We have known it since 2006, the developers of Volition devote an immeasurable cult to the Grand Theft Auto series. And it is both to pay homage to the title of Rockstar Games and also to have fun that the team had laid a first friendly Saints Row for us, even if it was not unanimous. Criticized for its lack of ambition and above all of identity, the software still succeeded in imposing its mark at the time on Xbox 360, when the latter was preparing to undergo the onslaught of Just Cause or well again Crackdown. And yet Saints Row has managed to find its audience, the same audience which, two years later, is impatiently awaiting this sequel, not thanks to the presence of Booba's clothes or the collaboration of pornstar Tera Patrick, but to discover the Stillwater from 2008.
Life is very complicated
Although it is strictly identical between the two opuses, the town of Stilwater has however gained in area. Confined to 16 km² in the first episode, the city discovers new districts here such as a university area, an airport, an offshore nuclear power plant or even a prison in the middle of the ocean. These are not the only changes, the city is now prey to new gangs since you will reenter the city after the events of the first Saints Row. As usual, the developers of Volition offer us here to create an avatar in his image, or not. From now on, it is possible to start the adventure in the skin of a man, a woman or a mix between the two sexes for even more madness. It's all about character creation. After having determined its sex and its corpulence, you will be able to modify its face as you wish by configuring any detail of its facies. We easily spend a good half hour defining the color of the iris, the location of the eyes, the curve of the eyelids, narrowing the nasal septum, spreading the ears, enlarging their lobes, increasing the size of the lips or melting a double chin. The possibilities are immense and are undoubtedly a plus for Saints Row 2, which even goes so far as to customize your hero's gait, voice, makeup or personality. Of course, things don't end there. In addition to the creation of the avatar and the possibility of modifying it at any time by going to cosmetic surgery, Stilwater is full of clothing stores, jewelers or tattoo artists to perfect its protagonist. The image that is projected in Saints Row 2 is just as important as in the first opus, because it notably allows you to earn respect useful for accessing new missions and thus forging a reputation in town. The creators of the game also give you the opportunity to improve your habitat or your headquarters for money.
We easily spend a good half hour defining the color of the iris, the location of the eyes, the curve of the eyelids, narrowing the nasal septum, spreading the ears, enlarging their lobes, increasing the size of the lips or melting a double chin."
As you can imagine, Stilwater did not wait for you to continue living. Fresh out of a five-year coma, you'll soon notice that new gangs have taken the place of the Vice Kings, Wide Side Rollerz and Carnivals. Now it is the Sons of Saturday, the Brotherhood, the Ronins who impose their laws through the different neighborhoods. A gang war that has been raging for several years and that has relegated the 3rd Streets Saints to the rank of old memories. It's up to you to find the strength to reunite a few former collaborators and reform a gang that's as close-knit as on the first day. In itself, the scenario of a Saints Row 2 is not really its strong point, especially if we compare it to the excellent GTA IV. If the latter tells us the story of a guy who simply seeks revenge, Saints Row 2 advocates violence without a doubt. So no need to come out with a script as long as a novel to stage a gang war. Of course, the software offers a maximum of cut-scenes to keep us going with all the artifices that we find in such a scenario: betrayals, dirty tricks, tough interrogations and all the rest. But let's not forget either the ironic side of the game with stereotyped protagonists to death and a humor often flush with the daisies or the belt, it depends. Still, each sequence brings you a little closer to your ultimate goal: to put an end to the actions of each boss and their gang. To achieve this, it will be necessary to gain maximum respect and this is where Saints Row 2 is doing well, even stealing the show from the series. Grand Theft Auto.
