Saints Row 2 confirmed for PS3, Xbox 360

by Jason Dobson { Sep 24th 2007 at 3:15PM }

THQ has announced that its internal studio Volition is developing Saints Row 2 for release on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008. The game will mark the series' first appearance on the PlayStation 3, after the previously planned port of the Xbox 360 original was canceled earlier this year, with funds from that project reportedly being channeled towards the development of Saints Row 2.

According to THQ, the return to the open world of Stilwater will feature a number of improvements over the original, including both online co-op and competitive multiplayer gang banging, as well as a collection of new rides and customizable cribs, gangs, character gender, age, and voices. In addition, THQ marketing guru Scott Guthrie suggests that Saints Row 2's story is also getting a face lift, describing the narrative as "much darker and more sinister" than the first game.

Released in 2006, the GTA-inspired original Saints Row was met with generally positive reviews, though admittedly it had little competition with which to contend when released. The real test will be next year, when the sequel shares shelf space with Rockstar's hotly anticipated GTA IV.

Tags: coop, crib, gangbang, saintsrow, thq, volition

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Marty @ Sep 24th 2007 3:19PM

I always had a hard time getting into the original, mostly because the framerate was so crappy. Let's hope that the sequel can at least maintain a constant 30 FPS.

Obie @ Sep 24th 2007 4:20PM

Generic Urban crime simulator = Meh

Shagittarius @ Sep 24th 2007 3:22PM

This is not teh haloz news! joystiq is bias!

LiasonAngel08 @ Sep 24th 2007 4:03PM

Actually this is unbiased news which is pretty surprising IMHO. Considering all the articles thus far today.

Anyways I look forward to hearing more about the game...although it will have to do a lot to convince me that its as good as GTA IV is being hyped up to be.

GRANTED @ Sep 24th 2007 4:14PM

Actually, way to pick up on teh sarcazmz.

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Sep 24th 2007 3:29PM

Online Gangbanging?

Quick! Call Jack Thompson!

OnimushaSoki @ Sep 24th 2007 3:46PM

There's no part of that I didn't like.

vinny @ Sep 24th 2007 3:32PM

they better not even think about releasing this game until 6 months after gta4 comes out

Mike Lockhardt @ Sep 24th 2007 3:33PM

"much darker and more sinister"
Damn it, thats bad news to me. I loved the way the first Saints Row was, why mess around with that. It was how Saints Row handled its story that made me like it so much more then any of the GTAs.

I'll have to wait to hear more, but based on this news Saints Row 2 just went from Buy to Rent for me.

rdj75 @ Sep 24th 2007 4:13PM

Even though it maybe darker, hopefully they continue where they left off from the first game, I liked the story and it ended totally wide open.

sheppy2.0 @ Sep 24th 2007 7:13PM

How did it end openly? Gangs were defeated and you were blown up by your own crew. Seems pretty open and shut to me.

OGHowie @ Sep 24th 2007 3:35PM

Game was pretty fun because of its physics. Story was pretty stupid though.

fyreblazer @ Sep 24th 2007 3:40PM

I think I can safely say I'm more interested in SR2 than GTA4. I think it's also safe to say I'm alone in that interest.

MegoSteve @ Sep 24th 2007 5:13PM

Nope, you aren't alone. I really liked Saints Row, but I could never get into GTA.

Synner @ Sep 24th 2007 5:24PM

Nah, you're not alone, I loved the features saint's row added that GTA doesn't have, like why bother upgrading any car in GTA when you are just going to lose it anyway? I like playing my own character instaed of "arbitrary gang archetype". The side missions were more fun too, hitman and the insurance fraud ones rocked. On the other hand I hope they add motorcycles to this one.

TheWarden @ Sep 24th 2007 3:48PM

Customizable cribz? Hope I can buy a hot tub with some fly honeyz. What is this, MTV?

Naw, looks cool though.

Matt B (SDF ) @ Sep 24th 2007 3:58PM

I bet it will come out before GTA:4.

