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. artem5297
    Mar 11, 2014
    10
    Это просто прекрасная, яркая и необычная игра, гораздо лучше всех игр из серии GTA.
    Кроч., стоит попробовать.
  9. 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
  10. SHAFT3D
    Feb 27, 2009
    10
    I have finished Saints Row 2, twice now on the PC. I agree with many users that the game has some technical flaws in it control system. But all in all I loved it (mind you I did resort to using a 360 controller). The game offers a few things that GTA doesn't, hence why it is getting my support. I love the fact that you are able to store you cars / helicopters / planes / boats, I also I have finished Saints Row 2, twice now on the PC. I agree with many users that the game has some technical flaws in it control system. But all in all I loved it (mind you I did resort to using a 360 controller). The game offers a few things that GTA doesn't, hence why it is getting my support. I love the fact that you are able to store you cars / helicopters / planes / boats, I also love the fact you can customize your cars to suite you style. A feature GTA does not offer to my knowledge. And the list of side missions and diversions is huge. I have uncounted at least one new diversion every time I play. I would defiantly recommend this game to anyone that has a platform that can support it, and if you can ... get a 360 controller. Makes life in still water a breeze.… Expand
  11. AshtonBarratt
    Jan 26, 2009
    8
    Very well designed game, has a good plot. Very nice gameplay, has many cars and a variety of weapons. Great game especially if you love sandbox! Definitely worth your $40 compared to $60 on the 360. I do admit, it can be quite laggy even for my 2100$ velocity with a nice gamecard, i dont know what it takes to be regular...must be an alienware...
  12. GordonMartell
    Jan 8, 2009
    9
    This game is the most fun I've ever had in a sandbox type game. It beats the hell out of GTA4 in terms of fun factor and customization. Its not perfect but defiantly worth picking up for $40. If you don't have fun playing this game, you aren't a real gamer.
  13. LeeW
    Sep 9, 2009
    9
    For the select few of us with a macho computer, this game runs and plays well. The whole game is so diverse in everything you can do in Stilwater, the cinematics are brilliantly choreographed and cinematography is excellent, hilarious and sad lines are delivered by the cast flawlessly, and the gameplay is all around great. However, the optimization is poor. I can run it at a smooth 30 FPS For the select few of us with a macho computer, this game runs and plays well. The whole game is so diverse in everything you can do in Stilwater, the cinematics are brilliantly choreographed and cinematography is excellent, hilarious and sad lines are delivered by the cast flawlessly, and the gameplay is all around great. However, the optimization is poor. I can run it at a smooth 30 FPS through and through, but sometimes I get that drop. At first I was going to childishly tell off the people that couldn't play the game with its graphics engine about how they should lower the settings, but I checked the settings menu, and it turns out there weren't many to lower. There are no texture or model detail settings to change, but you can turn things like shadows and depth of field off, but my framerate still stayed at thirty when just staring down at a floor. That is, though, most likely because there would be a framerate cap added to make it stay that way. I normally hate consoles with dread, but unless you have an above-average computer, this is probably a console choice.… Expand
  14. JoeH
    Dec 30, 2009
    1
    Horribly ported over to the PC, all the menues still refer to a game pad (the 360 one by the looks of things....) and even the buttons on screen when changing weapons are the 360's! How lazy is that? they couldn't change it to an arrow? That is how the rest of the game plays. Cheap and nasty. Poorly optimized for the PC. Worst £10 I've spent in a long while!
