-game sees the player in Old Stilwater in a zombie apocalypse setting, and must eliminate these zombies in waves using a limited number of weapons. Fellow survivors also aid the player in the fight. If a zombie manages to latch on to the protagonist, a quick time event is initiated, where the protagonist knocks back the attacker if the correct button(s) are pressed in succession.

Vehicles

File:Flying in Saints Row 2.jpg

Flying a fighter plane through the city

A new streaming system has allowed for numerous new vehicle types, as well as an expanded list of land-based vehicles. Many vehicles from Saints Row have been recycled, but many have been removed, as some newer models are similar in design but are named differently. With over 108 vehicles types, Saints Row 2 offers a large number of accessible vehicles, many of them completely redesigned. In Saints Row 2, eight motorcycles can be driven around the city. Numerous other land-based vehicles such as a quad bike and even a monster truck can be driven through the city. In addition to the expanded list of land-based vehicles, boats and water craft can be driven through the seas and rivers of the city. Vehicles and boats utilize the PlayStation 3's SIXAXIS wireless controller mechanism. Also, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters can be flown around the city, both equipped with parachutes. The Gyro-Daddy in-game helicopter (or a UFO) and PeeWee Mini Bike are included as additional in-game content to players who buy Saints Row 2 from GameStop in the United States and Play.com. People who register their game at thq-games.com will receive a code to receive a UFO in the game called the D-Stroy. Additionally, NPCs will ride various vehicles that the player cannot, such as skateboards and in-line skates.

A cruise control system has been introduced on all vehicles in the game, which has been stated to make drive-bys and car chases much easier. Waypoints can be placed on destinations on the map, leaving a green trail on the map between the player and the destination. The ability to hail a taxi cab has been introduced, which allows the player to travel to destinations without having to manually drive. However, the player can no longer ride a train nor do they have a homie which will drive for them.

Every land-based vehicle can be taken to a garage and modified. Vehicle customization has been expanded upon in Saints Row 2. Numerous upgrades improve the durability and performance of the vehicle including tire upgrades, torque increases and even hydraulics, kneecappers and nitrous oxide. Body mods can be applied to the car which includes the modification of wheels, bumpers, fender skirts and more. The car can then have details customized and the body, trims, rims, window tint and interior of the car can all be coloured individually.

Multiplayer

Saints Row 2 now features online co-operative play for two players. When in co-op mode, each player can go to either end of the city simultaneously because of the game's streaming system. Both players can participate in activities and missions together, as well as access most of the single player features, with the client player lacking the ability to purchase property or access "cribs" that the host player has not purchased. While playing co-operatively the enemy NPCs will have more health to compensate for the decreased difficulty.

The competitive online games mode consist of "Gangsta Brawl" (a basic deathmatch), "Team Gangsta Brawl" (a team version of the same), and a unique mode entitled "Strong Arm". In the "Strong Arm" mode, two teams of players compete to be the first to earn $100,000. This is done by fulfilling various objectives that are featured in single-player play, such as winning races or committing insurance fraud. Each activity has a time limit associated with it, and whichever team succeeds in "winning" the activity during the time period earns a $10,000 bonus, after which the next event starts. In an added twist, each team can interfere with the other during the challenges, e.g. by killing players trying to throw themselves in front of vehicles during insurance fraud.

Unlike several recent titles which feature multiplayer levels or ranks, Saints Row 2 uses a "badge" system, where players earn badges for performing various actions in multiplayer games. For example, a player can earn the "Road Rage" badge for killing 30 players with a vehicular impact. Players can then choose which of these earned badges to display next to their name in the multiplayer lobby. Badges also unlock buyable clothing for the player's wardrobe on online play, and allow players to display their accomplishments.

Multiplayer mode has been criticized by users of the THQ message board for Saints Row 2. Many players often complain of glitches or bugs that cause the game to freeze. Another common complaint is that "random strangers" will join a single-player game in progress, then immediately disconnect; this typically leaves affected player with a message that the departing player had cheats enabled and that new save games will be flagged as utilizing cheats. THQ moderators and other players have suggested simply reverting back to the most recent save game to avoid this flagging.

