Video Game Vintage Title: Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Avalanche Studios, published by Eidos Interactive, and distributed by Square Enix. It is the sequel to the 2006 video game Just Cause.

Just Cause 2 employs the Avalanche Engine 2.0, an updated version of the engine used in Just Cause. The game is set on the other side of the world from the original Just Cause, on the fictional island of Panau, which is located in Southeast Asia and covers 400 square miles of land. Rico Rodriguez returns as the protagonist, aiming to overthrow the evil dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay and confront his former mentor, Tom Sheldon.

Just Cause 2 Plot

Just Cause 2 is set four years after the first Just Cause, with Agency operative Rico Rodriguez being dropped into Panau, a fictional dystopian island nation in Maritime Southeast Asia. Formerly a U.S. ally, Panau is ruled by Pandak "Baby" Panay (the son of the former leader, U.S.-friendly "Papa" Panay, whom Baby Panay is suspected to have murdered) who institutes a harsh, oppressive dictatorship and cuts off all ties to the United States due to his Anti-American views. Rico's mission is to oust Panay from office, as well as track down and assassinate his old mentor, Tom Sheldon, who the Agency fears has gone rogue after disappearing during the regime change. In order to find Sheldon, Rico allies himself with the three dominant criminal gangs on the island: the Roaches, an organized crime syndicate, the Reapers, an insurgent Socialist militia and the Ular Boys, an ultranationalist rebel group that espouses traditionalism and opposes foreign influence. He gathers enough information to track down Sheldon, who not only reveals that he's been investigating a larger conspiracy behind Panau, but that he is in fact the "Sloth Demon", the Black Market dealer that often calls Rico to give information on the gangs and that Rico calls to be provided with weapons and vehicles (with "Sloth Demon" being an anagram of "Tom Sheldon"). Rico establishes that Sheldon has not gone rogue, and Sheldon tells him to continue causing chaos on Panau while he goes to explain the situation to the Agency.

After clearing everything up, Sheldon demands that Rico quickly make his way over to his hideout. They tell him that Jade Tan, a mysterious Agency asset whom Rico had met earlier, has been caught in Panay's military base, and is to be tortured and possibly killed without question. Rico heads to rescue her, and destroys the base where she is held. However, Jade is bundled into a truck and a fleet of gunmen attempt to make a getaway along a frozen lake. En route, a nuclear submarine emerges from the ice, but Rico hijacks the truck carrying Jade, and they are both airlifted to safety by Sheldon and Kane (another Agency operative who was with Rico in his insertion in Panau at the beginning of the game.) Later, Jade reveals that the Roaches, Reapers, and Ular Boys are secretly being supported by benefactors of Russia, China, and Japan respectively in an effort to bring down Panay, and Rico and Sheldon wonder what the small nation that is Panau has that is able to attract such dominant superpowers. Nonetheless, Rico and Sheldon track down the foreign intelligence officers liaising with the factions and assassinate them. Soon after, the island is amidst so much chaos that Panay is forced to leave the capital and take refuge in his fortified military base. Enlisting the aid of the factions, whether it be from the Ular Boys, Reapers, or the Roaches, Rico assaults Panay's hideout, but all of Rico's followers are killed during the raid. Panay is apparently killed during the assault by Karl Blaine in a murder-suicide (Karl believed that Jade Tan was dead, even though she wasn't), and Rico discovers that Russia, China, Japan, and the US have been secretly fighting over Panau for its oil supply, which is supposedly the richest in the world.

With Panay dead, the situation in Panau turns into a free-for-all as foreign nations scramble to claim the oil. Russia, China, and Japan send a fleet of supertankers to Panau, while the U.S. begins scrambling military forces to defend the island. Rico is tasked with holding off the supertankers until reinforcements arrive. However, a nuclear submarine surfaces from the sea. Rico investigates the submarine and discovers Panay, who is still alive but injured from Karl Blaine's suicide attack. Panay proceeds to fire four nuclear missiles at Russia, China, Japan, and the U.S., but his clothing is accidentally snagged on one of the missiles and he is hauled off with it. In pursuit, Rico grapples onto one of them and both men battle in mid air as Rico disarms each missile one by one. Finally, on the U.S. missile, Rico pins Panay into the exposed missile core and reprograms the targeting computer before leaping to safety. The final missile changes course and explodes over Panau's oil fields, killing Panay and destroying Panau's oil reserves. Rico reunites with Sheldon, Kane and Jade, who express their dismay at this decision as the oil was worth billions, but Rico explains that the oil is not worth dying over, and now that it's destroyed, all interest in Panau will be lost, preventing a war between the major superpowers and sparing the innocents of the island. Sheldon agrees, and assures Rico that a US-friendly president will be installed on Panau, and that the nation will be closely monitored. The group raise their glasses, to good friends, and a job well done.

Just Cause 2 Gameplay

The player is free to roam the game's open world, not having to focus on the game's storyline. Progress in the game is measured with Chaos, which is earned by completing missions, destroying government property, collecting items for the factions and reaching 100% completion in settlements and military bases. Chaos unlocks new agency missions and stronghold takeovers. Chaos and stronghold takeovers expand the factions' area of influence, which unlocks faction missions and race challenges.

The artificial intelligence uses a planning system which enables enemies to perform various actions. Enemies can use the environment to their advantage, taking cover behind objects and adapting to the objects around them. Additional elements include vertical gameplay using a grappling hook and parachuting maneuvers and also manual aiming system.

There is also a real-time deformation system and individual components can come loose from vehicles.

Initially, the player must acquire weapons and vehicles in the field. Early in the game, the player encounters a black market supplier, from whom weapons and vehicles can be purchased, with an option to have them delivered to the player's location via helicopter. As more Chaos is gained, additional weapons, vehicles, and the extraction option become available on the black market. All weapons and vehicles on the black market have parameters that can be upgraded in several steps, by building upgrades with weapon and vehicle components found within the game world. There are over 2,000 parts that the player can acquire.

Notable features of Just Cause 2 include the grappling hook, which gives players the ability to tether objects to each other. For example, in a high speed vehicle chase, the player can use the grappling hook to attach a pursuing vehicle to the ground, forcing it to stop and often flipping or turning the vehicle causing damage to it. The grappling hook also allows the player to pull himself, and hold onto objects such as walls or helicopters.

In addition, the player has a parachute which is always ready to be deployed, even if it has been deployed and discarded only moments before. This can be combined with the grappling hook and used as a fast method of transport.

The PlayStation 3 version of the game allows the user to capture video of their gameplay and either export it to the XMB or upload it to YouTube from within the game.

Reception
Just Cause 2 has received positive reviews from critics. On GameRankings, it had an average score of 85.83% on the PC, 83.68% on the PlayStation 3 and 82.91% on the Xbox 360. On Metacritic, it has an average score of 84 on the PC, 83 on the PlayStation 3 and 81 on the Xbox 360. Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation named it his "Game of the Year", calling it a "bundle of free-roaming fun."