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[S1kkZ]

Eh, that's how most of the game looked. It had its moments, but apart from the draw distance it wasn't a very attractive game, IMO.

nope, 360 version looked much better and had more effects. pc version was just a port of the ps2/xbox version.

 

[MMaRsu]

The gunplay itself doesn't look too exciting, but that's kind of irrelevant to me since the grapple/parachute have been so overhauled. I'm not interested in using traditional shoot and cover mechanics when it's so easy to get airborne, grapple around the environment, or mess around with the tether. In the first game, you basically just drove (or parachuted) into an encounter and were stuck with your guns until it was over, but now there's a lot more to do.


Eh, that's how most of the game looked. It had its moments, but apart from the draw distance it wasn't a very attractive game, IMO.

:lol Please someone post DCharlie's pictures of the game.. I can't find em

 

[kikanny]

The game looks fun...but the shooting looks really wonky.

 

[Zenith]

they also dont have a hook that can attach to any object or enemy and play around with the psychics. Sorry but Just Cause 2 is much better than you give credit for.

We get that you're cheerleading the game. Not everyone has to like it.

 

[darkwings]

We get that you're cheerleading the game. Not everyone has to like it.

so flat out saying it will get average reviews because of the first game is not ignorant? And yes I am cheerleading the game because it deserves more hype.

Please someone post DCharlie's pictures of the game.. I can't find em

eh it was a game developed for PS2 and Xbox1. The 360 version got some extra effects, but it was still a last-gen engine. (which was still impressive)

 

[rohlfinator]

nope, 360 version looked much better and had more effects. pc version was just a port of the ps2/xbox version.

I played the 360 version. The last-gen roots were still very apparent. Like I said, it had its moments (mostly the great skies and high-altitude environment views), but most of the environments weren't very attractive close-up. The sequel is ridiculously improved in that sense.

Maybe I'd think differently if I were comparing it to last-gen games, but I didn't play it until last year, and by that time it was starting to show its age compared to other 360 open-world games.

so flat out saying it will get average reviews because of the first game is not ignorant?

It's not an unreasonable expectation... The first one was pretty mediocre and the developer hasn't really proven itself yet. I'm looking forward to it because I liked the concept of the first game and because there seems to be a lot more excitement in the press about this one, but otherwise I wouldn't expect much.

If it turns out to be good, word-of-mouth will spread (like it did for Red Faction: Guerrilla). You can't really expect everyone to be hyped for it before then.

 

[Salty]

The graphics/environments alone make me really excited for this.

 

[fu3lfr3nzy]

Pre-Order Bonuses

Spoiler

(yeah I know lulztaku. sue me )

I just hope theres a console comparison before its release because for some reason, my gut feeling is telling me to get the PS3 version

 

[darkwings]

 

[sullytao]

I was abit disappointed with the first game but I'm hugely hyped for the sequal after that video. I love games like this where you can spend endless hours just dicking around with the toys you are given.

I hope this sticks to its March release date.

 

[Kentpaul]

Guys i played the first game on the... the.... PS2 and still loved it

can't wait till this beezer

 

[SolidSnakex]

We've already written about Rico Rodriguez's magical arm-mounted grapple hook at length, but its seemingly ceaseless brilliance bears reiterating - not just because it's Just Cause 2's main instrument of playful chaos, but because there are a lot of very decent games coming out in early 2010, and I really don't want anyone to forget that, in one of them, you can essentially crazy-glue a baddie to the undercarriage of a passing jumbo jet.

So there I was, then, being chased across the island paradise of Panau by military jeeps - I forget why, exactly, but it hardly matters with this game - and I'd just run out of ammo. This, as it transpires, is only ever a good thing. Just Cause 2 is one of those run-and-gunners where you actually won't feel like you're playing it right if you just run and gun.

