Saints Row 2 takes place five years after the first game. We get a hands-on look at the game during E3 2008.

Most people remember Saints Row as the Grand Theft Auto clone, just like most people remember Crackdown for having the Halo 3 beta attached to it. What most people don’t remember was just how fun Crackdown was except those who actually used the disc for something other than making sure a slightly broken game got fixed, just like those who played Saints Row had a good time with it and are looking forward to its sequel.

Saints Row 2 takes place five years after the first game leaves off, players awaken from a coma only to find out that everything that happened five years earlier has gone to hell. The Saints have dispersed and Stilwater is now split between three different gangs. It’s the player’s job to get the Saints back together and take back the city.

The first thing I noticed from Saints Row 2 was that it isn’t like GTA IV, in that it isn’t a serious game with humorous undertones. It’s an over-the-top explosive extravaganza that can be as serious or funny as you like, and this all happens based on what customizations you make.
Let’s look at character customization first. It’s not the best ever, but it works and is detailed, similar to Rock Band’s.

Players can choose the sex, race, body type, clothes, makeup…if a real person can look it, Saints Row can look it. In the demo I sat in, the developers ran through half of it with clown makeup, smeared like the Joker in The Dark Knight. The other half had him in the Weinerschnitzel costume. Meaning the first half was somewhat sardonic and creepy, the second half was comical and showed what that running hotdog really, truly feels.