Volition’s game arrived on PC in a dreadful state – until now. Thanks to the Juiced Patch, the port is finally on par with the console version.

The PC version of Saints Row 2 was technically playable without mods, but it was impossible to deny that the Xbox 360 version looked and ran far better. The list of bugs was endless: cutscenes were broken, characters often failed to appear where they should (if they appeared at all), and sometimes they slid into the frame as if on roller skates. Audio crackled constantly, making dialogue difficult to follow. Graphical issues abounded, resolution settings were severely limited, water turned pitch black from a distance, and RAM restrictions meant frequent crashes.

Over the years, multiple attempts have been made to fix the PC port, but the latest is by far the most impressive. Saints Row 2 Juiced addresses every one of these issues. It restores more than 30 animations from the console version that were missing on PC—so wielding a machine gun or sprinting with a rocket launcher looks far cooler now. Gamma settings from the Xbox 360 version have also been ported over, giving players a sharper image.

The visual improvements are optional and can be enabled through the menu with VanillaFXPlus, which disables the original filter and brings more vivid, contrasting colors. Another quality-of-life change allows players to keep their weapon when they run out of ammo instead of automatically switching to a melee option. The full list of fixes is available on GitHub, or you can check out the detailed breakdown in the videos below.

The Saints Row 2 DLC Port Project, which requires the Juiced Patch, will also be launching soon. It finally brings the console-exclusive DLCs (Ultor Exposed, Corporate Warfare, The Unkut Pack) to PC, giving fans the complete experience.

Source: PCGamer, Github