There are so many toys and tactics available to you at any one moment, that you're almost certainly cheating yourself out of fun by opting to simply blow someone's brain out with a few bullets. Headshots? Why bother? At least string your target upside down from a telegraph pole first, eh? Maybe drag them through gravel behind a Tuc-Tuc? Or fling them over a large drop by knotting them to a punctured gas canister as it whistles past?

Whatever your poison, I was in a bit of a scrape: enemy troops were closing in and I had nothing to fire at them with. The only option, then, was to stick one end of the grapple hook to the nearest Humvee fender, and then whack the other end into a part of the scenery - a bridge strut, perhaps, so they could bob about like militaristic Christmas ornaments before disappearing over the edge of a ravine, or even the ground itself, where they would suddenly yank to a stop, perhaps backflipping into the air and wiping out some of my other pursuers in the process.

Or that palm tree, where they'd knock me from my perch, leaving me to get run over by a local driving - oh good - a tractor. That's the thing about Avalanche's latest - the really good thing, as it happens: even when a plan goes wrong, you're generally laughing too hard to care.

In the muddle of accidental hilarity, it's easy to overlook the details, too. Details like the way that targeting has been tweaked since the original game, with less of an autolock, so you feel like you're actually doing some of the work for yourself this time. And like the health gauge, which gives you just enough of a recharge to keep you alive between medkits, while simultaneously making sure there's still a pleasant sense of urgency as you move through locations taking fire.

In other words, if you're expecting that, given the buggy first instalment - and with such scope for any kind of madness to unfold - Just Cause 2 might not be a very polished game, on the strength of the first few hours at least, it's looking pretty smart: the map is entirely fuss-free as you place markers, the GPS works admirably, no matter how far you stray off the path it's set for you, and air drops are no longer an open invitation to expire beneath a heavy crate.

Just Cause 2 is so much fun from the very start, in fact, that you could almost begin to worry about its chances as a full-length title. When Avalanche is willing to throw so much into the game's first few hours, can it really hope to keep pace with itself over the next twenty?

Very possibly. If the minute-to-minute game caters to your mad bomber tendencies, the hour-to-hour stuff is targeting the obsessive-compulsive within you, with regular bombardments of stats bursting onto the screen - number of people killed while tethered to a wall, number of people blown to pieces in a crowd - while there are weapon parts to hunt for, black-market guns and vehicles to unlock and upgrade, and plenty of RPG-style meters to watch fill up as you inch towards opening the next story mission.

If you're looking for a game that gives you five minutes of easy spectacle while you wait for your tea to brew, then (and warm the pot first, right? We're not animals) while also providing that magical, illusory sense of actually achieving something over longer sessions, Just Cause 2 is on track to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Before you strung him to a motorbike and drove it off a cliff, obviously.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/just-cause-2-dec-hands-on

 

[darkwings]

holy fuck, the graphics looks amazing. (Avalanche 2.0 engine works its magic)


sleeper hit of 2010!

 

[Baloonatic]

Limited Edition of the PC version is £25 at Game.co.uk. Pretty sure it's a pricing error as the standard is £30, so I'd pre-order now before they notice :lol

 

[Shig]

The main problem that needs to be addressed from the first is that if you found yourself away from the main roads without a vehicle, it took for-fuckin'-ever to get back to civilization on foot.Hoping this has a lot less dead zones, and a lot faster means to get out of them.

 

[Unicorn]

The main problem that needs to be addressed from the first is that if you found yourself away from the main roads without a vehicle, it took for-fuckin'-ever to get back to civilization on foot.Hoping this has a lot less dead zones, and a lot faster means to get out of them.

Even early on you could radio in a drop. I think a motorcycle was the first air-drop then later you get better vehicles at your disposal.

 

[NullPointer]

I hope this game gets a decent demo. It'll certainly take one to lure me back into the fold.

 

[Oneself]

I hope this game gets a decent PS3 demo soon, as in, before the end of the month please. It'll certainly take one to lure me back into the fold.

Fixed just because.

 

[wolfmat]

Fixed just because.