  15. MarcosB
    Feb 12, 2009
    10
    Try playing the game with an avatar that looks like you. I mean seriously, you. It will be a much more fun experience, seeing yourself pimping, shooting and busting sh*t up. Yes the graphics are sub par, but honestly, I much rather play a game where I get to see myself doing crazy stunts as opposed to a Russian immigrant, whom I cannot relate to. I have never laughed so hard while playing Try playing the game with an avatar that looks like you. I mean seriously, you. It will be a much more fun experience, seeing yourself pimping, shooting and busting sh*t up. Yes the graphics are sub par, but honestly, I much rather play a game where I get to see myself doing crazy stunts as opposed to a Russian immigrant, whom I cannot relate to. I have never laughed so hard while playing a game, it's like watching an action movie with me as the star, that is priceless.… Expand
  16. JonJon
    Feb 27, 2009
    9
    A very enjoyable game. No performance issues for me, runs very well and looks pretty nice at max too. The game itself is fun to play, a little distance from the slightly grittier realism of GTA, having it's unrealistic and funny moments that give it some charm. With countless diversions and missions, I can see this game having me hooked for some time, not to mention the A very enjoyable game. No performance issues for me, runs very well and looks pretty nice at max too. The game itself is fun to play, a little distance from the slightly grittier realism of GTA, having it's unrealistic and funny moments that give it some charm. With countless diversions and missions, I can see this game having me hooked for some time, not to mention the customisation, which is a fantastic feature. I also own GTA, and SR2 may not be as polished or have so much attention to detail, but it is more like the old GTA's in that is is pure fun.… Expand
  17. Lennart
    Apr 15, 2009
    9
    Compared to the greatest Enemie GTA 4 you need to say, the graphic isn't as good. But its playable! The few bugs this game got so many bad votes from don't disturb the gameplay a bit, you can play for hours, without technical errors, like in GTA. The storyline is after all not new, but always thrilling and definately more interresting than the boring imigration drama, gta 4 came Compared to the greatest Enemie GTA 4 you need to say, the graphic isn't as good. But its playable! The few bugs this game got so many bad votes from don't disturb the gameplay a bit, you can play for hours, without technical errors, like in GTA. The storyline is after all not new, but always thrilling and definately more interresting than the boring imigration drama, gta 4 came up with. Important charakters are few, but well balanced and individual. Great + for the very individual charakter-editing options right from the beginning. You don't just get a charakter u have to live with, you create him/her right from the beginning. And the minigames.. when did you last time find a game where it always gets better? Taking part in a "bad cops" episode, showing what the viewers wanna see, spraying the rich-peoples phallus-symbols with sh*t, a Crash-Dome, fight clubs, after all its a lot of fun. Even if its not as unfair Hyped as GTA 4, which is still more a open Beta, than a playable game.… Expand
  18. HugoK
    Nov 25, 2009
    10
    While suffering from some framerate droppings here and there, no matter how you look at it, it's still the most hilarious sandbox games in existance (with the only possible exception of Garry's Mod). Co-op mayhem in an insane city? Yes please.
  19. christopherc
    Dec 20, 2009
    10
    vehicle customization is great purchasing and customizing your crib mini games flight control there is really so much to this game and the graphics are pretty good for all the detail displayed in the game.About 40 % complete and so far its been great!!! o ya and playing co-op is just a plus to the game :)
  20. lorenzol
    Dec 28, 2009
    10
    not as good lookin as gta 4. but alot more fun and alot more things to do than in gta 4 must own really fun!
  21. Chirs
    Dec 23, 2009
    10
    One of the funnest games ive ever played. This is what GTA IV would be if they hadnt decided to go so serious. Its like San Andres except with much more to do and much more fun
  22. BalleticMuse
    Dec 28, 2009
    10
    I absolutely love this game. It's quirky and lighthearted and has a ton of fun content of mini games and contests.
  23. Horrux
    Jul 1, 2012
    9
    This game is absolutely brilliant. No, seriously, I mean it. Its gameplay is awesomeness itself. OK, it's a pure console port and navigating the menus is a bother (Ctrl and shift for left and right in the menus? What?), and it is a single-threaded program, meaning that all your cores are unused by this game, save one, which in turn means that it will run relatively poorly for a game thatThis game is absolutely brilliant. No, seriously, I mean it. Its gameplay is awesomeness itself. OK, it's a pure console port and navigating the menus is a bother (Ctrl and shift for left and right in the menus? What?), and it is a single-threaded program, meaning that all your cores are unused by this game, save one, which in turn means that it will run relatively poorly for a game that is now 7 years old. The graphics were great for that era, but they definitely look dated in 2012. No matter! The gameplay! It's simply brilliant! 9/10.… Expand
  24. yojo98
    May 20, 2012
    9
    This game deserves much better. While it is not a great game in terms of graphics, its fantastic story and bad ass moments keep me feelings great. even though there is one very big difficulty spike in the game, overall combat is balanced. This game does not sacrifice game play and story for **** and sex jokes. Buy this instead. You wont regret it.
