Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2
File:Sr2 cover.jpg "Saints Row 2" box art
Developer(s)	Volition, Inc.
Publisher(s)	THQ
Designer(s)	Volition, Inc.
Series	Saints Row
Engine	Custom, Havok
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 sequel to Saints Row and is the second title in the Saints Row series. Saints Row 2 was released in North America on October 14, 2008, in Australia on October 16, 2008, and in Europe on October 17, 2008, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC version of the game was released in North America on January 6, 2009 and will be released in Europe on January 23, 2009 and in Australia on February 5, 2009. A smaller variant of the game has also been published for mobiles.

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, two 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 to which he served 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.

Since its release, Saints Row 2 has been generally praised by critics and fans alike and has received generally positive reviews. There are, however, common complaints of technical issues; the game does contain a large number of bugs and glitches, and has been known to freeze in some instances on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Saints Row 2 has had more than two million copies shipped worldwide since November 5, 2008.

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. However Gangs only respond to the player attacking their members and vehicles whereas the Police will respond to the player attacking anyone as long as there is a witness.

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 cannot run but 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 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.

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.

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 retalliate 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

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 sees the player acting as a security guard for a celebrity as they go about their daily business at various events. Crazed fans will harass and even attack the celebrity, and so the player must fend off these fans by means of throwing them into oncoming trains, helicopter rotor blades and anything else in the world.

• Fight Club is a fighting-based activity where the player signs up to fight in underground arenas. The player must eliminate opponents using the melee system and also any items that can be found littered on the ground. Once an opponent has been successfully knocked down, the player must approach the opponent and begin a button-tapping showdown where the player aims to break the opponent's neck.

• FUZZ, a parody of the show COPS, is an activity in which the player, disguised as a police officer, is followed around with a camera crew and must deal with criminals. More creativity in dealing with the perpetrator (such as breaking up a non-violent protest with a flamethrower) earns the player more points.

• Heli Assault sees the dealing with enemy aircraft and vehicles to protect gang lieutenants as they deliver drugs around the city. The player is given the Tornado attack helicopter and must stop interferences with deals, using missiles, that you are able to target lock onto cars, boats, even other helicopters.

• Septic Avenger is a task in which the player must devalue property and its owners using a Stilwater Municipal septic truck and spraying human waste on buildings and people.

• Trail Blazing is an activity where the player must drive checkpoint races around the city in the Toad quad bike, while wearing a flame-retardant suit that ignites people and blows up cars that come into contact with the player, which earns the player more time to complete the courses.

• 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:

File:Saints Row 2 BASE jumping.jpg

BASE jumping, one of the many new diversions

• BASE jumping is available when falling from an extreme height (such as when jumping off the top of a skyscraper or bailing out of an aircraft), at which time the game will offer the option of activating a parachute and then offer the option to begin the base jumping diversion. Once the diversion is initiated, a circle will appear on the mini-map. A rating is awarded based on how close the player lands to the center of the circle.

• There are four jobs that can become available by getting into the driver seat of a certain vehicle: the ambulance, fire truck, taxi, or tow truck each offer their own mini-game. Each job has ten levels, with the difficulty scaling correspondingly.

• Casual sex, referred to as "Ho'ing", is available at certain appropriate locations, such as strip clubs or gas station restrooms. No actual sexual content is displayed; rather, the player is shown the positions the analog joysticks must be moved to in order successfully execute the requisite sexual act (designated with a randomly-generated nonsense name, such as the "swirling dragon"). The voices of the player's character and his partner can be heard making humorous commentary based on the player's performance.

• Drive-by becomes available after killing multiple gang members with a gun while within a vehicle. Waypoints will direct the player to locations with more gang members to mow down until all ten levels have been completed.

• Combat Tricks are a passive form of diversion, awarding respect whenever a player executes special actions in combat, such as landing head shots, "nutshots", or one-hit-kills. For each successful combat trick, the player is rated with anywhere from one bronze to three gold stars. To earn more than one bronze star, the player will typically need to execute it against different targets in rapid succession.

• Driving Stunts function similarly to combat tricks, employing the same star-rating system, but are awarded for performing a driving maneuver, such as a powerslide, a wheelie, car surfing, or driving into oncoming traffic.

• 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.

• Poker and Blackjack are simple mini-games available in arcades and casinos that allow the player to gamble for cash. These two diversions do not award respect.

• Flashing and streaking are separate but functionally similar diversions that involve committing acts of indecent exposure in view of as many people as possible before a timer runs out (breasts, buttocks, and genitalia are concealed through pixelization). An added challenge comes in the form of some outraged onlookers attacking the player, who is unarmed for the diversion's duration.

Races are something of a hybrid of activity and diversion. Like an activity, they have starting points identified on the map by blue diamond-shaped icons. However, the pause-activated menu lists it amongst diversions. Races do not have the six-level structure common to activities or a commensurate reward system, and they are never marked as completed. Rather, races have a unique structure where successful completion is rewarded with a bronze, silver, or gold medal based on performance. There are twenty-seven races available throughout the city. Some are time trials that require the player to beat the clock by racing through glowing, spherical checkpoints, while others pit the player against AI-driven vehicles. There are races for cars, motorcycles, watercraft, helicopters, and planes. If the player is driving a vehicle of the appropriate type when he starts the race, he will be driving it in the race. Otherwise, the game will provide a vehicle of the appropriate type. Racing also provides many vehicles to keep afterwards.

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 disincluded, 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 rollerblades.