You mean Just Cause

 

[SolidSnakex]

The grappling hook mechanics get even more advanced in the second mission, where Rico needs to rescue Karl Blaine, an informant who has a lead on Sheldon's location. This mission is an extensive grappling hook tutorial -- at one point, Rico has to scale the side of an extremely tall casino using just his grappling hook. This has a bit of a Spider-Man feel, and to be honest, it's one of the more difficult maneuvers to pull off. While it does simply call for grappling onto a wall, and while still attached, aiming at and using the grapple button again, this motion can be difficult due to factors such as misjudging distance or peculiarities of a building's layout. At one point, the hook kept on having me dangle underneath a ledge that I needed to go over, and lining up the exact angle to do so took more time than I wanted to spend.

Yet, whatever difficulty I had with scaling a building was forgiven by the chase sequence. Most games put you in the driver or passenger's seat of a car -- this one has you riding on top with freedom to shoot, grapple, and even deploy your parachute. And man, the grapple can do some wacky stuff here. Such as quickly tethering a pursuing Jeep onto the road, and watching it suddenly stop and possibly flip onto its side. Or tethering one car onto the other, and making them crash into each other. Or a very quick moment where I tether an enemy car we're racing along the edge, and the angle of the cable and the car in relation to the edge causes it to not just suddenly stop, but to then tumble over the freeway and down into the ocean below. Or the way I end the chase by tethering a Jeep onto the center pillar of a gas station, causing a crash that results in a spectacular explosion.

It's at this point where Just Cause's open-world structure emerges, and that I can now perform missions for different factions to gain information about Sheldon's whereabouts. I can write about a typical stronghold mission, where I have to escort a friendly hacker into a hostile base and make sure he overrides some computer. But really, all I remember doing in that mission is watching his health meter, and using my grapple to yank snipers off perches or attaching guys to giant fuel tanks before blowing them up.

Well, actually, I also remember the end of that first stronghold mission, since it features another facet of any good open-world game: the ability to surprise via supremely random chunks of emergent narrative. After using a hijacked helicopter to blow some stuff up, I decide to jump out and parachute my way down to the remaining bad guys, and jack one of their motorcycles. These guys have been pissed at me, since I just took both a base and one of their rides. They give chase, and I find myself zipping down the highways of fake Malaysia while militia dudes on bikes are gunning for me. One guy in particular, manages to pull up right beside me and starts to aim his gun at me. He is so intent on taking me out, that his whole body is now angled towards me, and therefore he seems oblivious to the fact that he's in the wrong lane with a bus coming towards him. I guess the resultant crash is technically an example of bad A.I., but to me, it's a lovably stupid moment that feels like an amusing bit of emergent narrative.

Gameplay videos
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/27343
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/27345

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3177276

 

[NullPointer]

Is this a HUD free game? Haven't seen a video yet that shows any UI elements. No crosshairs, ammo, mini map, nothing.

 

[Wizman23]

WOW!!

 

[rohlfinator]

Man this game looks gorgeous. That oil rig looks pretty cool, too... I hope this game has a lot of architectural setpieces like that.

The main problem that needs to be addressed from the first is that if you found yourself away from the main roads without a vehicle, it took for-fuckin'-ever to get back to civilization on foot.Hoping this has a lot less dead zones, and a lot faster means to get out of them.

I think I read somewhere that you can air drop a lot more vehicles in this game.

 

[reetva]

I think that, with games like this, it's best not to look at them critically, and instead just have fun. I mean, it probably won't be the best game ever, but the amount of enjoyment to be had here is through the roof, it seems. You know, kind of like watching Plan 9 From Outer Space or some-such.

 

[Unicorn]

I think this post is applicable to this thread as well, and I don't feel like typing it all out again, so here's the link to it: HERE

 

[Shadowlink]

Damn those screens look nice.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

loved that last developer talk gameplay video. so fucking awesome

 

[JaseMath]

Just watched this after (literally) playing the Jeep scene in Uncharted 2 - this looks like garbage.

