| Just Cause 2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer(s) | Avalanche Studios Eidos Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Engine | Avalanche Engine 2.0 |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 16:9 16:10 |
| Resolutions | 640x480 - 720x480 720x576 - 800x600 1024x768 - 1152x864 1176x664 - 1280x720 1280x768 - 1280x800 1280x960 - 1280x1024 1360x768 - 1366x768 1440x900 - 1600x900 1600x1024 - 1680x1050 1768x992 - 1920x1080 |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows (Vista or later) PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Xbox One (backwards compatibility) |
| Release Date(s) | NA March 23, 2010 EU March 26, 2010 |
| Genre(s) | Action Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer (PC only) |
| Ratings | BBFC: 15 OFLC: 15+ PEGI: 18 |
| Media | Blu-ray Disc DVD Steam download |
| Languages | English Russian ? |
Just Cause 2 is a game in the Just Cause game series and the sequel to Just Cause.
Info summary
Just Cause 2 is an action-packed adventure game with one of the largest game maps ever. All gameplay is in an open world / sandbox and even most missions can be done in various creative ways.
Originally set to be released in 2008, it was pushed back multiple times until it was released on March 23, 2010 (US) and March 26, 2010 (Europe).
It could be bought in original or limited edition which came with Rico's Signature Gun, Bulls Eye Assault Rifle, Chevalier Classic, Agency Hovercraft, Chaos Parachute and a double sided Panauan Intel Map and Poster. All these items (other than the map) can be obtained as Downloadable content.
There is also a free demonstration version of the game available for downloaded.
Gameplay
See also: Category: Gameplay
Rico Rodriguez - the protagonist of Just Cause (1) - is back, but now on the island of Panau in the Malay Archipelago. Rico, working for The Agency, has to infiltrate various factions and cause chaos around Panau to unseat the dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay.
The game is open-world, with all missions and storyline being optional, except the two introduction missions. There are very few interiors, but the islands of Panau are large and varied.
The grappling hook can now be deployed with a button rather than from the inventory and can be attached to any solid surface - including vehicles and people - and can also be used to tether objects together. Along with this, the player has a parachute which is always instantly deployable whenever the player has gained enough momentum. When airborne, the player can grapple onto the ground or structures to pull themselves along.
The game runs on a heavily modified Avalanche Engine 2.0. The vehicle physics have also been completely re-worked and handling is dependent on the surface differently depending on the situation. There is also the ability to upgrade vehicles, a feature absent from the previous game. There are 104 vehicles for the player to use in Just Cause 2, including a flyable passenger jet and various military aircraft. There is also the new Black Market system replacing the Heavy Drop from the first game, allowing the player to instantly purchase weapons and special Agency vehicles.
See also: Category: Just Cause 2 vehicles.
The array of weapons is quite varied, from small handguns to Triggered Explosives and Rocket Launchers. The system has 2 slots for light weapons which can be Dual Wielded, 1 slot for a heavy weapon (such as a Shotgun or rocket launcher) and slots for both explosives and Grenades, allowing the player to carry a selection of weapons at any one time. The grapple hook and parachute are both always equipped and are separate from the weapons. Furthermore, the grapple hook can be used as a melee weapon in times of need.
See also: Category: Just Cause 2 weapons.
