Just Cause 2 (JC2) is an open-world action game developed by Avalanche and Eidos Studios and published by Square Enix for the PS3 and XBox 360.



JC2 takes place on Panau, a fictional island paradise in Southeast Asia. It is ran by a ruthless dictator that oppresses the people and controls everything. Rico Rodriguez returns as a US Agent from 'The Agency' and is sent to overthrow the evil dictator and stop his mentor-gone-rogue in the process. You will work for various renegade organizations to help you achieve your goals and slowly take away the island from it's iron-fisted ruler.

JC2 improves on it's predecessor in every facet imaginable. The plot is near a throw-away story but it works. It's all about gameplay. Destruction, chaos, guns, explosions and wrecking everything is all that's on the menu. The game takes hints from other mayhem-inducing titles I found, notably The Saboteur and Red Faction Guerilla.

The Saboteur Review- http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/...ad.php?t=92431

Red Faction Guerilla Review- http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/...ad.php?t=40031

Rico's main tool is his grappling hook as was in the first game and it can be used in too many ways to list besides climbing. It clearly was the focal point of his arsenal. Yanking enemies down from heights never gets old, and you can even take out vehicles with it. You can jack any car in the game, from motorcycles to helis, but combining the hook with his always available parachute is the most fun way to get around town.

You can perform some pretty crazy over-the-top stunts and acrobatics with Rico, who makes Lara Croft look like King Kong Bundy. The car chases are fantastic, as you perform some pretty insane stuff youll see only in a game or The Matrix.

There is the usual variety of guns at your disposal but there is no targeting system worth mentioning. Just aim in the general direction and fire away. I found it to be not much of a challenge even on hard difficulty, especially when taking out normal grunts with dual SMGs. It's not like there's a true auto aim or lock on system. Rico will just aim in the general direction, you shoot and take out the enemies. I found it made the game too easy and used the free aim more. If ony there was a cover system, it wouldve improved this title's shooting mechanics dramatically. You can also rip machine guns off their turrets ala Halo, and jump in any of the AA guns to destroy Government targets and take out enemy support.

Vehicles controls are about how you'd expect. Average. The motorcycles are my faves.

The original JC was developed for the lastgen consoles and it was poor on the nextgen machines. In fact, I hated it. JC2 has been developed for PS3/360, and it shows, not only in looks but it plays much smoother. Rico looks good but the details of his clothes and gear are fantastic. Most of the cutscenes look pretty good. Unfortunately, a lot of the enemies are generic and look mediocre. Many of the complexes you visit (and destroy or takeover) begin to look identical. Certain areas of Panau Island are beautiful, but one issue I had with the thick jungle brush is they seemed too lifeless.

The sound is good, but the guns lack the oomph I like to hear in titles that clearly call for chaos. Rico's Antonio Banderas wannabe voice may become grating over time.

There is a ton to do, so JC2 will keep you busy for awhile. Lots of work with the renegade groups, side missions, and targets to destroy.

Honestly, JC2 is about what I expected. Short on story and heavy on action. The over-the-top destruction and crazy acrobatics make it easy to recommend, but if youre expecting anything more youll be disappointed. Im sure without Square Enix behind it, this wouldve been another mediocre Eidos title.

7.5/10

Rated M for Mature- Blood, violence, sexual themes, strong language, drug reference