Incendiary- Just Cause 2 Review

A timeworn Russian adage states that people can be endlessly fascinated by watching three things- children playing, a woman dancing, and fire burning.  Recent release Just Cause 2 gives players two of these components; although there’s no gyrating girls, the title presents an enormous sandbox full of toys eager to generate some of the most satisfying detonations seen on home consoles. Like Red Faction: Guerrilla, the game proves that destroying landscapes can be a delightfully cathartic sensation.

Rico Rodriguez, the protagonist of the original title, returns as the game’s provocateur of pandemonium. While the game’s storyline is skeletal- concerning Rodriguez’s hunt for a missing mentor, it presents just enough momentum to drive the explosive action. Like most open-world titles, players have a central goal along with a host of sub-missions offered by the title’s three militant factions. Many players may find that the game’s varied play mechanics and proficiently designed game world are rewarding enough to support impromptu mayhem marches. I frequently found myself spontaneously toying with Just Cause 2’s tropical isle- from launching volatile vehicles into enemy trucks to impulsively storming military compounds, there plenty of impetuous mayhem to be found.

Beyond the requisite assortment of offensive weaponry, players are given two tools that elevate Just Cause 2 above most sandbox-based titles. Although many games have employed grappling hooks to navigate environments, few have implemented them without substantial restriction. Rico’s apparatus fastens to any surface, allowing him to scale buildings, mountains, and tree with assurance. The grappling hook’s reach is also enjoyably lengthy- permitting the protagonist to flee enemies or climb tall building with a few well-placed shots. Alternatively, the tool can also be used to snatch foes from lofty perches, gratifyingly sending snipers plunging to their death.

When used in combination with the Rico’s ever-present parachute, players may also initiate a perpetual glide over the island terrain. Gamers merely have to deploy their chute, while sporadically launching the grappling hook at a downward angle to slingshot quickly across the terrain. Of course, the player’s ram-air also permits sky descents, perfect for when your helicopter or jet falls victim to an irksome surface-to- air missile. 

While the title has a few noticeable quirks, they hardly prohibit players from reveling in all the disorderly devastation. Rico can use his grappling hook to connect two items- such as an opponent to a flaming, about to detonate, propane tank. Occasionally the tether is cut by unseen forces, or the game’s phsyics system will determine that a half-ton truck can’t pull an overturned scooter. The game’s requisite black market arms dealer, Sloth Demon, is often rendered redundant from the abundance of ammo scattered around bases, and his exuberant prices which require a weapon repurchase merely to restock your ammo.

Visually, Just Cause 2 reigns over all of its open-world peers. With a habitually fluid framerate, astonishing draw distance, and hundreds of air, water, and ground based vehicles to commandeer, the game’s graphical appeal is undeniable. Explosions convincingly rip silos apart, displaying carefully crafted clouds of brilliant color and billowing smoke. The game’s day and night cycles are wonderfully evocative- allowing players to take to rain-filled skies ruled by imposing thunderheads.

Gamers who thought Mercenaries 2 didn’t live up to it’s next-gen promise, or couldn’t get enough of the marvelous mayhem offered by Red Faction: Guerrilla will undoubtedly adore Just Cause 2’s breathtaking bedlam. Avalanche Studios presents players with a pleasing playground brimming with enough explosive targets to outmatch a dozen summer blockbusters. Hopefully, they won’t make up wait another four years for the next fiery follow-up.