Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open-world action-adventure video game developed by Volition and published by THQ.[1] It was released on October 14, 2008, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a Microsoft Windows version following on January 20, 2009.[2] The game expands on its predecessor's sandbox mechanics, introducing persistent co-operative multiplayer, extensive character and vehicle customization, and a larger map of the fictional city of Stilwater, where the player character, leader of the Third Street Saints gang, seeks revenge and rebuilds their criminal organization after escaping prison.[3] Critically, Saints Row 2 earned generally favorable reviews, with aggregate scores of 82/100 for the PlayStation 3 version and 81/100 for Xbox 360 on Metacritic, praised for its improved gameplay freedom, humor, and multiplayer features compared to the original Saints Row.[2] Commercially, it sold approximately 3.4 million units worldwide, contributing to the franchise's growing success and outperforming its predecessor.[4] The title's defining characteristics include its satirical depiction of gang violence and corporate influence, alongside over-the-top activities such as human cannonball launches and insurance fraud mini-games, which emphasize absurd, consequence-free chaos over realistic simulation.[1] While the game faced some criticism for technical issues at launch and repetitive missions, it also drew controversy from law enforcement groups over its portrayal of police as antagonists, with union officials arguing it trivialized violence against officers.[5] Nonetheless, its innovations in player agency and customization influenced subsequent open-world titles, solidifying Saints Row 2 as a benchmark for the series' shift toward exaggerated, player-driven narratives.[2]Gameplay
Core mechanics and combat
Saints Row 2 employs a third-person perspective for gameplay, allowing players to control the protagonist during on-foot movement, vehicle operation, and interactions within the open-world city of Stilwater. Core mechanics revolve around territorial conquest, where players reclaim gang territories through structured missions and free-roaming engagements, supplemented by side activities that generate resources like cash and respect points. Navigation integrates seamless transitions between pedestrian and vehicular modes, with over 40 vehicle types available for driving, including cars, motorcycles, boats, and aircraft, enabling dynamic chases and combat scenarios.[6][7] Combat emphasizes third-person shooting with manual aiming for precision targeting during movement, supporting run-and-gun tactics against rival gang members and law enforcement. Players access a diverse arsenal of firearms, melee weapons like chainsaws, and explosives, with features such as grabbing human shields—activated by approaching and holding a button near non-player characters—to provide cover while firing or executing for tactical advantages. Melee systems include left- and right-hand punches for combos, culminating in finishing moves after three consecutive hits, while vehicle-based combat permits mounted shooting from passenger or driver positions. Fine aiming enhancements and prop-grabbing for improvised attacks add depth to engagements.[6][8][9] Progression ties into a respect system, where points accumulate from killing enemies, taunting foes, exploring districts, performing jumps and stunts, and succeeding in activities or missions; these points fill a meter used to access upgrade menus. Respect enables purchases in skill trees covering health (fortitude), endurance (stamina), and combat enhancements, unlocking abilities such as extended sprinting, reduced police response times, temporary infinite ammunition, or fall damage immunity upon reaching higher levels, with a maximum of 50 levels available. This system incentivizes varied playstyles, as upgrades directly improve survival and offensive capabilities in escalating gang wars.[10][11]Open world and activities
