Xbox

Just Cause

Just Cause is one of those amazingly fun, carefree games and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The action is hectic and breaks every law of physic and though the gameplay isn’t that varied, it’s still quite fun.

Overall, Just Cause isn’t the best game out there. I’ll warn anyone looking into it that it doesn’t offer the most original or engaging experience, but it’s a lot of fun to play. What you see is what you get: it’s a pretty shallow action game that doesn’t have an emotional story or memorable characters, but it’s a lot of fun to play. I can’t quite explain how cool it is to stand on San Esperito’s highest mountaintop above a layer of clouds and know that in just a few moments I’d be diving into those clouds, pulling the string and gliding hundreds of meters onto the top of a moving car. It simply has to be done for oneself. Definitely at the very least rent this one if you’re an Xbox or Xbox 360 gamer with a hankering for an action game, just don’t expect a gripping plot or original ideas.

When you look at it more and more, the Desperado comparison works really well here. Action scenes and sweet gunplay make for a compelling first watch, but you can’t sit through repeat viewings of that film like you can others. Just Cause is the exact same situation; after you liberate the island and eliminate the dictator, there is simply no other reason to put the disk back in your system. The island looks pretty and there are plenty of attractions to see, but once you spend a little time there, you are ready to leave. Most players will be done with this game after eight or ten hours and wishing that instead of the goofy collection or liberation missions that were thrown in, the developers would have fleshed out the main story.

If the entire Just Cause experience was boiled down to one phrase it would be this: Frustrating, but fun. Take that for what you will.

A generally fun experience that I encourage you to rent. You will finish it quickly and will no doubt notice its faults, but you just might like the features Just Cause has to offer.

Suspension of disbelief is such a fundamental part of the video game experience that we often take it for granted. Multiple lives and first-aid kits that instantly mend whatever ails you are conventions that we accept without batting an eye, even in games that purport to have realistic settings. That said, Just Cause is a visceral third-person action game with some outrageous action that will require an extra helping of that suspension of disbelief to be able to enjoy. But, if you can get past the infeasibility of a man hanging onto the tail of a flying jet with one hand, you might find a lot to like in Just Cause.

Overall, on the scale of sandbox games, JC falls somewhere between True Crime and GTA: Vice City. Rico Rodriguez’ San Esperito is definitely more impressive than Nick Kang’s Los Angeles, but the storyline is nowhere near the Vercetti’s Vice City.

Just Cause has all of the makings of a great sandbox game. It has a vibrant, open world with a multitude of environments to explore. There are a huge number of side quests to keep you occupied along with a slew of vehicles and weapons to aid you in your quest to see everything and blow it up. The trouble is that the deeper you delve into the game, the more shallow everything gets and the more prevalent the bugs and faults in the game become. There is fun to be had with Just Cause, but it doesn't last long enough to warrant more than a rental.

Tout le monde ne sera pas d'accord pour se forger un avis sur Just Cause, aussi convient-il vraiment de l'essayer, pourquoi pas en le louant pour un week-end. Avec d'un côté un trop petit nombre de missions principales bien conçues pour une myriade de missions secondaires sans aucune inspiration, Just Cause peut pourtant compter sur ses cascades pour rattraper le tir. Une pirouette qui ne marche pourtant qu'un temps. On souhaite vivement qu'Avalanche ait l'opportunité de mijoter une suite corrigeant les lacunes de son titre.

Instead, the game’s best moments bubble out of your brain. Artistic types will blow through the mission, then happily spend hours wandering the island and devising elaborate stunts, combining their plane-to-plane jumps with long freefalls with murderous rampages with driving burning cars off cliffs and shooting grappling hooks into boats and…well, you see?