Saints Row 2 is definitely more fun then GTA IV, but it's not the better game. Some things I can remember (I haven't played it in months) that GTA IV has that Saints Row 2 doesn't are:

Taxis to your destination. The instant warp there is great.

Being able to look around in the Taxi and ask the driver to change the station (which is funniest with Roman's drivers). Also, getting a wanted level and have the cops chase you while your driver tries his hardest to escape is a blast.

The TV shows, and comedy clubs.

I think the driving is better. I had no problems with the driving in Saints Row 2, but it feels better in GTA IV for some reason.

The internet feature.

Drunk driving is great. Try calling for a taxi while shit-faced. "HEY YELLOW CAR!!"

Dating is great, too. The reactions Niko has to the women are classic.

Better graphics and sound, but this isn't a big deal. The future DLC is a bonus, too.

Now the stuff that Saints Row 2 has that I wish GTA IV had:

Planes.

Mission checkpoints.

More activites. Saints Row 2 is the most fun because of these.

Customization options.

Better music.

Parachutes.

Throwing people.

Human shields.

I agree with most of your points nickdawgy... but I hated drunk driving. It made me nauseus.

Here's hoping that SR2 also gets some dlc love. They could easily expand with a new rival gang.

PS- the Brotherhood missions are fantastic. How the two gangs go back and forth at each other is great. I just completed the mission with the fireworks and Merrill (sp?) driving the monster truck :)

I am LOVING this game so far. Got a little bored with GTA4 and SR2 rocks. I love the music and mission checkpoints, but as has been said I miss the taxis. I don't mess around with it a lot, but I definitely liked making my own character to begin with. Very cool.

I'm also glad SR2 is a little more generous with the wanted level, i.e you have to do a bit more damage before the cops are on you. GREAT game overall, and I'm liking it much better than SR1.

It's much easier to evade the cops in SR2 and you can even pull into the "Forgive & Forget" garages with a cop car :)
I always avoided making too much of a ruckus in GTA because getting away from the cops was a chore.

I dig the Mayhem missions. Blowing massive amounts of shit up with a rocket launcher never gets old.

Re: homies/gang members/AI teammates: it's great to have backup, especially in Pushbacks. I also like having the ability to bring them back to life. It's nice not to fail a mission just because a mission critical NPC got him or herself killed... which happened all the time in GTA4. But the AI is horrible at times. Sometimes they get stuck because they refuse to step up/jump over a curb, yet they have no problem hurdling a fence. And heaven forbid one of your homies actually picks up a rocket launcher... he'll shoot that thing around wrecklessly like its a pistol.

I agree with you on both parts, the animation when the character falls down. The bugs the crap out of me. The driving isn't realistic, like most things in this game.

That's part of the reason why I love it so much. GTA IV, which I thoroughly enjoyed, tried to be too realistic. They tried to make a straight-on 3rd person game with cinematics rather than a true sandbox game with tons of different options. If I had known this, maybe I would've enjoyed it more. And despite that, the cinematics and missions were much more fun in Saints Row 2. I loved the bank robbery mission in GTA IV, the only mission, I can remember, but it was also done in Vice City. I loved going on dates and picking up hookers, you can't do that in Saint's Row 2. But the good in Saint's Row 2 far outweighs the bad.

Human shields was something GTA IV should've thought up. The one bank hostage mission was so great and innovative and more importantly, fun. Oh, and little thing I always thought they should have had since Vice City, riding a motorcycle while cutting people up with a katana. I had always though that would be cool, even though SR2 isn't quite as bloody as Vice City or San Andreas.

When I completed GTA IV, I was relieved that it was finally over. I had pretty much the opposite reaction with SR2, and savored the last few missions.

Perhaps Saint's Row 2 isn't better than GTA IV in every way. However, since so many critics kissed Rockstar's ass, I feel like needing to defend Saint's Row 2, a truly superior game.

So, who's in for multiplayer?

Good point, but I think the cops chase you easier on some things. Like if you crash into a stop sign or hit another car, the cops will give chase. In GTA IV, they don't.

Two very good points. So annoying when you fail in GTA IV because of someone else.

I still have to finish GTA IV, was the ending any good? I think I had just completed the bank robbery mission when I stopped playing in June or so :lol:

I'll play multiplayer sometime to get some achievements. Same for Fable II. My GT is babycow93.

I noticed that you can do the Taxi warp in SR2 today. You have to call the cab company and the car they send has the option to get in as a passenger.

That's not a warp, is it? They just drive you there I am assuming.

No, it's a warp. You pick where you want to go then the screen fades and you appear at the location. The thing is, you can only do it once a day and you can't flag down a taxi either.

Once per day? That stinks, what was the point of limiting it to once per day. Sometimes I don't feel like driving from one side of the map to the other.

Anyone know how to perform a "mugging" in his game? Is it an actual activity you need to initiate or can you just walk up to someone and pop them in the face and take their cash once they're dead?

Go into 'aim mode' (click on right stick on 360) and hold the aim cursor on the person's body. Most of them put their hands up and look scared. Keep holding it on them for a few seconds and they throw down their cash and run away. Some of the in-game characters will just run or ignore you, though. And antagonistic characters (rival gangs, cops) will attack you.

The characters say the funniest things when they're getting mugged. One guy was like "Tell my little boy I love him" and one of the college kids on the university said "W. T. F."