Saints Row 2's open-world setting is the fictional city of Stilwater, an expansive urban landscape rebuilt after events in the first game, featuring a mix of industrial zones, suburban areas, commercial districts, and waterfront marinas.[12] The map is larger than that of Saints Row (2006), with added territory including new islands and underground sections, enabling broader free-roaming exploration by vehicle, on foot, or via helicopters and boats.[13] Stilwater comprises 22 districts, such as the Factories District in the south and the Museum District in the north, each offering distinct environments for navigation, combat encounters, and territorial conquests against rival gangs.[14] Players can access over 100 interiors for shopping, fighting, or customization, alongside dynamic elements like pedestrian and traffic interactions that respond to player actions.[6] Activities serve as repeatable mini-games dispersed across Stilwater, rewarding players with cash and Respect points essential for unlocking abilities and weapons.[15] These 15 core activities emphasize chaotic, over-the-top gameplay mechanics, such as Insurance Fraud, where the player intentionally collides with vehicles using ragdoll physics to accumulate injury-based payouts within a time limit, available in districts like Factories and Museum.[16] Chop Shop requires stealing and delivering specific vehicle models listed in the pause menu, promoting vehicle variety and evasion tactics.[15] Trail Blazing involves racing through checkpoints in destructible environments, earning bonus time by ramming obstacles and pedestrians.[17] Additional activities include Mayhem, a destruction derby using weapons and explosives to meet escalating damage quotas; Fight Club, unarmed brawls against waves of opponents; and Hitman, precision assassinations of marked targets amid civilian crowds.[18] Crowd Control casts the player as a bodyguard protecting a VIP from attackers, while Hostage and Snatch focus on kidnapping mechanics for ransom or trafficking simulations.[19] Racing variants pit players against AI drivers, and Fire Truck challenges involve extinguishing timed blazes under pursuit.[18] Completing levels in these activities unlocks perks like increased health or special abilities, encouraging repeated engagement to max out Respect multipliers.[16] Diversions complement activities as smaller, opportunistic challenges, such as barnstorming aerial rings, stunt jumps, or CD collections, available from the game's start and contributing minor Respect gains without structured progression.[20] These elements foster emergent gameplay, where players can seamlessly transition from story missions to side pursuits, amplifying Stilwater's sandbox freedom.[12]Progression systems
The progression in Saints Row 2 centers on the Respect system, which serves as a gate for advancing the main storyline missions and strongholds. Respect is earned primarily through completing Activities—structured minigames such as Fight Club, Snatch, and Insurance Fraud—Diversions like drug trafficking or chop shops, performing combat or driving tricks (e.g., gang kills or big air jumps yielding 10–500 points each), and exploring new areas or engaging enemies.[21] Activities provide the largest yields, with full completion of all six levels in one granting approximately 52,500 Respect points, sufficient for roughly six missions.[22] The Respect meter, displayed as a purple bar with a multiplier (e.g., "1x" or "2x"), indicates the number of available story missions; filling it requires 7,000–40,000 points depending on current progress, and missions consume one unit upon selection.[21] Accumulating sufficient Respect and achieving a high Style Rank—earned by spending cash on clothing, vehicles, tattoos, and modifications—triggers unlimited access, replacing the numeric meter with an infinity symbol. Style Ranks provide multiplicative bonuses (5% per rank, up to 40% at Rank 8), amplifying Respect gains from all sources.[21] Unlike traditional leveling, player abilities and enhancements are unlocked as discrete rewards from Activity and Diversion milestones rather than a unified skill tree. For instance, achieving three gold stars in Base Jumping grants full fall damage immunity, while progressing in Snatch unlocks doubled or tripled health regeneration rates.[11][23] Other examples include reduced police notoriety from completing Fuzz missions and melee takedown animations from Fight Club levels. Completing Activities to Levels 3 and 6 typically yields these perks, alongside weapons, vehicles, homies, and clothing, encouraging exploration of Stilwater's districts.[24] Hood conquests further augment progression by increasing follower counts (e.g., three followers at 50% hood control), which bolster combat support.[11] This structure promotes side content engagement over linear advancement, with no overarching XP or stat scaling beyond these unlocks.[25]Multiplayer
