[ENG] Just Cause and The Beauty of Chaos
(Note - Following post is written after my experience with Just Cause 1 to 3, I've yet to play JC4, but I highly doubt my opinion will change)
Just Cause... Oh my, where do I even begin with this series? My first contact with this series stretches back to somewhere between 2010/2011 (Yes, I was very young - but shhhh) when I was looking for some new games after playing through everything I had back then. At some point, my brother brought me a disc from CD-Action (Polish gaming magazine) with Just Cause. I thanked him, took the disc, plugged it into my old laptop and installed Just Cause. My first thought was that it's something similar to Grand Theft Auto or something... Oh boy, I was so wrong...
When I started new game, I was greeted with jumping out from a plane and parachuting down to an island called San Esperito. After landing, I had to shoot some soldiers [or mercenaries, my memory may be a bit unsure on this one] then escape while escorting someone called Tom Sheldon. Little did I know that it will be a beginning of a beautiful adventure...
My thoughts and comparisons to GTA series quickly faded away when I noticed how many things CAN and SHOULD be destroyed. But... I've started explaining the beginning of JC1, but I forgot one - pretty important thing...
In the Just Cause series we play as Rico Rodriguez, a CIA [or as the game prefers to call it 'The Agency'] agent. Rico can be described as... Every single comic and action film protagonist dumped and mixed into one character - he's like Punisher, Wolverine, Tony Montana, Mad Max and Rambo within one character.
Fun Fact - Plot [of JC1] and title of the game - Just Cause - is inspired by 'Operation Just Cause' - a real life operation, in which USA invaded Panama with a purpose of disposing Manuel Noriega
Our main target in JC1 is disposing of the dictator - Salvador Mendoza - Action of JC1 takes place, as I said before - on San Esperito Island, it's relatively huge (Well, considering it was 2006 when JC1 was released I guess you can say that it's pretty heckin' large). Of course you can explore this vast, open world with vehicles, but why? Why would you do this when game gives you amazing tools to do so? JC1 gives you grappling hook, gliders and parachutes - combining even hook and parachutes can greatly improve your overall speed and experience. But that's not all! You can jump from car to car, open parachute while riding on a motorbike - creativity is your biggest weapon here. The story is... Decent, I mean - it's nothing spectacular but what would you expect from a game that just drops you on an Island and tells you that you can destroy pretty much anything you want?. I'll briefly talk about next games in the series [excluding JC4 of course] and then I am going to explain the best, yet at the same time the worst part of the series.
Just Cause 2. As with JC1, I got it from CD-Action, when I noticed I can buy one for really low price [comparing to prices in shops], I bought it almost instantly. It was released 4 years after it's predecessor and it also had a few DLCs - though none of them were big, all of them were either special weapons or cosmetics. As in previous part, our main target here is disposing of the dictator - Pandak Panay. This part has one of the biggest video game worlds in history - it is said that Panau (location in which JC2 takes place) is an area of whopping 1,000 square kilometers! There are many differences and quality of life changes comparing to JC1 - grappling hooks have more functions now, like tethering objects (and people) together and using the hook with a button instead of from the inventory. Though the game has only 7 main missions, there are locked behind a 'Chaos Wall' - what do I mean by that? Well, by destroying military bases, objects; completing missions and challenges etc. we gain something that's called Chaos Points, and when certain amount of CP' is gained - Story Mission unlocks. We also meet 3 friendly factions, we help them in various interesting sidequests and we slowly gain control over the map, weakening the forces of Pandak Panay. Map is also divided into a scorching desert; high, snowy mountains; jungle.
Just Cause 3. In my opinion [quick reminder I still did not play JC4] the best in the series, I am currently replaying it on PS4. It takes place in Rico's homeland - Medici, which is ruled with an iron fist by ruthless dictator - Sebastiano Di Ravello. The game itself calls Rico 'Professional Dictator Disposer'. JC3 brings back Chaos Points from JC2, but here they have almost no functionality other than achievements. Medici is divided into 3 parts - Insula Forte; Insula Dracon; Insula Striate. To progress through the story, we have to destroy military bases and take back towns and villages from Di Ravello's regime. Medici is full of Bavarium, a mysterious, but incredibly powerful material - you can make explosives, impenetrable shields, weapons, nukes - anything! Reclaiming villages; destroying bases is repetitive and can get boring so... Unless you are a fan of Just Cause series, you probably won't play this part for too long. But the best change came in exploration - we still have grappling hook, parachutes etc. but there is one new thing... Mother. Truckin'. Wingsuit. The flow, speed and feeling of using wingsuit for the first, or even hundredth time is amazing! In addition to this, there are a lot of challenges from many categories - completing them with 5 Gears [Stars] gives us quicker access to MODs - as the name suggests, modifications of many aspects. Though there are many challenges, none of them come close to quality or feeling of Wingsuit ones, where you have amazing view of the surroundings and you can reliably test your skills of controlling Wingsuit.
