Retro Gaming 00’s- Saints Row 2: (2008)

Saints Row 2 was the highly anticipated action-adventure sequel of the original game which came out back in 2006. Saints Row 2 was developed by Volition and published by THQ and was in its released for the PS3 & Xbox 360 in ’08 before appearing on Microsoft Windows in 2009. In relation to high profile action-adventure games Saints Row was arguably one of the best titles within its genre during late 00’s. The storyline for Saints Row 2 was interesting especially since it followed the events from the original game; concerning the aftermath of the Richard Hughes yacht explosion. Saints Row 2 sees the main character waking up after being under intensive care five years following the yacht explosion in the first game. The main character then manages to break out of prison with the assist of another convicted felon named Carlos Mendoza. While escaping from Stilwater prison the main character learns more about the fate of his gang known as the 3rd Street Saints. The main character’s goal upon breaking out of prison involved rebuilding the 3rd Street Saints while trying to take back control of the streets in Stilwater The gameplay in Saints Row 2 was fast paced and included nonstop action with the cutscenes giving it a nice cinematic quality which added to the game’s overall appeal.

Saints Row 2 included a robust combat system in comparison to some of the older Gran Theft Auto games from the early 00’s including III, Vice City and San Andreas from ’01-’04. Also, when it came down to firearm weapons the gameplay felt similar to that of Grand Theft Auto but slightly different which something that people could really sink their teeth into. Saints Row 2 presented players with an open world environment from a third person perspective; where players could engage in various mini games and side quests to earn currency along with respect points. The in-game currency and respect points could be utilized to unlock missions within the main story which seemed justifiably reasonable to most players. Despite, the fact that players could not control other fellow gang members Saints Row 2 supported co-op online multiplayer gameplay. Also, players were able to engage in competitive mode modes online if they were bored after completing the main story for Saints Row 2. There are some people who would go on record and argue that Saints Row 2 was harder than its predecessor overall despite having the option to change the difficulty for the game.

Despite, not being quite as popular or successful as some of the GTA games from ’01-’04 Saints Row 2 was still a commercial success on consoles like PS3 & Xbox 360. By Q3 2010 it was reported that Saints Row 2 had reached at least 3.4 million copies worldwide in terms sales. Saints Row 2 could have possibly sold more in ’08 if Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV was not released within that same year. While we did eventually get a remastered version of Saints Row The Third back in 2020; Volition has confirmed on their Twitter that unfortunately Saints Row 2 will not be remastered for current generation consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Series X. Even though, we may never get a remastered version of Saints Row 2 it will always be regarded as the best installment within series along with Saints Row The Third from 2011.