Plot summary
After the helicopter Rico is in is shot at he is forced to jump down into a military base to obtain 5 memory cards that contain volatile intel. After obtaining the memory cards and getting back into the helicopter Maria Kane, Rico's superior, lands the helicopter near the house of a informant for the Agency, Karl Blaine. There Rico and Kane meet Jade Tan, Blaine's former girlfriend, who takes Rico to the Panau Falls Casino to rescue Blaine. After Rico defuses two breaching charges and destroying two helicopters Rico manages to rescue Blaine and takes him to his car. This starts a car chase with the Panauan military and after a long chase Blaine stops at his house and in a cutscene, Blaine takes Rico's PDA and downloads information about the three faction on Panau, little does Rico know that Blaine is actually placing a tracing bug for the Panauan military to follow. This leads to Rico completing the first Stronghold takeover mission for one of the factions. After this mission Rico can do more faction missions and stronghold takeovers or pursue more chaotic activities. Either way, this leads Rico to the third Agency mission where Rico is referenced to a man named the White Tiger and must save the doomed gambler, Ken Pang. After saving him from various thugs he leads you to an old base where you must locate a dead drop. After finding it and eliminating a colonel and an attack chopper you must make your way to an ancient temple, where the White Tiger is hiding. As you arrive Rico is tranquilized and finds himself hanging upside down before being freed by Sheldon, who reveals that he was the black market dealer (Sloth Demon is an anagram to Tom Sheldon). After fighting off the military forces that attacked you (they found you with the bug), Sheldon hops on a truck and leaves. A significant amount of chaos later, Sheldon gives Rico another mission, rescue Jade Tan from the clutches of Baby Panay in his "Snow Fortress", the massive Kastelo Singa Military base. Rico is inserted into the base and is tasked with destroying three air conditioning vents that keep the interior of the base supplied with a steady flow of oxygen. After fighting through throngs of highly trained soldiers, Panay is evacuated and Jade Tan is swiftly taken away from the base via MV Command vehicles piloted by Ninjas. Rico must jump from the base to catch up with Jade before hurling her aboard an Agency H-62 Quapaw. The next mission revolves around assassinating three agents sent by various nations to survey the country for an untold opportunity.
After arriving at the Three Kings Hotel, Rico is tasked with killing the three agents by going between each tower via helicopter piloted by Sheldon. The first agent, a Chinese general, likes explosives, the second, a Russian mobster, has a tank and the third, a shamed Japanese general who has a fancy satellite missile system. Even after killing all three of the agents, Rico cannot extract any information about why the world's powers are flocking over Panau.
Locations
Main articles: Category: Just Cause 2 Locations and Panau.
Throughout Panau there are large urban centers, military bases, villages, Offshore Rigs and harbors. They dot the entire country, ranging from mountain towns to desert oases. Most towns are connected by road, but a few can only be reached by plane, boat, or trail. The island's affluence differs from region to region. Some areas are more wealthy than others and some struggle to scrape by, especially in rural farming settlements.
The largest city and capital is the Panau City.
Downloadable and extra content
All platforms have Downloadable content. The PC version also has a Benchmark feature and a Multiplayer.
The Just Cause 2 Soundtrack has also been released separately.
Patch and glitches
Just Cause 2 has over 100 relatively rare and relatively minor glitches (see Just Cause 2 Bugs and glitches). Note that not all versions of the game (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) have the same glitches. A patch was released to fix some of those.
All versions of the game will either download it automatically, or prompt an update when connected to the internet.
- PC: Is automatically downloaded by Steam.
- PS3: Came in the form of a "system update" when you open the game.
- Xbox 360: Initiates a prompt to update when you start the game while connected to the internet (i.e. Xbox Live).
What the patch fixes
- Sets uploaded YouTube videos as "public" by default.
- Fixes issues that would stop people and vehicles from spawning.
- Changes enemy artificial intelligence so they don't fire on the player during the Hijacking quick time event.
- Fixes the Vanderbildt LeisureLiners spawning glitch. It used to be super rare, or even non existent.
- Adds "numerous stability improvements".
- Also related to video capture on the PS3 is a bug, where the game would stop suddenly after an extended play session and tell you the system had reached its limit on recording time. You would be prompted to discard the recording (or save it) and then your game and controller settings would all be set to zero: no volume, all hud options at lowest settings, controller options all pushed to lowest sensitivity and so on. Players would have to go into each settings area — video, audio and controls and push “Set to Defaults” to restore them and then invert the Y-axis the way one likes it before continuing to play. Many players found this very annoying and with this patch, while that pop-up message occurred, the settings aren’t lost.
Sales
Christofer Sundberg, the Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Avalanche Studios, revealed via twitter that by 2013 Just Cause 2 had sold approximately 6'000'000 units and has about 500'000 active monthly players.
Videos