 

[Unicorn]

Just watched this after (literally) playing the Jeep scene in Uncharted 2 - this looks like garbage.

Incredibly scripted scene versus a situation presented in sandbox format with several variables in AI and landscape that could lead to different outcomes, paths, and emergent narrative....

Apples to Oranges, my friend.

 

[Rollo Lawson]

I think that, with games like this, it's best not to look at them critically, and instead just have fun. I mean, it probably won't be the best game ever, but the amount of enjoyment to be had here is through the roof, it seems. You know, kind of like watching Plan 9 From Outer Space or some-such.

imho, this applies to the first one as well. there was quite a bit more awesome than there were issues.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Just watched this after (literally) playing the Jeep scene in Uncharted 2 - this looks like garbage.

haha. that's great, but this game isn't rail shooter garbage.

 

[JustHadToJoin]

Gameplay videos
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/27343
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/27345

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3177276

The videos look amazingly fun but this is what bothers me from the article

" I mean "ridiculous" in the sense that I get a ridiculous grin on my face when, within the first hour of playing the game's opening act, I've done goofy stuff like: skydive onto a poor schmuck, shoot up a military installation while dangling from a helicopter, knock over a car using just my grappling hook, and indirectly cause vehicular manslaughter. "

If they give you everything from the get go don't you think its gonna get extremely dull fast?

 

[darkwings]

The videos look amazingly fun but this is what bothers me from the article

" I mean "ridiculous" in the sense that I get a ridiculous grin on my face when, within the first hour of playing the game's opening act, I've done goofy stuff like: skydive onto a poor schmuck, shoot up a military installation while dangling from a helicopter, knock over a car using just my grappling hook, and indirectly cause vehicular manslaughter. "

If they give you everything from the get go don't you think its gonna get extremely dull fast?

Who is to say that will be everything in the game?

 

[Denzar]

Damn, those explosions look NICE.

Sound effects are great too.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

The videos look amazingly fun but this is what bothers me from the article

" I mean "ridiculous" in the sense that I get a ridiculous grin on my face when, within the first hour of playing the game's opening act, I've done goofy stuff like: skydive onto a poor schmuck, shoot up a military installation while dangling from a helicopter, knock over a car using just my grappling hook, and indirectly cause vehicular manslaughter. "

If they give you everything from the get go don't you think its gonna get extremely dull fast?

Just Cause 2 is so much fun from the very start, in fact, that you could almost begin to worry about its chances as a full-length title. When Avalanche is willing to throw so much into the game's first few hours, can it really hope to keep pace with itself over the next twenty?

Very possibly. If the minute-to-minute game caters to your mad bomber tendencies, the hour-to-hour stuff is targeting the obsessive-compulsive within you, with regular bombardments of stats bursting onto the screen - number of people killed while tethered to a wall, number of people blown to pieces in a crowd - while there are weapon parts to hunt for, black-market guns and vehicles to unlock and upgrade, and plenty of RPG-style meters to watch fill up as you inch towards opening the next story mission.

If you're looking for a game that gives you five minutes of easy spectacle while you wait for your tea to brew, then (and warm the pot first, right? We're not animals) while also providing that magical, illusory sense of actually achieving something over longer sessions, Just Cause 2 is on track to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Before you strung him to a motorbike and drove it off a cliff, obviously.

.

 

[bounchfx]

holy shit, that video just sold me on the game. or at least the demo. I enjoyed the first game a lot but it wasn't an 'amazing' game. this looks fucking great!

 

[eshwaaz]

Lots of good stuff in the latest videos, but they really need to tone down the floaty ragdoll. I know it's supposed to be exaggerated and over-the-top, but the bodies have no weight whatsoever. Tossing around helium balloons isn't satisfying; there needs to be some believable sense of mass.

 

[elrechazado]

Just watched this after (literally) playing the Jeep scene in Uncharted 2 - this looks like garbage.

