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Just Cause
Just Cause is the
latest XBox 360 blockbuster to land on the console that features the
story of Rico Rodriguez who has been hired by a CIA operative to
overthrow the corrupt president Salvador Mendoza. The developers have
ensured that the missions in Just Cause are varied and diverse and
contain interesting elements such as hijacking shipments to
assassination attempts.
As with all good console games, there are a
variety of checkpoints in mission and unfortunately you can only save in
certain places in the game. However in order for this to be achieved,
the player must work hand-in-hand with the local rebels to not only
overthrown the government but also throw the drug lords into turmoil.
Features
* Massive game world - 32 x 32 km without
any loading times, limitations or invisible walls.
* Various environments; big cities, towns, resorts, casinos and many
more.
* 100 vehicles; Land, sea and air.
* 25 weapons.
* 20 story missions written by Matt Costello and Neil Richards.
* First game based on the acclaimed Avalanche Engine
The essence of Just
Cause features similar elements from games such as Farcry, Tomb Raider
and the Grand Theft Auto series that combines these genres into one
entertaining arcade adventure that will have gamers craving for more.
With that said, your character can perform a variety of manoeuvres from
parachuting to car jacking and then shooting his way through an myriad
of mercenaries, all in the name of action and adventure.
Combat is
unfortunately a hit and miss affair in Just Cause and the artificial
intelligence of your opponents range from easy to difficult, depending
on your prowess as a gamer. As per all good combat games, once you have
dispatched your enemies, their corpses are right for the picking and
whether you’re looting ammunition or weapons, you’ll always have plenty
at your disposal.
Although when things get harsh on the weapon front,
your trusty stock standard pistols will provide the player with
unlimited ammunition. When you do get involved in the enemy, the
targeting system of Just cause is fairly lenient and uses an
auto-targeting system for the player to engage their does with.
Apart from fighting
you way through these mercenaries, the player also has access to
virtually every vehicle in existence that include boats, cars,
motorbikes, jet skis and helicopters that can be used to navigate the
gaming environment. Or for those that wish to dispatch their enemies in
a unique fashion, these vehicles can also be used to dispatch your
enemies.
As with your stock standard pistols, the vehicles in Just Cause
also contain unlimited ammunition and although some may be groaning at
this thought, it’s actually quite entertaining and really gives you that
action movie experience. If things get hairy while you're running
around on foot, you can fortunately call for back up in terms of
vehicles that will be dropped from the sky.
Graphically, Just
Cause is a visual treat on the XBox 360 that features some truly stunning
gaming environments that have an amazing draw distance which really
immerses you into the gaming environment. The game also features a
variety of awesome special effects from realistic lighting, volumetric
clouds and also Hollywood style explosions.
All the characters have been
professionally created and contain high resolution textures that
actually make you think that you are in a South American country. Match
that with High Definition Wide Screen television and you are in gaming
heaven.
The music in Just
Cause brings in some great classical guitar that mixes between a variety
of different cultures to give you that true international eclectic mix.
Match that with some over the top voice acting that is clichéd and
cheesy but really suits the genre perfectly and you could almost have a
bad 1980’s action flick. Great stuff from the developers!
In
conclusion, Just Cause is an entertaining game on the XBox 360 that I
would recommend to those gamers that want a traditional Hollywood style
action game that features the extremely clichéd storyline, beautiful
graphics and a rather sturdy gaming engine (although with some bugs)
that will have you playing this from start to finish. Unrealistic and
over the top but thoroughly entertaining!
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