Should I start with Saint's Row 2 or 3?

[Jeivar]

Well, the title sums it up. I want to give this series a try, but which one is more fun? I should note that I'm curious because of the legendary craziness more than anything else.

[Maxios]

3 was funnier, had a better soundtrack, and more in-depth character customization regarding your character's face. 2 had much more content than 3, and a more in-depth clothing system. If you want all-around insanity in a short campaign, go with 3. If you want insanity grounded by dramatic moments in a longer campaign, go with 2.

[Driderman]

Personally, I think that SR 2 was superior to SR 3 in every way except graphics. Not that SR3 is a bad game, but the second one is simply better IMO.

[Flickerdart]

I quite enjoyed SR3 never having played SR2. If you're interested in zaniness, SR3 is much zanier from what I've heard.

[Sajiri]

3 is probably more enjoyable if you've never played the series before. I feel 2 is better, and even though 3 is good, when you play it right after playing 2 it feels like a step backwards in a lot of regards

[Choyrt]

I was not at all prepared for the hilarity that was Saint's Row 3. There is a rickshaw chase scene that nearly made me pee.

[Flickerdart]

I was not at all prepared for the hilarity that was Saint's Row 3. There is a rickshaw chase scene that nearly made me pee.
That entire mission is hilarious, all the way up to the reward.

[Hiro Protagonest]

SR and SR2 are wayyy different from SR3 and SR4. They even lampshaded it in 4, where they gave you both Shaundis once you get to her mission.

[Kudaku]

Will you be playing on console or computer? I was never able to play SR2 because of numerous issues that (at least according to the game's steam forum) is still very much a problem - apparently the port from console was botched pretty badly. I was told there were unofficial patches available to fix the problem but I had a very hard time getting them to work properly.

Gamespot review available here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-KrlF3MJqc).

In short, if you plan to play on PC then I'd recommend SR 3 which was ported well and is absolutely hilarious.

[shadow_archmagi]

3 is probably more enjoyable if you've never played the series before. I feel 2 is better, and even though 3 is good, when you play it right after playing 2 it feels like a step backwards in a lot of regards

I actually started with 2, and I love all of them. I do agree with what's been said about them being a bit different. SR2 is, on the surface, a GTA clone, and then periodically the silliness bursts through the crust. Like, yeah, there's a yakuza gang. Yeah, that's going to culminate in battles against ninjas on motorcycles, but up until then, it'll just be another gang war.



Will you be playing on console or computer? I was never able to play SR2 because of numerous issues that (at least according to the game's steam forum) is still very much a problem - apparently the port from console was botched pretty badly. I was told there were unofficial patches available to fix the problem but I had a very hard time getting them to work properly.

Gamespot review available here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-KrlF3MJqc).

In short, if you plan to play on PC then I'd recommend SR 3 which was ported well and is absolutely hilarious.

It's worth noting that I (and my minions) never had any trouble with SR2 on PC, and all quite enjoyed it. I'm not saying there aren't bugs, just that there *are* good results of the Wheel Of Chance.

[Castaras]

SR2 is more serious, and your character is much more of an arse. It's got a much better story however, and the characters are all infinitely more interesting than SR3.

SR3 has a lot of laughs and completely "random" stuff - by random, I mean constant zany stuff and dildos in every corner.

I prefer SR2 because it's more funny than SR3 in my opinion, due to SR3 trying too hard to be funny and off the wall. Depends what you want, to be honest. They're both very different games.

[Raimun]

Hmm, I started with Saint's Row IV.

I'm not sure if I will be able to play 2 or 3. I mean, you'd have to actually drive around in a car? And that's the fastest way to get to places? That's way too slow! :smalltongue:

[iyaerP]

Saints row 2 has serious consolitis. The plot and story are much better than 3, but 3 tends to have better gameplay because you aren't fighting the controls every step of the way. 4 just jumps off a super-powered cliff, and it is insane and awesome. I enjoyed them all, but I would say start with 2.

[Jeivar]

Well, I downloaded Saints Row 2 on Steam, and it crashes whenever I try to start it up. Whoop dee doo.
I've tried a few tweaks recommended online but it doesn't work. There is some huge, unofficial patch but I'm too damn illiterate with computers to get it to work. So that's 15 dollars I'm not getting back.

[Keris]

Well, I downloaded Saints Row 2 on Steam, and it crashes whenever I try to start it up. Whoop dee doo. I had a similar issue when I first installed SR2. What fixed it for me was disabling my second monitor, so if you've got multiple screens you could try that.