I saw a couple sitting on a park bench and the woman says to her man (as she's sitting on his lap) "You love your dogs more than me!" LOL -- I shot him in the face for being such a douche. :)

Seem to be stuck.....beat all the gangs and am now vs Ultor. I finish the mission where I have to kill all the executives on the boat and after that the map just shows one Ultor stronghold BUT there's nothing there to do. I'm at the location the icon shows but....nada. What's up with that? It seems like there's two missions left (according to the newspaper clippings you can access in your cribs) but obviously they're locked.

Anyone here beat the game yet that can tell me what's going on?

You have to actually go down an elevator into the mall to get to that mission. If your on the street, look to the right of the location on the map and theres a place with an ultor sign walk in and to the back and you should see the elevator.

It was a pain in the ass to find for me too.

Thanks, will do that tonight.

I also had trouble finding that mission.

I had trouble finding where to go towards the end of the last mission. Holy crap I got so frustrated.

I read that Saints Row 3 is already in the works.

That is awesome to hear.

And supposedly they're going in a very different direction with it...no word on what that means yet.

Forgot where I heard it, but someone said that Saints Row 3 would be based outside of Stilwater, and with a whole new cast.

Anyone else found the "super secret area?" Its an island to the west with a statue inside its cave. Anyone know what its used for or if its nothing?

It's not really used for anything. It's really nice looking, graphically. It's also the only place that has fish in the water.

IIRC, there are ~32 secret areas to find - i found a list on IGN a week or so back. much like the i do not think they advance gameplay.

Got this game yesterday and ive logged 11 hours. Excellent game, love the story once again.

Re: Saints Row 2
 

So way late in the game on this one. Just popped it in for 1st time yesterday after grabbing the CE deal from Amazon.

Maybe I missed it but when I created my character could I not select a hairstyle? Do I need to go to a barber and pay or something?

Also, why were the only 3 voices I could pick for a guy:
-British accent
-Gangsta
-Spanish
My british accent is driving me nuts.

It is a fun game. I normally hate anything with lots of driving but I really like the SR series. Had kinda forgotten how SR1 worked with the earning of respect, etc. Looking forward to doing more if the mini missions.

Also pretty sweet hopping into a car and having The Thermals on the radio :)

Re: Saints Row 2
 

To change your hair, you have to go to a plastic surgeon.

Re: Saints Row 2
 

I hadn't played SR1, but I'm enjoying SR2. I'll agree that the "quality" (ie, polish) of the game isn't up to the same level of GTAIV, but I do like lots of things about it. The activities and missions are varied and plentiful, and the way they're done means I can progress through the game even if I get stuck on one place. The game is definitely more over-the-top and satirical, and while I liked GTA's story, I like the multiple threads in SR2 perhaps a little more. This sounds weird but SR2 is a "lighter" game--although Bank Account In Your Favor and Red Asphalt definitely gave me "holy shit" moments.
Driving's still a little wonky, I have trouble steering and shooting; getting a henchman helps, as does Cruise Control.

I like some of the music better in SR2, some better in GTAIV. Not a dealbreaker or maker in any way. Mission checkpoints rock. I think the depth of some things in GTAIV was impressive--internet, TV, dating--but apart from using them a few times for the novelty, and if I had to during the story, I stopped using them.

My biggest complaint about SR2 is...holy crap, is it chintzy with the achievements. I'm not an achievement whore, but I'm 30% or so of the way through, and I've gotten 15 points. And many of them are "Complete the whole subplot through co-op." Which I might do if it had local co-op, like the box implies. Anyway, it's definitely not a "great" game in terms of graphics or solid coding, but it's fun, and that's what it's about...

Re: Saints Row 2
 

I just can't get into this game, I mean I want to, I really do but after playing GTA IV for so long, it just doesn't compare.

The vehicles drive like bricks and I can't get attached to the gameplay at all.

With that said though, I do give it the edge in the fun department but with that said, the shoddy graphics and controls take me out of the fun as well.

They have already been working on saints row 3 for months now. I really hope they beef up the graphics and detail - I would love to see a serious GTA contender made out of Saints Row - they have the potential and hop they pull it off.

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Maybe it is me liking a more arcade style driving game but i found the driving in Saints Row 2 to be significantly easier to control than the cars in GTAIV.

I hadn't heard they were working on SR3 so that news makes me pretty happy.

Re: Saints Row 2
 

yeah, the driving in SR2 is way better than GTA IV....

Re: Saints Row 2
 

Again, it's all prefernce. In GTA IV I can spin out and get back on track like it's nobody business (ok, that was a little goofy) but seriously, The car control feels much more relastic in GTA and I can actally predict and feel what wil happen upon the next movement I perform - I don't get that in Saints Row 2 - it's horrendous buuuuuut again, different strokes for different folks.

xmiyux - yes, they took to making SR3 not even a couple of weeks after 2 was released which is always a plus considering they have something hot on their minds that they want to release.

Re: Saints Row 2
 

Yup.

In news, there's a new patch out to fix some Achievement issues relating to multiplayer and to prep for some DLC soon.

Re: Saints Row 2
 

yep, currently playing through co-op with a friend to get the rest of my cheeves :)

Re: Saints Row 2
 

That was the number one reason I gave my character a sex change, because the female voices were much less annoying.