Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2 is an upcoming sandbox-style action-adventure video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Saints Row 2 is the second game in the Saints Row franchise. It is being developed by Volition, published by THQ and is due for release on October 14, 2008.

Plot

The game is set 5 years after the end of Saints Row.The protagonist barely survived a boat explosion devised by former 3rd Street Saints members, and was wasted away in a dingy prison hospital, in a trauma-induced coma. Meanwhile, the 3rd Street Saints have fallen apart, Johnny has been captured by police and awaits the electric chair, Troy has become Chief of Police and Julius has abandoned his gang and is determined to live the quiet life. Lin is dead, and Dex is missing and has not been seen by anybody. It is unknown whether he is alive or not. Three new gangs control Stilwater, who have some secret alliance with the Ultor Corporation. After this time, the protagonist wakes up and meets a Hispanic fellow inmate, who recognizes the protagonist and helps him/her escape from prison. In a bloody prison break, the protagonist and the Hispanic friend find a speedboat, and successfully escape from the island. They arrive in Stilwater, only to find that it has been completely revolutionised. As the protagonist settles in, he finds that his old friend Johnny is on death row. The protagonist helps Johnny escape his courtroom precession and the Hispanic inmate introduces them to his friends, who are very willing to work under the protagonist and rebuild the “New” Saints.

The Saints now operate underneath an abandoned hotel, determined to rise against the key factions that have since set out to eliminate them forever.

Location

Over the years, Stilwater has grown rapidly. Ultor Unlimited is a citywide corporation that has supposedly helped clean the streets of Stilwater, and has expanded the city at its own expense. Stilwater, according to Ultor, has been turned into an “urban utopia”, with many dilapidated sections of the city rebuilt. The Saints Row area, for example, was reconstructed and a booming commercial industry now stands there. Six new above-ground, and four new below-ground districts will be seen in the new Stilwater, and some new projects located around the city include a graveyard, trailer park, university, marina and a nuclear power plant. The land also features many underground segments- enormous caves, which attract tourists from all around. A prison island has also surfaced off the coast of Stilwater, completely isolated from the world, very similar to Alcatraz Island. A hidden sex cave has been rumoured to inhabit in Stilwater, and it is stated that the player may find a sex doll there and use it for a weapon. Expansion is seen in the far-west of Stilwater, which includes a trailer park, and an expansion to the Suburbs district. The new Stilwater is said to be 150% of the size it was in Saints Row.

Gameplay

The game will include additional weather effects. Pedestrians will be much more responsive to both environmental stimuli (such as opening umbrellas at the sign of rain) to possibly crowding around someone that has just been shot, allowing the player to use the distraction to get away. Alternatively, the player can attempt to use other characters in the game as human shields, and can either kill the person with a headshot, or throw them away. Saints Row was well-noted for its dark humour, and such has returned in Saints Row 2. It has also been stated that the police force will no longer use spike strips, instead relying on tactics and firepower to subdue the enemy. Car physics have been stated to be majorly improved from those seen in Saints Row. Crashing, braking, turning etc has developed, with use of the rebooted physics engine. Also, it has been revealed that the entire map in Stilwater will be revealed, except for the shops. There are roughly seventy shops to explore, and it has also been revealed that shops may be bought, allowing the player to gain income. Once the player buys an entire chain of shops, billboards around the city will have his face appearing on it.

Gangs and characters

With the extinction of the Carnales, Vice Kings, and Westside Rollerz gangs, three new gangs have surfaced around Stilwater. The Brotherhood of Stilwater, Ronin, and Sons of Samedi have taken over the city determined to make sure the Saints never rebirth again. The 3rd Street Saints are refounded by the protagonist, and a large corporation threatens to extinct them long before they build themselves up again. According to Volition’s Greg Donovan, the gangs will feel more unique than they did in Saints Row. In an interview with TotalVideoGames.com, Donovan said that You’re going to know which gangs you’re fighting at the time, and you’ll have to change strategies when fighting one gang against another.

3rd Street Saints

The only surviving gang from the old days of Stilwater, the 3rd Street Saints once held an iron grip on the city until the protagonist, the gang’s main enforcer, was put into a prison hospital as a result of a boat explosion, which left then-mayoral candidate and his colleagues dead. After the protagonist successfully escapes from Stilwater, with the help of Carlos, he interrupts a court procession to free Johnny Gat from certain death, under charge of murder. Carlos then introduces Phil, Anna and Shaundi, who agree to join the Saints in their rise for power.

Ultor Unlimited

Ultor Corporation is a large corporation founded and run by businessman Dane Vogel. Over the years, Ultor has helped rebuild a broken Stilwater, spending millions in an attempt to replenish the city. Stilwater PD has been sold to Ultor, and the entire police force is owned by the corporation. Ultor is said to be a corrupted network, with contacts between the three main gangs in power in Saints Row 2, as an attempt to completely wipe out the 3rd Street Saints.

The name Ultor was first seen in Volition Inc’s first-person shooter Red Faction. Also, Ultor Arena and Ultor sunglasses were seen in Saints Row as well as banners for the company.

