Ever since they launched the latest game in the series just titled 'saints row" in 2022 everyone is back to talking about how amazing, incredible and perfect Saints Row 2 is. Seriously what is the appeal? They apparently did a massive update to this game when they found the source code that was lost for years but it's still no excuse for how awful this game is.
I started with Saints Row 3 as it was on sale and it is night and day how superior saints row 3 is. Play that last broken mission and then jump to the opening of Saints Row 3. I can deal with a bit of change and the improvements such as going from hitman contracts to blood money but I have zero idea what everyone minus those who live in the past still in their parents basements see in this. I doubt I would have played 3 or 4 if i tried this first sort of like Just Cause 3 I couldn't get into. I've gotten 100% on all the other saints row games but even playing this one on casual to get a feel for the game and the series there is no way I'd want to 100% this out dated dumpster fire. The second the story mode was done I deleted it off my hard drive.
This game is broken in so many ways. The last ultor mission I had the game crash 3 times. The game does not auto save properly, Once you start doing the Samedi (green gang) and Ultor missions the game LOVES to crash. If you just cleared a hard mission SAVE.. like right now. Since it doesn't auto save some of the more painful missions I've done twice. The game sometimes does not sync up with the frames and then either crashes or makes drive by shooting impossible. I found the Samedi gang to be way harder than the other two gangs and for no good reason. I plowed through the Asian gang and the brotherhood like nothing and try my hardest not to use RPG or cheat codes but the game decides to use RPGs whenever it feels like it, even just random enemies on a flight of stairs like the 12 year old elite gamers who wait in front of ladders or anywhere unfair for free shots in fps games online. One of which you hack into a police station and the game decides to let choppers have rockets shoot you. One infamous mission a helicopter won't blow up. Others will just crash the game by forcing it to close automatically after clearing missions. Even with all these modernized updates with mods to help fix some of the issues. One of the things that upset me the most was I had to use a mod to get the input prompts to show up properly on the HUD, they are good enough to take our money but not show us oh yes. Press this button to do that. The story is about as in complex as an adult movie for the most part like when Johnny's girlfriend dies. Though some of the deaths in the cut scenes are more brutal than GTA was at the time but if that's all it takes to create a compelling story I question someones taste.
Why is there no exit signs on maps or anything, you get lost in a bunch of buildings. It sounds silly but trust me the main head quarters the saints are in is a maze with all the underground nonsense.
Right away you'll notice you cannot restart missions unless you tap down on the D pad a few times it takes some time getting used to. I have no idea why there isn't an option in the pause menu. The side missions in this game are way harder than they should be. You can usually do every mission in saints row 3 or onward on casual in your first or second tries but this game just makes it as hard as it wants to. The main missions are easy but for the unlockable rewards like infinite pistol ammo get ready to curse. They just came off as really out dated or out of touch.
The pause menu is a mess. Select to pull up the map. That's it. Start does just about everything else. It's really difficult to tell time without pulling up the phone too. They got a lot of great feedback for when they did 3.... seriously why do you guys like this game? I keep saying it but it's true. I can understand some people memorized the map and all so that may not be a big deal but "gosh darn".
The game is dated, yes it's not a "next gen" game by any means where you need to see beads of sweat or 4k textures as this came out as to 12 year old gamers I made fun of earlier graphics matter more than fun. But for an Xbox 360 and ps3 in 2008 it's sad this doesn't even get the excuse oh but its the first one.. it isnt. The graphics all look faded, no shine or anything to convince us and it takes some time getting used to after playing gat out of hell. I am amazed this is a ps3 game. The only reason it sold well was because it was a gap between GTA releases. Plus the fan base from before rockstar did games on xbox. It looks like a developers first chance at making a PS1 game with an actual budget. It's just with a larger open world to explore. By 2008 GTA 4 was out and there was no question this is a cheap bargain bin game as I could seriously go back and play GTA 4 and legitimately enjoy it.. this (spits). The missions were well thought out, the story line was ok, the city looked great not like this city where you can get stuck and some parts are just tedious to get to. I don't expect to walk straight lines like in Resident evil 4. GTA games are well tested and practically bug free a few months after release. GTA4 isn't even a favorite of mine but it was better. This is like a kid wanting burger king and a dad says he can make a burger just like theirs and couldn't but got better.