Saints Row 2 features online multiplayer supporting up to 12 players, including two-player cooperative play through the full single-player campaign and various competitive modes set in the open-world environment of Stilwater.[26][27] The co-op mode is drop-in/drop-out, allowing the second player to join or leave at any point without restrictions on separation distance from the host, though only the host's progress is saved upon completion of missions and activities.[26] Competitive multiplayer includes Gangsta Brawl, a free-for-all deathmatch where players earn points by eliminating opponents using available weapons and vehicles scattered throughout the map, and Team Gangsta Brawl, its team-based counterpart.[28] Additional modes such as Strong Arm incorporate team-based objectives derived from single-player activities, like vehicle theft or protection tasks, emphasizing strategy over pure combat.[29] Players can host private matches or engage in free roam within these sessions, with customization options for loadouts and map selection.[28] Multiplayer launched alongside the game's release on October 14, 2008, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and January 6, 2009, for Windows, relying on GameSpy infrastructure for matchmaking and connectivity.[26] Official servers ceased operation on May 31, 2014, following GameSpy's shutdown, rendering online features inaccessible on PC and PlayStation 3 without unofficial workarounds, though Xbox platforms retained partial functionality via Microsoft's services until later disruptions.[30]Story and characters
Plot summary
The narrative of Saints Row 2 commences five years after the conclusion of its predecessor, with the protagonist—referred to as the Boss—awakening from a coma induced by a yacht explosion that was presumed to have killed them.[31][12] During this period, the Third Street Saints gang has dissolved, and the open-world city of Stilwater has been partitioned among three emergent criminal organizations: the Ronin, a Japanese biker syndicate dominating entertainment and vice districts; the Brotherhood, a militaristic white-power faction specializing in heavy vehicles and tattoo culture; and the Sons of Samedi, a Haitian group engaged in drug distribution and voodoo practices.[31][14] Imprisoned upon revival, the Boss orchestrates an escape facilitated by initial recruits, subsequently undergoing cosmetic surgery to modify their disfigured appearance.[12] Rebuilding efforts involve enlisting lieutenants such as Pierce Washington, an ambitious former Saints publicist; Shaundi, a thrill-seeking ex-model entangled in narcotics; and reuniting with the incarcerated enforcer Johnny Gat, whose release sparks further vendettas.[31] The group seizes a reconverted Saints church—now a corporate museum—as their base, systematically undermining rivals through territorial conquests, assassinations, and disruptions to supply chains.[31] Campaigns proceed against the Sons of Samedi, involving raids on their pharmacologically enhanced operations and eliminations of figures like the informant Carlos Mendoza and supplier Veteran Child; the Brotherhood, featuring vehicular assaults and the neutralization of leader Maero's inner circle, including his associate Jessica; and the Ronin, targeting their hierarchical structure from street racers to casino overlords Shogo and Kazuo Akuji.[14][31] The storyline culminates in opposition to the Ultor Corporation, a pervasive conglomerate that engineered much of the power vacuum for profit, helmed by executive Dane Vogel.[6][14] Infiltrating Ultor's high-rise amid a worker riot and sabotaging experimental armaments, the Boss uncovers a foundational betrayal: Julius Little, the Saints' originator, had detonated the yacht to dismantle the gang and avert escalating violence, a revelation prompting his execution.[31] The Saints ultimately consolidate dominance over Stilwater, rebranding it as Saints Row under corporate guise.[31]Protagonist and Third Street Saints
The protagonist, referred to as the Boss, is a silent, player-customizable character who serves as the leader of the Third Street Saints. Following a yacht explosion orchestrated by Julius Little at the conclusion of the first Saints Row game on an unspecified date in the series' timeline, the Boss enters a five-year coma and awakens imprisoned in Stilwater's maximum-security facility, subjected to extensive reconstructive surgery that enables full customization of gender, ethnicity, body type, voice (with six options: three male including British and Southern accents, three female), and appearance.[32] Escaping prison with the assistance of recruit Carlos Mendoza during a riot on October 1 in the game's calendar, the Boss tattoos the fleur-de-lis symbol to signal the Saints' resurgence and methodically reclaims territory through violent gang warfare, displaying traits of ruthlessness such as executing captives and burning rivals alive in cutscenes.[32][33] The Third Street Saints, a street gang originating in Stilwater's impoverished districts and identifiable by purple attire and the fleur-de-lis emblem, initially rose under Julius Little's leadership by defeating rivals like the Los Carnales, Vice Kings, and Westside Rollerz before the Boss's coma.