Just Cause 2
Rico returns with a bang
Can warfare ever be a "just cause?" quips one journalists, "just 'cos", chimes in another, as we discuss the madness Eidos and Avalanche have shown off, during a preview session with the long-overdue Just Cause 2; sequel to the brainless smash from 2006. San Esperito's dictators may be long since deposed, by agency operative Rico Rodriguez is back from early retirement; on the trail of a rogue agent calling the shots on the fictional south-east Asian island of Panau.
While it may have been about as intellectual as George Bush's dog, the original Just Cause was full of breathless energetic fun, all piqued nicely by lush visuals and an appealing setting. Avalanche seem to have a firm grasp of where the first game worked, and where it didn't, and what it looks like Just Cause 2 will offer is more what made the first title fun, expanded in scope, with a few of the creases ironed out to boot.
Lead designer Peter Johansson is here from the Scandinavian developer to take us around the new game, and the first thing he assures us is that Just Cause isn't about to go super-realistic, or take things too seriously. That said, the game take a little technical inspiration from the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV, offering up a world of endless possibility, in which you'll eventually swing the politics of the island in your favour by creating open-world style chaos - as well as by completing specific story-driven missions.
Panau will offer up a more diverse array of terrains than the sweaty Caribbean ambience of San Esperito previously, offering beaches, and forests yes, but also more temperate climes, desserts, towns, snowy mountain peaks and barren plains. The game world has been expanded hugely, taking in many thousands of kilometres. Rico has some new moves, too, but we're pleased to see that missions still begin with our hero parachuting dramatically toward the ground, the mechanics of the 'chute itself having been improved, allowing you to use it much more easily as part of combat and exploration. Rico's also been gifted a newly versatile grapple, which will not only help assail precipices and buildings, but also snare enemies; as well as direct parachute maneuvers in an unrealistic but hugely entertaining manner.
We haven't heard much on Just Cause 2 for the best part of a year, but it is clear that Eidos and Avalanche have been spending a lot of time taking matters as far as they possibly can in this sequel. In one mission we were demonstrated, Rico "air-jacked" a Panau fighter jet in mid-air from his parachute, kicking the pilot from the cockpit, before racing off across the island heading toward a mission waypoint on the HUD map. Taking out the radar dishes providing communication from a military installation in the mountains, we leap from the plane and engage in combat with a few soldiers as Rico moves deeper into the complex, which is rapidly descending into chaos. Soldiers dispatched, and its time to tackle some ninjas - yes ninjas - before completing our business at this outpost of the corrupt regime.
Think this sounds absurd? You haven't heard the half of it yet. Mid-mission, a nuclear submarine breaks surface in a nearby bay, and we're told to get the hell out as the sub fires missiles towards the complex, necessitating our escape down the mountain on parachute where we engage with a convoy of enemy jeeps racing across a plain, towards the sea. Using a mixture of the grapple and our guns (witness a jeep dragging one hapless foe, snagged with the grapple), we take control of the jeep, just in time to be rescued by our pals in a helicopter, before the jeep plunges headfirst into the sea off a vast cliff. This is the kind of over-the-top action Avalanche are hoping to deliver in spades.
Technically, the first Just Cause was no slouch, but this sequel appears to be taking things up a notch, offering us not only vast open-world isles to explore in a seamless fashion, but also some great weather and lighting effects. Not only do stunning sunsets and hazy dawns bring the game's atmosphere to life, they also have gameplay applications, the designer telling us that Rico will use lights from towns to guide his movements at night.
Being able to combine the grapple with the parachute also adds a new level to combat, literally moving the action in vertical directions, the grapple sometimes proving a more useful weapon for stringing-up enemies, in addition to the range of standard guns in Rico's expanded arsenal. Environmental interactivity still counts high on the Just Cause agenda (chaos being the main mantra, remember), Johansson using a bazooka to take down gigantic pylons, petrol stations, incidental buildings and more. Panau really is a playground, while somewhat more intelligent enemies should keep things challenging, your rivals using flanking moves, calling for back-up, taking cover and more during intense fire-fights.
Like other open-world titles, the map screen offers a hint of how much will be available for Rico to do, and in addition to causing random chaos, completing specific missions, and opening up new challenges, you'll also be able to kidnap key figures, such as Generals - which will also help swing the popular vote in your favour. Movement between action has also been speeded up via "extractions", which allow you to air drop into new locales without pesky long journeys.
Avalanche tell us there will be over 50 missions in the game - potentially 20-30 hours of action - and the developer have clearly lavished a lot of time and energy addressing the first game's faults. Whether the world is ready for Rico's brand of OTT regime-changing remains to be seen, but you certainly couldn't accuse Just Cause 2 of doing things by halves.
Comments
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great pics looks like an awesome game