Synopsis

Plot

File:Saints Row 2 battle.jpg

Fighting the Sons of Samedi

After being caught in the explosion of a private yacht at the end of Saints Row, the protagonist ended up in a coma and was kept in a prison hospital ward. After five years and extensive plastic surgery, the protagonist wakes up from the coma. A fellow inmate, Carlos Mendoza, a brother of one of the 3rd Street Saints, helps the protagonist to escape and make his way back to Stilwater, rebuilt from a devastating earthquake. The protagonist is able to free former Saint Johnny Gat just before the end of his trial, and with his help, enlists the help of three others — Pierce, Shaundi, and Carlos . The protagonist ressurects the Saints, and so is referred to simply as the Boss, and leads them on a mission to reclaim Stilwater from three new gangs that have taken over after the fall of the Saints.

As the plot is centered around the 3rd Street Saints' quest in taking down three rival gangs that have now conquered Stilwater, most of the storyline is divided into three separate mission arcs, which can be completed in any order, or even at the same time.

One of the story arcs involves the Saints' quest to eliminate the Brotherhood of Stilwater, which is a gang formed from the outcasts of society. They are generally aggressive, asking questions only after the dust has settled. Maero, the leader of the Brotherhood, offers to split Stilwater with the Saints, but only offering the Saints twenty percent of the profit. The Boss, outraged at the offer, replaces Maero's tattoo ink with radioactive waste, causing the left half of Maeros face to be badly scarred. This begins a war of attrition, the Brotherhood responding to the Saints' threats with more damaging results: Carlos and Maero's girlfriend Jessica are killed in the process, and the Brotherhood nearly burns Stilwater to the ground. The Boss learns that the Brotherhood is overseeing weapons deliveries by boat, and captures a large stash, crippling the Brotherhood. The Boss is challenged by Maero for a final face-off, but is able to get the better of him.

One of the story arcs involves the Saints' quest to eliminate the Sons of Samedi while distributing "Loa Dust", a potent drug, to the citizens of Stilwater. Through tips from Shaundi, the Saints discover that the Samedi's drug smuggling is interfering with their plans to clean up the city, and begin to go after the various assets that the Samedi use to make the Loa Dust, including their farms and laboratories. The General, the leader of the Sons of Samedi in Stilwater, along with his right-hand man Mr. Sunshine, order their agent DJ Veteran Child to stop the Saints. Veteran Child attempts to kidnap his former girlfriend Shaundi, but the Boss is able to save her and kill him. The Samedi also kidnap the Boss and inject him or her with a great deal of Loa Dust during an all-out assault on the Saints headquarters, but are thwarted. The General cuts one of Mr. Sunshine's ears off after the helicopter drug distribution task fails and the Boss later kills Mr. Sunshine (who managed to take several shots before his head is decapitated, ensuring his death). Later, the Saints ambush the General's convoy and the General retreats into the Ultor Shopping Mall where he is killed by the Boss.

One of the story arcs involves the Saints' quest to eliminate the Ronin, a Japanese biker gang who have taken over much of the high-end entertainment in Stilwater, and are led by Shogo Akuji and funded by his father, Kazuo. Gat identifies various targets of the Ronin that the Saints can hit to recover their territory, but their efforts do not go unnoticed. Shogo orders an attack on Gat and his girlfriend, former R&B singer Aisha. The assassination attempt is carried out by top Ronin henchman Jyunichi. Aisha is sliced across the throat by Jyunichi and Gat is stabbed just to the right of his stomach, but survives. The Boss proceeds to attack various Ronin henchmen to protect Gat until a Saints car arrives to take him to the hospital, and eventually faces off against Jyunichi in a swordfight, killing him. Shogo later attempts to ambush Gat and the protagonist at Aisha's funeral; he is defeated and given a Texas funeral by Johnny. Kazuo Akuji declares war on the 3rd Street Saints, threatens the gangs' friends in the international district, but the Boss finishes him in a swordfight after shooting him in the chest with a pistol, and phones his pained screams to his assassin friend Mr. Wong. The Boss then leaves Kazuo to die aboard the burning boat they were on at the time.

