Saints Row 2

 PC
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 550 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 290 out of 550
  2. Mixed: 156 out of 550
  3. Negative: 104 out of 550
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  1. fhouse
    Aug 14, 2012
    7
    Terrible port of a fantastic game. You have to install the Gentlemen of the Row mod to fix up all the problems of this buggy mess. (Don't worry, the mod can be configured to be just like the vanilla game, without any useless modifications done by overenthusiastic modders.) Otherwise the story is great, the city feels great, the activities and the customization are fun.
  2. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    6
    This port is a mess.. a serious mess. There is a mod to fix the issues, but we're reviewing the vanilla version of the game here so the rating will be only 6/10. The driving is awful, optimalization doesn't exist. I had 15-25 frames through most of the game and it was a hell to finish this. Basically unplayable. But I loved the story. The most serious game from the SR series. ReallyThis port is a mess.. a serious mess. There is a mod to fix the issues, but we're reviewing the vanilla version of the game here so the rating will be only 6/10. The driving is awful, optimalization doesn't exist. I had 15-25 frames through most of the game and it was a hell to finish this. Basically unplayable. But I loved the story. The most serious game from the SR series. Really enjoyed it, but the optimalization kills the gameplay. Install the mods and you'll survive through this. Pickens approves!… Expand
  3. BlacksitePSU
    Oct 6, 2011
    7
    While the writing in Saints Row 2 may not be as compelling as GTA IV, and its visuals not as polished, the game does offer some redeeming gameplay mechanics, such as the ability to use random pedestrians as meat shields and throw them into oncoming traffic. Most of the missions are a lot of fun. I must admit though that the "boss battles" are ridiculously easily. And there are a lot ofWhile the writing in Saints Row 2 may not be as compelling as GTA IV, and its visuals not as polished, the game does offer some redeeming gameplay mechanics, such as the ability to use random pedestrians as meat shields and throw them into oncoming traffic. Most of the missions are a lot of fun. I must admit though that the "boss battles" are ridiculously easily. And there are a lot of fun things to do around Stilwater which help boost your Respect rating to unlock more missions and progress the story even further. Customization could offer a lot more -- and this is what surprised me the most -- because there is more stuff to buy (mainly clothes) in a game like GTA: San Andreas than there is in Saints Row 2. Not a big fan of the music in this game either. The game has been patched and that supposedly fixed a lot of the bugs that people were complaining about as well as adding 16:9 resolution support. As far as PC optimization goes, Saints Row 2 was no doubt built to be played on consoles, but for its low price on Steam, it's practically as steal.… Expand
  4. edik
    May 23, 2012
    7
    This game is like non-serious Grand Theft Auto. Gangstas, black people, pimps, hos, flat jokes, absurd weapons, more black people, nice cars. Every black stereotype presents in this game, excluding watermelons and chicken wings. But the PC port is bad - game runs fast-forward, so you must use speed-hack to control speed, keyboard controls is awful (glad I have a 360 controller), it canThis game is like non-serious Grand Theft Auto. Gangstas, black people, pimps, hos, flat jokes, absurd weapons, more black people, nice cars. Every black stereotype presents in this game, excluding watermelons and chicken wings. But the PC port is bad - game runs fast-forward, so you must use speed-hack to control speed, keyboard controls is awful (glad I have a 360 controller), it can crash after cut-scene, leaving you unsaved and outraged. But I love it, it's the type of a game I was searching for a long time… Expand
  5. ReviewScope
    Jan 16, 2015
    7
    There was a free weekend for the entire Saints Row franchise and I already had Sr3 and 4, so I decided to give this one a go!

    Pros: The open world is huge and a joy to explore, there are lots of places you can walk into, lots of activities for you to do and its just generally impressive. The characters might not be the best, but in my opinion, they are really memorable and (mostly)    There was a free weekend for the entire Saints Row franchise and I already had Sr3 and 4, so I decided to give this one a go!

