IGN: Explain to us exactly what has transpired from Saints Row 1 to Saints Row 2. What has happened to the main character and how has his outlook changed?

James Tsai: Saints Row 2 takes place a few years after the original. With the Vice Kings, Rollerz, and Los Carnales out of the picture, several new upstart gangs have been able to sweep in and make their mark on Stilwater. At the same time, a multi-national conglomerate known as the Ultor Corporation has become a pivotal player in city politics, pumping millions of dollars into rebuilding the metropolis.

Regarding the main character, it's pretty easy to explain what's happened to him: he's slept. Comatose and disfigured after the explosion at the end of Saints Row 1, he has passed the years in the confines of a dingy prison infirmary. Much in the same way his body was rebuilt while in recovery, the city of Stilwater has changed and rebuilt itself. It's a brave new world that he can't wait to tear back down.

IGN: I understand that Julius and Troy are returning to SR2. Are they aware that the Saints stabbed our character in the back at the end of the first game? How has their role changed within the Saints from the first game to Saints 2?

Tsai: Without trying to give up too many spoilers, I can definitely say that Julius and Troy do indeed return in Saints Row 2. At the start of the game, we see how far the Saints have fallen and find the old leadership fractured and spread out. Troy has left the ranks of undercover officers to become Stilwater's Chief of Police. Johnny Gat is on death row. As for Julius, the player will find out what his old mentor had to do with the bombing that left him for dead in the first game.