A side mission can also be unlocked at any time throughout the game, and reveals that one of the original Saints, Dex, was offered a job at Ultor to sew seeds of discontent in the Saints. Julius, the former leader of the Saints, did not like what the gang was becoming and planted the bomb on the yacht five years ago, hoping to get rid of the protagonist and let the Saints dissolve. The Boss hears a series of wiretap conversations and receives Dex's phone number. After contacting him, he is told to meet Dex at the old Saints church, but upon arriving there, Julius is found instead. After discovering that each was told by Dex to meet him there, Dex (although he is not seen), quickly stops his car by the church and throws a smoke grenade through a window, then speeds off. They realize they are being setup and are immediately ambushed by the Ultor Masako Team. Julius After they successfully escape, the Boss later kills Julius in a cutscene as revenge for losing five years of his life.

Finale

In each case, the gang reports its troubled cases to the Ultor Corporation, but Dane Vogel, who has been overseeing Ultor's redevelopment of the city, refuses to help or severs its ties to the group. Vogel uses the Saints' overthrow of the city to stage a coup within Ultor, indirectly convincing the protagonist to kill the rest of the board. However, when Vogel attempts to take control of Ultor, the Saints stage an assassination attempt, the Boss eventally killing Vogel by shooting the still-talking Vogel in the mouth, sending him out the window of the Philips Building. With the city in the Saints' control, Pierce asks what they should do now. As he enters the waiting helicopter back to their hideout, the Boss simply replies, "This is our city, we do whatever the fuck we wanna do."

Setting

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The prison island in Stilwater

Saints Row 2 takes place in a redesigned version of Stilwater, based upon the real-life cities of Chicago, Cincinnati, and Detroit. The city consists of twenty-one districts and is 145% of the size of what it was in Saints Row. Developers at Volition stated that the city has very much been redeveloped and each individual neighbourhood has been touched up in one way or another. As the plot follows, in-game faction Ultor Corporation is largely responsible for the expansion that has take place and it is claimed that Ultor spent well over three-hundred million dollars redeveloping Stilwater, turning the "once crime-ridden third-tier city" into an "urban utopia". The district with the most notable change taken place is the Saints Row district, the former home ground of the 3rd Street Saints, now a thriving business district, serving as the location of the Philips Building skyscraper, in which Ultor's headquarters are based. The Museum district has also been expanded and features the Eramenos Museum, a realistic Ancient Greek museum exhibit, complete with a model of the Colosseum and Mount Olympus. The Suburbs district has also been expanded and in addition to the old suburbs neighbourhoods from the original, three new neighbourhoods have been built to the west, including Quinbecca, New Hannequet and the Mourning Woods Cemetery. Situated below the Suburbs expansion is the Elysian Fields trailer park. Numerous other new installments include the Phantom Caves, Stilwater Science Centre, Marshall Winslow Recreation Centre, Ultor Dome, University Stadium and Observatory and the Saints Row Memorial Church, to name a few.

Stilwater is situated on five islands: the two mainland islands; Stilwater Nuclear; Stilwater Penitentiary and Hangman's Wharf, a massive prison island based upon Alcatraz Island; and Wardill Airport. Separating the new university and the mainland island is Mount Claflin, a tall mountain with dirt roads and radio receiving towers situated at the top. Built beneath the mountain is the Pyramid, Ultor's secret underground military base. Ultor also installed the Rounds Square Shopping Mall, a massive underground mall built on five levels, with a large selection of stores the player can purchase items from. Throughout the city countless easter eggs can be found, with pop culture references and references to other Volition-developed games.

