Something went wrong. Try again later

Giant Bomb Review

69 Comments

Saints Row 2 Review

4
  • PS3
  • X360

Saints Row 2 ups the ante for the volume of sheer absurdity in an open-world action game.

One of many blinged-out looks you can give the Saints.
One of many blinged-out looks you can give the Saints.
The original Saints Row didn't always benefit from comparisons to the Grand Theft Auto series, though with Saints Row 2, it's apparent that the two franchises are going in two very different directions. As much as it is a sequel to Saints Row, this is the logical extension of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, more so than GTA IV, and not just because of the similar street-gang premise.

The game picks up several years after the end of Saints Row, where your character was apparently blown up in a boat explosion. You wake up from your coma with a new face and with the city of Stilwater being overtaken by the oppressive Ultor Corporation, which has turned the gritty Saints Row area into a quasi-futuristic glass-and-steel paragon of corporate greed. The rest of the game focuses on you getting the Saints back together, taking down the other gangs of Stilwater, and eventually, Ultor itself.

Aside from the appearance of a few returning characters, Saints Row 2 doesn't really bother to resolve anything from the first game, which makes its overly familiar references to past characters and events that much more confusing. There's a fair amount of celebrity stunt-casting in Saints Row 2, which can make it difficult to separate the character from the actor. This was most noticeable for me with Michael Dorn as the insane biker Maero, though I won't deny getting a kick out of going up against a dude who sounds like Worf.

While GTA IV strove for dramatic weight and verisimilitude, Saints Row 2 instead tries to pack in as many ridiculous activities as possible. The main missions concern you with taking out rival gangs, and while this can be as simple as wasting a building full of dudes, sometimes you'll have to blow up the building itself, or at least fly a helicopter into it. To take on these primary missions, you've got to have a certain respect level, which you can build up quickly by taking on the occasional side mission. These can include performing insurance fraud by taking a dive in front of a moving car, lowering property values by spraying sewage, running drugs, protecting prostitutes, impersonating an officer, and riding a flaming ATV through the city streets, setting off explosions.

Take that, mass transit!
Take that, mass transit!
There are are also some ridiculous diversions, such as streaking, basejumping, anonymous bathroom sex, and car surfing. Not all of these side activities are winners, but there's enough variety that you're never stuck grinding on an activity you don't much care for. In a different context, a good amount of the stuff you can do in Saints Row 2 would seem fundamentally abhorrent, but the florid visuals and campy tone neutralize any potential for seriousness.

You'll earn some scratch running these missions, though real estate is the best way to build your fortune. You'll gain turf as you take out your enemies, and you can also buy an interest in any shops in your territory. These investments pay back dividends on a daily basis, and it doesn't take long for them to start racking up, to the point that money isn't much of a concern at all.

You can eventually take over the entirety of Stilwater, but Saints Row 2 is less concerned with creating a living, breathing world than it is with providing you with a giant sandbox to go nuts in, and the character creation is pretty indicative of this mindset. You can choose from a number of different fighting styles and elaborate rude gestures, and there's no stopping you from mixing male and female body parts and wardrobe. If you're at all unhappy with how your character's looking, you can drop into one of several plastic surgeons and change everything. You can also customize the look of the Saints with some pretty absurd results, and there's no denying the stupid appeal of seeing a half-naked man in a safety vest and a mosquito mascot mask rolling around with a gang of ninjas.

For all its shaggy, kitchen-sink charm, Saints Row 2 has got some problems, many of which are residue from its predecessor. The original Saints Row was partially impressive simply because it was the first real open-world game on this generation of consoles, but it's now two years later and Saints Row 2 doesn't look a whole lot better. The city of Stilwater is expansive and full of little details and secret areas to discover, but the draw distance isn't always great, and there's something about the lighting that leaves the game looking kind of flat. The frame rate mostly holds up, though there was a mission where I had to defend a large ship against waves of helicopters and boats full of dudes, and the combination of smoke effects and general activity brought the game to its knees. It can be a little buggy with the artificial intelligence, physics, and collision-detection systems, but to its credit, Saints Row 2 is liberal enough with checkpoints during missions that you rarely feel like a victim.