[34] By the time of Saints Row 2, set five years later amid Stilwater's corporate overhaul by Ultor Corporation, the gang has dissolved, with key original members defecting: Julius joins Ultor as a security chief, Dex becomes a Syndicate operative, and Troy Bradshaw reveals himself as an undercover cop who rises in the Stilwater PD.[32] The Boss reforms the Saints as a militarized force, recruiting approximately 50-100 homies for missions (expandable via activities) and elevating lieutenants who specialize in operations: Johnny Gat, a katana- and pistol-wielding enforcer released from prison after serving time for Saints-related crimes, handles direct combat; Pierce Washington, an aspiring musician and publicist, manages recruitment and media; Shaundi, a dreadlocked explosives expert and former Sons of Samedi drug runner, leads infiltration; and Carlos Mendoza, a wheelchair-bound local mechanic post-torture by the Brotherhood, aids logistics until his decapitation death during a rescue mission, prompting intensified retaliation.[34][32][35] Under the Boss's command, the Saints prioritize territorial control, engaging in drive-by shootings, human shield tactics, and crib acquisitions to fund weapons upgrades and vehicle customization, ultimately dismantling rival gangs—the katana-wielding Ronin, voodoo-influenced Sons of Samedi, and Maero-led Brotherhood—before assaulting Ultor's corporate headquarters in a bid to eradicate organized crime remnants and corporate dominance in Stilwater.[32][35] This revival transforms the Saints from a fragmented remnant into a dominant syndicate, incorporating diverse recruits like homies in purple bandanas who provide covering fire and revive the player during combat.[34]Antagonists and rival gangs
The primary antagonists in Saints Row 2 consist of three rival street gangs—the Brotherhood, the Ronin, and the Sons of Samedi—that have divided control of Stilwater among themselves during the five years the protagonist spends in a coma following events in the first game, alongside the corporate entity Ultor Corporation, which exerts overarching influence through economic and manipulative means.[36] These factions emerged in the power vacuum left by the Third Street Saints' temporary dissolution, each specializing in distinct criminal enterprises and territorial strongholds, forcing the Saints into sequential gang wars to reclaim the city.[37] The Brotherhood, led by Maero, operates as a brutal biker gang composed largely of societal outcasts, identifiable by their extensive tattoos and preference for heavily armored, oversized vehicles in turf disputes.[38] They maintain a hierarchical structure with lieutenants like Jessica and Matt, focusing on extortion, arms trafficking, and raw intimidation to dominate industrial and suburban districts.[37] Their arc involves personal vendettas, such as Maero's kidnapping of a Saints ally, escalating to high-stakes confrontations including monster truck battles and warehouse demolitions.[39] The Ronin, a primarily Asian-American syndicate under Shogo Akuji with Jyunichi as a key enforcer, draws from bosozoku motorcycle culture and implied Yakuza affiliations, marked by yellow attire and dragon iconography.[40] Controlling northern Stilwater's affluent areas through casinos, loan sharking, and high-end vice operations, they deploy fast bikes and katana-wielding foot soldiers in ambushes and street races.[37] Key conflicts include yacht hijackings and corporate espionage ties, culminating in Shogo's execution-style demise, underscoring their emphasis on honor-bound retaliation against Saints incursions.[39] The Sons of Samedi, a voodoo-infused Haitian gang led by rapper Veteran Child (Malcolm Williams), specializes in narcotics distribution, particularly their signature "Dust" drug, operating from university-adjacent zones with ritualistic aesthetics and zombie-like addicts as low-level muscle.[41] Unlike the other gangs, they avoid direct pacts with Ultor, relying on street-level dealers, armored SUVs, and explosive ambushes in missions targeting labs and concert venues.[41] Their storyline frames a gritty drug empire takedown, highlighted by betrayals and pyrotechnic finales, though positioned as comparatively filler in narrative depth relative to peers.[39] Ultor Corporation serves as the overarching institutional antagonist, a megacorp redeveloping Stilwater under CEO Dane Vogel, who covertly exacerbates gang conflicts to destabilize rivals and consolidate power via private security forces and experimental tech.[36] Post-gang wars, Ultor shifts to direct opposition through massed troopers, mechs, and orbital strikes, with Vogel's arc revealing manipulative financing of earlier chaos for profit.[37] This culminates in corporate headquarters assaults, emphasizing Ultor's role as a systemic threat blending capitalism with militarized control.[39]Development
