Reviews
Official Xbox Magazine
Score: 9/10
The Official Xbox Magazine also gave Saints Row 2 their "Must by" stamp of approval.
IGN
Score: 8.2/10
“Do yourself a favor and — if you’re a fan of open world games — go out and pick up a copy of Saints Row 2.”
“…the core gameplay experience is extremely enjoyable. There’s enough crazy-insane tomfoolery to keep a machete in the hands of even the most straight-laced citizens.”
“Saints Row 2 takes GTA’s gameplay, turns it on its side and sends it rolling down a mountain filled with land mines, roving monster trucks and ninjas.”
IGN AU
Score: 8.0/10
“Arguably, [Co-op] is also the best way to experience Saints Row 2…You’ll want to share the explosions, massive jumps, stupid-but-entertaining cutscenes, secret sex grottos, morbidly obese hookers, beanpole Goths, punks playing craps, cops beating up nude public love-makers and other oddities that populate this world.”
Total Video Games
Score: 9/10
“For the sequel, Volition has managed to bridge the gap between completing missions and just doing your own thing perfectly. Diversions now reward you for a wide variety of actions from powerslides and near misses in a car, to collecting CDs and streaking in public, which in turn reward you with Respect points.”
“Activities feel less of a chore than they did in the original Saints Row, making the experience infinitely more entertaining and enjoyable.”
PALGN
Score: 8.5/10
“The actual narrative itself is also very well crafted, with some quite frankly hilarious writing that’s pulled off very successfully by the game’s large cast of voice talent.”
“…Saints Row 2 is outright the most entertaining open-world experience available. No game offers this amount of crazy fun, and no rivalling experience could pull it off with the sense of humour and exaggerated style that’s on show here.”
Gameshark
Score: A- (91/100)
“…you will absolutely want to do the various activities for two reasons. One, they are fun as hell and two, you get some pretty cool stuff for your efforts.”
“As you progress through the various gang stories, cutting a bloody swath in the process, you’re treated to some of the best directed cut scenes in a video game to date. Beautifully choreographed and fantastically voiced, these cut scenes are a joy to watch and do a great job of not only telling the story, but helping to flesh out your character.”
Score: 9.2 / 10
“Ultimately, Zombie Uprising is a perfect metaphor for Saints Row 2 itself. Like the mini-game, everything in Saints Row 2 is over-the-top. There are quite possibly no other games that can come close to the sheer number of explosions, bullets, murder, and vulgarity on tap here. And you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
HEXUS.gaming
Score: 8.5 / 10
“With dozens of missions, open-ended gameplay, co-op and multiplayer modes, anyone who picks up a copy of Saints Row 2 will no doubt still be playing it well into the new year.”
Console Monster
Score: 9 / 10
“Yet for all the laughs I had playing the original and the witty accents, Saints Row 2 has gone and blown that all out of the water. The level of voice-acting has improved massively and characters in the game now seem to have a personality; best of all they are witty and some of the comments they come out with will make you laugh out loud. This is videogame comedy and it is good.”
GamePlayer
Score: 8 / 10
“If lunacy is your thing, Saints 2 now offers a two player online co-op mode, and the chuckle-factor experienced by yourself soon becomes a laughing fit when you add a mate - especially if your partner in crime is morbidly obese, is wearing a traffic cone for a hat, and does a Michael Jackson jazz kick to show his approval of things. Those of you who enjoyed the co-op antics of Crackdown will be right at home here, and with this feature Saints 2 manages to trump GTA’s much more buttoned down approach to co-operative multiplay.”
GameSpy
Score: 9 / 10
“It’s really quite impressive how much game has been packed into Saints Row 2. You can mug people, take hostages in their vehicles until they pay their ransom, or hold up your neighborhood liquor store. There’s video poker and blackjack, if that’s your thing. If you’re more of a pervert, you can go streaking, or you can don a trench coat and go out flashing people. Seriously. There’s even a game within the game called Zombie Uprising, where you have to defeat wave after wave of zombies, including giant zombies, flaming zombies, and exploding zombies.”
