Synopsis: Square Enix has just released their third person action title Just Cause 2, and since we got a review copy, my spare time has been spent playing this game and thinking about different destruction options to try when I am unable to play. You take on the role of Rico Rodriguez, armed with a parachute, grappling hook, and your typical arsenal of vehicles and weaponry to cause chaos and destruction to find Rico’s previous boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon that has gone rogue with the agency’s money and intelligence. In order to do this, you will need to align yourself with rival gangs to complete your mission as a hired weapon trading your services for intel. Just Cause 2 now allows your character Rico even more options to complete your objective, whether it be free falling, hijacking vehicles which includes jets and helicopters mid flight, and over a hundred weapons and vehicles for causing mass destruction using virtually anything you can imagine.
Praise: Whether you’re a fan of sandbox titles or not, it is hard to think of anyone that would not have fun playing this title. You can literally do almost anything at any point in this game and an example of the game’s size is that I am 10 hours into this and only 7 percent completed. It is incredibly easy to get distracted and hijack a truck, then come across a helicopter, attach the truck to your chopper and drag it around destroying everything and everyone in your path. The environment is visually stunning and the massive size will take you many hours to explore and take on additional side missions. The character controls are similar to most other sandbox titles and does not take long to master your grappling hook and parachute. The story is strong especially after completing missions from the local gangs; you quickly become cautious of those you are working for to make sure they do not turn on you.
Gripes: Vehicle controls are my biggest problem with the title as they are difficult to control and most of the vehicles can be easily destroyed by the opposition, leaving you stranded trying to find the next vehicle to help get you to a mission location. You can use a quick extraction, but that only works to be taken to locations that have been previously discovered. Some missions can get a bit repetitive and occasionally too long especially if your or an NPC that you have to protect gets killed and you fail the mission, you get to start all over again from the beginning.
Overall, Just Cause 2 is a much needed sequel to its mediocre predecessor. Whether you are looking to play through the story missions, or just taking your time exploring Panau and destroying local properties and assassinating Colonels, it is hard not to enjoy and notice the hard work and creativity put into Just Cause 2 to make it enjoyable by most any gamer, casual or hardcore. This title has the replay value to keep you busy for a long, long time with almost 200 missions and over 350 towns to discover and wreak havoc on.
Mashbuttons.com gives Just Cause 2 a 9 out of 10.
Just Cause 2 is available now for the PlayStation 3, PC, and Xbox 360.