Concept and early design
Development of Saints Row 2 began in pre-production prior to the August 2006 release of the original Saints Row, as developer Volition and publisher THQ anticipated the title's potential as a major franchise and initiated sequel planning early.[42] Initially conceptualized as "Saints Row 1.5," an expansion adding new content to the existing game rather than a full standalone sequel, the project evolved during spring and summer 2006 into a comprehensive follow-up with expanded scope.[43] The core narrative premise centered on the protagonist awakening from a five-year coma following the events of the first game, rebuilding the Third Street Saints gang, and reclaiming control of the city of Stilwater through territorial conquest mechanics that emphasized player-driven gang warfare and district ownership.[43] This design shift introduced a grittier tone while retaining the series' tongue-in-cheek humor, focusing on the Saints' expansion from a street gang to a dominant force amid rival factions, with early pitches including a discarded prequel set in the 1970s featuring characters Julius Little and Ben King.[43] Key early decisions prioritized reusing and modifying the original game's engine for the vertical slice prototype developed in summer-fall 2006, which demonstrated core features like open-world navigation and combat while incorporating experimental elements later cut, such as streaking as an activity and mobility scooters as vehicles.[43] Antagonist gang designs underwent iteration, with initial concepts exploring unconventional themes like clowns, mimes, and gypsies before finalizing the Ronin (a Japanese biker syndicate), Sons of Samedi (a voodoo-influenced Haitian group), and Brotherhood (a militaristic neo-Nazi faction) to provide diverse gameplay challenges tied to territorial disputes.[43] Concept art and prototypes from July to December 2006 highlighted these evolutions, balancing satirical exaggeration with structured rival arcs where players systematically dismantle each faction's influence.[43] The emphasis on player customization and agency in gang management laid foundational mechanics, setting the stage for broader production refinements to address engine limitations and feature integration.[43]Production and technical hurdles
The production of Saints Row 2 faced notable challenges, primarily stemming from feature creep and resulting engine instability, which complicated integration of expansive new systems such as co-operative multiplayer, customizable homies, and an enlarged open world. Producer Greg Donovan highlighted how the Volition team managed these issues by prioritizing core stability amid ongoing additions, though the process strained resources and extended debugging efforts.[44] In response to these quality concerns, publisher THQ announced a two-month delay on May 29, 2008, shifting the console release from August 26 to October 14, 2008, to allow additional polishing without impacting the fiscal year outlook.[45] This decision was driven by product quality and marketing factors, reflecting the pressures of scaling up from the original game's scope while maintaining performance across Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.[46] The PC port, handled in-house by a Volition team transitioning from console work, encountered further technical difficulties during late production, including optimization problems and glitches that persisted into launch, necessitating community mods and later official patches for resolution.[47] These hurdles underscored the complexities of cross-platform development in 2008, where console-first priorities often amplified porting risks.[48]Soundtrack and voice acting
The soundtrack of Saints Row 2 consists primarily of licensed contemporary music played across eleven in-game radio stations, accessible while driving vehicles or in player-owned properties.[49] These stations cover diverse genres including rock (e.g., 89.0 Generation X featuring tracks like "Hole in the Earth" by Deftones), hip-hop and R&B (e.g., 95.4 KRhyme FM with "1 Thing" by Amerie), electronic and dance (e.g., 97.6 K12 FM), funk, alternative, and classical (102.4 Klassic FM with compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel).[49] [50] Other stations include The Krunch 106.66 for metal and punk, 107.77 The Mix FM for pop, and genre-specific outlets like Funk 98.4 and The Request 99.0 for talk radio elements.