From the beginning of the game, the map of Stilwater is fully visible. However, shops and activities will simply be displayed as a question mark until the player discovers them. By completing missions and wiping out enemy strongholds the player gains control of the various neighborhoods the city is split into - stores that are located in player-controlled territory can be purchased. The player gets a 15% discount at owned stores. Buying an entire chain of departments will mean that the protagonist’s face appears on in-game billboard advertisements. Over the years, many new in-game companies and businesses have been established. The existing shops from the original game return in Saints Row 2. However, many others have been introduced. The map features ninety shops, scattered throughout the map, including plastic surgeons, gun stores, clothes departments, tattoo parlors, vehicle dealers, garages and more. Unlike in Saints Row, where after 10:00pm the shops were closed until 6:00am, the shops are always open. On the Phantom Caves advertisement, it is revealed that the underground caves with seemingly naturally formed stalagmites and stalactites were actually created by blasts of dynamite to get material to build the freeways.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Saints Row 2

The characters that appear in Saints Row 2 are diverse and relative to the neighbourhoods of Stilwater they are based in, belonging to various street gangs and organizations. The player controls the nameless leader of fictional hip-hop gang 3rd Street Saints, who has resurrected the gang which disbanded during the time period between Saints Row and Saints Row 2. Many old characters return from Saints Row, including Saints' lieutenant Johnny Gat, former Saints' leader Julius Little, Julius's ally Troy (now the police chief) and aging Chinese businessman Wong Sheng Tai.

Like Saints Row, the voice actors of Saints Row 2 include a variety of notable celebrities, including Daniel Dae Kim, Eliza Dushku, Sy Smith, Michael Dorn and Neil Patrick Harris.

Soundtrack

Main article: Saints Row 2 soundtrack

Like its previous title, Saints Row 2 features a soundtrack that can be heard through radio stations while the player is in a vehicle or at one of their cribs. Stilwater is serviced by eleven radio stations, playing a wide array of music. Talk-back radio stations are no longer included. The stations feature music from a range of genres, spanning different decades and also taken from modern day music. Notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack include Avenged Sevenfold, Big Pun, Duran Duran, Jet, Joss Stone, Kasabian, Lamb of God, Loverboy, Mastodon, MSTRKRFT, My Chemical Romance, Ne-Yo, Panic at the Disco, Paramore, Plain White T's, Run-D.M.C., The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Used and Wolfmother . The theme song of Saints Row 2 is "Hands Up" performed by Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent. A custom radio station, My Radio 85.5, allows players to listen to in-game songs from the Scratch That music store and rearrange them in a custom playlist.

The game uses a similar music system to that of Saints Row. As with the radio stations in Saints Row, each sound file is held separately, and "mixed" randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations.

Development

Work began on Saints Row 2 months before the release of Saints Row, in mid-2006. A large team of game developers worked on Saints Row 2, some of whom had worked on Saints Row as well. The game uses the Havok physics engine, which allows interaction between objects or other characters in real-time and by giving objects physics-based qualities in three dimensions. Volition, the game's developer, also uses a custom physics engine. Foliage in the game is produced through SpeedTree. THQ stated that with Grand Theft Auto IV due out prior to the release of Saints Row 2, this allowed Volition enough time to completely finish the game. In an interview, lead producer Greg Donovan said, "I think having some separation between us and competitive product is good. We've got to remember that open-world is a genre and so there's room for more than just one game in that genre. [We think] Saints Row 2 is offering a much different experience than the competition. [...] It's a very different experience than what some other games are looking to do."

