Just Cause 2 – PC Review

Gameplay (continued)

The controls of more than 100 vehicles (land, air and sea) in Just Cause 2 are rather loose and help contribute to the chaos, as crashes are very likely to happen and believe me, they do! The hectic nature of vehicular confrontations with the military also make you just want to take charge of everything and make everyone your bitch, as you rule the land, the sea and the skies.

The planes in the game are cool but their controls take some getting used to. Anyone who has used a keyboard to play a flight sim should feel at home though. They range from small aircraft to fighter jets to even a Boeing 737. The only graphical glitch I experienced while playing was with my fighter jet just falling right through the runway floor and getting stuck. Yikes! I had to revert to the last autosave. I eventually took off and blew up the satellite though (smiling). It serves to be noted though that if you die in a mission, some of the autosaves aren’t quite where you would want want them. Sometimes they are further back than you would like and it makes the mission more tedious than fun.

The game really brings about that outlaw feeling and that is what drives you to explore and conquer more and more territory. Aside from the government territory, there are three factions working throughout Panau that try to control parts of the island. They all have a common interest, however, and that is to see Pandak “Baby” Panay ousted from office. The Ular Boys, The Roaches and The Reapers all give you faction missions. These open up certain opportunities for you when you complete them, aside from getting paid of course. Agency and Stronghold Takeover missions also help advance the story and offer even bigger rewards.

On a more subtle note, there are certain collectibles to be found all around Panau, 300 in fact. Each faction has 100 and while some hide in plain sight, you get the feeling that some may never be found. The Ular Boys need back their ancestral skulls, The Roaches, their drug drops and the Reapers are in search of black boxes. This adds depth to the game and gives the player even more to do or look forward to.

Added to these, are 2,700 weapon, armour and vehicle parts (900 each) that can be used to upgrade your weapon attributes, maximum health and vehicle capabilities respectively. There are also 450 cash stashes scattered all over the place. A more dangerous task though, is taking out the 50 Colonels all over Panau. Good luck with that one!

In your favour though, are the numerous weapon choices ranging from revolvers and semi-automatic pistols to shotguns and assault rifles. There are even sniper rifles and various explosives such as grenades and remotely triggered C4 – and how could I leave out the trusty rocket launcher? You can also dual-wield any combination of single-handed weapons. By the way, the grappling hook can be used as a melee weapon as well as for ranged combat. I love using it against snipers or enemies on top of buildings and catwalks. You can even use it to tether objects (and even enemies) together.

There is no multiplayer mode but who the hell cares? I sure don’t. Being able to single-handedly cause this much chaos (or in my case, pandemonium), I certainly wouldn’t want anyone teaming up or cutting in on my reign of terror in Panau.