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 What is there to say about Saints Row 2? It's the critically acclaimed successor to a game that most people probably had never even heard of or had dismissed out of hand entirely. GTA clones were a dime a dozen in the mid-2000s, so who could blame anyone for not playing any individual one? The game is good. drat good, even. It's irreverent, it's funny, it's got shocking serious moments amid all the madness to level things out. It has an utterly insane amount of customization for your character, and it's just fun to play. About the LP I'm doing this screenshot style with narrative focus. Don't worry, I will be including my own commentary as well. But for the most part, this is going to be told as a story. That is probably going to turn a lot of you off from the word 'go' but that's your decision to make. With that out of the way, my goal is to do as much as possible in the game. Hundred percent completion (as tracked by the save file) is different from all unlockables and requires far less work. I'm going for all unlockables. My goal is to do one mission per update. In general this will let updates be more frequent, but also shorter. Are you going to do the sequels? Let's just focus on SR2 first, yeah? Do you know about the mod that-- Yes. This LP is being done with the 1.9.2 version of the Gentlemen of the Row mod. I've tried to avoid installing too many gameplay-altering extras. As funny as the rocketman moment from the previous Saints Row 2 LP was, I'd prefer to avoid it. How about emphasizing the wackiness? Saints Row 2 is a game that, I feel, works best when the Boss is the straight man to the insanity going on around them. The effect is lost when the Boss is dressed like a costume supply store exploded. Dildos, while inherently giggle worthy, aren't a punchline in spite of what later games in this very series would have you believe. Oh man I can't wait for you to show off <spoilers>, <spoilers>, <spoilers>, <the actual final boss>, <the ending> Just chill. We'll get there some day. The game is 14 years old this year, so asking for no spoilers is probably pushing it. Just use spoiler tags and maybe don't talk about That Moment before we even have a gang. Whatever "that moment" is for you, it can wait. The Updates The Anna Show Jailbreak Appointed Defender Killing Time in Stilwater Down Payment Three Kings Unfocused Wandering Stilwater Caverns Septic Avenger (Suburbs Expansion) Got Dust, Will Travel Saints Seven DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 23:35 on May 19, 2022 |
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Apr 24, 2022 09:28
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Reserved, for the sake of tradition.
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Apr 24, 2022 09:29
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 The Anna Show DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Apr 26, 2022 |
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Apr 24, 2022 09:30
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Good luck with the LP. I hope you can complete it. Seems good so far. Hope your Boss looks cool.
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Apr 24, 2022 09:43
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DoubleNegative posted:It's the critically acclaimed successor to a game that most people probably had never even heard of or had dismissed out of hand entirely. GTA clones were a dime a dozen in the mid-2000s, so who could blame anyone for not playing any individual one?
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Apr 24, 2022 10:08
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DoubleNegative posted:Do you know about the mod that-- RIP IdolNinja. Also I think a lot of those moments were just the game doing weird poo poo because it's a poo poo port, not because of GotR.
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Apr 24, 2022 14:43
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Ablative posted:RIP IdolNinja. They did enable the infinite rockets guy in the GOTR options, to be fair! So all the explosions were the mod options working exactly as intended. It's a really funny thing after the fact, but would probably have me spitting mad while recording. DMorbid posted:While it's true there were plenty of GTA clones on the market in the mid-00s and most of them were immediately forgotten, the first Saints Row was a fairly big deal because Volition ripped off GTA so hard they basically made the first next-gen GTA. The Xbox 360 library was still a bit thin at that point and GTA IV wouldn't come out until a year and a half later, so a blatant but competent GTA clone with shiny next-gen bells and whistles really hit the spot for a lot of people, especially fans of the GTA games like myself. See, I hadn't actually heard about Saints Row at all until I saw the Zero Punctuation video on this game way back in the day. It just completely flew under the radar for me! Also I want to give warning now: I'm using the transcripts from the wiki for all the game's dialogue. These transcripts are stuffed full of spelling errors to the point of absurdity. I try to hit as many as I can while editing, but some are sure to slip through the cracks regardless. So if you all see any typos, don't be afraid to call them out!
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Apr 24, 2022 15:03
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DoubleNegative posted:See, I hadn't actually heard about Saints Row at all until I saw the Zero Punctuation video on this game way back in the day. It just completely flew under the radar for me! I barely knew anything about GTA or Saints Row when I first got SR2 on a whim because the name sounded neat and I had just gotten my first non-Nintendo consoles after being a Nintendo Kid my whole life. It was a change, that was for sure. It also introduced me to a couple bands I didn't know of, so that was good too. Looking forward to seeing how this goes down, I'll be honest I never paid much attention to the story of the game so it'll be fun to see.
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Apr 24, 2022 16:42
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Odd Wilson posted:I barely knew anything about GTA or Saints Row when I first got SR2 on a whim because the name sounded neat and I had just gotten my first non-Nintendo consoles after being a Nintendo Kid my whole life. The story of the game is great. That said, the characters in this story are not good role models. A lot of the things they do, if done in real life, would have really terrible consequences. So please be careful not to try them at home.