Saints Row 2 draws similarities with Saints Row, however it has also seen a minor shift in the series as the game pays more attention to style and tone. Saints Row 2 is considered an "over-the-top" game, meaning it is comprised of deliberately unrealistic gameplay. Lead designer James Tsai commented that "[Saints Row 2] is something gamers can count on to satisfy their wild and outrageous side". Donovan also commented that "[Saints Row 2 is] all about over-the-top memorable moments, hyper-realism, things that are going to make players go, 'Holy crap!'". However, notable improvements have been made to the game in comparison with Saints Row in the fact that it offers a far more immersive world with improved visuals. During the development phase of the game, the custom-written game engine was rebooted to allow noticeable quality improvements to the game. Textures and dynamics have been reworked so the city looks more realistically detailed and colourful. A more vast amount of detail in the game means people, cars and explosions look and feel noticeably better. Lighting and shadows have been improved as well as additional sky and weather effects can be seen; the weather has a dramatic effect on the landscape. Character artists spent a lot of time creating special character types. Dozens of character types were created but the game was not able to load all of these at once, so certain character types appear at different times of day and at different places. Volition employed only one prop artist whose job it was to design the objects NPCs hold. The citizens of Stilwater carry a large array of objects, including umbrellas, laundry baskets, bike helmets, cigarettes, jackhammers, guitars, laptops, metal detectors, sketch pads and more.

The city of Stilwater itself has become more "alive" and has added layers of depth in it. Each district in Stilwater feels different and the city has been expanded and redeveloped so it does appear brighter and more interesting. Donovan said that "Stilwater in Saints Row 2 is very different from Saints Row. In fact, every degree has been touched to some degree or another. [...] I think that what will end up happening is that people who played Saints Row or are fans of the franchise are going to have a great time exploring the city and looking for new things. [Also], people that are new to Saints Row 2 are just going to be presented with a huge, very dispersive and very different looking environment, it's very well polished and detailed." The city is fully explorable without any interferences; load screens only exist between missions and cutscenes. A notable added touch to the city is the vast amount of buildings the player can explore and the expanded city has seen the addition of many new landmarks unique to Stilwater (although some are based upon real-world landmarks). Saints Row 2 also features underground segments of the city providing a large city full of depth. The game's streaming engine was completely rewritten during the development phase of the game. Major improvements have been made to provide a smooth, interactive world, with significant decreases in terms of glitches, bugs and pop-ins.

A noticeable improvement in Saints Row 2 is the game's artificial intelligence. NPCs undertake more realistic actions and respond to the player's actions in the world. Tsai commented that "from the start of development, it was a goal to create a world that exists independent of the player - a very lifelike place where the citizens have a purpose and behave in believable fashion in addition to reacting to all the things the player does." NPCs perform such actions like smoking, talking on cellphones, drinking coffee, opening umbrellas at the chance of rain and sitting on benches and cuddling, which would not have been possible in Saints Row because the physics, animation and action node systems could not support two people interacting that closely. The driving engine was also retooled. Numerous NPCs can be seen around Stilwater e.g. barber shop quartets, fire eaters, mimes, skydivers and yoga. There are over 20,000 hand-placed nodes all over the city. According to developers, placing these did take a very long time, and it only happened very late in the game's development, once most of the action node types working, and the city art was more finalized. Even so, there are far more than 20,000 nodes in the final product. Those are only the ones the designers placed by hand. It is estimated that there would be three to four times as many nodes were automatically created and attached to objects in the level, such as park benches, chairs, stools, bus stops, blackjack tables, and stripper poles. The true number could be much higher, but it is very difficult to count them.

The story of Saints Row 2 was put together by three of Volition's script writers. By the time the script was finished, the game had roughly 80,000 lines of dialog, which was twice the amount of dialogue used in Saints Row, which itself was a much larger amount than any previous project Volition had created. The story has a strong cultural and cinematic influence. Each character is vibrant and unique, and are sometimes even based upon real-life characters. Developers have stated that the game's story was influenced by Quentin Tarantino's critically acclaimed 1994 film, Pulp Fiction. Tsai commented that "There's definitely a strong Tarantino vibe in Saints Row 2. [...] Stylistically, we drew a lot from Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill." The story blends black comedy and gritty realism to illustrate the vibrant narrative. Lead producer Greg Donovan commented that "Saints Row 2 has 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, although we've blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original". Tsai also commented that "There's this over-the-top, socially distorted lens through which we're telling these gang stories. [...] But at the same time, we have some very dark elements in each mission arc that push the bounds of brutality, sadness, anger, and empathy". The story of Saints Row 2 has received far better acclaim than that of its predecessor's, largely due to the fact that the player character says many more lines in the game. Tsai said that "from a storytelling standpoint, it's been very liberating. [...] The attitude of the main character is very empowering this time around. The script to both titles, and also a third, had been written during the development of Saints Row and beyond.