    Pros:
    The open world is huge and a joy to explore, there are lots of places you can walk into, lots of activities for you to do and its just generally impressive.
    The characters might not be the best, but in my opinion, they are really memorable and (mostly) live on to be classics in the series.
    There is a mod called "Gentleman in the row", which fixes a lot of the problems mentioned below:

    Cons:
    The controls are bottom line HORRIBLE. When walking and in combat, its OK, however when driving, they are absolutely abysmal and slippery, much worse than in GTA IV.
    The graphics, even for the time, are not very good. Character models look dated and textures are fairly weak. Yes, the shadows are good, but very basic. Even though I am not one to fuss over graphics, Saints Row 2 does look very dated in comparison to other games and even later entries in the series.
    The frame rate is all over the place. Sometimes, it is really high, then its really low. Explain that????

    Overall, Saints Row 2 is a very good game, however, PC issues really bring it down. I recommend downloading the gentleman of the row mod to fix some of these issues as it really makes the game feel a lot better. The game gets an extra point for the gameplay after installing the mod.

    Original Score: 6/10
    Score with mod: 7/10    … Expand
  6. TheWildBlue
    Jan 4, 2015
    7
    I cannot, in good faith, give this title higher than a 7.

    It's my favorite in the series, one of my favorite games of all time even, but the PC optimization was horrid. Even with GoTR mod installed, this port still struggles to struggle at times.

    Don't like the idea of Gat Outta Hell? You're not alone. Play SR2+SR:TT instead, and forgot the series ever happened after that.
  7. memyself
    Jan 26, 2009
    7
    A great fun and very crazily funny game that will keep you enjoying every sandbox madness and much more, every ka-boombing mission
    it's only flaw: you need a powerful pc even to run it on everything low: My -XP intel core 2 duo 2.5ghz, 3gb ram, nvidia 8600m gt 512mb- runs it ok on low until i get in a car and smash stuff, then it goes "not so smooth"
  8. dandalis
    Jan 18, 2022
    7
    This has to be the best Saints Row game and still the best alternative to GTA out there even after all these years. Especially if you're a fan of GTA San Andreas, since SR2 takes the ''Gangsta'' theme concept to the next level and builds an entire game around it, with great results.

    Building up the 3rd Street Saints back from ground up is satisfying as the story progresses, and you're    This has to be the best Saints Row game and still the best alternative to GTA out there even after all these years. Especially if you're a fan of GTA San Andreas, since SR2 takes the ''Gangsta'' theme concept to the next level and builds an entire game around it, with great results.

    Building up the 3rd Street Saints back from ground up is satisfying as the story progresses, and you're offered some fun options around the gang mechanics and it's customization. Stillwater is an impressively detailed game world for a 2008 game considering it was up against GTA 4's Liberty City at the time. There is a lot diversity in terms of the districts in Stillwater, each with it's own unique identity, suprising amount of interiors to explore, NPC's doing different things around the city making it feel alive.

    Story feels like a perfect blend of goofiness and seriousness, and while the main story is relatively short, there is still plenty of variety offered in terms of mission design and how you tackle the 3 rival gangs, aswell as the 4th faction later on in the game. Side activities feel like mini missions in on themselves. The character builder is another neat aspect of the game, offering quite a bit of choice and detail in how you want your Boss to look like, which gets enhanched later on as you play, with the game giving you a nice amount of visual customization via buying clothes and jewelry across several branded stores in Stillwater. Buying cribs was another good feature, and them being customizable made it even better.

    Combat in the game also kind of stands out, especially in terms of melee weapons, aswell as the ability to pick up a ton of objects from the game world's environment and use them to beat up your foes. The different martial art styles offer a welcome addition to melee combat depth too. The gun selection is ok and feel mostly satisfying to use when blasting enemies.