Thanks for sharing that. Where are the uc2 gifs to go along with it?

 

[JB1981]

game looks really awesome. love how well the combat is integrated into the chase/stunt sequences. it's like an uncharted chase sequence but on-the-fly and unscripted. very awesome and dynamic looking

 

[rohlfinator]

imho, this applies to the first one as well. there was quite a bit more awesome than there were issues.

I had a lot of moments of this in the first game, but the basic controls and mechanics weren't quite polished enough to make the between-mission parts very fun. As an example -- I can have a lot of fun just driving different vehicles around in open-world games if the controls and variety are good, but the vehicle controls in JC1 were so squirrely that I had a hard time enjoying just the point-to-point driving.

With JC2, the extra tools and abilities should mix this up a lot, but hopefully the regular driving/shooting mechanics are improved significantly as well.

Very possibly. If the minute-to-minute game caters to your mad bomber tendencies, the hour-to-hour stuff is targeting the obsessive-compulsive within you, with regular bombardments of stats bursting onto the screen - number of people killed while tethered to a wall, number of people blown to pieces in a crowd - while there are weapon parts to hunt for, black-market guns and vehicles to unlock and upgrade, and plenty of RPG-style meters to watch fill up as you inch towards opening the next story mission.

Huh, so I guess it must have a HUD. I wonder why it hasn't shown up in any of the videos. Some of them look like the player must be seeing a

 

[mjc]

While the first game had it's fair share of problems I would spend lots of time flying up as high as I could and then sky diving to the ground. This one looks to up the ante big time.

 

[gunswordfist]

Did that guy say "Do really stupid stuff."? :lol

Anyway, it looks like Just Cause 2 will pull off a Street Fighter 2.

 

[gunswordfist]

wow we give out reviews before releases now?

That's what I was thinking. I'm just skipping straight over those posts.

 

[gunswordfist]

No multiplayer at all since they're entirely focused on delivering a high quality single player experience.

Yeah, if you kids want JC2 to not have too many glitches, then don't ask for multiplayer.

 

[Unicorn]

Yeah, if you kids want JC2 to not have too many glitches, then don't ask for multiplayer.

WTF? Then what's [Prototype]'s excuse? They had an additional YEAR to "polish" it.

 

[kaching]

and air drops are no longer an open invitation to expire beneath a heavy crate.

How absolutely clueless do you have to be for this have happened in the first game? I somehow declined this "open invitation" every single time. WTF, Eurogamer.

 

[RoadHazard]

A few new videos have been released on PSN, and like in every other video the framerate during gameplay looks absolutely horrible. This, along with some of the worst screen tearing I've seen in a long time, really makes me doubt this game. Graphics isn't everything, but a bad framerate can really kill the enjoyment of a game. There's just no smoothness. If it's still this bad come release day, I will be skipping this one.

(And no, it's not a problem with the videos themselves, as the interview sections of them run perfectly smooth).

 

[darkwings]

A few new videos have been released on PSN, and like in every other video the framerate during gameplay looks absolutely horrible. This, along with some of the worst screen tearing I've seen in a long time, really makes me doubt this game. Graphics isn't everything, but a bad framerate can really kill the enjoyment of a game. There's just no smoothness. If it's still this bad come release day, I will be skipping this one.

(And no, it's not a problem with the videos themselves, as the interview sections of them run perfectly smooth).

Gameplay videos from PS3 build are on IGN, and they have no tearing and good framerate. It is definitely a problem with those vidoes on PSN.

 

[MMaRsu]

Just watched this after (literally) playing the Jeep scene in Uncharted 2 - this looks like garbage.

:lol You are an idiot.

 

[RoadHazard]

Gameplay videos from PS3 build are on IGN, and they have no tearing and good framerate. It is definitely a problem with those vidoes on PSN.

Really? I'll have to check that out. If it's true, then they are doing an exceptionally bad job selling the game by releasing videos like that.

EDIT: I don't have Insider, so that's not happening.