Saints Row 2 was first announced by THQ's CFO Edward K. Zinser on May 14, 2007 at a conference call, nine months into the game's development. On April 3, 2008, Saints Row 2 had a confirmed release date of August 28, 2008, however on May 28, THQ announced that Saints Row 2's release would be pushed back by about two months, from August 28 to October 14, 2008, in the USA for "product quality and marketing considerations". To coincide with the heavy promotion and sponsorship of the game, the official website and community page were launched on July 15, 2008. This was the third website redesign since it was first announced, and the old forums site (developer.saintsrow.com) was redirected and renamed "The Row Community". On July 23, 2008, Saints Row 2's Australian release date details were finally revealed. The game managed to pass the OFLC classification body with a rating of MA15+, without any in-game content needing to be cut. Also, the Australian release date surfaced, for October 16, just two days after the American release. As the OFLC system is much tougher than ESRB, this came as a surprise to many who feared the game could be edited for Australian release. Dan Sutton of Volition has stated that they are working on downloadable content for Saints Row 2. On December 23, 2008, a Saints Row 2 theme and picture pack was released via PSN and Xbox Live.

Promotion

Tera Patrick

Prior to and up to the release date for ‘”Saints Row 2’’, the game has been marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. In addition, contests and competitions have been enterable by fans with various paraphernalia, including special editions of the game itself, available as prizes. For marketing considerations, the original release date of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports of the game were pushed back.

Since Saints Row 2 was first announced, full-length trailers have been released to help promote the game. The first trailer was released in March 2008 and gave a brief insight into how the fictional Ultor Corporation has helped to clean-up the streets of Stilwater. The trailer also details some of the new weapons and vehicles in the game.

The second full-length trailer was released in early June 2008 and gained controversy as it poked fun at Grand Theft Auto IV for its lack of side-play in the game. The trailer shows four of many new activities playable in Saints Row 2, including Septic Avenger, FUZZ, Fight Club and Trail Blazing. It also lists several of the game's many diversions, in-game actions which can be performed at any time to earn money and respect.

The third full-length trailer was released in late June 2008 and gives gamers an introduction to the storyline and the new gangs in Saints Row 2. The trailer details the protagonist busting out of prison with fellow inmate Carlos, and riding a patrol boat back to Stilwater, where he gets a shock as he realizes just how much the city has changed in five years. The trailer gives insight to the storyline and missions in the game, and serves as a basic introduction to the Brotherhood of Stilwater, Sons of Samedi and Ronin, the three new gangs that inhabit Stilwater, and also an introduction to the Ultor Corporation, which serves as the main antagonist faction in the game.

The fourth full-length trailer was released during the E3 Media and Business Summit in July 2008, and details the new customization options in Saints Row 2. The trailer is set out as a fictional TV show titled Trick My Life and follows Randy the Trandy, a poorly dressed mid-30s man whose life is also the subject of the trailer, showing him being dressed up as a woman. The trailer also demonstrates the crib and gang customization in Saints Row 2, showing numerous features available to the player that can be modified or changed to their liking.

The fifth full-length trailer was released in early September 2008 and shows the co-op gameplay available in the game. Numerous co-op features are shown in the game. The trailer gained popularity as it makes fun of two American presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, showing two in-game characters that look like them walking through Stilwater causing death and destruction.

The sixth and final full-length trailer was released in early October 2008 as the Saints Row 2 official launch trailer. The game takes a heavy look at the storyline, particularly the Ultor Corporation and what they have done for Stilwater. It features the song Real Muthaphukkin G's by rapper Eazy E prominently in the second half of the trailer. In addition, a launch trailer for the PC port of the game was released.

