Open world bliss, or open world apathy?

by belgavion

© 2010 Gav Ross

It was slightly surprising when an announcement was made that 2006’s Just Cause – a game that came towards the end of the Xbox/PS2 cycle but also managed to make an upscaled appearance on the 360 – was going to get a sequel.

The original single-player sandbox adventure title (developed by Sweden’s Avalanche Studios) sold a good amount and scored moderately well in reviews, but there was just something unremarkable about it.

The fact that there wasn’t really a free-roam game on the 360 at the time no doubt helped it to secure a following, even if it did possess some annoying glitches that made it feel like it was rushed to retail shelves way too soon.

The major problem with Just Cause was that it simply got boring far too fast; the open world map was incredibly huge, but most missions were repetitive and the entire game lacked focus.

With the release of Just Cause 2 however, it seems Avalanche have created the gaming experience they were probably aiming for in the beginning.

• Just Cause 2 Trailer: Island In Chaos

A ‘real’ open world

The cocky CIA Black Ops renegade Rico Rodriguez returns in the lead role and his sights are set on the rather massive fictional island named Panau. When the player pauses the game for the first time to get their bearings it is almost overwhelming to see how large the play area actually is: it even puts expansive regions like the ones from Far Cry 2 to shame.

Looking at the map from the start, it appears that you can play as Rico in one specific area for now and unlock further sections of the map as you progress through the obligatory missions.

However, it seems that if one was so inclined, they could simply begin taking out military bases in whatever area of the map they choose and spend their time assassinating baddies and causing as much chaotic explosions as possible without progressing the story at all.

The player can employ methods of strategy in order to take over strongholds, such as sneaking up carefully, blowing up a few random small buildings and vehicles and taking enemies out as quietly as possibly. Or they can choose a more suicidal approach and storm in all machine guns blazing, attempting to deliver justice in a storm of bullets.

The full arsenal of weapons from the first game make a return along with a few newies that are even more diabolically destructive, such as the laser-controlled rocket launcher and C4 (which can be controlled with a remote detonator).

Upgrade madness

Weapons and vehicles can be upgraded via the game’s ‘Black Market’ after the player picks up ‘parts’ scattered throughout the tropical landscape.

The fact there are more than a few thousand of these parts should give you an indication of the amount of depth the upgrade system has.

An improved aiming mechanic that’s much friendlier than the original and a re-haul of enemy AI also gives combat a more satisfying edge.

Enemies no longer stumble blindly at Rico while they empty their magazines; they now take cover and move around unexpectedly, just like decent AI should.

The basic control combination of Rico’s grapple hook and parachute also make a welcome return.

Getting the hang of properly executing movement with these essential tools can seem to take a while, but when you’re grappling and sailing between outpost buildings and taking down enemies before they even realise you’re there you’ll soon forget about the initial learning curve.

Rico’s grappling hook can now perform in dual mode well, so that multiple objects can be tethered together.

Lesson time with Rico

The tutorial example of this in the game sees Rico towing a car a short distance with a tractor – which sounds pretty boring – but this new skill opens up a whole new universe of tricks.

Gamers who’ve been playing the demo on Xbox Live and PSN over the last few weeks have already demonstrated the insanity such a small addition to Rico’s skill-set can cause.

Videos on Youtube display such daring feats as Rico doing a stunt transfer (which is just a nifty name for jumping from one thing to the next) from one chopper to another hundreds of metres in the air.

The open-world experimentation on offer is utterly mind-boggling, and this is what will make Just Cause 2 a memorable game that also has legs. It is destined not to be the game everyone on your friends list plays for a week and then trades back in.

The chaotic randomness in the game that makes it so appealing can also have a slight downside. Towards the beginning of the game there’s an escort mission that involves protecting an ally’s vehicle by stunt-jumping from one enemy vehicle to another and taking out the threats as soon as possible.

After playing this mission a few times, each attempt was completely different to the one before it due to the random nature of the vehicles.

On one occasion I even found myself attempting to hijack an enemy vehicle by punching out the driver when the truck unceremoniously plowed into a tree, thus blowing us all up and ending the mission.

There are a few moments of frustration like this, especially when you’ve set the game to a higher level of difficulty, as it seems even the scripted portions can be as unpredictable as the rest of the game at times. Some gamers would view this as a good thing, as a game that’s completely linear and constantly on-rails isn’t going to lend much in the way of surprises.

• Just Cause 2 Anatomy Of A Stunt

This is a sandbox experience in the truest sense – players could spend their time manipulating objects and the environment for weeks, or even months, and never have to go near the storyline if they don’t want to.

Oh, and the storyline – well…

And not going near the storyline wouldn’t be too detrimental.

While the story missions do offer an action-filled amount of gameplay variety, there’s nothing remotely remarkable about why Rico is on the island and why he should be attempting to overthrow the evil dictatorship that is in place.

Voice acting during the cut-scenes is fairly terrible and even if you do sit through them to get an explanation, you’ll find that you just don’t care in the end.

Even players who’re usually steadfast in following a story will have trouble keeping themselves from pressing the ‘A’ button to skip forward.

The lack of any kind of multiplayer mode at all will no doubt leave some scratching their heads.

If anything, Just Cause 2 begs for local and online co-op so that players can at least have fun messing around with the world and blowing up everything in site with some company in tow. When you’re having so much fun causing chaos on your own though you’ll soon forget about anything else.

• Just Cause 2 Freedom baby!

© 2010 Gav Ross

“8.0/10

xxxxxx

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, New Xbox 360 Games, PC Reviews, PS3 Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | "Far Cry 2", Avalanche Studios, CIA Black Ops, Just Cause, Just Cause 2, Just Cause 2 Review, open world game, Panau, Panau island, PS3, Rico Rodriguez, sandbox, sandbox game, sandbox gameplay, Xbox 360