Just Cause 2 Review

5th Nov, 2022

Just Cause, as successful as it may have been, left many players with a lot to desire and didn't quite fit the bill for becoming the next big shooter. Its sequel, on the other hand, manages to grab your attention even from a few seconds of watching the trailer – it looks like a completely refined game, with a lot more polish thrown in, as well as actual freedom for the player.

Gameplay

You play Rico Rodriguez, the same character from the first game, still trying to take down the dictator of the fictional island country the game takes place in. The game features a very open world, which you're free to explore any way you see fit – you're not obliged to follow your objectives straight away, you can go around and look for more useful items before going on your next mission. New weapons and vehicles have been added as well, adding a lot of variety to the gameplay.

An interesting new feature is the grappling hook, which can be attached on both its ends, as opposed to a traditional grappling hook. This allows you to connect objects together, and the possibilities you have are endless. An enemy giving you too much trouble? Hook 'em, throw the other end of the rope at a passing car and watch them get dragged away in a painful (and somewhat hilarious) manner.

You also have a parachute which can be used instantly, at any time, and combined with the grappling hook gives you a great degree of mobility which you can utilize for both exploring the world and dispatching your enemies.

Graphics and System Requirements

Just Cause 2 looks superb, and utilizes the latest advancements in rendering technology, delivering stunning graphics and highly realistic physics simulations. You should try that trick with the grappling hook and the car we mentioned above to see what we're talking about! The cities look great, with varied styles of architecture neatly interwinding with each other. There are lots of different places for you to explore, all styled uniquely.

The engine is really, really heavy though – for one thing, it doesn't support Windows XP at all and requires Vista or Windows 7- the reason is that the game is based on DX10, and has no backwards compatibility widh DX9 – and as some of you may know, DX10 isn't supported by Windows XP.

Nowadays this shouldn't be much of a problem for most dedicated gamers though. In terms of hardware, you'll need a Core 2 Duo @ 2.6 GHz, 3 GB of RAM and a 512 MB video card that supports DX10, as we already mentioned (such as the GeForce GTS 250 or the ATi Radeon HD 4850).

Other

The game has been supported post-release with additional downloadable content, available on all of the platforms the game can be played on. They add mostly new vehicles, along with some small gameplay changes.

Conclusion

Just Cause 2 is a very intriguing game with great replay potential and an original setting/plot that gets you really attracted to the main character.