Eurogamer
Score: 9 / 10
“Still, in single-player and in co-op, Saints Row 2 is one of the most ridiculous and enjoyable games of the year. Some will dismiss it as GTA’s “gangsta” offshoot, but they’re missing the point; with its immense scope, fun physics and focus on entertainment over realism or grit, Saints Row is what GTA would have become if Rockstar North had followed Vice City to its pimpin’ conclusion.”
GameSpot
Score: 8 / 10
“From beginning to end, this is one of the most fun urban chaos games out there. The controls are so tight and the combat so satisfying, you’ll frequently find yourself getting distracted from the campaign as you cause terror all over the city. With great cooperative integration, tons of unique activities, and a super cool zombie mode, Saints Row 2 will keep you happily creating havoc for a long time.”
Xbox360Achievements
Score: 8.5 / 10
“Not only are there tonnes more activities to do around the city, but we finally have a story and a cast that has a soul. Once you’re knee deep in it, you just can’t wait to see what’s round the next corner … Even better is, you can experience all that with a friend too if that’s what takes your fancy.”
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
Score: 8.5 / 10
“So, turns out there’s room in this world for both GTA IV and Saints Row 2, then. Truly, they are utterly opposite sides of the same sandbox coin. If you were in any way disappointed with Rockstar’s return with Liberty City then we have absolutely no hesitation in recommending you buy this. Score one for the 3rd Street Saints.”
Bill McClendon
“As a fan of BOR (and, to a lesser degree, PTP), I’ll admit some disappointment when I found out neither of those modes were going to be present in Saints Row 2. (A DLC pack for these two would be very welcome.) After spending some quality adrenaline time with Strong Arm, though, and seeing how absolutely crazy and chaotic the gameplay was … I’ll be too busy giggling like a schoolgirl while I’m running down my teammates on purpose to miss them all that much.”
Gabe Sanchez
“While playing Strong Arm, it became immediately apparent that this mode was designed to bring in even the most casual gamer, or at least one who doesn’t play online very much … like me. Even with the controversy surrounding the removal of Protect The Pimp and Blinged Out Ride multiplayer modes in Saints Row 2, I think the new multiplayer mode will still appeal to even the most hardcore online Saints Row player.”
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Review Round-up without a few more scores. Click the link above each quote to read the full article.
Game Revolution
Score: 9.1 / 10
“Saints Row 2 isn’t going to be the next Godfather, but it’s not trying to be. If you want class and moral dilemmas with your gang warfare, then look elsewhere. But if you want explosions, revenge, sex, money, drugs and rock and roll, then a trip to Stilwater is just what the doctor ordered.”
XboxAddict
Score: 8.8 / 10
“Overall, Saints Row 2 is like a perfect movie sequel; give ‘em more of the same, but it’s got to be bigger, better, faster, and louder. By serving up a superior multiplayer experience over and above a rich single player campaign that lets the player loose in a complete living, breathing city, and putting a fine polish on it with a kick-ass soundtrack, wry and funny voice acting, and some great writing in both story and dialogue, Saints Row 2 is a crime movie with slick cars, loud guns, flashy clothes, and great music that you can roll around in for quite a while. It’s not just more-of-the-same. Take it a spin for yourself.”
1UP
Score: B
“Saints 2 relishes the hedonistic aspects of the open-world genre and does very little to punish the player for their repugnant behavior. It has plenty of innovation, and the excellence in the presentation makes the world of Saints 2 a great introduction for newcomers to open world games.”
Crispy Gamer
“Let me put it this way: I spent a lot of time driving around Liberty City, drinking in the aesthetic, wishing there were more and better activities. But I didn’t spend nearly as much time wishing Stillwater [sic] looked better; I was too busy enjoying what it had to offer.”