There is some huge, unofficial patch but I'm too damn illiterate with computers to get it to work. Was that Gentlemen of the Row (http://idolninja.com/sr2.php)? It's shouldn't be too difficult to get a patch out of it. You just need to extract the archive and run the included bat file, and that gives you a set of menus to pick and choose what you want in your patch file. Then you copy the newly-built patch into SR2's install folder. You don't even need to mess about with the submenus; just building a custom patch without any choosing any options will give you most of it.

Though one more note if you do get the game working - if you have one, I recommend using a gamepad like an Xbox controller or similar. As others have noted, SR2 was ported from console to PC, and the keyboard and mouse controls suffered because of it. Gentlemen of the Row also has options to replace the on-screen prompts with 360 or PS3 versions.

[Kudaku]

Well, I downloaded Saints Row 2 on Steam, and it crashes whenever I try to start it up. Whoop dee doo.
I've tried a few tweaks recommended online but it doesn't work. There is some huge, unofficial patch but I'm too damn illiterate with computers to get it to work. So that's 15 dollars I'm not getting back.

Tried to warn ya :smallfrown:

For what it's worth try not to let the SR2 issues ruin the series for you. I was on the fence about picking up the later games for a long time after getting burned with SR2, but both SR3 and SR4 run well on the PC and are definitely worth the price :smallsmile:

[Calemyr]

I realize comedy and quality are pretty split between 2 and 3, but I'm curious how 4 fares in both departments.

My brother and I are currently playing 3 (got it free from PSN Plus a while back), and it's pretty darn funny. The story is pretty good and the characters are interesting (at least the core ones), but the game is really a comedy, with what plot there is only existing to service that goal. Not sure I'd want to play 2, though - a serious, gritty take on gang life with only brief bouts of lunacy? Respect it though I may, it doesn't really interest me. Neither have the GTA games. The comedy is the only thing that makes it palatable to me.

I was considering getting 4. Keith David? Mass Effect references (signature not withstanding, I'm a serious fan of 2.95 games in that trilogy)? Free-style superpowers? It sounds like a blast.

I hear the super powers kick in too early (you don't get enough time without them to appreciate them), but other than that, how is 4?

[Hiro Protagonest]

I realize comedy and quality are pretty split between 2 and 3, but I'm curious how 4 fares in both departments.

My brother and I are currently playing 3 (got it free from PSN Plus a while back), and it's pretty darn funny. The story is pretty good and the characters are interesting (at least the core ones), but the game is really a comedy, with what plot there is only existing to service that goal. Not sure I'd want to play 2, though - a serious, gritty take on gang life with only brief bouts of lunacy? Respect it though I may, it doesn't really interest me. Neither have the GTA games. The comedy is the only thing that makes it palatable to me.

I was considering getting 4. Keith David? Mass Effect references (signature not withstanding, I'm a serious fan of 2.95 games in that trilogy)? Free-style superpowers? It sounds like a blast.

I hear the super powers kick in too early (you don't get enough time without them to appreciate them), but other than that, how is 4?

4 loves lampshade hanging and references to real life. Keith David at one point mentions he's voice acted in video games, even though they're not known for their great stories. When you rescue Shaundi, you also rescue "fun Shaundi" from Veteran Child. If you're into meta humor, it's great.

[ShadowFighter15]

There's also plenty of missions in 4 where you don't have access to your powers, so try to keep your guns upgraded as well.

[Kaun]

It is hard to get SR2 working on PC.

I got it as part of a bundle of steam and i have tried to get it running twice to no avail.

[GungHo]

I was considering getting 4. Keith David? Mass Effect references (signature not withstanding, I'm a serious fan of 2.95 games in that trilogy)? Free-style superpowers? It sounds like a blast.

I hear the super powers kick in too early (you don't get enough time without them to appreciate them), but other than that, how is 4?

4 is hilarious. They never once take themselves seriously. It's very much a metagame, and if you've played through the series or have experienced any pop culture from say 1985~1995 and actually enjoyed any of it at the time it was released, you're gonna be entertained. It was definitely made by late 80s kids.

However, it's also tedious, especially if you want to please your homies to get yourself and them fully upgraded and go through their loyalty missions (which you should, because some of those missions are the best missions in the game).