You can also buy a number of gaudy cribs, just like this one.
You can also buy a number of gaudy cribs, just like this one.
While GTA IV went on to include the incredibly useful GPS navigation system first seen in Saints Row, Saints Row 2 still has a few unique tricks up its sleeve. The gang system allows you to roll around with a posse of disposable, computer-controlled gang-bangers. They have a tendency to get stuck in doorways, but they're pretty good at following your lead, and if you hop into a vehicle that doesn't have enough seats for your posse, they'll jack a nearby vehicle to keep up. There's also the cruise control option, which lets you maintain your speed without holding down on the gas, making drive-bys and highway mayhem easier to pull off.

You can play through the 20-plus hours of Saints Row 2 on your own, but the game also has a solid co-op feature that allows another player to jump into your version of Stilwater at any time. It doesn't change any of the narrative bits to reconcile the presence of two protagonists, and that can be a little awkward, but aside from being hindered by lag on a particularly fast-paced mission, I found co-op to be good fun.

There's no question that GTA IV is a better game than Saints Row 2, but in some ways, Saints Row 2 is more fun. Saints Row 2 doesn't look nearly as good, and there aren't any heavy moral choices or resonant melodrama, but the cars handle more easily, cops are less of a concern, enemies are easier to kill, and the activities are generally crazier and more over-the-top. If GTA IV got too serious for you, Saints Row 2 might just be what you're looking for.

69 Comments

Avatar image for fallopiantube
FallopianTube

113

Forum Posts

551

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By FallopianTube

Great review i recomend this game too. it has alot of crazy stuff that iwanted in GTA4

Avatar image for jyurakyumihawk
jyurakyumihawk

121

Forum Posts

17

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By jyurakyumihawk

Is there a Donkey Show minigame? It would blow my mind if Kinky Kelly appears in SR2.

Avatar image for john
John

847

Forum Posts

427

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By John

I knew the sheer volume of insanity in it would make it at least a 4 star game.

Avatar image for fallopiantube
FallopianTube

113

Forum Posts

551

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By FallopianTube

dude i hope a video review is coming. there hasent been one in a while

Avatar image for toowalrus
toowalrus

13408

Forum Posts

29

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By toowalrus

Gotta get to this after Fable II. I may drop out of college and be a full time bum.

Avatar image for killdave
killdave

1079

Forum Posts

11

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By killdave

Great game well worth playing. Puts the fun back in gaming, which these days is rare amongst all the seriousness and moral crap etc

Avatar image for elazul
Elazul

1351

Forum Posts

2291

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 8

Edited By Elazul

Great review. I agree that while GTA VI is technically "better", I actually enjoyed SR2 quite a lot more.

Avatar image for norton123
norton123

366

Forum Posts

1425

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 2

Edited By norton123

Nice Review

Avatar image for keyhunter
keyhunter

3208

Forum Posts

248

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By keyhunter

If GTA 4 can get 5 stars, then why does the superior Saints row 2 get 4?

Avatar image for davecuk
davecuk

165

Forum Posts

3317

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By davecuk

"There's no question that GTA IV is a better game than Saints Row 2"

What? SR2 is far better IMO. While GTA IV may be more polished and have some better humour (mostly because of Brucie) it's FAR less fun. If I wanted to make the perfect game in this genre by mixing the two franchises together I would take far more parts of Saints Row 2 than I would from GTA IV. I managed to play this start to finnish as well as play alot of diversions etc without being bored at all, while in GTA IV I found myself struggling to complete the main story line due to the tedious and repetative nature of the missions.

Avatar image for mattbodega
mattbodega

2281

Forum Posts

34417

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 4

Edited By mattbodega

Keyhunter! You should read the review to find out!
Great review, Ryan! I'll be picking up SR2 soon enough.

Avatar image for derios
Derios

437

Forum Posts

138

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 2

Edited By Derios

Man reviewed this in a week? You must've played this game not stop. Good show.

Avatar image for tomance
tomance

1131

Forum Posts

272

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 5

Edited By tomance

My game came to a crawl too on the mission you were talking about.  I'm glad they found their spot in the open world genre though.  I wouldn't mind keeping GTA a more realistic, serious game and having Saints Row just be plain stupid fun.

Avatar image for aaronbelfast
AaronBelfast

1473

Forum Posts

35

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By AaronBelfast

3 reviews within a few days? Your spoling me GB, your spoiling me...

Avatar image for zig
zig

93

Forum Posts

214

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 1

Edited By zig

I do not like this game.  Everything feels unfinished and subpar.  I played it for about an hour and I did not have any fun.  I won't be playing it any further.  This is the end of my comment on Saints Row 2.