    But there is one irritating issue with the PC version that keeps it down, it's unsuprisingly the optimization, or lack there of. The core problem is the stuttering that regularly occurs, which gets especially problematic when you're driving. And speaking of driving, it's underwhelming in terms of feel, and if you're playing with a mouse and keyboard, it's even worse since the driving mechanics are way too sensitive and twitchy with keyboard inputs. And since you're doing a lot of driving in a game like this, it gets on your nerves eventually. When flying airplanes a similiar issue persists. Besides the stuttering issue, the game runs fine.    … Expand
  9. chrisr
    Feb 23, 2009
    6
    Saints Row2 seems to be ok to me. It plays good on my Q8200 quad core and my HD4870x2 graphic card. I think SR2 a hole lot better game than GTA4 at least you can save your progress on SR2 where as GTA4 you cant unless your connect to windows live I brought GTA4 to end up taking it back because it would not connect the windows live server after downloading all the patches and trying for a Saints Row2 seems to be ok to me. It plays good on my Q8200 quad core and my HD4870x2 graphic card. I think SR2 a hole lot better game than GTA4 at least you can save your progress on SR2 where as GTA4 you cant unless your connect to windows live I brought GTA4 to end up taking it back because it would not connect the windows live server after downloading all the patches and trying for a whole week to get it work but with no luck I took my copy back and got my money back. So for now I am happy with SR2 unless I find issues later on in the game.… Expand
  10. AlienSpaceBats
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    Saints Row 2 deserves far better treatment than this badly optimised POS console port. Almost unplayable in places, suffers from awful vehicle controls (mouse/keyboard), Windows prefetching issues, and infuriating AI, however its countless technical issues can't disguise a brilliant game that has just about everything.
  11. Playtapus
    Feb 11, 2012
    6
    The game was okay. I like the fact that you get to build the gang up, as in Saints Row Three you're in more of a futuristic world that pisses you off. It's a pretty bad port, as the driving is terrible and the glitches and bugs are horrendous. I only have 2.3 hours of playtime, and I don't plan on increasing the number.
  12. LomanJ
    Feb 10, 2009
    7
    I just have to say, the game is very good, but some peoples posts are showing complete noobness. Danny G, mate the keyboard control issue you are talking about is no way near as extreme as you've made it out to be. No one listen to these exaggerated, and obviously frustrated comments. The controls are NOT anything like that with keyboard. Your trying to run the game on a laptop, that I just have to say, the game is very good, but some peoples posts are showing complete noobness. Danny G, mate the keyboard control issue you are talking about is no way near as extreme as you've made it out to be. No one listen to these exaggerated, and obviously frustrated comments. The controls are NOT anything like that with keyboard. Your trying to run the game on a laptop, that explains it all. Mate with those specs, I'm surprised the game starts, the 4GB of RAM does NOTHING over 2GB. It's a Turion first of all, and a GeForce 7600 "GO" do you realise that's probably as powerful as a 6600GT, which is now obsolete hardware. Why am I even continuing typing?… Expand
  13. ChuckJB
    Nov 12, 2010
    5