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Apr 24, 2022 18:54
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Best game in the series.   IdolNinja
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Apr 24, 2022 19:38
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DoubleNegative posted:Do you know about the mod that-- This might be a stupid question, but...what's this mod all about?
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Apr 24, 2022 22:01
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Epicmissingno posted:This might be a stupid question, but...what's this mod all about? The short version is, Saints Row 2 is basically unplayable on PC without Gentlemen of the Row. The PC port is widely regarded as one of the worst ever made with how unstable and buggy it is. GotR tries to iron out most of those problems. The guy who maintained the mod, IdolNinja, was a fellow Goon and sadly passed away last fall from cancer. He was supposedly hard at work for as long as it was physically possible for him to do so trying to help Volition fix their upcoming remastered edition. When you build the mod, you go through a short program that offers you some extras to include for the sake of fun. So you can make your character taller or shorter than normal, you can uncap the character creation sliders, or you can change certain weapons to be super explosive (nuclear satchel charges in particular). When I built the custom patch for the LP, I tried to avoid adding too many things that greatly affected the gameplay. I can post a list of what options I enabled if there's interest.
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Apr 24, 2022 23:30
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jessica escaped
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Apr 25, 2022 08:13
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DoubleNegative posted:The PC port is widely regarded as one of the worst ever made with how unstable and buggy it is.
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Apr 25, 2022 09:15
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 Jailbreak DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Apr 28, 2022 |
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Apr 26, 2022 02:20
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A few interesting notes- This game is the first in the series to let you play as a female. The first game was male Playa only. Why are they calling Playa the Boss in the beginning? I thought Julius was the leader of the Saints in Game 1. Playa doesn’t step up till this game. Or am I remembering it wrong? I agree with DN that a straight man petite female Playa is the most fun. I typically designed my Boss to resemble a certain legendary Special Forces matriarch. 
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Apr 26, 2022 11:53
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achtungnight posted:Why are they calling Playa the Boss in the beginning? I thought Julius was the leader of the Saints in Game 1. Playa doesn’t step up till this game. Or am I remembering it wrong? Playa was instrumental in taking down the Rollaz, the Los Carnales, and the Kings which is why Julius made her his number two. Then in the same phone call where he told her that, he got pulled over and arrested by Troy which made her the Boss by default. As for why the others weren't made lead - Lin was dead, Johnny was too hotheaded to be anything but a caporegime, and Dex had already resolved to drop his flags. Playa was also very visibly part of the murders of Chief Monroe and Mayor Winslow, which I assume is how she was known as the leader.
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Apr 26, 2022 12:42
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That makes sense. Thanks.
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Apr 26, 2022 13:32
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I'm enjoying the presentation so far, but I have a suggestion on the narration. I see you using past tense as if you were writing a novel. This happened. This person did this. He was walking. This would be great if your narration was a person observing the action and relaying it after the fact, but I see it more as a stream of consciousness observing things as they happen. Present tense would be much more fitting. For example, Not even a minute later, the copter is already returning. But the wear from Playa's shots is evident. White smoke pours from the airframe that protects the rotor gearbox. Playa shoots a few more times and manages to hit the pilot through the windshield. The chopper spirals out of control and disappears from sight. A moment later, a small explosion rocks the island as the vehicle crashes into the rocks in the sea far below. This makes the action feel a little more punchy to me. As if I'm watching it happen in real time, rather then hearing someone report it after. If you are intentionally using past tense for your own tone or style, then don't let me stop you. I might be the only one who thinks this way.
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Apr 27, 2022 05:47
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I’d enjoy present tense more also, I think. But you write what works for you best.
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Apr 27, 2022 06:05
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I really appreciate the feedback! I don't mind changing to present tense at all. It'll take a bit to get the currently-written updates changed over, though, so bear with me while I work on fixing that.
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Apr 27, 2022 08:07
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I'm fine with the past tense myself, feels like a story being dramatically recounted secondhand. That's just me though, past-tense is fine as well. Playa's definitely got the look of a businesswoman who's here to get stuff done, and isn't dealing with anyone's nonsense. It's a good fit from what I remember.
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Apr 27, 2022 17:18
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 Appointed Defender DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 08:23 on Apr 30, 2022 |
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Apr 28, 2022 07:44
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While it doesn't happen every time (maybe the game has to be running at exactly the right frame rate), I've definitely seen that news ticker on the TV update with "MAN STRUCK WITH BOTTLE AT STRIP CLUB" or something to that effect right after the Boss bottles that guy.
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Apr 28, 2022 07:48
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Ugh, thanks for reminding me of the low quality of the sequels to this game. Grr. Wonder if you’re planning to LP them (guessing no). I did not know you could walk through the courthouse safely without a weapon out. That would make things easier, huh? Hope to see the Boss dressed in a purple suit with green hair at some point. This game is appropriate for the Joker look. Harley Quinn too, though I never could make her look right. And yeah- everyone’s favorite character Johnny Gat!
