With the reboot of the Saints Row series introducing the brand-new city of Santo Ileso, now is a better time than ever to look back at two of the cities that players could explore in the previous Saints Row games.
Stilwater is the chaotic urban landscape, located in the American Midwest, that acts as the setting of Saints Row and Saints Row 2. Meanwhile, Steelport is the industrial city, located in the Rust Belt region of America, that acts as the setting of Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV. Both cities are unique and both have their own pros and cons.
10 Steelport: Takes Exploration To New Heights
Steelport favors vertical exploration much more than Stilwater does. In Steelport’s Downtown district, you can find no shortage of skyscrapers to explore, either by flying to the top in a helicopter or jumping from the roof while base jumping.
The centerpiece of Steelport is the Syndicate Tower, which is nearly 1 kilometer tall, making it the tallest building in the entire Saints Row franchise. The Virtual Steelport in Saints Row IV, brings the vertical exploration of the city to a new level with the addition of several alien towers to climb using the Super Jump ability.
9 Stilwater: Invites You To Explore The Inside Of Buildings
What Stilwater lacks in vertical exploration, it more than makes up for it in the several buildings found around the city that you can enter and explore. These buildings have fully decorated interiors with plenty to see, collect, and interact with.
Some of these buildings are massive multi-level buildings with sprawling interiors, like Wardill Airport or the Rounds Square Shopping Center. Other buildings are more compact, but with interiors that are packed with just as much detail, like the Courthouse or the iconic Saints Row Church.
8 Steelport: Their Steelport Guard Outranks Stilwater Police
Just like in Stilwater, Steelport has its own police department. However, where Steelport has a leg up on Stilwater is with their Steelport Guard. They act as Steelport’s resident military force and the highest level of law enforcement. The Steelport Guard are equipped with their own arsenal of military weapons and vehicles.
Sierra Point, an island in the Southeast District of Steelport, acts as a base to the Steelport Guard. It includes an Armory where the Reaper Drone is acquired and plenty of helicopters and armored vehicles are ready to be taken for a joyride.
7 Stilwater: Has A Wider Variety of Districts
There is one aspect of Stilwater that undoubtedly blows Steelport out of the water, and that is its wide variety of districts. The expanded version of Stilwater found in Saints Row 2 has an impressive 22 districts to explore.
Compared to the 4 districts found in Steelport, Stilwater just has a vaster environment to explore. Not only does Stilwater have a larger number of districts, but they are also all visually distinct. They range from the Chinatown District, inspired by various Asian cultures, to the University District, satirizing college fraternity and drug culture.
6 Steelport: Has A More Cohesive Theme
The upside of Steelport only having 4 districts is that it allows the city to have a much more cohesive theme than Stilwater. No matter which district you explore in Steelport, you get the sense that it is part of a once-thriving industrial city now afflicted by economic failure.
Scattered across the city are various suburbs and factories. You can even find several steel mills among the skyscrapers in the Downtown District. The image of legendary steelworker Joe Magarac is woven into the image of Steelport, with his face being plastered on ads for Joe Cola and having a giant statue on Magarac Island.
5 Stilwater: Has Many Secret Areas To Discover
With Steelport, what you see is what you get. In Saints Row 2, Stilwater has 32 Secret Areas across the city to discover. These Secret Areas often act as fun references to pop culture, world history, the first Saints Row game, or even meta-references to Volition, the game’s developer.
Some of these Secret Areas require a helicopter to reach, like the Nuke Launch Room or Phillips Building Roof. Others even require you to travel outside the bounds of the map, like Shipwreck Cove or Bone Island.
4 Steelport: It’s Where Professor Genki Runs Wild
One of Steelport’s most infamous inhabitants is Professor Genki. He is the merciless host of game shows such as Super Ethical Reality Climax and Genkibowl. While participating in these game shows, the players do not interact with Genki and instead must deal with his army of mascots.
The players are not completely safe from this giant pink cat, as there’s the rare chance of encountering Professor Genki in the streets of Steelport. Defeating him nets you a large sum of cash. Genki is made even more menacing when he is super-powered in the Virtual Steelport of Saints Row IV.
3 Stilwater: Has Plenty Of Stores To Shop At
While Steelport has your standard clothing shops and car mechanics, Stilwater provides players with a larger variety of stores to visit. Littered across Stilwater are fast food stores where the player can purchase food and drinks that heal you when consumed.
Liquor stores are where players can buy drugs and alcohol that boost their melee attack power and damage resistance. Stilwater is even home to a rather unique type of store, Forgive and Forget, which acts as a drive-thru confessional that wipes any gang or police notoriety.
2 Steelport: Has An Island Full Of Zombies
While you may be able to play the Zombie Uprising video game in Saints Row 2, you can fight the real deal in Saints Row: The Third. After a certain point in the story, Steelport’s Arapice Island becomes overrun by zombies that occupy the island for the rest of the game.
Players can visit the island whenever they like and mow down zombies to their heart’s content. Zombies not only attack the Saints, but will also attack rival gangs or law enforcement, leading to chaotic free-for-alls.
1 Stilwater: Knows The Value Of Good Transportation Services
While the pure chaos of a zombie island may be fun for some players, it is also nice to have the reliability of the transportation services found in Stilwater. The Stilwater Transit system allows players to take a train to any of the eight stations found across Stilwater.
Stilwater is also home to an impressive taxi service. Players can call any of the three taxi companies to have a taxi cab pick them up and take them where they want to go. Additionally, Stilwater has its own bus line. While players cannot be picked up by these buses, they are free to be stolen and stored in their garage.
0 Comments