Jump to content

Just Cause (video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Hahnchen (talk | contribs) at 15:34, 30 June 2007 (Undid revision 141499841 by Asmodeus z (talk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Just Cause
Just Cause boxart
Developer(s)Avalanche Studios
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive
EngineAvalanche
Platform(s)Xbox 360, Xbox, Playstation 2, Windows
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2006 (EU)
September 27, 2006 (NA)
October 6, 2006 (PL)
Genre(s)Third-person shooter/Action
Mode(s)Single player

Just Cause was released on September 22, 2006 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2 platforms in Europe. It arrived in North America on September 27, 2006. The game was developed by Avalanche Studios and was published by Eidos Interactive. The game takes the form of a third-person "sandbox" type. The game area is reported to be over 250,000 acres (1024 km²) in size, with 21 story missions and over 300 side missions to complete[1].


Story

Just Cause is set on a fictional South American tropical island called "San Esperito", where the player works as CIA black ops agent Rico Rodriguez in a guerrilla war to overthrow San Esperito's dictator, who may be in possession of weapons of mass destruction.[2] The game draws its premise (and name) from the real-life United States invasion of Panama, code-named "Operation Just Cause", which involved United States military action to overthrow military leader and drug lord Manuel Noriega.

Rodriguez has been described by developers as being "the child of one thousand comic books and action movies. He is James Bond, Mad Max, El Mariachi, Wolverine, Punisher, Rambo, Tony Montana, Han Solo and Vincent Vega all rolled into one. With a touch of Enrique Iglesias to top it all off!".[3]

Gameplay

Just Cause is structured similarly to the Pandemic Studios game, Mercenaries. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, with a large, open environment to move around in. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, swimming, and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand to hand combat. Players can take control of a variety of vehicles, including cars, boats, aeroplanes, helicopters, and motorcycles.The attractive part of the gameplay is the utilization of an instant parachute that can be released when falling from a certain height. Players can also perform stunts with their cars in which they can stand on the roof and jump to another car, or choose to open their parachute whilst still in motion on the roof. Other key features of the game include parasailing/or hooking onto a car while moving in a parachute and also a very notable feature of the game is skydiving.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game, players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and create havoc. However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities.

The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. These are generally quite repetitive but are necessary to gain points with certain factions.

Demo

A demo of the Xbox 360 game was released on August 24, 2006 on Xbox Live Marketplace. The PC demo followed in a premiere release at GameSpot. [4]

Some gamers have noticed graphical glitches and below average AI in the demo build, but it was later told by the developers that to keep the demo small in size, they needed to cut down on the less needed essentials. It was also reminded that AI and other fixes to the game would be included in the final build.

Critical reception

There has been a variation of review scores by different media, however the games has received an average score of around 68% (PS2-version) to 76% (PC-version). [5].

In an online review, IGN US rated Just Cause with a score of 6.8 out of 10. They noted that the gameplay lacked depth and that the side quests are boring and repetitive.[6].

However, IGN UK rated the game with a score of 8.8, and the Official Xbox Magazine UK gave Just Cause a score of 9 out of 10, praising it for "varied, consistent, imaginative gameplay". [7]

The game suffers from its share of bug-related issues though, as noted by many reviewers, who feel the game may have been "rushed" to market without sufficient time to fix certain problems. [8] The PS2 version, for example, suffers from a few 'game-killing' bugs that render certain missions impossible to complete, or the entire game unplayable until the game is reset.

GamerNode rated the game 6.7 out of 10, [9] while GameBrite gave it 51%. [10]

PC Gamer (UK) rated the game an 85% must buy (PCG 167). PC Gamer US rated it 93% in their December 2006 issue.

The Xbox 360 version was well received, scoring 9/10 in Play Magazine (US) and 360 Gamer Magazine UK. The 360 version also stayed on top of the Xbox 360 sales chart in the UK for three weeks in a row. [11]

Official PS2 Magazine UK gave Just Cause an 8/10 praising its fun filled area and impressive draw distances (for PS2) but said the graphics were ropey

The graphics of the game on the PlayStation 2 version are not as detailed as other versions, with shorter draw distances and no reflection detail on water surfaces.

Sequel

In a recent financial report, Eidos Interactive has confirmed that Just Cause 2 is in development.[12]

Trivia

  • On several posters President Mendoza wears a white uniform which is very similar to the Venezuelan Gala-Uniform Nr.1 worn by former dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez and current President Hugo Chávez.
  • AI aircraft can often be seen diving straight towards the ground and exploding, especially near the large international airport near the centre of the map.
  • On the back of the game's booklet is a picture of President Mendoza defaced with graffiti. One of the lines in the top left corner reads "All in all you're just another brick in the wall" referencing Pink Floyd's The Wall.
  • The names of several characters in the game are based on real life individuals involved in Latin America; according to the Prima Games guide for Just Cause the former President of San Esperito was named Hernan Augusto, while Mendoza's first name is Salvador, this is a play on the names of Chilean President Salvador Allende, and Augusto Pinochet, the man who overthrew him with CIA assistance, only in the game the names are reversed. The main character of Rico Rodriguez is also based on CIA agent Félix Rodríguez, the man responsible for Che Guevara's capture in Bolivia.

See also

References

  1. ^ Douglass C. Perry, Just Cause Hands-on, IGN, August 22, 2006
  2. ^ Ricardo Torres,E3 06: Just Cause First Look, GameSpot, 4/26/2006
  3. ^ Odd Ahlgren, Just Cause Interview, Pro-G, 03/08/2006
  4. ^ Just Cause demo, GameSpot, 8/24/2006
  5. ^ Metacritic, [1], Metacritic
  6. ^ Erik Brudvig, Just Cause Review, IGN, September 18, 2006
  7. ^ [2], Official Xbox Magazine UK, October 2006, p.64
  8. ^ Kristan Reed, Just Cause Review, Eurogamer, 09/25/06
  9. ^ Chris Pereira, Just Cause Review, GamerNode, October 2006
  10. ^ Chad Abshire, Just Cause (Xbox 360) Review, GameBrite, October 2006
  11. ^ Chart Track, Just Cause Sales w.39 2006
  12. ^ [3], SCI Financial Report 24 Jan 2007, 4/17/2007
Official Links
Articles
Media
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Just_Cause_(video_game)&oldid=141615211"