Having
been cancelled on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 owners got a taste of a little
place called Stillwater in a game called Saint’s Row. On the surface, the
game took much of what made Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series such a hit
across consoles but Saint’s Row traveled a familiar road in its own
sharp, witty and downright gratifying way. Finally, PlayStation 3 owners get to
jump into the gangster shoes of a young thug attempting to regain control of a
city that has seen a number of changes. Saint’s Row 2 takes us back to
Stillwater for yet another action-packed wild ride worth revisiting.
The
first game follows a nameless young thug who is suddenly recruited by a feared
Stillwater street gang known as the 3rd Street Saints. Rising above
the ranks, this character of your own design quickly becomes a force to be
reckoned with until you fatefully step into a boat that explodes via a remote
control triggered by none other than a Lieutenant of the same gang who happens
to be an undercover officer of the law. Years pass and a comatose inmate wakes
up in prison next to a young thug who reveals that a lot has changed in
Stillwater.
It is
at this point in the game that you get to create your character from scratch …
only this time you are given the choice between making the character a male or
female. There are subtle differences between how characters treat your male or
female character but mainly the core story remains the same. The customization
features are slightly deeper than the first game so you’re still able to create
a character that closely resembles you or any outrageous odd creation of your
own design. You can even pick different facial expressions, taunts and your
voice (this time your character will be speaking more often).
After
this, the game truly begins with a jailbreak and the sudden realization that
Stillwater has changed and the 3rd Street Saints are no more. So it
is up to you to restore the 3rd Street Saints to their former glory
and, with the aid of a number of familiar faces, eliminate new rival gangs that
have popped up throughout the city over the years. Like the last game, different
gangs control different territories throughout Stillwater as well as run various
fronts that are scattered through each district. Once again, the mixed gangs
offer a real challenge whether you go up against the Yakuza-led Ronin gang or
the tough Brotherhood gang.
Much of
what we remember from our past visit to Stillwater remains somewhat the same but
thanks to a new Mayor and a corporation known as the Ultor Corporation, there
are new districts that change the face of the old ones. Downtown is nowhere near
as neat as it was the first time around and now there’s a marina district
complete with casinos, Miami-styled hotels and trendy new restaurants. There’s
even a lovely beach where you can hop on a jet ski and join other water sports
enthusiasts. Apart from some nice districts (such as the lovely university
district), there are some eyesores (such as the trailer park district). There
are also various properties up for sale and strongholds to take over.
Saint’s Row 2
follows the same open-environment, tackle-any-mission-any-time structure of the
last game but certain missions only become available when your respect level
goes up. The higher your respect level goes the more followers you’ll be able to
take with you during missions as well as take on more story-based missions. One
of the original’s many highlights was the fact that the missions were rarely
annoying. In fact, they were actually well conceived and fun to play. The same
can be said about this sequel. The various story-based missions have you
performing a number of fun tasks such as escaping a cavern with one of your main
rivals or help bust out that soccer-mom-turning-drug-dealer from the first game
out of prison.
The
memorable side missions from the first game are back such as Insurance Fraud,
Hitman, Mayhem and Snatch just to name a few of the ones making a return.
Saint’s Row 2 adds a few more of them such as Crowd Control (where you
assume the role of security for celebrities), Fuzz (where you dish out some
police brutality for a television show much like “Cops”) and Septic Avenger
(where you spray, um, waste material on property for cash). There’s also a
demolition derby-styled side missions (like Trail Blazer and Demolition Derby)
and since the long lineup of vehicles now include aerial ones there‘s Heli
Assault. On top of that, there are taxi missions and you can compete in an
ultimate fighting tournament for money and respect.
On the
vehicle front, there are a number of them that include everything from muscle
cars to SUVs and – as I mentioned above – you can also fly airplanes and
helicopters. There are now watercrafts as well such as speed boats and water
skis that allow you to get from the mainland to Stillwater’s two islands (one
houses the prison while the other a nuclear facility). The good news is that the
vehicle customization features are back so you can take a simple-looking car and
turn it into a tricked out ride worth showing off. The customization features
also apply to your hideouts so you can add everything from a huge bed to
stripper poles. There are even more clothing options available this time around
so there’s no shortage of apparel to make your character stand out even more.