Breaking the shanties very early in the game I don't know why I can't break them with a melee weapon or firearm i have to beat bums through them in the first one. The last ultor mission where you kill Dane crashes constantly and it's extremely unforgiving as the choppers weapons have a mind of their own.
It takes forever to get good guns in the stores and I have NO idea why there is a melee weapon store. Same goes for health pickups. Yes it's a tougher game especially near the end but it's insulting.
The customizations are laughable.
The way the side missions work in this game is annoying. Level 1, stupidly easy, then the difficulty goes up. It's not as balanced as you'd expect it in most. You're in the fight club. 1 on 1.. fine , then by the end 6 on 1 as all the AI pretty much gang up on you. You'd think the game wouldn't it's like playing twisted metal black. I don't understand why the side missions can't just have 6 levels why do i have to find another person wanting the same thing done.
The rail missions where you spew waste on people is too specific and unforgiving. Skip them at all costs. They are the most out dated missions in the game.
The escort missions are painful and hardly qualify as missions. Avoiding the press is dumb luck and not skill. Just drive around for a minute, then the client decides to go somewhere stupidly far away and another boring task or two. They make you drive this stupidly slow car too that at top speed a van will be near your bumper. Unless you drive like a maniac there is no way to dodge them usually.
The cars drive ok .. but..the races are painful, i see why they adopted the gran turisimo 2 turn left with all the arrows blinking now , the miami boat race you've got to pretty much break the controller even with drifting to get them to turn
the crowd control missions are atrocious, especially when there are targets you can't get to in time because the crowd cannot be hit out of the way
the hitman missions have some that work when they want or you wait way too long for some to appear. The ones involving beer the game does when it feels like it
This game has zero replay value. It's for the hardcore fans who don't realize it's not 2008 any more. If any game needs a remake it's this with even the saints row 3 engine. Most of the missions feel slapped together, only 2 or 3 missions are super long there is hardly any cars in it on the road and holy crap is it ever hard to steal a car in this game. I've played just about every open world GTA clone I could get my hands on and this tops the list for tedious.
I'm sure i can find more things to hate on this. The soundtrack is ok, the voice acting is mediocre at best. The only mechanic I liked was you can pick stuff up and toss it. That's it.
I started with Saints Row 3 as it was on sale and it is night and day how superior saints row 3 is. Play that last broken mission and then jump to the opening of Saints Row 3. I can deal with a bit of change and the improvements such as going from hitman contracts to blood money but I have zero idea what everyone minus those who live in the past still in their parents basements see in this. I doubt I would have played 3 or 4 if i tried this first sort of like Just Cause 3 I couldn't get into. I've gotten 100% on all the other saints row games but even playing this one on casual to get a feel for the game and the series there is no way I'd want to 100% this out dated dumpster fire. The second the story mode was done I deleted it off my hard drive.
This game is broken in so many ways. The last ultor mission I had the game crash 3 times. The game does not auto save properly, Once you start doing the Samedi (green gang) and Ultor missions the game LOVES to crash. If you just cleared a hard mission SAVE.. like right now. Since it doesn't auto save some of the more painful missions I've done twice. The game sometimes does not sync up with the frames and then either crashes or makes drive by shooting impossible. I found the Samedi gang to be way harder than the other two gangs and for no good reason. I plowed through the Asian gang and the brotherhood like nothing and try my hardest not to use RPG or cheat codes but the game decides to use RPGs whenever it feels like it, even just random enemies on a flight of stairs like the 12 year old elite gamers who wait in front of ladders or anywhere unfair for free shots in fps games online. One of which you hack into a police station and the game decides to let choppers have rockets shoot you. One infamous mission a helicopter won't blow up. Others will just crash the game by forcing it to close automatically after clearing missions. Even with all these modernized updates with mods to help fix some of the issues. One of the things that upset me the most was I had to use a mod to get the input prompts to show up properly on the HUD, they are good enough to take our money but not show us oh yes. Press this button to do that. The story is about as in complex as an adult movie for the most part like when Johnny's girlfriend dies. Though some of the deaths in the cut scenes are more brutal than GTA was at the time but if that's all it takes to create a compelling story I question someones taste.
