While airborne, Rico can also deploy a reusable parachute at any time. A new feature is the ability to tether together any two objects using the grappling hook. All of these can be combined and used to achieve some pretty interesting results. The amount of fun you can have here is limited only by your imagination, and the controls are very intuitive and work brilliantly.
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You can also use conventional means of transport in case you get bored with the grappling hook and ‘chute (which is unlikely). Much like any other sandbox game, there are tons of vehicles to drive and pilot – cars, bikes, motorboats, helicopters, airplanes; you name it. Unfortunately, driving isn’t much fun thanks to the finicky handling. Most vehicles can attain ridiculously high speeds, but are very difficult to maneuver and one small bump can send them flying. So apart from certain missions that force you to use vehicles, there really is no need for you to bother with them. On the upside however, the helicopters control rather well, and I personally found myself using them a lot or just using the fast travel option to get around the map quickly.
If you do find yourself getting bored with all the random messing around, you can take up missions or try to explore the entire island. Each area of the island houses many small settlements, military bases or large towns. Hidden among these are various upgrades and enemy installations. Collecting upgrades and blowing up enemy structures contributes towards your overall percentage completion. I personally found this aspect of the game very addictive. Collection tasks aren’t as frustrating as in other games as items are only found in and around settlements. It’s also a lot of fun to go on a rampage inside a military base taking it apart piece-by-piece using a minigun, a rocket launcher or a gunship.
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The environments aren’t fully destructible though and only certain objects and buildings can be destroyed. These types of missions have been done before in games like Mercenaries 2, Prototype, and more recently in The Saboteur, but they’re still fun here thanks to the huge number of options at your disposal. Even the main story missions are fun this time around, complete with a generous amount of mid-mission checkpoints. It’s also worth mentioning that new missions only get unlocked once you gather enough “chaos” points. But it hardly matters, as you’ll usually have enough if you keep blowing stuff up, which – you know – is pretty much the best part of the game.
The story itself is throwaway material and it’s just there to provide some reason for Rico’s actions. Well, at least most of them. It’s made worse by some of the most horrid voice acting that you’ll come across in a video game. Then again, you can simply skip cutscenes and keep the action moving, and trust me, you won’t be missing much. The enemy AI is also pretty basic, but what they lack in tactics, they usually make up for in numbers. At high alert levels, they will swarm from each and every direction – by land, sea or air. And while it’s possible to fight them and get away, sometimes it’s just best to die and respawn at the nearest safe-house, provided you’re not in the middle of a mission.
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As mentioned before, Just Cause 2 is a very good-looking game. Considering the sheer breadth and scope of the game, it could very well be the best looking sandbox game till date. The PC version, however, needs a beefy rig in order to experience it with all the graphical bells and whistles. However, those planning to run it on slightly older PCs should know that it still looks quite stunning with most of the heavy effects turned off. But it does take a while before you find the right balance between graphics and frame rate, so expect to spend some time fiddling with the options.
Conclusion
Just Cause 2 is pure gaming fun in its most unadulterated form. It doesn’t pretend to be anything else. There’s no epic story, quirky characters or carefully written dialog here. What it does offer, however, is fun in spades; something which you’ll keep coming back to. And sometimes that’s exactly what a gamer needs. Play it after a hard day. Trust me, its cathartic.
(+) Offers pure unadulterated fun
(+) Gorgeous visuals
(+) Huge island to explore with lots to do
(-) Vehicle handling is bad
(-) Lame story, horrible voice acting, forgettable characters.
Title: Just Cause 2
Developer/Publisher: Avalance Studios/Square-Enix
Genre: Action
Rating: 18
Platforms: PC (Rs 699), PS3 (Rs 2,499), Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499)
Reviewed on: PC
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