[49] The licensed tracks total around 170 songs, curated to enhance the open-world driving experience with DJ commentary, commercials, and news bulletins tailored to the game's satirical tone.[51] Examples include "All That I've Got" by The Used on rock stations and "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" by Jet on alternative outlets, reflecting a mix of 2000s-era hits from artists across mainstream and underground scenes.[50] [52] Background and menu music incorporate additional licensed cuts, such as "Ridin' in That Black Joint" by Wale.[53] Unlike later entries, the game relies heavily on licensed content without a prominently credited original score composer; incidental music draws from production libraries like Epic Score for action sequences.[54] Voice acting features a mix of established performers for key characters, with the customizable protagonist offering multiple selectable voices rather than silence. Male protagonist options include Kenn Michael (standard American accent), Charles Shaughnessy (British), and Alex Mendoza (urban), while female options provide similar ethnic and stylistic variations, delivering grunts, combat barks, and limited dialogue lines based on player choices.[55] [56] Notable supporting cast includes Keith David as Julius Little, Daniel Dae Kim as Johnny Gat, Eliza Dushku as Shaundi, Brian Tee as Jyunichi, Jay Mohr as Dane Vogel, and Jaime Pressly as Jessica, contributing to the game's over-the-top, gangster satire through expressive performances in cutscenes and missions.[57] The casting emphasizes recognizable Hollywood talent to heighten character memorability amid the narrative's absurdity.[56]Marketing and release
Promotion and pre-launch
THQ officially confirmed development of Saints Row 2 on May 11, 2007, following earlier rumors of a sequel to the 2006 original.[58] The publisher provided further details on September 24, 2007, emphasizing expanded player freedom in customization, combat, and co-operative play as core promotional hooks.[59] Promotion ramped up through multiple trailers debuted at industry events, including the "Trick My Life" customization-focused video at E3 2008, which highlighted extensive character and vehicle modification options.[60] A playable demo was showcased at the same E3, allowing hands-on experience with core mechanics like gang warfare and open-world navigation in Stilwater.[60] Additional trailers, such as the storyline teaser released in June 2008, built anticipation by previewing the plot's revenge-driven narrative set five years after the first game. To incentivize pre-orders, retailers like GameStop offered exclusive in-game unlocks, including a flyable UFO vehicle and a mini-bike, redeemable via codes provided with reservations.[61] In Australia and New Zealand, EB Games bundled the $20 Initiation Pack upgrade with pre-orders, granting early access to cosmetic and vehicle items.[62] THQ employed provocative marketing tactics, announcing on July 28, 2008, that adult film actress Tera Patrick had been brought on as a "special producer" to contribute to character designs and authenticity in adult-oriented elements, later voicing a role in downloadable content.[63] This aligned with the publisher's edgy approach to differentiate the title from competitors like Grand Theft Auto IV, though it drew internal developer criticism for overemphasizing titillation over gameplay depth.[64] The campaign also included television and radio spots, such as in-game radio commercials parodying local businesses, to immerse potential buyers in the satirical urban environment.[65] Release was delayed from an initial 2008 target to October 7 for consoles, partly to optimize marketing alignment with holiday sales.[66]Console launches
Saints Row 2 launched on October 14, 2008, for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America, marking a simultaneous release on the seventh-generation consoles of the era.[2][67] Developed by Volition and published by THQ, the title had been delayed from an earlier schedule to allow for additional polishing, ensuring completion prior to shipment.[42] The European release followed on October 17, 2008, with Australia receiving it a day earlier on October 16.[68] In Japan, the console versions arrived later on December 4, 2008, reflecting regional publishing adjustments by THQ.[68]| Region | Release Date | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| North America | October 14, 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Australia | October 16, 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Europe | October 17, 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Japan | December 4, 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 |