    Saints Row 2 is a gritty third person sandbox style adventure which plunks the player into the seedy gang life of a generic urban landscape. The game begins with the player breaking out of prison and beginning a non-linear journey to rebuild his gang to its former glory. The massive environment, over the top ridiculous characters, free form quests, and support for online coop play areSaints Row 2 is a gritty third person sandbox style adventure which plunks the player into the seedy gang life of a generic urban landscape. The game begins with the player breaking out of prison and beginning a non-linear journey to rebuild his gang to its former glory. The massive environment, over the top ridiculous characters, free form quests, and support for online coop play are clearly this titleâ… Expand
  14. ColeYote
    Jan 6, 2013
    6
    I'll give the game itself an 8.5, but the port knocks it down to a 6. It's not a very good PC port. The worst flaw is that it's unplayable on Windows 7 unmodded. Runs about twice as fast as it's supposed to. Fortunately, I was able to find a mod (Saints Row Powertools) that fixes this issue.
  15. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    5
    A sandbox game full of wacky companions, ridiculous storylines, and tons of missions. SR2 has much better world design and customization than 3; however, after beating the formulaic missions there isn't much to do besides activities. The only collectables are CDs to make custom playlists (most of the music sucks) and your territory control is completed passively while doing missions.A sandbox game full of wacky companions, ridiculous storylines, and tons of missions. SR2 has much better world design and customization than 3; however, after beating the formulaic missions there isn't much to do besides activities. The only collectables are CDs to make custom playlists (most of the music sucks) and your territory control is completed passively while doing missions. Probably the strongest point of SR2 is the cutscenes with their amusing character facial expressions, good camera work, and funny dialog. If you are looking for a less serious sandbox game then SR2 & 3 are both good options. Overall I think SR3 is better but they both have their fair share of issues. You will most likely have trouble getting this working because it is such a poor port. It has a lot of graphical, sound, and stability issues so be prepared to dig around for mods & fixes.… Expand
  16. Klewer
    Jun 21, 2014
    5
    Not a bad entry in to this genre, fans of the open world mission style crime game will no doubt enjoy but a dodgy PC port as well as an average story hold it back.
  17. GBowles
    Jan 5, 2013
    5
    There is such a thing as gameplay being too fast paced. The human brain can't react quick enough to the speed that this game moves at. Horrible PC port too.
  18. Tomasxj
    Aug 11, 2014
    5
    This is the worst Console to PC port ever. The fps is very bad, you need a PC from 2014 to run this game without any kind of lag even though this was released in 2009. The driving is just horrendous. Controls overall are **** Graphics are not that good too. There were some goods things though. The customization is awesome, missions can be fun and free roam is awesome. Sometimes this gameThis is the worst Console to PC port ever. The fps is very bad, you need a PC from 2014 to run this game without any kind of lag even though this was released in 2009. The driving is just horrendous. Controls overall are **** Graphics are not that good too. There were some goods things though. The customization is awesome, missions can be fun and free roam is awesome. Sometimes this game CAN be fun but you really have to overcome all of its flaws to enjoy anything in this game. Simply put, it's not worth getting this game on PC just get it on a PS3 or Xbox 360… Expand
  19. funboyfun23
    Oct 15, 2013
    5
    A couple years ago I played this game at a friends house on the PS3, so when I got this game on sale I was pretty excited to re-visit the experience I had when playing on the PS3.

