is the game worth it?

[Lurazius]

Hey, never played Saints Row 2, only 3 and 4. Is this game still worth it, to play?

[NeutronVortex]

Yeah, it's great. Definitely worth playing.

There is a catch though, and that is the game can be unstable and crash and cutscenes can desync or freeze. However, you can mitigate these issues by limiting the fps to 30 through your gfx card driver(i.e., nvidia control panel) and turning on v-sync(through driver settings or in-game, whichever you prefer) and setting your screen's refresh rate to 60hz. Then set the game's executable(SR2_pc) to 'run as admin' and set the compatibility mode for Windows XP.

Doing the above steps will make the game much more stable(I never get crashes, freezes or have any issues when using the above settings while playing without mods.)

Also, make sure you install the game on your C:/ drive. If you install the game on a secondary drive it can cause loading to hang.

[ProperCharva]

its the best saints row game that's been made but you will definitely have to follow a guide on steam to get the game to work properly its worth all the hassle tho

[Pathetic]

Saints Row 2 is amazing, its definitely the best game in the series in my opinion. However I would, heavily, HEAVILY, recommend getting the GOG version for this. Its only £2 as of this post and far more stable than the steam version. I applied all the usual fixes to the steam game (even mentioned here by Neutron) and the game would just not work without crashing and severe lag on a system that runs modern games at ultra 60+fps

The GOG version just runs smooth, zero crashes, zero issues or glitches and thats with the Gentlemen of the Row mod added mostly for the camera functionality (though bug fixes are nice).

It takes a bit of getting used to in terms of controls, but I think if youre coming into it after playing 3 and 4 you'll be really surprised at the depth in the side activities and missions themselves vs those games.

[aigresel]

Originally posted by NeutronVortex:

Yeah, it's great. Definitely worth playing.

There is a catch though, and that is the game can be unstable and crash and cutscenes can desync or freeze. However, you can mitigate these issues by limiting the fps to 30 through your gfx card driver(i.e., nvidia control panel) and turning on v-sync(through driver settings or in-game, whichever you prefer) and setting your screen's refresh rate to 60hz. Then set the game's executable(SR2_pc) to 'run as admin' and set the compatibility mode for Windows XP.

Doing the above steps will make the game much more stable(I never get crashes, freezes or have any issues when using the above settings while playing without mods.)

Also, make sure you install the game on your C:/ drive. If you install the game on a secondary drive it can cause loading to hang.

Thanks for this, I can now play 30+ mins. Tho cutscenes often crash. Still a massive improvement.

[Uncle Crispy]

Originally posted by Lurazius:

Hey, never played Saints Row 2, only 3 and 4. Is this game still worth it, to play?

on console yes. in fact its backwards compatible on xbone and series x along with the first game. avoid the PC version like the plague however. the DLC isnt on it and the game is a barely functioning mess. gentlemen of the row fixes most of the technical problems but theres still far too many. there was a PC patch being worked on but due to multiple factors (idol ninja sadly dying from cancer, minimaul being incompetent and dishonest, and the garbage reboot) that patch was cancelled. buy a ps3, xbox 360, xbox one, or xbox series x and get the game there or dont touch the game. this game is a masterpiece and experiencing it for the first time in the worst possible way simply isnt a good idea

[they/was]

best saints row

[AchromaticHue]

In all honesty, yes it is.

Do be aware that the PC version of SR2 is infamous for bugs ans glitches so if you're going to want to play on this platform, mods are a must since the community patch has been in a very rocky situation as of last year.

[Trevor Philips]

You have to experiment a few hours, until it runs stable. This game is great and I see why people prefer this over 3 and 4, although they are great games (especially in comparison to 2022). When you play 2, Saints Row 3 feels like a downgrade, of course, the graphics are better, but the remaining aspects are better in Saints Row 2, I dare to say that it could have competed with GTA in the past, if THQ had given them a higher budget.
But yes, the PC version is a punishment, the worst PC port I have ever seen, my tips after a few hours of testing:
- Gentleman of the Row Mod
- Gib Tool for higher resolutions
- DXVK for higher FPS (because the shadow and dynamic lightning setting tank the FPS, even with high end cards, but without these settings it looks blank)
- the Qinilili Patch which fixes the crashing issues (you can find it on github)
Now it is quite a stable experience with 70-80 FPS on the highest setting, I dont experience any crashes, just some stuttering here and there.

EDIT: Turn off V-Sync ingame made the game smoother for me too

[R. Reagan of the 6th]

worth playing, has a good story and customization, just make sure you install some fixes to prevent issues

[ZanoTaylo97]

100% worth it, a major opinion for people is that this is the best saints row and I'd personally have to agree, I 100% it on xbox and I plan to on this too haha

[Uncle Crispy]

Originally posted by ZanoTaylo97:

100% worth it, a major opinion for people is that this is the best saints row and I'd personally have to agree, I 100% it on xbox and I plan to on this too haha

yes but still. considering all the work that has to be done to make the pc port run better OP should just get it on console. the game is a masterpiece and the OP shouldnt play the worst version of the game for his first playthrough

[Trevor Philips]

Originally posted by Uncle Crispy:

Originally posted by ZanoTaylo97:

100% worth it, a major opinion for people is that this is the best saints row and I'd personally have to agree, I 100% it on xbox and I plan to on this too haha

yes but still. considering all the work that has to be done to make the pc port run better OP should just get it on console. the game is a masterpiece and the OP shouldnt play the worst version of the game for his first playthrough

To be fair, the console versions have less bugs, but they suffer from horrible FPS problems and a low resolution. The Xbox version is better, but for that you need an Xbox One/Series X/S.
This game deserves a remaster or remake, but I guess this will be a dream.

[Uncle Crispy]

Originally posted by Trevor Philips:

Originally posted by Uncle Crispy:

yes but still. considering all the work that has to be done to make the pc port run better OP should just get it on console. the game is a masterpiece and the OP shouldnt play the worst version of the game for his first playthrough

To be fair, the console versions have less bugs, but they suffer from horrible FPS problems. The Xbox version is better, but for that you need an Xbox One/Series X/S

played on 360 and ps3 and both ran perfectly fine

[Trevor Philips]

Originally posted by Uncle Crispy:

Originally posted by Trevor Philips:

To be fair, the console versions have less bugs, but they suffer from horrible FPS problems. The Xbox version is better, but for that you need an Xbox One/Series X/S

played on 360 and ps3 and both ran perfectly fine

I think this is a false evidence from your brain, take a look, it runs horrible on the original 360, sometimes it drops under 20 FPS: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0B0UwBLNiI

I mean the PC version is horrible, but at least you can play with over 60 FPS.

But this is normal, when I was a kid I loved the older GTAs on my PS2. Many years later I have played them again as an adult and I wondered how I couldn't see the frame rate problems and the low resolution. Since that I have never touched the PS2 version and played the PC version without these problems :D

[Uncle Crispy]

Originally posted by Trevor Philips:

Originally posted by Uncle Crispy:

played on 360 and ps3 and both ran perfectly fine

I think this is a false evidence from your brain, take a look, it runs horrible on the original 360, sometimes it drops under 20 FPS: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0B0UwBLNiI

I mean the PC version is horrible, but at least you can play with over 60 FPS.

But this is normal, when I was a kid I loved the older GTAs on my PS2. Many years later I have played them again as an adult and I wondered how I couldn't see the frame rate problems and the low resolution. Since that I have never touched the PS2 version and played the PC version without these problems :D

if the game is stable FPS doesnt matter. it runs perfectly fine. its not choppy or slow.