Avatar image for hatking
hatking

7673

Forum Posts

82

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By hatking

I really enjoyed it for about five days now I got Fable 2 which I'll probably enjoy for another week and then I'll get Fallout 3 which I'll probably enjoy for a couple weeks until Gears 2 comes out and so on and so on.  Such a vicious cycle but it has me by the throat.

Avatar image for ryanwho
ryanwho

12011

Forum Posts

-1

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By ryanwho

Big fan of your 'glee' face, Ryan.

Avatar image for plwolf
PLWolf

967

Forum Posts

43

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 7

Edited By PLWolf

Great Review Ryan!! This game is in my Gamefly queue. I look forward to checking it out.

Avatar image for destroyeron
Destroyeron

390

Forum Posts

125

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By Destroyeron

I'm with TooWalrus.

Avatar image for tmontana1004
tmontana1004

371

Forum Posts

58

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By tmontana1004

lol at "GTA a better game than Saints Row 2" lmao reviewers are BLIND!

Avatar image for rhcpfan24
RHCPfan24

8663

Forum Posts

22301

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 16

User Lists: 8

Edited By RHCPfan24

I might get this game but I am tired of people denying GTA4's greatness.  It is amazing and some people don't realize that.  This still looks fun though.

Avatar image for davidsnakes
DavidSnakes

699

Forum Posts

11

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

Edited By DavidSnakes

I cannot be the only one completely tired of EVERYONE saying the same damn thing, "GTA4 was boring!  SR2 is so much fun!"  Yeah, well, see how much fun it is in a week, when you've played every gimmicky activity, and there's nothing left to do.  GTA4 didn't need crappy mini games when the main game was fun the entire time.  Substance over style.

Avatar image for silverarrows
SilverArrows

106

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By SilverArrows

I totally agree ...... GTA IV is a "better" game, with better graphics, and a better story. Saints Row 2 is a more fun game. I really wish they had improved the visuals on this one, and polished some of the bugs, but as is, it is still a lot of fun.

Avatar image for pibo47
Pibo47

3238

Forum Posts

8

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By Pibo47

My only thing about this review, i understand that GTAIV is a better game. But i like SR2 sooo much more. Wouldnt that mean that SR2 is better?

Avatar image for good_game
Good_Game

12

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By Good_Game

Where the hell are the video reviews?

Avatar image for crono
Crono

2762

Forum Posts

-1

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 23

User Lists: 6

Edited By Crono

The first one was laughable not only from a gameplay perspective, but also, and especially, from a story perspective.  If you are one of these people out there that thinks they're a Gangsta and you're pursuing your G.E.D. then you're gonna love Saints Row 2.  Otherwise, this game is worth a rental at best.

Avatar image for homes
Homes

373

Forum Posts

5972

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 3

Edited By Homes

Mine crashed (about 10 hours in) after every story mission I did. Sent it back to GameFly...

Avatar image for spaceinsomniac
SpaceInsomniac

6353

Forum Posts

42

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By SpaceInsomniac

First Fable 2 without a video review, and now Saints Row 2.  Not that I don't love reading your text, but I do love a good video review, and I think both these games are easily good enough to warrant them.

Avatar image for stephen_von_cloud
Stephen_Von_Cloud

2030

Forum Posts

844

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 3

I think I understand Ryan here.  I mean, fun is a HUGE part of playing a game and that counts for a lot of its appeal.  But in all the other catagories GTA IV might be better, so you appreciate all that it does and see all that as perfect, or better you could say, but since SR 2 is so much fun, you like playing it so much more.  GTA IV is kind of like Braveheart.  I love it, my friends love it, but do we ever sit down and watch it when we pick a movie?  No, we pick something like Billy Madison.  It's just more fun.

Avatar image for avd
AvD

309

Forum Posts

1328

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 4

Edited By AvD

Lots of comparisons to GTA games and none to the original Saints Row... I  suspect that you haven't played the first one Ryan...

Avatar image for rpratts
rpratts

80

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By rpratts

Very Nice review Ryan! I'm planning to pick up this game when I get Little Big Planet!

Avatar image for meatsim
MeatSim

11201

Forum Posts

150

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 23

Edited By MeatSim

This games just plain fun, I think SR has separated it self apart from GTA.

Avatar image for bgenso
bgenso

23

Forum Posts

34

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Edited By bgenso

Huh I've never played the first one and always wanted to. But looks like maybe ill just play this one. But I can be an achievement whore sometimes. Hmm

Avatar image for diz
diz

1394

Forum Posts

961

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 4

Edited By diz

I played through thet first Saints Row and loved it. I also loved GTA4 too.