    Bottom line is that this a TERRIBLE ported game. The graphics are terrible, even on the HIGHEST settings, the car mechanics are lazy and stupid, and when driving around a corner or just going straight,    A couple years ago I played this game at a friends house on the PS3, so when I got this game on sale I was pretty excited to re-visit the experience I had when playing on the PS3.

    Bottom line is that this a TERRIBLE ported game. The graphics are terrible, even on the HIGHEST settings, the car mechanics are lazy and stupid, and when driving around a corner or just going straight, decently fast the frame rate goes extremely low for some reason even though my computer can run tons of other games that have better graphics on HIGH, this is an utter disappointment.

    Not to mention having to get enough respect to play a mission is beyond annoying, I spent 30-an hour usually just to get enough respect to play a 15 minute mission which drives me INSANE.

    In the end, even though the missions are fun and challenging it doesn't make up for many of the technical glitches, random frame rate drops, car mechanics and annoying respect.

    Would get this game when is on a big sale but otherwise I would buy this on a console, or just get Saints row 3 or 4.    … Expand
  20. 12Elise4
    Feb 9, 2014
    6
    I really like this game, but it honestly could be better. The controls are pretty good, the graphics aren't though. They are almost like the sims 2 graphics where you don't have too much detail to anything. The storyline is also pretty weak not much to it to say it's good. If you free play this game, you can find total enjoyment toward that. Otherwise if you want a good storyline andI really like this game, but it honestly could be better. The controls are pretty good, the graphics aren't though. They are almost like the sims 2 graphics where you don't have too much detail to anything. The storyline is also pretty weak not much to it to say it's good. If you free play this game, you can find total enjoyment toward that. Otherwise if you want a good storyline and graphic and whatever else good things gamers find in games, this game lacks in all of them. (if that made any sense) I wouldn't say I regretted buying this game at all because it's good entertainment, just not a Grammy winning game or anything.… Expand
  21. BLAZETHEMCKIDD
    Nov 2, 2014
    6
    i played this game after playing sr3 and i must say this game is mediocre it does not compare to sr3 and evan less so to my 3rd favorite game of all time sr1 this game is mediocre at best and i think it would be better of not made
  22. tsakiym
    May 15, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  23. AlexeySoltan
    Oct 15, 2021
    5
    awfull shooting. unrealistic. but ok ..
  24. Izoeros
    Apr 26, 2022
    7
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  25. JDawg
    Feb 10, 2009
    7
    To the Digital-Vice guy, you are a game reviewer? Well... you shouldn't be, period. You would've been better off leaving out the place you review for, because you just lost all credibility from your comment. The game is great fun, but needs a patch or two and QUICKLY, being only $39.99 on Steam is a massive advantage, as long as they keep supporting the game and patch it fast. To the Digital-Vice guy, you are a game reviewer? Well... you shouldn't be, period. You would've been better off leaving out the place you review for, because you just lost all credibility from your comment. The game is great fun, but needs a patch or two and QUICKLY, being only $39.99 on Steam is a massive advantage, as long as they keep supporting the game and patch it fast. Considering I haven't had any of these technical issues so many others have had with GTA: IV I can only feel sorry for them. And if you've written off the game, due to the issues, your really missing out. But if your complaining that a game doesn't run with a system close to or even JUST exceeding the minimum system requirements, you haven't obviously been around the PC Games long enough. A game will NEVER run even GOOD on a system with the minimum requirements. It will RUN the game, but that doesn't mean it will be playable, it will at least start though. This has been the case since the 90's. It's nothing new, and you all have to start realising the minimum requirements aren't going to provide you with a flawless playable FPS. It's annoying, and misleading, but that's the way it always has been. You should look at a games recommended requirements, as being the minimum requirements to have the game running at a playable rate. I have the recommended requirements for GTA: IV and I get 40+ FPS on average, but everything is at LOW and view distance is at around 25 this is @ 1680x1050. The 2 games are very different, and TRY to be. So comparing them directly is silly. GTA has always tried to be the more life-like, and I prefer that. The physics are absolutely amazing, and with SR2 it's more about providing a fun time no matter what your doing in the game, rather than simulating a life-like story. Which is just as great, but has much more technical issues than GTA IV. Which HOPEFULLY gets fixed, because it really is/can be a GREAT game. But it needs a few weeks.… Expand
  26. TylerL
    Jan 1, 2010
    7
    Great Game but as everyone else is saying, it is a horrible xbox 360 port to pc, there not bugs, but more like frame skip, even on a gtx 275 it struggled.
  27. Shimmeywill
    Mar 26, 2020
    5
    A bit more immersive than the later titles in the series but ultimately a mediocre game compared to other open world titles at the time.
  28. Tonarestriga
    Jul 18, 2020
    7
    Despite how long ago this game came out this game is still a lot of fun. Due to how long ago it came out it has its fair amount of issues as well. As with my past reviews I will test the pros and cons of my play through. As a side note this game on Steam is so unstable it is unplayable but works just fine on GOG.

    Pros:interesting mini-games, immersive characters, interesting selection    Despite how long ago this game came out this game is still a lot of fun. Due to how long ago it came out it has its fair amount of issues as well. As with my past reviews I will test the pros and cons of my play through. As a side note this game on Steam is so unstable it is unplayable but works just fine on GOG.

    Pros:interesting mini-games, immersive characters, interesting selection of weapons, interesting selection of cars as well as modifications.