In order to further promote the game, Volition hired film actor Gary Busey and pornographic actor Tera Patrick to spread marketing campaigns for the game. ‘Street Lessons with Uncle Gary’ are short movies starring Busey as he gives players an in-depth look into gameplay elements of the game. Over the months before the game’s release, ten- Costumes, Flying, Heavy Weapons, Motorcycles, Nut Shots, Police Abuse, Satchel Charges, Taunting, Throwing People and Wieldable Props- videos were released. Patrick’s marketing contribution was of az developer diary video previewing the game.

Saints Row 2 has received heavy funding and sponsorship, and has appeared at game conventions with its own booth. Saints Row 2 has appeared at E3, THQ Gamer's Day, Comic Con, PAX '08 and Leipzig Games Convention. In addition, Saints Row 2 provides funding and markets itself with the Myspace Music Tour. Also, numerous competitions have been launched giving away merchandise etc for players who enter. Numerous competitions include Pimp Your Crib, Summer of Bling, a T-shirt design contest and a minigame giving players the chance to design their own box art for the game. Saints Row 2 has also supported Movember 2008, an Australian fundraiser for men's health. A special November issue of the game is available to purchase containing exclusive downloadable content. In November, 2008, THQ signed a deal with Massive Incorporated to include in-game advertisements on their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 products. Saints Row 2 was the first game to follow through and players connected to Xbox Live or PSN will be able to find movie posters throughout the city promoting upcoming releases.

Other versions

File:Saintsrowgunpack.jpg

Saints Row 2 Gun Pack

Minimum requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
Windows
Operating system	Windows XP/ Vista
CPU	GHz Dual-Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
Memory	1.0 GB
Free space	15 GB Available Hard Drive Space
Graphics hardware	128 MB 3D Video Card w/Shader Model 3.0 Support (Nvidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon X1300)
Sound hardware	DirectX 9.0c Compatible 16-bit Sound Card
Network	Broadband Internet connection required for activation and multiplayer

A port for Saints Row 2 was confirmed and was released on January 5, 2009 in North America. The PAL region release date has been pushed back a month. On December 16, 2008, the official specifications for the Windows version were unveiled.

There are three separate "Collectors Editions" available. Both contain a copy of the game, along with several extras.

The Saints Row 2 "Initiation Pack" is exclusive to Australia and New Zealand packaged in Freckle Bitch's pizza box and includes a poster, limited edition art book, metal money clip, 1GB gold bullet USB memory stick with buddy icons and wallpapers and content including a basketball singlet, videos, a Saints ID card, and a Saints Rule book.

The Saints Row 2 "Gun Pack" comes packaged in a gun mould case and includes a poster, limited edition art book and a 1GB gold bullet USB memory stick with buddy icons and wallpapers.

The "Saint's Row 2" "Gift - Buka Edition" is exclusive pack for Russia and CIS packaged in standard DVD-box and includes a limited edition art book, two posters and 1GB gold bullet USB memory stick with buddy icons and wallpapers.

Technical issues

Almost immediately after Saints Row 2 was released on the PC, complaints were made over issues concerning campaign freezing, multiplayer bugs and glitches. A patch was released on January 26, 2009 on the Steam network. The patch did the following:

• General performance increase around 20%.

• This will vary depending on both the computer specifications and game settings.

• Fixes

• 3rd Party controller scrolling issue has been fixed.
• Corrected various crashes reported across all versions.
• Corrected a crash in “Drive-By” Diversion for Danish version.
• Corrected a crash in “Streaking” Diversion for Spanish version.

• Removals

• Original frame cap of 32 FPS has been removed.

• Additions

• New variable frame cap has been implemented. This will smooth out spikes in overall frame rate.