Brotherhood of Stilwater

The Brotherhood are a biker gang. Wearing red, the Brotherhood have been described as the most aggressive and difficult gang in the game. Based upon the Aryan Brotherhood, the Brotherhood specialise in destruction and violence. Headed by muscular brute Maero, the Brotherhood are the most feared gang in Stilwater. Matt is Maero’s personal tattoo artist and lieutenant, and Donnie, former Roller mechaninc, has joined the Brotherhood, desperate for power and revenge against the protagonist, as he believes it the protagonist’s fault that Lin has died. It is said that the Brotherhood have connections with former Los Carnales members, a Columbian drug running gang wiped out in Saints Row.

Sons of Samedi

The Sons of Samedi are a Caribbean voodoo gang. Gang members dress in green outfits and jewellery, and specialise in drug pushing. The gang chief has been seen as a mysterious, Mafioso-style mobster, dressed in a white business suit and smoking cigars. Baron Samedi is the Vodou Loa of death, and the namesake behind the gang.

Ronin

The Ronin are a Japanese-based gang. Dressed in yellow, the Ronin specialise in gambling and prostitution rackets. Headed by three unnamed men, the Ronin are supposed to be based around Chinatown in Stilwater. In Japanese, ronin translates as a samurai whose leader has been banished or killed.

Features

Saints Row 2 is an improvement compared to Saints Row. The already in-depth customisation options that were seen in Saints Row have been developed even further. Content in the game is also much more broad, with many new options in gameplay available to the player.

Character customization

Character customization has expanded since the original game, with the option of playing as a female character. You can also customize how your character walks, talks and holds their weapon. Personal modifications eg age, height, weight etc can also be changed. A new feature in the game is a taunting system; the player can insult and incite the people of Stilwater.

Gang and crib customization

In Saints Row 2, the player can own nine cribs from various locations around Stilwater. The player does not buy cribs, but instead unlocks them throughout the game. The 3rd Street Saints can hang out at these locations. The player can upgrade them in various ways. There are three preset designs; cheap, classy, and ultra-modern. Aside from this, the player may also buy bars, strip poles, sofas, TVs etc. Also, the player can modify their gang here. The player can choose a Gang Sign and a gang tag for their gang, similar to the taunting system. Also, the player can change the gang’s ’style’ eg 80s, gangster, sport, prephop, pimps ‘n hos.

Weapons

Many old weapons from Saints Row will be appearing in the game, however several new weapons will be included in Saints Row 2. Dual-wielding has also been introduced on submachine guns and handguns. Some new weapons in Saints Row 2 are chainsaws, flamethrowers, katanas, stun guns and shock pads. Satchel charges are introduced, and can stick to walls, vehicles and even people The player can now pick up and use objects from the environment as melee weapons.

Vehicles

Saints Row 2 offers many new vehicle types. Originally, these were planned for Saints Row, but developers stated that they did not add these to the game because of lack of time. Boats and jet-skis can be driven around the water. Helicopters and planes are also introduced into the game. Additionally, these helicopters and planes are equipped with parachutes. Many new land-based vehicles are introduced, as well. Monster trucks and motorcycles can be driven through the streets of Stilwater. Also included are moon buggies and skateboards.Vehicle customization will remain the same, except perhaps with slightly more detail. It has been confirmed that the player has the ability to tune the performance of their car.

Respect system

Saints Row 2 will feature two different gameplay modes aside from the main storyline; activities and diversions, and a point system that ties in with Respect.

Activities were first seen in Saints Row, illegal actions like street racing, drug trafficking etc for earning money, and also Respect, in-game currency used to progress through the storyline. Saints Row 2 includes a number of new activities, and also previous activities which appeared in Saints Row. However, original activities have been touched slightly, making them different then they originally were in Saints Row. Activities will now span out over six levels, instead of the eight that were seen in the first game, and can also only be found twice in the game, instead of three. Developers did not want the players to think activities as a treadmill in progressing in the game, and thus activities have apparently been toned down.

Diversions are mini-activities in the Saints Row world, which can be performed any time, any where. Diversions involve the player carry out small actions eg pulling stunts in vehicles, BASE jumping, racing and killing people in unique ways. Minor criminal misbehaviours also count as diversions, taking hostages, hijacking vehicles, theft etc.

The point system has been updated in Saints Row 2. The player can earn points through customisation which can increase the percentage of respect in Saints Row 2. James Tsai, Volition Inc lead designer, stated in an interview with the United People of Saints Row: Players can earn respect by completing activities. This method was present in SR1 as well. In SR2, players can also earn respect by discovering and successfully executing diversions. Diversions are a special type of gameplay – they are cool things to do that are hidden in the world, left for the player to discover. We have also tied-in a “points” system to respect. As you upgrade your vehicles, clothes, and cribs during the game, you can earn “points”. These points act as a respect modifier and will increase the % of respect you earn. Similarly, you will be able to recruit more powerful homies as your overall respect level increases.

Multiplayer

Saints Row 2 includes the addition of a co-op mode, allowing players to converse in the storyline from beginning to end over either Online play or through a system link. Not much information has been released about Saints Row 2 in regards to multiplayer, but it is said from designers that it will be similar to the old game, GameSpot reported that in regards to the multiplayer aspects of the game, Volition and THQ have “learned a lot from the first game and won’t be making any of the same mistakes again”.