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 durbaility 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 all the single player features. 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, 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 Jonnny Gat just before the end of his trial, and with his help, enlists the help of three others — Pierce, Shaundi, and Carlos — to help rebuild the Saints and 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 is a gang formed from the outcasts of society and are generally aggressive, asking questions after the fact. Maero, the leader of the Brotherhood, offers to split Stilwater with the Saints, but only offering the Saints twenty percent of the profit. The protagonist, 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; the Saints' Member Carlos Mendoza and Maero's girlfriend Jessica are killed in the process, and the Brotherhood nearly burns Stilwater to the ground. The protagonist learns that the Brotherhood is overseeing weapons deliveries by boat, and captures a large stash, crippling the Brotherhood. Maero challenges the protagonist to a final face-off, but the protagonist is able to get the better of him.

One of the story arcs involves the Saints' quest to eliminate the Sons of Samedi come from the Caribbean underworld and follow Voodoo and pay tribute to Baron Samedi while distributing "Loa Dust", a potent drug, to the citizens of Stilwater. Through tips from Shaundi, the Saints discover that the Sons' drug smuggling is interfering with their plans to clean up the city, and begin to go after the various assets that the Sons use to make 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 protagonist is able to save her and kill him. The Sons also kidnap the Protagonist 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 protagonist later kills Mr. Sunshine (Who managed to take several shots and the protagonist cuts his head off to make sure he's dead). Later, the Saints ambush the General's convoy and the General retreats into the Ultor Shopping Mall where he is killed by the protagonist.

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 Akuji. 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; carried out by top Ronin henchman Jyunichi. Aisha is sliced across the throat by Jyunichi and Gat is stabbed in the stomach, but survives. The protagonist proceeds to attack various Ronin strongholds to protect Gat until a Saints Car arrives to take him to hospital, and eventually faces off against Jyunichi in a swordfight, killing him. Shogo Akuji 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 protagonist 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 Protagonist 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 sow 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 protagonist hears a series of wiretap conversations and receives Dex's phone number. After contacting him, Dex tells the player to meet him 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, they realize they are being setup and are immediately ambushed by the Ultor Masako Team. Julius and the protagonist escape, but the protagonist later kills Julius in a cutscene as revenge for losing five years of his/her 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 protagonist 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 or she enters the waiting helicopter back to their hideout, the protagonist simply replies, "This is our city, we do whatever the **** 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 and Detroit. The city consists of twenty-one districts and is 145% of the size of what it was in Saints Row. Although the game is set five years after the original, at least fifteen years would have been required realistically for the redevelopment of the city. 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. In fact, the Secret Island Easter Bunny easter egg won Xbox360Achievements.org's first place in it's "Top 5 Easter Eggs of 2008", making it the most notable easter egg featured in a game for 2008. The player must discover a secrect island with an arrow pointing out where to travel to and after being led down numerous islands, a large pink Easter Bunny will literally pop out of the water.

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 neighboorhoods 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.

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. 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 Stillwater 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. 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. 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 much 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. 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". 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.

Promotion

Tera Patrick

Saints Row 2 has been marketed heavily since it was first announced, including numerous trailers and contests found across the Internet and in certain places across the world. In fact, the original date for the game, August 28 was not only pushed back for development purposes, but also for marketing considerations.

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 in-mate 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.

Two campaigners for the game are Gary Busey, an American actor, and Tera Patrick, American porn star. In addition to his more direct contributions to the game, Buesy starred in online movies for the game, titled 'Street Lessons With Uncle Gary', which are short, 30-50 second mock educational videos on street life in Stilwater. So far, ten have been released: Costumes, Flying, Heavy Weapons, Motorcycles, Nut Shots, Police Abuse, Satchel Charges, Taunting, Throwing People and Wieldable Props. Patrick has also been involved with marketing and development for the game, and so far has released a Developer Diary preview into the development of Saints Row 2.

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

There are two 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.

Windows version

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 has been 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.

Downloadable content

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.

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

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 favourable review, saying that it is better than Grand Theft Auto IV in the fact that it drops realism for mindless fun. Furthermore, he has also given the game his Game of the Year. 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".

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.

Awards

Following the critical acclaim it received upon its release, Saints Row 2 has received awards from various critics and publications, including several Game of the Year awards/nominations. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are ranked as the second and third best games of all time on TopTenReviews. The following are examples of the game's awards (all of which are 2008 awards).

Just Press Play has given the game: Game of the Year, Vixen of the Year (Shaundi) and third-place for Best Multiplayer Game.

Zero Punctuation has given the game: Copulating Jelly Baby Award for Fucking Sweet Game (Game of the Year).

Diehard GameFAN has given the game: Best Gameplay.

GameShark has given the game: Runner-up for Xbox 360 Game of the Year and runner-up for Overall Game of the Year.

Sore Thumbs Blog has given the game: Most Overshadowed Game of the Year.

The Escapist has given the game: one of the Five Faves of 2008.

Official Xbox Magazine has given the game: Sandbox Game of the Year and runner-up for Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Thick Online's Scott Harvey has given the game: Third Place for Top 5 Video Games.

Xbox360Achievements.org has given the game: Most Impressive Easter Egg 2008 and second place in the Top 5 Villains (Maero).

PC Authority has given the game: first place for the Top 5 Console Games of 2008.

Fidgit has given the game: second place for the Top 10 Games 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.

Technical issues

Almost immediately after Saints Row 2 was released, complaints were made over issues concerning campaign freezing, multiplayer bugs and glitches. A patch is in development and will be released soon.

See also

• Saints Row (video game)
• Saints Row (series)

External links

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