(I posted this in the Saints Row 2 forums, but I get the impression nobody visits those anymore.)

It's not as crazy silly. It has crazy silly moments, but it's not so pervasive like SR3. If you enjoyed the gameplay itself in SR3, you should check out 2, as it's pretty much the same, just dialed back.

if you really need another game to play, but I went back and played SR2 and disliked it a lot. The mechanics are extremely clunky, the character creation is boring and the voice acting leaves more to be desired.

Hard to say. Saints Row 2 is a much bigger than The Third I think, with dozens upon dozens of stuff to do. Secrets and shit are everywhere in this game. The city is much more vibrant and full of life (and features the likes of Nolan North voicing like 80% of the Stilwater Denizens, with Fred Tatasciore voicing the other 20), but SR2 plays kinda crappy in comparison to SR3--pure open-world jank on display here across every facet. The story takes itself a wee bit more seriously than you'd expect as well, actually operating within a flimsy sense of realism about gang warfare and the like; don't expect zombies or diving out of planes or anything like that.

That's not to say the story's bad, and I personally think it's much better than The Third, but for a lot of people who loved The Third's storyline for its absurdity and sheer randomness, SR2's probably will disappoint if you're expecting more of the same.

Yes. It's better than SR 3.

Saints Row 1 & 2 had a few odd moments here & there, with breaking the silent protagonist in #1 at a good spot in the game & #2 with some of the wacky side activities but that's it. SR2 is a good game with with descent music & some funny bits but it's nowhere near off the wall crazy as SR3.

@fox01313 said:

Saints Row 1 & 2 had a few odd moments here & there, with breaking the silent protagonist in #1 at a good spot in the game & #2 with some of the wacky side activities but that's it. SR2 is a good game with with descent music & some funny bits but it's nowhere near off the wall crazy as SR3.

That's disappointing to me because I love how crazy SR3 is. I love how colorful, messed up, and unpredictable the world is. Still, I'm sold. I'll be picking up SR2 from Steam one of these days...

@bonorbitz said:

(I posted this in the Saints Row 2 forums, but I get the impression nobody visits those anymore.)

I LOVE Saints Row: The Third. I really love the game. Before it came out, I didn't even bat an eye at SR1 or 2 based on sheer ignorance and the perception that it was a substandard GTA clone. Boy, do I feel like an idiot.

As I near the end of SR3, I'm considering picking up SR2. Finishing the game will be so bittersweet for me and I want to experience to continue, so how does SR2 compare to The Third? Is it as crazy silly? Is it lacking anything that SR3 has? Or should I just mosey onto something else like Just Cause 2?

I'm glad to hear that you're gonna get SR2, it's a better game than SR3 in a lot of ways and it has a much more meaningful story IMO (gotta find the secret last mission!), better characters, and a better city. Plus, it's way, way bigger. If you do play it (since it sounds like you're gonna be getting it on the PC) get the Gentlemen of the Row mod megapack, it adds a ton of stuff to the game that should have been there already and makes it crazier.

http://idolninja.com/sr2.php

Plus, the character customization stuff is way, way better.

Really, combat is better in SR3 and there's more crazy set-piece memorable missions, but I think SR2 is a better game overall (that I bought on two platforms) and have logged in about 350 hours in thanks to Gentlemen of the Row.

Get it!

@InfamousBIG: Thank you so much! I love modding PC games and appreciate the hook-up. I'm really looking forward to playing SR2 now, and anything that makes it crazier can only-