It takes everything to make a world
Who was not disappointed to discover the few side missions offered by the fourth installment in the GTA series? Saints Row 2 can boast of offering a maximum of perks that will significantly increase the lifespan. Every action performed in the game always earns respect. We've talked about clothing and story missions, but even when you're cruising around, you get some respect for your driving style. The developers have stolen some ideas from the game side of Rockstar Games to spice up the piloting. Driving in the wrong direction, brushing past cars, driving on two wheels, doing a wheelie on motorcycles or a crazy jump will be rewarded with more or less important stars, which are then converted into respect points. Cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, boats, helicopters or planes, the number of achievable stunts is impressive, especially if we add to that the combat phases crediting points. What really matters here is the style, you will understand. You will therefore be rewarded accordingly, whether you are shot in the head or in the family jewels, or if you prefer the mush of pedestrians aboard a vehicle or that you swing an enemy from the top of a building. As a result, we always seek to diversify our actions for a better result. And to help us in this task, Saints Row 2 offers a rather rich arsenal with bladed weapons (knife, bat, crowbars, katana, truncheon, machete, mace), others considered non-lethal (tazer, tear gas canister) before moving on to firearms and its rather wide range ranging from small calibers (Vice 9, NR4), to submachine guns, to shotguns, to special rifles. For even more effect and spectacle, there are of course explosives, whether hand-held or mounted on launchers. We are not at the end of our surprises even if the selection of weapons is still frustrating, forcing us to stop to choose the correct gun with the analog stick. Among the novelties of this Saints Row 2, we note the possibility of taking a pedestrian or an enemy as a human shield or the fact of picking up any object to make a makeshift weapon.
Saints Row 2 can boast of offering a maximum of perks that will significantly increase the lifespan."
Alongside the actions of simple gangster which consist of shooting at everything that moves and rushing at everything that drags, we can have fun thanks to a dozen activities. Regulars of the first opus will be thrilled to find the "Chaos", "Ladies Mac", "Escort", "Drug Trafficking", "Race", "Hitman" modes or the excellent "Fraud on the Internet". 'Assurance". Depending on the activity, you will have to fake a traffic accident, kill rival Macs, escort a call girl, deliver dope, eliminate a target or blow up everything in your path. But for this second part, the developers of Volition took the vice even further with the possibility of beating up fans who were a little too clingy in "Big Arms" mode, competing in a "Demolition" tournament, entering the ring of a "Combat Club", take control of a helicopter to shoot down his enemies, throw the contents of a septic tank emptying truck on public buildings, or even take on the role of a cop for muscular arrests all filmed by a reality show camera. Ah, that's for sure, Volition has no shortage of ideas for inflating the lifespan of its game, even if certain activities contrast with the gangsta' universe of Saints Row 2. Because it must be admitted, in terms of scripted missions, we stay in the traditional as a general rule. And as for the first opus, the game is not very difficult, in particular thanks to a health which regenerates automatically, the possibility of ingesting food to find the form, the fact of recruiting labor and to various bonuses that are unlocked by completing certain activities. However, the diehards will get their money's worth with 50 music CDs hidden in the city, 50 graffiti to cover, about forty cars to unlock, buildings to buy and several other options that I leave you the pleasure of discover. As for those who will go to the online options, it is still possible to face up to 11 other players in “Arm Wrestling” and “Gang Battle” mode. The first is to successfully complete certain activities while killing your opponents to control a district, while the second, playable solo or in a team, is nothing more or less than a simple deathmatch. Lowered options compared to the first Saints Row of the name. But in return, this Saints Row 2 offers a new mode, the "Cooperative" mode. Accompanied by a friend, it will be possible to revisit Stilwater with someone smarter than artificial intelligence.
time Machine
Because if one thing really hasn't changed since 2006, it's the AI. Whether it's rival gangs, cops, or the Saints you recruit, they've got a chickpea brain. Rare are those who take cover and it is often necessary to go back in order not to abandon a colleague or simply to resuscitate him because the latter has had his skin pierced in his corner. We would have liked a real background work to give rise to anthological gunfights but instead, we advance cautiously eliminating the slightest bad boy who is looming on the horizon before the latter has had time to spot us. This technique, not particularly enjoyable, allows among other things to recover a little health before going to the coal. Another unpleasant observation, the camera. Not always easy to place despite its great freedom, the latter no longer knows where to turn when you get hit by a car and end up under its wheels. When you don't cross the ground, the game doesn't replace as if nothing had happened on the road. Bizarre in the same way as the "Havok" physics engine reused in this opus. If the finding is less distressing than in 2006, the reaction of bodies and objects really has nothing to do with the Euphoria engine used at Rockstar Games. As a general rule, the set is inflated with helium but it sometimes happens that it is impossible to move forward because of a lamppost on the ground or a railing that you broke two seconds earlier. It's not yet the top level achievement and even the graphics engine is starting to suffer a bit with basic textures, weak light effects or some animations that are a little too stiff for our taste. On the other hand, Saints Row 2 offers a most correct frame-rate which hardly flinches even when it's the apocalypse in town. We appreciate.