  25. ReviewZone212
    Feb 17, 2013
    10
    WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE HATERS, the game is awesome, fun, intresting, FREE and overall for 14.99 it's a must own game, buy it, NOW.
  26. KyleW.
    Jan 12, 2009
    9
    Saints Row 2 can be best described as a game that knows its copying another game but also knows that it
  27. hobib1
    Nov 26, 2010
    10
    This game is what GTA: IV would be, if it wasn't so serious. Customization is through the roof, and one of the best I have ever seen in a game. The quests, while at times somewhat frustrating, are fun and humorous. The sidekicks in the game are funny and memorable. Gat, a psychotic killer who constantly cracks jokes. Shaundi, a pothead who constantly steals Pierce's thunder and gets aroundThis game is what GTA: IV would be, if it wasn't so serious. Customization is through the roof, and one of the best I have ever seen in a game. The quests, while at times somewhat frustrating, are fun and humorous. The sidekicks in the game are funny and memorable. Gat, a psychotic killer who constantly cracks jokes. Shaundi, a pothead who constantly steals Pierce's thunder and gets around town. Pierce, a thug who whines about your music selection, loves opera, and is comic relief. The rival gangs are also quite memorable, from the hardcore tattooed Brotherhood, the voodoo practicing Sons of Jamaica, to the Japanese gang, the Ronin, ran by the pansy and spoiled son of a hardcore mobster. I do find it's rating to be completely undeserving, for it really is so much more fun than GTA. The only reason I can see why it doesn't have a higher rating, is because too many people have a boner for GTA and constantly, and unfairly, compare the two. The two games, while about open city crime, as two different philosophies. In GTA, its more "realistic" and "gritty", while SR2 is more about doing whatever the heck you want and not have some damn cousin calling you every 5mins. So I would recommend that Saints Row isnâ… Expand
  28. dq
    Jan 7, 2009
    10
    Its funny to most people cry they need a super cpu to run it. Just read back of box or web site, not fault but your own deal with it. This game rocks i give it a 10 because you can do so much on the game and coop is blast :)
  29. CD
    Jul 11, 2009
    10
    I have both GTA IV and SR2, and they're both good games. However, SR2 is a good game to screw around in. The only thing that's wrong with this game is that, occasionally (after about 45 minutes), the game will freeze for a quarter second or so. That and, on the PC version, the graphics sometimes get all buggy. But that's more of my graphics card over heating, which I have both GTA IV and SR2, and they're both good games. However, SR2 is a good game to screw around in. The only thing that's wrong with this game is that, occasionally (after about 45 minutes), the game will freeze for a quarter second or so. That and, on the PC version, the graphics sometimes get all buggy. But that's more of my graphics card over heating, which doesn't have anything to do with the game.… Expand
  30. dumle
    Sep 17, 2012
    2
    This game is a technical mess. You could even go as far as calling it broken. Add that the game feels like a lazy port at best. I mean some parts of the game doesn't even function properly on keyboard and mouse. It feels like absolutely no effort has been but in the port and quite frankly its embarrassing. And even if i ignore all those problems the game still manages to disappoint. TheThis game is a technical mess. You could even go as far as calling it broken. Add that the game feels like a lazy port at best. I mean some parts of the game doesn't even function properly on keyboard and mouse. It feels like absolutely no effort has been but in the port and quite frankly its embarrassing. And even if i ignore all those problems the game still manages to disappoint. The driving is ,bad which is unforgivable in a sandbox game such as this. The action feels dated and more similar to GTA: San Andreas than any newer sandbox games. It short it feels static, non-responsive and the AI is a mess that cant aim for **** I wont criticize the story too much since i didnt come to far into the game, but what i saw didn't impress me. No this game feels dated and unfinished even if you ignore all the the other problems which you clearly shouldn't, I heard that this game was supposed to be really good on consoles but sadly i haven't seen anything even resembling that when playing this game on pc. Stay away from this one.… Expand
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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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