Much like Mercenaries 2, Saints Row 2 is also coming in August, albeit slightly before on the 26th. Hit the jump for the first proper trailer to the game.

Pre-orders are now being taken for those who are eager to secure a copy come the big day. The above trailer shows one new ability that is likely to be a lot of fun; who wouldn’t want to throw someone into the path of an oncoming train?

IGN were also lucky enough to go hands on with an early build of the game that demonstrated the new co-op. Overall they seem impressed, despite some notable bugs being present (the early build being blamed). It seems you can now go around Stilwater with a friend much like in Crackdown, with the sole intent of causing absolute chaos together. Check out the preview on IGN for all the details.

Will the next Saints Row be able to beat Grand Theft Auto IV on the popularity and gameplay stakes? Most think it is unlikely, however developer Volition will do everything they can to make sure they at least challenge Rockstar.