Healing system has completely disappeared from the game - in JC1 and JC2 you had to regain health by medkits/healing stations. In JC3 [And 4 from what I know] there is self-regenerating health and near-death situations are indicated by grey screen and change in music tone
Next to this, JC3 also brings many DLCs - except those cosmetic, there are 3 new questlines with eDEN Corporation
Sky Fortress - We earn a Bavarium Wingsuit which has a booster on it, with machine gun and missile launcher. With new wingsuit on our backs, we have to seize control of eDEN Airship that is glooming above Medici, threatening the citizens. This [and all to be honest] DLC isn't very long, but hot damn is it enjoyable. I could tell more about eDEN or Sky Fortress' Storyline, but I am not very keen on entering the spoiler area
Mech Land Assault - [It's worth noting that all DLCs are connected to each other in a one, big eDEN storyline] We arrive at Insula Lacrima, an Island north of Insula Striate to discover an abandoned eDEN facility and Black Hand - an enormous mercenary group which appears in every Just Cause part except JC2. This DLC features, as the name suggests, powerful Mechs which we can use to wreak havoc on the Island and help drive Black Hand away from Lacrima
Bavarium Sea Heist - Last DLC, finishing the eDEN storyline. We earn the fastest and most powerful boat available in the game here - The Loochador. Finishing DLC gives us access to one of [if not the most] powerful weapon available in the game - eDEN Spark. This DLC features several off-shore military bases surrounding mysterious structure called The Stingray.
In every part, we meet returning characters - our beloved demolition expert Rico Rodriguez; two-faced backstabbing old Uncle Sam's best friend Tom Sheldon; mysterious Agency that takes side of whoever pays. But the relation of Rico Rodriguez and Tom Sheldon that is built since the first minutes of JC1, every single moment of doubt Rico has about Sheldon that happens multiple times throughout all parts - it may be just me, but it's amazing [And a certain talk Rico and Sheldon had during one of JC3 cut-scenes. I don't know if it's explored more in JC4 but I silently wish for it]. As well as new characters like Mario Frigo, Rico's best friend from Medici or Dimah - scientist whose all failed projects end up exploding.
Each of the parts have a huge, capital City that takes a bit longer than your typical town or military base to conquer - In JC1 it's Esperito City, JC2 gives us Panau City and JC3 has Citate Di Ravello - Panau City is definitely the largest one of them all as it's divided into 4 districts, yet I can't decide if Citate Di Ravello or Esperito City is the smallest, my bet goes on Citate but I may be wrong
Each part is a huge graphical upgrade (I don't know how big the difference between JC3 and JC4 is) - first one is -by a graphic standards back then- pretty normal; second is enormous graphical change (thanks to upgraded Avalanche Engine 2.0) vehicles, locations, explosions, everything has become more detailed [which in effect needed kinda stronger PC]; and the third one is much better version of JC2, with the most beautiful explosions I have ever seen in a video game
And now, what in my opinion makes Just Cause series so enjoyable to ones, yet so boring and exhausting for others - Destruction. What do I mean by this? Well, I see it that way - when you destroy every single base, town, village by solely shooting and throwing grenades - it indeed gets boring very quickly, probably before you even complete 25% of the story or leave the first Insula [in case of JC3]. That's the point. As I said earlier - creativity is your biggest weapon, there are many different ways to approach every military base or town [For example - connecting a car to a helicopter and using it to smash through the base; using Bavarium Wingsuit to circle around the base, dodging bullets and sending missiles to wreak havoc upon enemies; destroying entire base using only tethers or melee] it's only up to you how you will use tools that the game gives you. I have never been bored with JC series, which is only confirmed as I am now replaying JC3, because I never let boredom sneak into my gameplay. I always try to find an interesting way of doing something, or setting up a perfect chain reaction which results in several explosions in a row [which drops framerate significantly, but the effect is worth it]. It's the beauty of chaos, using your own imagination to bring death upon dictators, enjoying the show and gorgeous explosions while parachuting down the mountain...
