Just Cause 2, in all its ridiculous glory, is the smoke-break you need from today's stressful and realistic games.
Well throw all of that aside with Just Cause 2.
If you find yourself getting sad when something bad happens to Niko in Grand Theft Auto IV, find yourself crying when a shipmate dies in Mass Effect 2, or find yourself sweating during the single player finale in Modern Warfare 2, then Just Cause 2 may be the smoke break you've been needing from modern day gaming.
I also want to point out JC2 looks better on the XBOX 360. I almost didn't buy it after seeing it on my friend's PS3 but I was told that its much better on the 360 and its true. The framerate and draw distances are noticeable better. Of course, the PC version blows them both out of the water but for people who own both consoles get the 360 version over the PS3 version. Of course if you only own a PS3 then still get the game... I'm just pointing out what to do if you have a choice.
One thing to remember when reading about Just Cause 2 is to not get confused when people, like myself, compare it to Grand Theft Auto IV. The two are completely different and get thrown into comparison because they both have large worlds. Don't be confused by this.
I won't even talk about the campaign of Just Cause 2. Its stupid, ridiculous and about typical gangland and rebel government stuff. Who cares? I don't. You won't either. All you need to know is your main goal is to disrupt the rebel government and, on the side, do gang missions and mess around.
The game starts with some very linear missions where you have little freedom. This scared me because I thought it was an open-world game. Don't be scared though, soon you'll be unleashed onto the island of Panau to cause havoc. The first few linear missions are just to get you accustomed to the game.
Besides completing story missions and side missions you also need to cause havoc. This earns you points and unlocks more missions, including the main plot missions. It also unlocks extra oppurtunities to buy more weapons and vehicles. So the point is... You won't feel like you're wasting time when you're out causing destruction on the island.
Make no mistake... You won't get drawn into this game like you would in GTA IV. In GTA IV you actually cared about your character and his friends. In Just Cause 2 you really won't care. You don't grow to know every deep secret of your character and its unfortunate but in JC2 there are bigger things to worry about.
The island of Panau is unbelievably HUGE. Picture how long it would take for you to travel all of GTA IV's Liberty CIty on foot.. Now imagine it taking that long by helicopter. That's how big Panau is. It's huge and its amazing. You could take off from a snow-capped mountain and a few minutes later descend into a valley with beautiful green trees, beds of flowers on the ground, etc. The draw distance on the 360 is awesome too, and things won't "pop into view" like they did in Grand Theft Auto IV. Well, vehicles and people will, but the actual land and trees etc will already be drawn. It's awesome.
I've only played 4 hours but I'm yet to see an inside-environment. That stinks but I guess in such a huge world that inside environments weren't needed. It would've added some nice depth to the game though. (I could be wrong though, maybe I'll see in-doors later on? I doubt it but maybe.)
Gun play is fun in JC2 but its annoying too. GTA IV's gun play was very refined with a nice cover system. In JC2 its really just run and gun and you rely heavily on the auto-aiming. I won't even bother comparing it to other 3rd person shooters like Uncharted 2 or Resident Evil 5, which were extremely refined. Not JC2. Once you get used to the confusing system then you'll enjoy it more. Yes, there is double-wielding guns also which is important when playing an in-your-face over-the-top game.
A huge part of JC2 is the grappling hook that is permanently on your wrist. You're basically spiderman and its so ridiculously stupid that you'll end up loving every moment of it. You can basically shoot the hook at anything and propel yourself to that object. It makes climbing things pretty easily. It also means you can jump onto cars, planes and helis by just grappling them and flinging up to them. Its stupid and corny and a hell of a joy ride! You feel like you're in an action movie when you use it. There are other uses but I don't want to ruin the surprises, but basically you can grapple objects and attach those objects to another object. For example, attach a car moving one direction to a car moving the other direction and watch the mayhem ensue.
You also have a parachute that, again, is ridiculous, stupid and so much fun. You can use it instantly and put it away instantly and do it all over again. You'll use it alot. You can use in conjunction with the grappling hook for even more crazy fun.
JC2 is a huge improvement over other go-anywhere type games. One particular one I can think of is inFamous. You could climb anywhere which was fun for an hour but the game just repeated itself over and over. JC2 gives you that freedom but it doesn't get boring, so although its far from perfect its a huge improvement and that's what game development is all about.
Sound is great in JC2. It's no Modern Warfare 2 or Bad Company 2, but the gunfire and explosions are crisp and clear. Voice acting is horrid... You won't find blockbuster level acting like in Mass Effect 2 here, not at all, though it's not nearly as horrible as Mickey Rourke in Rogue Warrior.
I'm probably missing some aspects in this review but I wanted to get the main point across... Just Cause 2 is fun and you immediately dismiss reality with it. It's a great break from today's serious games and it's very well done. It's a big world that doesn't suffer in other areas of graphics due to the size like many other games do. You have complete freedom to cause havoc and it doesn't get boring.
Overall: 9.0
Pros: Big, beautiful, constant action, heroic things like the grappling hook, insane vehicle play, doesn't get boring
Cons: No inside environments, average voice acting, not a very immersive storyline or character building