Reception

Critical reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	83%
Metacritic	81%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Eurogamer	9/10
Game Informer	8.75/10
GamePro	3.5/5
GameSpot	8/10
IGN	8.2/10
Official Xbox Magazine (UK)	9/10
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	9.0/10

Saints Row 2 has received generally positive reviews. GameZone gave the PS3 version a 9 out of 10 and the 360 version a 8 out of 10. The UK edition of Official Xbox Magazine gave Saints Row 2 an 8 out of 10 review, praising the game's sense of humor, "This is a truly entertaining game. There's no pretension - just enjoyable mayhem". The Australian edition gave Saints Row 2 a 9 of 10 review, praising the game's co-op and side-quest missions. IGN awarded it an 8.2 of 10, stating, "the core gameplay experience is extremely enjoyable", while IGN's Australian site gave it an 8 of 10, calling it "big, dumb fun". Total Video Games raved in its 9 of 10 review, pointing out the game's co-op mode and calling it "brilliant". Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw of The Escapist's Zero Punctuation, gave Saints Row 2 a favorable review, saying that it is better than Grand Theft Auto IV in the fact that it drops realism for mindless fun. Later he gave the game his Game of the Year, saying he "had more fun with it than any other 2008 release." However the PC version as of release has performance issues, and IGN PC only scored the game with 6.3/10, stating, "The technical shortcomings are the only truly bad part of Saints Row 2, and, sadly for PC gamers, it pretty much kills their experience unless they can play with the bulk of the visual settings turned down or off". Despite positive reviews, Entertainment Weekly called this the worst game of 2008, calling it "Racist, misogynistic, crude, cynical, humorless, and stupid".

Commercial success

Saints Row 2 has sold generally well since its release. The game shipped two million units within the first two weeks of its release, and it is estimated that around 1.5 million units for the Xbox 360 and 500, 000 units for the PlayStation 3 have been sold. THQ has since shipped 2.6 million units by January 2009.

Awards

Following the critical acclaim it received upon its release, Saints Row 2 has received awards from various critics and publications, including Official Xbox Magazine awarding it Sandbox Game of the Year. IGN awarded it for best Freeplay game of the year. Video Game Awards awarded it for best Freedom in a game of 2008.

Controversies

Since the release of Saints Row 2, the game has been subject to some controversy. New York City figures including NYPD union boss Patrick Lynch, Governor of New York David Paterson and lawyer Leslie Crocker Snyder have expressed concern about the game. Disbarred anti-video game lawyer Jack Thompson has criticized the game for its violent nature.

The game did not gain a favourable response from New York City officials and police. City spokespersons want to see the game pulled from its shelves, and NYPD union boss Patrick Lynch has criticized the game, stating that "these horrible and violent video games desensitize young people to violence while encouraging depravity, immorality while glorifying criminal behavior". Jack Thompson, a former Florida lawyer and longtime critic of violent video games, called Saints Row 2 a "Grand Theft Auto ripoff," and said that "as is true with pornography, as is true with violence, the subsequent products tend to push the envelope even more". On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, the game's US release date, candidate Leslie Crocker Snyder and others spoke out against the game, surrounded by police union members who support her bid. Gov. Paterson signed a bill in July, 2008 requiring prominent display of age ratings on video games and mandating parental control on game consoles by 2010.

The version of Saints Row 2 released in Germany and Japan was edited to remove content to allow the game to meet their classification systems. However, much to the relief of Australian gamers, the game did not have to be edited to meet the OFLC classification systems and was sold as an MA15+ game unedited.

In early June 2008, a trailer was released for the game which sparked controversy among gamers as it poked fun at Grand Theft Auto IV, a sandbox-style action-adventure video game from which the Saints Row series drew similarities from. The Would You Rather? trailer posed the question as to whether players would rather play Grand Theft Auto IV or Saints Row 2. The trailer attacked Grand Theft Auto IV for its lack of gameplay variety, comparing its relationship system and in-game television to Saints Row 2's activities and diversions. As such, many fans of the Grand Theft Auto series were angered by Volition's risky marketing approach and further attacked the game as being a "Grand Theft Auto clone". Entertainment analyst Mike Hickney dubbed the trailer as "unusually pompous" and stated that "the trailer directly attacks Grand Theft Auto IV in game content, an unusually pompous position in our view, considering GTA IV is estimated to be the highest grossing 1st week entertainment release of all time - and is currently the highest quality scored game on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 according to Metacritic.com".

External links

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