I love Just Cause series, and I honestly that everyone plays at least one part and try to let chaos mix with your creativity - if you won't like it, fine - at least you tried; but if you will... Oh, playing other parts and exploring new ways of destruction will be wonderful for you!
Kind Regards,
Wing.
My thoughts and comparisons to GTA series quickly faded away when I noticed how many things CAN and SHOULD be destroyed. But... I've started explaining the beginning of JC1, but I forgot one - pretty important thing...
Fun Fact - Plot [of JC1] and title of the game - Just Cause - is inspired by 'Operation Just Cause' - a real life operation, in which USA invaded Panama with a purpose of disposing Manuel Noriega
Our main target in JC1 is disposing of the dictator - Salvador Mendoza - Action of JC1 takes place, as I said before - on San Esperito Island, it's relatively huge (Well, considering it was 2006 when JC1 was released I guess you can say that it's pretty heckin' large). Of course you can explore this vast, open world with vehicles, but why? Why would you do this when game gives you amazing tools to do so? JC1 gives you grappling hook, gliders and parachutes - combining even hook and parachutes can greatly improve your overall speed and experience. But that's not all! You can jump from car to car, open parachute while riding on a motorbike - creativity is your biggest weapon here. The story is... Decent, I mean - it's nothing spectacular but what would you expect from a game that just drops you on an Island and tells you that you can destroy pretty much anything you want?. I'll briefly talk about next games in the series [excluding JC4 of course] and then I am going to explain the best, yet at the same time the worst part of the series.
Healing system has completely disappeared from the game - in JC1 and JC2 you had to regain health by medkits/healing stations. In JC3 [And 4 from what I know] there is self-regenerating health and near-death situations are indicated by grey screen and change in music tone
Next to this, JC3 also brings many DLCs - except those cosmetic, there are 3 new questlines with eDEN Corporation
Sky Fortress - We earn a Bavarium Wingsuit which has a booster on it, with machine gun and missile launcher. With new wingsuit on our backs, we have to seize control of eDEN Airship that is glooming above Medici, threatening the citizens. This [and all to be honest] DLC isn't very long, but hot damn is it enjoyable. I could tell more about eDEN or Sky Fortress' Storyline, but I am not very keen on entering the spoiler area
Mech Land Assault - [It's worth noting that all DLCs are connected to each other in a one, big eDEN storyline] We arrive at Insula Lacrima, an Island north of Insula Striate to discover an abandoned eDEN facility and Black Hand - an enormous mercenary group which appears in every Just Cause part except JC2. This DLC features, as the name suggests, powerful Mechs which we can use to wreak havoc on the Island and help drive Black Hand away from Lacrima
Bavarium Sea Heist - Last DLC, finishing the eDEN storyline. We earn the fastest and most powerful boat available in the game here - The Loochador. Finishing DLC gives us access to one of [if not the most] powerful weapon available in the game - eDEN Spark. This DLC features several off-shore military bases surrounding mysterious structure called The Stingray.
Each of the parts have a huge, capital City that takes a bit longer than your typical town or military base to conquer - In JC1 it's Esperito City, JC2 gives us Panau City and JC3 has Citate Di Ravello - Panau City is definitely the largest one of them all as it's divided into 4 districts, yet I can't decide if Citate Di Ravello or Esperito City is the smallest, my bet goes on Citate but I may be wrong
Each part is a huge graphical upgrade (I don't know how big the difference between JC3 and JC4 is) - first one is -by a graphic standards back then- pretty normal; second is enormous graphical change (thanks to upgraded Avalanche Engine 2.0) vehicles, locations, explosions, everything has become more detailed [which in effect needed kinda stronger PC]; and the third one is much better version of JC2, with the most beautiful explosions I have ever seen in a video game
I love Just Cause series, and I honestly that everyone plays at least one part and try to let chaos mix with your creativity - if you won't like it, fine - at least you tried; but if you will... Oh, playing other parts and exploring new ways of destruction will be wonderful for you!
Kind Regards,
Wing.
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