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Apr 28, 2022 11:31
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I like to imagine the vaseline filter is just how hazy and garbage the air in Stilwater is. Such was realistic-ish graphics in 2008. Saints Row 2: Looks like the bottom of a ganger's shoe compared to it's sequels, but still features the best gameplay.
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Apr 28, 2022 15:14
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DMorbid posted:While it doesn't happen every time (maybe the game has to be running at exactly the right frame rate), I've definitely seen that news ticker on the TV update with "MAN STRUCK WITH BOTTLE AT STRIP CLUB" or something to that effect right after the Boss bottles that guy. According to the ever-reliable Saints Row Fandom Wiki, these are the headlines that play during Jane's report... quote:Ultor Breaks New Grounds In Controlling Gang Violence The "hit with bottle" headline is a pretty good joke, not gonna lie.
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Apr 28, 2022 15:58
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 Killing Time in Stilwater DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 13:43 on May 2, 2022 |
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Apr 30, 2022 08:38
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The first thing I do at the start of every Saints Row 2 playthrough is unlock infinite sprint and fall damage immunity. The former needs no explanation, and the latter is pretty important because fall damage is one of the most lethal things in SR1 and 2 for some reason.DoubleNegative posted:One thing I will give Saints Row 3 and 4 is they make use of the pressure sensitivity on the triggers. In this game, you hold A to go forward and X to go backward. DMorbid fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Apr 30, 2022 |
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Apr 30, 2022 08:53
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achtungnight posted:Ugh, thanks for reminding me of the low quality of the sequels to this game. Grr. Wonder if you’re planning to LP them (guessing no). 2 absolutely has the best story though.
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Apr 30, 2022 14:20
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Yeah, I agree 2 has the best story. The only things 4 has going for it are an awesome final mission, super-powered insurance fraud, and the chance to punch a politician in his junk. Oh, and the Kenzie Romance. 
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Apr 30, 2022 14:46
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We haven't got to my favorite thing about vehicles yet, customizing vehicles you're not supposed to, but in general I always tended to prefer motorcycles. Sure, you get zero protection from bullets and you're guaranteed to get flung by colliding with anything, but you can weave and drift past other cars so easily and even swing melee weapons like this is Mount and Blade or something. If not those, then probably a stolen SWAT van for the pure endurance. I had no idea there was an unlock for mugging or hostages. The former I did very little of because there was always a lot bigger sums of cash to be made.
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Apr 30, 2022 15:40
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achtungnight posted:Yeah, I agree 2 has the best story. The only things 4 has going for it are an awesome final mission, super-powered insurance fraud, and the chance to punch a politician in his junk. It also didn't have whatever lower body garment I had on my Boss at the end of 3, so when I imported her to 4, in the intro she was presidenting while wearing only panties and shoes on her lower body.
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Apr 30, 2022 16:52
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KennyMan666 posted:It also didn't have whatever lower body garment I had on my Boss at the end of 3, so when I imported her to 4, in the intro she was presidenting while wearing only panties and shoes on her lower body.
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Apr 30, 2022 16:58
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KennyMan666 posted:I will also forever have beef with 4 because it didn't have the voice I used for my Boss in 2 and 3 (the female latina voice) so she just sounded wrong that whole game. I’m still sad the British Boss voice from SR2 was replaced for SR3/4!
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Apr 30, 2022 17:07
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Odd Wilson posted:We haven't got to my favorite thing about vehicles yet, customizing vehicles you're not supposed to, but in general I always tended to prefer motorcycles. Sure, you get zero protection from bullets and you're guaranteed to get flung by colliding with anything, but you can weave and drift past other cars so easily and even swing melee weapons like this is Mount and Blade or something. If not those, then probably a stolen SWAT van for the pure endurance. Nothing sends a message like crashing into another gangs turf in a
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Apr 30, 2022 19:46
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FoolyCharged posted:Nothing sends a message like crashing into another gangs turf in a The hearse is also a good pick for this as well edit: wait, was there a hearse in this one? I can't remember Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Apr 30, 2022 |
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Apr 30, 2022 20:41
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DoubleNegative posted:I want to hold off on doing the majority of side activities until they make sense narratively. the one downside of the respect system pops up when you're elbow deep in gang missions & you have to pause a string of missions against them to do a side activity because you ran out of respect. not that this happens to me every time i play or anything...
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May 1, 2022 07:14
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FoolyCharged posted:Nothing sends a message like crashing into another gangs turf in a Goals, to be honest. A kitted out military humvee makes a lot of activities, like trafficking, a lot funnier! (And more fun, let's be honest.) KennyMan666 posted:2 absolutely has the best story though. Also agreed. I don't hate 3 or 4, but I do think their stories are much weaker than 2's. The quality of life increases in 3 make the game feel great to play, though I do hate that they stripped down the personal customization so much after this one. That actually has me moderately excited for the upcoming game! After what I felt was an extremely poor first showing back in September, the customization trailer they put just recently looks fantastic.
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May 1, 2022 11:35
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 Down Payment DoubleNegative fucked around with this message at 18:03 on May 4, 2022 |
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May 2, 2022 14:21
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