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Just Cause 2

















System:Xbox 360,PS3, PC
Developer:Avalanche Studios
Publisher:Edios/Square Enix
Release:23 March 2010
ESRB Rating:Mature











Description:Just Cause 2 is all about running around and having fun with loads of toys and things that go boom or bang. If you go into this game thinking you're going to get some seminal epic, you're in for a surprise. Just Cause 2 is a tongue-in-cheek look at espionage video games. This guerilla simulator lets players raise hell in an immense open-world practically any way they want, and the results are sure to bring a big smile to your face.Wherever you go, you'll find all sorts of things and people to destroy. Whether spitting death by launching rockets from a helicopter or grapple hooking a hapless enemy to a moving vehicle, you'll want to get creative in the ways you dispatch your foes. As such, this game is filled with hilarious combat most action gamers will really enjoy. Unfortunately, it also comes with its fair share of unpolished bits that the abundant humor simply can't cover up completely.

The first 15-30 minutes of Just Cause 2 is a clear example of how not to make a video game. The introduction is filled with lots of things that plague the title throughout. I don't think I've ever cared less about a game's story - something about 'The Agency' hunting down a dangerous American in a nationalistic tropical island rife with pretenders to the throne. Making matters worse, the poor narrative is exacerbated by the loathsome dialogue and painful delivery. Some may argue that the developers tried to make the game cheesy in these regards in order to accentuate the humoristic approach the gameplay takes, but I'm here to squash those claims - the story, characters, and voice acting is an utter fail. Thankfully, there are alot more fun things to do in this awesome game.There are lots of different weapons to use, and delivering death in cruel and unusual ways soon becomes second nature. Perhaps the biggest reason for the off-the-wall combat is the dual grapple hook in Just Cause 2. Imagine romping through 3-D environments with Bionic Commando-like abilities. Now imagine pulling off grapple swings, hitching to vehicles, and zipping to locations that are over a hundred yards away! Moreover, pulling enemies out from behind turrets and immediately riddling them with bullets will not only net you special kills, but is ever so satisfying. Better yet, hooking two enemies together will produce kills that look like they were taken straight out of a Three Stooges short. My favorite type of kill is, what affectionately call, the dead man's rocket. That's when you hook a goon to a propane tank, shoot a hole in it, and watch the poor guy get launched 50 ft. in the air just to fall to his death - not surprisingly, it never seems to get old. Rather than simply running from place to place, you'll be better served by zipping from building to building like some kind of mutant monkey.

This game feature alot of vehicles too. Helicopters, aircrafts, bikes and cars. The helicopters come with equipped mini-guns and rockets, well most of them. Aircrafts include commercial planes, military jet planes to private planes. Bikes include dirt bikes, sport bike and lots more. Coming to cars, there are sports car, military car and a lot of normal old-school car.

Another of the game's foibles is the difficulty in getting around the expansive world. As good as zipping around the combat zones can be, getting from one point of an island to another is extremely slow. This is due to a number of factors. First, the vehicles are cumbersome (even after upgrading them). Driving, flying, and boating around the hilly, overgrown, and obstacle-laden land, seas, and skies of Panau is painful. Second, the world is so big, you'll sometimes go nearly 10 kilometers (6 miles) to get to your next objective. Even in a chopper, this can take upwards of five minutes - in a quad, car, or rickshaw/golf cart you're looking at 20 minutes, minimum! Needless to say, you'll spend hours of your precious playing time just trying to navigate from one point to the next.In an attempt to ameliorate this, you can call up a black market dealer and get extracted from your current position to your desired location. While they let you call upon this glorified shuttle service as much as you want (and for free), it only really works if you've already been to the location. That's because you can't select "undiscovered" destinations; at best you'll be able to select an adjacent region. As a result, I often found completing objectives to be too time-consuming and frequently became discouraged.

There is a few words to decribe the game. First, 'Ridiculous'. It takes so long just to get from one point to the other. Second, 'Unrealistic'. The designer said the physic was unrealistic so as to bring players more fun in doing the stunts. Accepted reason. Third, 'Fun'. I don't think you'll need explantion right?