    Cons:honestly the only real issue I had with this game was vehicle control. It did not matter if I was on land, in the water, or in the air I was fighting to control the vehicles. With a huge chunk of this game focusing on the vehicles this can be detrimental to the feel of the game.    … Expand
  29. KevinH27
    Apr 27, 2020
    6
    Honestly, this game is ok, there are still some odds. However, the storyline is great and the characters are kind of cool. But the one thing, it can't be played well on PC, I would recommend consoles such as Xbox 360 and PS3, it is a bit hard to control at all, it should be optimized better. The graphic is disappointed, perhaps it is just equal to GTA SA. How can I say, a game made inHonestly, this game is ok, there are still some odds. However, the storyline is great and the characters are kind of cool. But the one thing, it can't be played well on PC, I would recommend consoles such as Xbox 360 and PS3, it is a bit hard to control at all, it should be optimized better. The graphic is disappointed, perhaps it is just equal to GTA SA. How can I say, a game made in 2009, is just equal to a game made in 2003. The sound is just okay, maybe 3/5. It is still worth the price (10-15$).… Expand
  30. Gorbunov2004
    Aug 15, 2021
    6
    Ужасно затянутая игра, и ужасно раздражает перед каждой миссией надо обязательно накапливать авторитет. Управление машиной почти на грани, стрельба нормальная персонажи неинтересные. Самый наверно интересный это главный герой у него хоть есть немного харизмы. Редактор создания персонажа достаточно неплохой можно создавать прям редкостных уродов.Ужасно затянутая игра, и ужасно раздражает перед каждой миссией надо обязательно накапливать авторитет. Управление машиной почти на грани, стрельба нормальная персонажи неинтересные. Самый наверно интересный это главный герой у него хоть есть немного харизмы. Редактор создания персонажа достаточно неплохой можно создавать прям редкостных уродов.
  31. Hikayeci
    May 5, 2021
    6
    Her ne kadar çöp bir oyun olsa da, ben bu oyunu beğeniyorum. Çünkü diğer saints row oyunlarından daha farklı.
  32. Makowiec
    Aug 25, 2022
    7
    plot quite good, tiring mechanics quite often, headshot you had to shoot a few times to kill someone, even with a deagle or other typical one-shot weapon, a lot of bugs also tired me here, despite everything I completed the game so there is nothing to talk about and it was not the worst for sure, I was also tired of the opytmalization, of the good things I would still mention, a fairlyplot quite good, tiring mechanics quite often, headshot you had to shoot a few times to kill someone, even with a deagle or other typical one-shot weapon, a lot of bugs also tired me here, despite everything I completed the game so there is nothing to talk about and it was not the worst for sure, I was also tired of the opytmalization, of the good things I would still mention, a fairly good creation of gangs a long time of gameplay well created main missions, although side missions and the fact that for each mission you needed respect also a little annoying

    I forgot to add that you have to fire the entire magazine at the policeman who wants to ram you and he will still ram you and get out of the car in time to shoot you XD    … Expand
  33. PenetratorGod
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    It's an interesting game. Although it is not an RPG game, it has a very deep character creation screen. Even for the year it was released, I found this aspect very successful. The story and gameplay were not bad either. The fact that we can create our character in the game saved the game from being a bad GTA copy.
  34. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    5
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  35. Dovahkiin314
    Jun 19, 2023
    5
    While I've heard the game is the best in the Franchise and the characters and the story are fun, the dated graphics and lack of many things(I had to look up how fast travel worked and even then it didn't really work) such as upgrading weapons are what hold it back for me, as I tried to get into the game but getting spawned halfway across the map from where I was supposed to go really annoyed me.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. IGN AU
    80
    On the surface, Saints Row is an easy game to hate. Actually, I have a feeling that a lot of players and reviewers will write this game off for the sheer stupidity at play at all times. But to do so would be a big disservice to a game that tries hard to do a lot of things and show you a good time. Did we have a good time? Definitely.
    Read full review
  2. Cheat Code Central
    76
    This game is little more than a lowbrow, yet humorous, thug-life simulator.
    Read full review
  3. Gameplanet
    85
    A real challenge to... you know, that other sandbox game... Saints Row 2 expands on the original with a dizzying level of complexity. Stilwater is back and bigger than ever - there's so much to see and do you'll be entertained for hours.
    Read full review
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