DarthDavid @ Sep 24th 2007 4:06PM

There's nothing worse than shitty, gangsta, mainstream, hip hop infused shooters.......this is one of many examples that show how much gangsta/gta games and hip hop music sucks so much these days....(No bashing Hip Hop music or culture cuz I'm a huge fan but today's Hip Hop is about 90% crap, I'll stick to the good stuff).

GRANTED @ Sep 24th 2007 4:20PM

word i hope lil wayne makes an appearance thats street cred fo realz. this might be the only game where i get to pimp my teeth AND my rims.

... saints row had a worse storyline than need for speed games. who likes this crap?

Xeno Mezphy @ Sep 24th 2007 4:25PM

Man, you're right, any game that involves both shooting and hip hop is most certainly complete shit! I can tell just by that promotional image (you know, the one from the last game) that every feature of this game will fail in some substantial way! It doesn't matter that absolutely no information other than online co-op and customization has been submitted, by virtue of the fact that there are black people in this game at all I can, with all certainty tell that this game will blow. I mean, come on! You can be a woman! That's high quality fail right there!

I'm going to buy two copies, just to make up for you.

KrazyIan @ Sep 24th 2007 4:23PM

That dude on the left cracks me up.

Airhab @ Sep 24th 2007 4:32PM

IK corporate americas idea of a stereotypical Urban youth.

Giddieon @ Sep 24th 2007 4:30PM

oh to joy another shitty squeal to another shitty game...

Man I hate dumb ass games... They can't come up with anything better then this... these settings...

What a scumbag of a game...

Gamebreaker @ Sep 24th 2007 4:45PM

Giddieon FTW!

Hoffer @ Sep 24th 2007 4:47PM

I loved Saints Row on the 360. I’ll definitely be checking out part 2.

michael @ Sep 24th 2007 4:55PM

isn't gangbanging sort of co-op by nature?

colin @ Sep 24th 2007 8:37PM

i just don't understand how it could be competitive

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Sep 25th 2007 2:10AM

Oh it can colin...it can...

:D

James @ Sep 24th 2007 8:50PM

Saints Row was very good. I always loved GTA too though. THe problem with the last game was the amount of crap they added to the game. It seems like they just added every idea to it and most of it was half-assed. Working out in the gym, eating, modding your car etc. The game was still pretty good. For me Vice City was the very best. GTA has much better humour, some of the missions are more interesting, and the radio stations are better. Saints Row really hammered GTA in some ways though. The map and waypoint system were priceless, much better mini side missions, much more attention to car modding and the garage system.

Personally I'd like to see a game like this with more reality stuck in. I guess I could wait for Mafia 2. A lot of people didn't like it but I liked the fact that cars had gas gauges and police actually pulled you over for running red lights or speeding.

DirtnSky @ Sep 24th 2007 10:52PM

"competitive multiplayer gang banging"!?! WOW!!! Definitly bold of THQ.. going for that covenanted AO rating. Wow...
So.. Finally, I can get online and call up a buddy and virtually do what many squealing little teenagers secretly wished for. RAPE wandering ladies with a friend who will always have sloppy seconds!!!
For all you little children out there, DON'T look up the meaning of "gang banging". It Really.. REally isn't what you've been thinking about all along. I heard about references to this when I was in high-school back in the late '80s and I find it hilarious that this blogger "Jason Dobson"(alias) hasn't. It so often casually bantered about now for a COmpletely different thuggishly recreational reason. Even Wiki doesn't list it for the reasons most Idio- err.. posters do now.
Corruption of a Widely known reference really shows me how foolish a small part of this countries become.

Twist @ Sep 24th 2007 11:00PM

I just hope that we can look forward to a sequel to Cabel Sasser's Buggy Saints Row: The Musical: http://www.cabel.name/2006/12/buggy-saints-row-musical.html . Cabel has done a lot of awesome stuff over the years (I miss Audion) but this is in my top three (right behind Audion and Coda).