Just Cause 2 Review

(Xbox, PS3; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Drug Reference/Language/Sexual Themes/Violence; www.justcause2.com)

(four and a half stars)

The first "Just Cause" was released at an awkward time: right after the launch of the Xbox 360 and way before the release of the PS3.  Though it had next-gen ambitions,  it was primarily developed for the earlier Xbox and PS2 and the open-world island of destruction concept was held back by awkward controls, glitches, and lots of places to go with not much to do.  Though it received an Xbox 360 version, little was done in the way of correcting the problems that hampered it by being a primarily last-gen game.  It came, it went, and no one thought much of it either way.

Thankfully though, the right people thought something of it, because a sequel was green-lit.  In an opportune window, it was released to retail at a time when there was a lull between huge releases.  The type of window where a little game with next-gen ambitions can thrive when developers take a hard look at what went wrong the first time, and produce something that is sheer fun.

In "Just Cause 2," rough-and-tumble man-of-action Rico Rodriquez returns to liberate another war-torn island nation from a fascist dictator.  Though "fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble" may be a secondary mission to Rodriquez, the primary reason he lands on the fictitious island of Panau is to track down a former mentor who has gone rogue.  Here's the thing though: "Just Cause 2" is in every way a summer blockbuster type of game, so plot and story elements are fairly irrelevant since everyone is just putting down money to see how big the explosions get.

And "Just Cause 2" doesn't disappoint.  With a densely-packed 400 square miles of cities, snow-peaked mountains, beaches, military bases, villages, and jungles, and with the open-world freedom to explore the whole of the island while going through the main adventure, Rico has more than enough places and environments to wreak a whole lot of havoc - and actually, the more havoc wreaked, the more missions appear to wreak continued havoc.  Sure there's about 10 hours of story in the game, but with as many side distractions and a veritable playground at your disposal, staying on-task is something you'll actually have to force yourself to do.

Continuing on with the first game's larger-than-life action and stunts, "Just Cause 2" ramps Rico's physically-impossible escapades to a thoroughly enjoyable level.  Armed again with a wrist-mounted grappling hook and stunt parachute, Rico can quickly traverse over the huge island landscape by zip-lining his way onto almost any surface or vehicle.  If he needs a little high-ground, Rico can deploy his parachute while zip-lining to quickly launch himself into the air.  This makes for amazing sequences that would make James Bond blush: in a pinch, Rico can hijack a helicopter, then grapple to an oncoming jet fighter, only to surf on its back while gunning down other enemy fighters - and that's not even the crazy stuff.

Oh, and did I mention that you can grapple an enemy to an explosive fuel tank, then shoot the fuel tank to launch it, and the enemy in tow, into the stratosphere? Yep.  It's absurd, and its delightful.

Some games come along, like "Heavy Rain" or "Grand Theft Auto," and try to make games as realistic as possible; "Just Cause 2" comes along to make games as fun possible.  It doesn't hide the fact it's an game, it relishes it.

You should too.