This one does not seem different enough  from the old Saints Row to get me interested. Perhaps it's come out at the wrong time for me - The F games (Fallout Far-Cry and Fable) are just round the corner . Also, after Brad's review, I'd prefer to give Dead Space a punt, rather than jump into another sandbox.

Avatar image for jk80
jk80

12

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By jk80

No mention of the soundtrack in the review, is it any good?

Avatar image for kohe321
Kohe321

3569

Forum Posts

1444

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

Edited By Kohe321

Good review!

Avatar image for demilich
Demilich

2648

Forum Posts

10647

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By Demilich

Wasn't Ultor the villian organization in Red Faction?

Avatar image for kamasamak
KamasamaK

2692

Forum Posts

38820

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 12

Edited By KamasamaK

I'm curious what it takes to say you reviewed a game for a certain platform. I'm just wondering because the last couple multiplatform games say only the Xbox 360 version was reviewed, which is understandable if you had to beat the game again (especially one as long as this). I'd rather not get lulled into a false sense that all PS3 versions are now at parity with Xbox 360 (since that's obviously the platform you guys prefer) only to have that assumption backfire when I get the game, and the only way for me to avoid that in these cases would be to *gasp* go to another gaming site for a review of that particular game. I'll still read the review here because I feel I know and trust you guys, but let's try to keep my reading to a minimum please. ;)

Avatar image for kennybaese
kennybaese

729

Forum Posts

1507

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

Edited By kennybaese

@jk80 I liked it, but one of the songs in the soundtrack is Paramore, and the guys at Giant Bomb don't seem to be very find of Paramore, so......

But I actually liked this soundtrack more than the soundtrack for GTA IV (though GTA's original music was much much better). There were a lot more modern songs in SR2 that I could hear and be like, "I know that song".

Either way, the game is ridiculously fun. I liked the way they handled the gunplay in this one a little better than GTA too. Don't worry, GTA is still a better game by far, but SR2 has a very high pure entertainment value.

Avatar image for ahoodedfigure
ahoodedfigure

4580

Forum Posts

41781

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 64

Edited By ahoodedfigure

And it's GTA that gets all the bad press :P

I'm not sure why a posse is unique since they did that to a limited degree in San Andreas.

Avatar image for killerkahuna
killerkahuna

177

Forum Posts

23

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 5

Edited By killerkahuna

Up there with Fable 2 huh :D I love this game , surpasses GTA IV in fun factor but hey what ya gonna do ?

Avatar image for bawathegamer
BawaTheGamer

94

Forum Posts

61

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By BawaTheGamer

great review Ryan.

Avatar image for daniel_beck_90
daniel_beck_90

3243

Forum Posts

-1

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 3

Edited By daniel_beck_90

great review Ryan , though I like serious games like GTA IV

Avatar image for spilledmilkfactory
spilledmilkfactory

2085

Forum Posts

13011

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 75

User Lists: 23

this game is a ton of fun. out of all the games i picked up last week  (far cry 2, dead space, and sr2) this stands out as being the most entertaining even if it's technically not the best.

Avatar image for symptomsreagent
SymptomsReagent

2

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By SymptomsReagent

Still waiting to play GTA4 on the PC before making final judgments on either franchise.  Good review though.

    
Avatar image for eternalightness
eternaLightness

87

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By eternaLightness

I love Saint's Row because it's so over the top. Both SR and GTA offer something different that makes them both enjoyable

Avatar image for darro
darro

776

Forum Posts

350

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 11

Edited By darro

I believe people can agree that GTA IV is the better game all around but SR 2 is the more fun with its fun activities and its pretty easy from what I've played thus far and it has something I believe GTA IV should have had and that was checkpoints.

Great review Ryan.

Avatar image for guttershark
guttershark

45

Forum Posts

269

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By guttershark

i just got back from picking it up

Avatar image for chummy8
Chummy8

4000

Forum Posts

1815

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 12

Edited By Chummy8

For a game rated "M". I find this game to be a little too immature for my tastes.  Stupidity to the point of boredom.   I'll pass on this; it's just not for me.

Avatar image for octaslash
octaslash

804

Forum Posts

18

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By octaslash

More fun = better.

GTA4 was fun the first time around, but surprisingly for a GTA game, it gets old quick. Saints Row 2 lasts much longer in my opinion.