Saints Row 2 delayed to October

By Rob Fahey Published 29 May, 2008

Needs more polish before hitting the streets.

THQ's sandbox game Saints Row 2 has been delayed by almost two months, and will now launch on October 17th in Europe, the publisher told Eurogamer this morning.

News of the delay was announced in the US last night, with the firm saying it wanted to hold the game back a while in order to let developer Volition polish it a bit more - as well as giving THQ a chance to build up a better marketing campaign.

The game, which was originally meant to launch on August 26th in North America, will now appear on October 14th - with THQ confirming to Eurogamer today that the European release will follow on Friday of the same week, October 17th.

The change pushes Saints Row 2 deep into the hyper-competitive pre-Christmas market (yes, that starts in October now - or September, depending on who you listen to), but THQ's worldwide marketing head honcho Bob Aniello reckons it's still the right thing to do.

"Product quality is a huge drive of a game's success and this move allows us to polish the game," he told the Reuters news agency. "The game is done, it's about polish."

Saints Row 2 is, of course, THQ's pretender to the GTA throne - but it seems to be doing plenty to distinguish itself from Nico's Liberty City adventures, with a very different visual style, lots of unique gameplay features and, perhaps best of all, drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer. If that piques your interest, check out Dave's preview to find out more.

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About Rob Fahey

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Comments (29) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • syphaa #1 4 years ago

    I enjoyed the original.
    The co-op will be a nice addition over GTA's feature list.

    Can't say I am surprised this has been delayed...some breathing space needed me' finks'

  • Lexx87 #2 4 years ago

    "Shit GTA shits all over this, delay it!!!"

  • bad09 #3 4 years ago

    delayed just a few weeks after GTA is released? Hmm, me thinks THQ are a little worried....

  • Dizzy #4 4 years ago

    A bit more bling surely!

  • Zander #5 4 years ago

    I'd only be worried because eveyone already spent there pocket money on GTA - i wouldn't be so worried about not being better than it. GTA zzzzzz

  • Marshall2008 #6 4 years ago

    Funny, delay it so that it hits the streets just as the DLC hits LIVE for GTA IV

    This game is doomed to complete failure. I doubt that it will even move 20% of what the original sold seeing that they released the original Saints Row at a time when there were no decent games out and it was the only way to get a GTA type game on the 360. This time they have no chance, GTA IV is a vastly superior game and will still be selling strong when Saints 2 gets released.


  • escapedape #7 4 years ago

    Why would anyone bother with a faux GTA now that the real thing is out? Especially as GTA 4 really does show up all these pretenders for what they are.

  • Fayt #8 4 years ago

    I'm glad it's been delayed as I heard it was a bit buggy, so hopefully some of these bugs will be ironed out (probably not all though as sandbox games are with them being ambitious and all, prone to bugs) . I really enjoyed the first game too, though overall it does now feel a bit dated next to GTAIV. It does stil manage to do certain aspects more proficiently than Rockstars game though, such as the GPS system and the side-missions. I'm looking forward to see how this sequel compares to GTAIV and I can't wait to play what I'm sure will be a very good alternative.
    Edited by 2 at 29/05/08 @ 10:37

  • DUFFMAN5 #9 4 years ago

    I must be one of the very few on here who loved the first one. I played with my custom music (S.R soundtrack was shite) and enjoyed it loads, as much as any GTA(more than SA).
    Doesn't the GTA dlc come out in August ?
    It must have something to do with that, they want everyone to have bought and played to death. I could do with the dlc now, I cleared GTA ages ago.
    Bring on S.R.2

  • S.J.Rogers #10 4 years ago

    I agree with you Fayt 100%

    Looking forward to this...

  • JonFE #11 4 years ago

    Given my slow pacing through GTA IV, I doubt I'll be finished with that until then :)

  • muscleblade #12 4 years ago

    Co-op can make a mediocre game so much more fun. Imagine Nico and his cousin doing all the missions together, that would have been atleast twice as fun. Saints Row 2 could easily beat GTAIV in the fun factor department imo.

  • jaxon58 #13 4 years ago

    So there should only be allowed one game of this type this year guys?
    Grow up (some of you). It's called CHOICE.

  • bad09 #14 4 years ago

    @ jaxon58

    It is called choice, it's just SR is not a very good one!

    / runs

  • Vice.Destroyer #15 4 years ago

    @Duffman5

    No, you're not the only one. I thought that Saints Row was superb as well. I didn't touch the multiplayer and I will say this. There may be more things going on and more things to discover in GTA IV, but I found Saints Row to be a lot more fun. I can't wait for part 2.

  • MrXBob #16 4 years ago

    escapedape said: "Why would anyone bother with a faux GTA now that the real thing is out? Especially as GTA 4 really does show up all these pretenders for what they are."

    Because GTA 4 has now been finished by everyone apart from the uber completionists?

    Because most of GTA 4's new features are direct rips from the original Saints Row?

    Because Saints Row is far from a 'pretender' shown up by GTA 4?