Why is there no exit signs on maps or anything, you get lost in a bunch of buildings. It sounds silly but trust me the main head quarters the saints are in is a maze with all the underground nonsense.
Right away you'll notice you cannot restart missions unless you tap down on the D pad a few times it takes some time getting used to. I have no idea why there isn't an option in the pause menu. The side missions in this game are way harder than they should be. You can usually do every mission in saints row 3 or onward on casual in your first or second tries but this game just makes it as hard as it wants to. The main missions are easy but for the unlockable rewards like infinite pistol ammo get ready to curse. They just came off as really out dated or out of touch.
The pause menu is a mess. Select to pull up the map. That's it. Start does just about everything else. It's really difficult to tell time without pulling up the phone too. They got a lot of great feedback for when they did 3.... seriously why do you guys like this game? I keep saying it but it's true. I can understand some people memorized the map and all so that may not be a big deal but "gosh darn".
The game is dated, yes it's not a "next gen" game by any means where you need to see beads of sweat or 4k textures as this came out as to 12 year old gamers I made fun of earlier graphics matter more than fun. But for an Xbox 360 and ps3 in 2008 it's sad this doesn't even get the excuse oh but its the first one.. it isnt. The graphics all look faded, no shine or anything to convince us and it takes some time getting used to after playing gat out of hell. I am amazed this is a ps3 game. The only reason it sold well was because it was a gap between GTA releases. Plus the fan base from before rockstar did games on xbox. It looks like a developers first chance at making a PS1 game with an actual budget. It's just with a larger open world to explore. By 2008 GTA 4 was out and there was no question this is a cheap bargain bin game as I could seriously go back and play GTA 4 and legitimately enjoy it.. this (spits). The missions were well thought out, the story line was ok, the city looked great not like this city where you can get stuck and some parts are just tedious to get to. I don't expect to walk straight lines like in Resident evil 4. GTA games are well tested and practically bug free a few months after release. GTA4 isn't even a favorite of mine but it was better. This is like a kid wanting burger king and a dad says he can make a burger just like theirs and couldn't but got better.
Breaking the shanties very early in the game I don't know why I can't break them with a melee weapon or firearm i have to beat bums through them in the first one. The last ultor mission where you kill Dane crashes constantly and it's extremely unforgiving as the choppers weapons have a mind of their own.
It takes forever to get good guns in the stores and I have NO idea why there is a melee weapon store. Same goes for health pickups. Yes it's a tougher game especially near the end but it's insulting.
The customizations are laughable.
The way the side missions work in this game is annoying. Level 1, stupidly easy, then the difficulty goes up. It's not as balanced as you'd expect it in most. You're in the fight club. 1 on 1.. fine , then by the end 6 on 1 as all the AI pretty much gang up on you. You'd think the game wouldn't it's like playing twisted metal black. I don't understand why the side missions can't just have 6 levels why do i have to find another person wanting the same thing done.
The rail missions where you spew waste on people is too specific and unforgiving. Skip them at all costs. They are the most out dated missions in the game.
The escort missions are painful and hardly qualify as missions. Avoiding the press is dumb luck and not skill. Just drive around for a minute, then the client decides to go somewhere stupidly far away and another boring task or two. They make you drive this stupidly slow car too that at top speed a van will be near your bumper. Unless you drive like a maniac there is no way to dodge them usually.
The cars drive ok .. but..the races are painful, i see why they adopted the gran turisimo 2 turn left with all the arrows blinking now , the miami boat race you've got to pretty much break the controller even with drifting to get them to turn
the crowd control missions are atrocious, especially when there are targets you can't get to in time because the crowd cannot be hit out of the way
the hitman missions have some that work when they want or you wait way too long for some to appear. The ones involving beer the game does when it feels like it
This game has zero replay value. It's for the hardcore fans who don't realize it's not 2008 any more. If any game needs a remake it's this with even the saints row 3 engine. Most of the missions feel slapped together, only 2 or 3 missions are super long there is hardly any cars in it on the road and holy crap is it ever hard to steal a car in this game. I've played just about every open world GTA clone I could get my hands on and this tops the list for tedious.
I'm sure i can find more things to hate on this. The soundtrack is ok, the voice acting is mediocre at best. The only mechanic I liked was you can pick stuff up and toss it. That's it.