Digital Hors D’oeuvres: Whet Your Gaming Appetite for Just Cause 2

There are 483 words that come to mind after playing the Just Cause 2 demo. You can see them all, in the order I thought of them, below:

I can already tell that the sequel to the lamest answer to the question “why?” is going to be the kind of game you don’t want to play alone. There isn’t any multiplayer, but the single player is so breathtaking you’ll want someone to grab onto as you both jump up and down shouting “OMG OMG OMG!”

You only get to play in a limited section of a very small island. Even then, there are dozens of settlements and enemy fortresses to conquer. I’ve played through several times with friends and we’ve only managed to breach a small portion of the game. It turns out at the end of the demo that the tiny island you have limited access to is itself a very small part of the game.

The demo is only 30 minutes long, although there are glitch tutorials you can find online for both PS3 and Xbox 360 to extend the time until you die. I definitely plan on trying the glitch as soon as I get home.

Just don't forget to eventually pull your chute.

One of the most notable parts of the demo was the sometimes ridiculous physics. During play, I was constantly reminded that there’s no way this guy is in the real world. In an odd way, this made it more fun. Except for being able to climb certain steep cliff-faces, the lapse in realism added to the entertainment value of the game. It’s real enough that my suspension of disbelief was never truly threatened. It’s okay if certain aspects of the game don’t play out the way they would if tried outside of the digital realm because it would either make the game really annoying to play or it’s just so awesome the exhilaration makes it forgivable.

The draw distance of the game is the most impressive aspect. From atop a noble cliff you can see for miles. Then you can jump off that cliff and either fall for extended periods of time or immediately deploy your parachute and glide almost endlessly. Learning to use the chute, especially in conjunction with the grapple, can be difficult. But once you get the hang of it, you’re able to quickly traverse the vast landscape.

Want to drive a car? Latch onto one as it drives by and then yank the driver out so you can give it a go. Did the police shoot the car up so it’s about to explode? Climb back out onto the roof and use your chute to make a graceful getaway.

I can’t imagine how long it will take me to beat the full game, considering I’ve already spend several hours just exploring the landscape. Unlike other games, you won’t find yourself bored as you travel from locale to locale. You won’t wish there was a fast travel function. Just Cause 2 is the first game I’ve played where I hope the next objective is miles away, because the fun is all in getting there.

MotoGP 09/10

There is another recent demo I feel obligated to mention, if only to warn you before you do anything stupid, like play it. The MotoGP 09/10 demo came out recently as well. As someone who already doesn’t like racing games very much, I thought it was pretty bad. So, I had a friend who is borderline obsessed with racing games (especially the motorcycle variety) give me a second opinion. He liked it less than I did. Apparently the more you know about racing games the more you notice how much better everything in this game could have been done. Do yourself a favor and skip this one, it’s not even worth a quickie.

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Tagged as: Avalanche Studios, Edios Interactive, just cause, Just Cause 2, MotoGP 09/10, PS3, Xbox 360