While
the missions and other diversions make for a fun time in Stillwater, not all is
perfect. There are glitches aplenty that didn’t even show up in the original and
some that make a return. Do you remember how a follower would be stuck behind a
building? Well, this time it’s possible for a follower to somehow disappear
altogether when they are stuck. Cars often disappear without a trace, which can
become a great annoyance when you’re in need of some wheels. I mean, it’s
plausible if the car turned a corner and disappeared into the distance but
disappearing altogether just isn’t acceptable. Some glitches make for some
really hilarious moments such as when I accidentally ran over a woman who was
suppose to fly up into the air but instead fused with my front bumper with her
legs sticking out comically. It’s funny but its things like that that have no
business showing up on the PS3.
The
game also makes use of the SIXAXIS controller for driving boats and flying. It’s
a bit tricky at first but actually makes flying or jetting across water a tad
easier. You can always switch back to manual control but it’s good to see that
the tilt controls were put to use in the game. It’s also good to see the online
multiplayer action back. The original Saint’s Row certainly beat out
GTA: San Andreas by adding a number of fun online multiplayer game modes and
up to 12 gamers can really have a blast in this one. What is definitely
appreciated is Co-op Mode that allows you to have a friend join you online or
via a LAN match.
Saint’s Row 2
isn’t a visually gorgeous game on the PS3 and yes the game’s technical problems
also include heavy clipping problems. What we do have is a game that looks just
as good as the original yet not taking full advantage of a next-generation
console’s ability to display some impressive visuals. Still, there are many good
things to look at in this game and Stillwater’s many districts all have their
own distinct appearance. The character models aren’t bad either, although the
in-game models seem to have a plastic look about them that’s just a tad on the
creepy side. The visual effects such as explosions and water effects do look
good, though.
The
game’s sound is still just as excellent as the original with an impressive
number of great tunes that play over the radio as well as the funny commercials
that play throughout the game. The soundtrack spans a number of musical genres
from reggae to alternative rock and even a number of 80s pop tunes from the
likes of Tears for Fears or Night Ranger. The voice acting is also handled well
and that’s good considering the fact that the dialogue is witty. As far as the
sound effects are concerned, they’re not bad but not as good as they should be
in a game with a living city.
Saint’s Row 2 for
the PlayStation 3 is not only a worthy sequel to a fun game but it’s also bigger
and better in many ways. This is not to say that it’s perfect, it does have its
share of problems but rarely do these problems get in the way of the fun and
plentiful missions and other amusing distractions. Like the first game, it’s not
visually stunning either but sometimes graphics aren’t everything when the
gameplay is this gratifying. If you enjoyed the first game, this outrageously
fun sequel is one of those games you simply must not miss.
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Gameplay: 8.9
A few glitches
aside, tearing through the new version of Stillwater is still a very good time
and the diverse missions will definitely keep you busy. The new side missions
are a blast (like Crowd Control) and so are the returning favorites (like
Insurance Fraud). This one uses the SIXAXIS for boats and aircrafts, which makes
piloting them a tad tricky.
Graphics: 7.5
On the PS3, some
textures can be a bit on the flat side but that doesn’t mean what we see here is
not bad at all. The character models are actually handled well and the rag doll
physics still make for some hilarious mishaps. Stillwater looks good on Sony’s
new console but things could still look better.
Sound: 9.0
The game’s radio
stations make the soundtrack one of the best in the series so far and it’s great
to see that the game’s witty sense of humor is back in full force. While the
background noises aren’t as detailed as the GTA games, the good voice
acting and good sound effects more than make up for it.
Difficulty: Medium
Some missions are
a walk in the park while others will have you performing multiple tasks.
Thankfully, the game has checkpoints so you don’t have to start the entire
mission over again. The Stronghold missions are still quite challenging and most
of the side missions get harder by level five.
Concept: 9.0
Much has changed
since the last time we’ve seen Stillwater and this is a very good thing. There’s
also a lot more to do in this game and the customization options are plentiful.
It’s good to see that you can create a female character but it just doesn’t fit
into the story all that well. Multiplayer is fun but nowhere near as deep as
Rockstar’s recent Grand Theft Auto game.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Recapturing the
feel and fun of the original’s online multiplayer game, this sequel brings a lot
to the multiplayer playground and does it well enough. It‘s just too bad that
the original‘s online game modes don‘t make a comeback. What really works is the
Co-op mode that has you and a friend joining in on the madness.
Overall: 9.0
Rising above its
flaws, Saint’s Row 2 is an addictively over-the-top sequel that proves
that bigger is definitely better. With more side missions, deeper customization
features, more vehicles and bigger environments, its easy to overlook the
glaring flaws that do pop up on the PS3 version. In other words, a bus ride to
Stillwater is definitely in order.