    There are many reasons. I bet you're probably the kind of person that thinks the whole gaming world will come to a standstill when MGS4 comes out, with nobody buying another game until 2009, right? Get a grip. There a billions of people on this planet.

  • neil_likes_bums #17 4 years ago

    The first was a product aimed directly at the Elizabeth Duke generation, good luck to them I say, good luck.

  • MrXBob #18 4 years ago

    neil_likes_bums@ Sorry but no.

    I'm sick of people generalising whole populations based on their personal opinions. I'm a huge fan of Saints Row, and I'm no chav.

  • WinterSnowblind #19 4 years ago

    The original was a great game, and I'd easily say it was better than any of the GTA games, prior to IV. It's doing a lot of things very different from GTA, I don't think it will compete in terms of story or character, but SR2 does feature a lot of customisation, not only total customisation over your main character down to his animations, but we can only customise the hideouts, gangs, cars, boats and planes. It's also going for a more silly and over the top style of gameplay. The insurance fraud mode from the original, were you had to throw yourself infront of cars is now always in effect, with the addition of the adrenaline bar, so the more you get hit, the further you'll be sent. You can also pick up and throw people and even perform wrestling moves on them.

    And I wouldn't suddenly assume this delay was due to GTA IV. If anyone read the recent preview for the game that was in Edge, the game apparantly had a LOT of bugs, including ever NPC on the screen suddenly freezing occasionally when you aimed the gun, and pedestrians being able to jump, right over tall buildings. The first game was delayed massively for bugs as well.

  • MrXBob #20 4 years ago

    Also the best part of the original Saints Row is something that has always annoyed me in GTA.. The garage.

    In SR, any car you take to your garages (or mechanics) will be stored forever. From any garage around the city you can pick up and customise any car you've got stored in any other garage. If you destroy your favourite car, you can go back to a mechanic and get it brought back from 'the dead', customisations and all.

    That is full freedom imo. It's so pointless in GTA putting cars in your parking spaces, because the gameplay is too erratic for that kind of thing. You save a car, you use it the next time you play, it blows up, its gone forever. What was the point in finding it and parking it in the first place? These games are supposed to be fun, not tedious 'find-a-good-car' trudges.

  • kangarootoo #21 4 years ago

    Whilst very accomplished, GTAIV still has plenty of rough edges (in typical GTA tradition) and I'm sure SR2 will clean up a few of those edges as the first 1 did, if be a little less ambitious overall.

  • S.J.Rogers #22 4 years ago

    @ MrXBob

    Well said...

  • Darren #23 4 years ago

    I enjoyed Saints Row, it was fun, but then it didn't have any competition at the time but GTA IV has proven itself to be the vastly superior game IMHO so the sequel is going to have to be amazing if it is to grab my cash again. And I hope that Volition remember to force V-Sync on for the game this time or at least add it as an option in the game because the screen tearing in the original was an absolute eyesore and I couldn't appreciate the game properly until they patched it some months later (after a lot of complaints). Not at all interested in the co-op features though, not one bit, so they'll have no bearing on my decision whether to buy the game or not.
    Edited by 1 at 29/05/08 @ 13:30

  • kangarootoo #24 4 years ago

    @MrXBob

    Very good point. I never collect good cars in GTAIV, or save them outside my apartment, as I know they will just get trashed bare minutes later. I use taxis all the time unless a mission requires me to actually drive somewhere, as half the cars handle like porridge and crashing all the time isn't really that much fun.

  • dynarama #25 4 years ago

    I'm really enjoying GTA IV but I've got to admit that alot of its thunder was stolen by Saints Row, which was a very good bridge between San Andreas and IV. Hopefully SR2 can improve on some of IV's flaws (mid-mission save anyone? hardly any building interiors).

    Either way you don't have to buy it, its just great to have the choice.

  • Jheronimus #26 4 years ago

    Loved the first SR and it does have its advantages over GTA, but I'm afraid that the whole 'bling' theme in the games (and GTA:SA) kind of bores me... I'ld love to see a GTA game set in the 70s or something (Shaft!!! Hippies!!! Bikers!!!).

  • davisorle #27 4 years ago

    Like I said in the article about GTA 4 boostingthe xbox 360 sales I really didn't think that GTA 4 wasnt even close as good as a tittle with such a huge funbase should have been. I honestly turn it on and after 10 mins I see like there is nothng that much new to it and specially caus th graphics are fn lame... They really suck and the movement is sad tbh. I know a lot of funs will go nuts most likely with what im saying but I think GTA 4 int worth all those sales. It's like a remake of the old one and I find it poor. Saints Row was way more intresting for it shiny graphs when it came out and was fun and refressing in the genre and I really hope it offers wht GTA 4 couldnt and gets me bored. If not I don't mind but I hope it will be what a GTA 4 should have since it's boring the crap out of me.

  • Rictor001 #28 4 years ago

    Ok - someone help me out here cos I really can't tell if davisorle is being funny or if he stumbled in here from the TVG forums

  • MrsPacMan #29 4 years ago

    he's drunk