You might as well plan to perform all the side activities as they show up, regardless of whether or not a given activity is really all that enjoyable, because at the end of the day they're all required by the homies. Some of them are relatively straightforward and some of them are maddening. Personally I like the Mayhem missions and can do those all day, but the Superjump platforming missions suck eggs.

[ShadowFighter15]

4 is hilarious. They never once take themselves seriously. It's very much a metagame, and if you've played through the series or have experienced any pop culture from say 1985~1995 and actually enjoyed any of it at the time it was released, you're gonna be entertained. It was definitely made by late 80s kids.

However, it's also tedious, especially if you want to please your homies to get yourself and them fully upgraded and go through their loyalty missions (which you should, because some of those missions are the best missions in the game).

You might as well plan to perform all the side activities as they show up, regardless of whether or not a given activity is really all that enjoyable, because at the end of the day they're all required by the homies. Some of them are relatively straightforward and some of them are maddening. Personally I like the Mayhem missions and can do those all day, but the Superjump platforming missions suck eggs.

At least the Insurance Fraud ones are fun this time around - super-sprint into a car driving towards you and you can end up cartwheeling all across Steelport, looks hilarious and sounds it between the bone-crunching impacts and the Boss' comments. Just remember to hit LMB just before impact with the car to go limp or that'll be what goes flying instead of the Boss.

[Cristo Meyers]

At least the Insurance Fraud ones are fun this time around - super-sprint into a car driving towards you and you can end up cartwheeling all across Steelport, looks hilarious and sounds it between the bone-crunching impacts and the Boss' comments. Just remember to hit LMB just before impact with the car to go limp or that'll be what goes flying instead of the Boss.

Insurance Fraud for my wife and I usually ended up being "How many times can I bounce around the block?" :smallbiggrin:

I think she won.

I might get another playthrough in sooner than I thought: the first non-item pack DLC comes out in about a week.

[Tylorious]

I absolutely love this franchise. Just get all of them as soon as you can. You will have amazing fun with any one of these masterpieces.

[Lost Demiurge]

2's got a good story that gets dark in spots, and it introduces a lot of the characters that stick around for 4. It really gives them their limelight, most of them, anyway. (Pierce doesn't come into his own until the next game.) However, 2's got a shaky control scheme (The PC translation at least) and a pretty high difficulty curve in spots. Still worth it to play through, I thought.

I suppose you could skip the frustration by youtubing the cutscenes, which is what I'm doing with SR1. :D

3's wackier, as has been stated before. It also introduces more RPG like elements, such as purchased abilities and equipment upgrades. You'll either love or hate the corniness, but it's a tighter game with a lower difficulty curve (At least for the non-optional stuff) and more replayability, I feel. There are also one or two epic moments in there that make it clear the game takes place in an action hero movie...

Start with 2. It's cheap enough, and if you don't like it watch the cut scenes, then move on to 3. After that, 4. I wouldn't play 3 without experiencing 2, and I wouldn't play 4 without playing 3.

[kyoryu]

I think 2 is worthwhile to play. As a counter-voice, I got it on Steam and it's worked fine for me, except for the occasional crash.

Gentlemen of the Row is definitely recommended, even if for nothing more than the abililty to display controller prompts instead of keys.

[Partysan]

No one ever mentions SR 1. How was it? Or did they just name the first "2" as a joke? It seems like something they'd do... Anyway I do have 2 and 3 but haven't played either yet, so I'd like to know whether it pays to play the first.

[Calemyr]

No one ever mentions SR 1. How was it? Or did they just name the first "2" as a joke? It seems like something they'd do... Anyway I do have 2 and 3 but haven't played either yet, so I'd like to know whether it pays to play the first.

According to Wikipedia (for what that's worth), Saints Row 1 was developed alongside Grand Theft Auto. They only discovered someone else had the same idea when GTA came out first, ensuring that Saints Row would be seen as a copy cat. Afterwards they tried to figure out what to do with the damaged franchise and decided that if GTA wanted to corner the "real" and "gritty" side of gangland sandbox games, Saint's Row would be corner the "fun" and "zany" side of things. They decided to tell a story, but allow the player to have as much fun along the way as humanly possible. Every game since, they have pushed the boundaries of fun and zany.

So, to summarize:
Saints Row 1: GTA Clone (though not really). Largely ignored because GTA does GTA better.

Saints Row 2 (From what I hear): First attempt at a fun game. Extremely well written, a little funny, with moments of zany humor cropping up here and there.

Saints Row 3: Very silly. Perhaps too silly for many people. Also quite funny at times and extremely fun to screw around with. Unfortunately the game length and complex story were reduced. A lot. One multi-brand crime syndicate instead of separate gangs, and apparently the story isn't as well written. I had an absolute blast playing it, though.

Saints Row 4: Holy crap, this is silly. Mel Brooks silly. Airplane! silly. Yes, I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. All pretense of being a gangland sandbox is lost, instead becoming a colossal parody of everything under the sun, including itself. A concussive force cannon that fires dubstep music is only the start. Referencing everything from Armageddon to Firefly, from Space Invaders to RoboCop, and flat out robbing Mass Effect and The Matrix blind, the game is extremely funny. It involves a lot of reused resources (which they of course reference in the game as well, blaming it on the villain), and it can get a bit linear, but it's a lot of fun and I can't think of a more hilarious game I've played in the last decade. My brother and I are constantly stopping in the middle of the game to ask "Did they just...", only answer "Yeah, they went there.".

Haven't won 4 yet, I think I'm near the end (at least, I've got all 8 super powers). But I think it's my favorite. I prefer clever over crude, and 4 pulls a 180 on that humor ratio. The super powers also make me feel like I'm playing City of Heroes again, only better done, which is a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling.

[factotum]

According to Wikipedia (for what that's worth), Saints Row 1 was developed alongside Grand Theft Auto. They only discovered someone else had the same idea when GTA came out first

I'd have to call cobblers on that explanation--GTA3 came out in 2001, Saints Row in 2006; that's far too much of a gap for them to have been developing the game and suddenly realising someone else had the same idea. Not to mention that the top-down 2D GTAs go all the way back to 1997, and "this, but in 3D" doesn't seem like such an amazing stretch that Volition (who were only founded in '96, remember) would have thought they were only ones to come up with it.

[Calemyr]

I'd have to call cobblers on that explanation--GTA3 came out in 2001, Saints Row in 2006; that's far too much of a gap for them to have been developing the game and suddenly realising someone else had the same idea. Not to mention that the top-down 2D GTAs go all the way back to 1997, and "this, but in 3D" doesn't seem like such an amazing stretch that Volition (who were only founded in '96, remember) would have thought they were only ones to come up with it.

They didn't say which GTA. Given the gangland aspect, I would have assumed it was GTA4, as GTA3 was more mafia than gangster, as I understand it.

[factotum]

Given the gangland aspect, I would have assumed it was GTA4, as GTA3 was more mafia than gangster, as I understand it.

Well, that makes even *less* sense, considering GTA4 was released two years *after* Saints Row!

[Driderman]

Also, shouldn't really be surprised there's a similiar game out after the similiar series has reached it's third iteration...

[ShadowFighter15]

I heard it was GTA: San Andreas - Saints were originally going to have Green for their gang colour but when they heard the Grove Street Families (the San Andreas protagonist's gang) were using green, they changed the Saints to their iconic purple.

[Kudaku]

SR was released in 2006, San Andreas came out in 2004... Are you sure you're not thinking about SR2 and GTA 4? They both released in 2008, GTA 4 in April and SR2 in October.

[Brookshw]

I ended up playing them backwards. 4 was brilliantly stupid, loved it. 3 was also full of ridiculous content which I also loved so I picked up 2. As others have said, 2 is a gta clone which I didn't find comical in the slightest. It was nice to have the back story but I could have done without it.

[Kaun]

Neil Patrick Harris voiced Veteran Child (or what ever his name was), who would have guessed.

[Cristo Meyers]

Well, if you're looking to get into Saint's Row, now's the time. 2, 3, and 4 are all on sale on Steam. Just the 4 DLC is not on sale. Sale ends at noon tomorrow, though.


Neil Patrick Harris voiced Veteran Child (or what ever his name was), who would have guessed.

Only for 2. I don't think he came back for the role for 4.

--

So...Enter the Dominatrix is out. It was...interesting. Funny for sure, but left me wanting more and not entirely in a good way.

But then again:

When the ending consists of riding a talking Raptor to the escape the sim...

...a raptor named D'Artangen.

...emissary of Raptor King Cirrano...

...and he's singing "Walk the Dinosaur"

You kinda have to give it points.

The whole "Behind the Music" idea is kinda cool, actually, but I really wish they had done more with it. It's obvious there's a lot of comedy potential with it, it's just too bad they only got about an hour out of it.

I wasn't disappointed, but I can see how others would be. Maybe wait for it to go on sale if you're on the fence.