Review

Developed by:Avalanche Studios Published by:Square Enix Genre(s):
  • Action Adventure
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$59.99 ESRB Rating:MATURE Players:1 Release date:December 1, 2015 Reviewed on:XBox One
    9.3

    Just Cause 3

    Something’s been missing in my collection of games. I wasn’t sure what it was until I booted up Just Cause 3. This open world sandbox starts you off on the top of a small airplane, shooting an unlimited supply of rockets to whatever catches your eye. Beautiful, monstrous, fiery explosions litter the playfield as you lay waste to specific targets. Absolutely amazing, incredible, and the dumbest thing I’ve ever been able to play. I mean dumbest in the best way possible, because sometimes I just want to be a dumb player and shoot my way through all the situations a game will throw at me. I have never played anything where every situation requires a Rambo-esque mentality. Basically, Just Cause 3 is tailor-made for me!

    Just Cause 3 follows the story of Rico Rodriguez, the hero from the previous games, as he returns to his homeland of Medici. This tropical island of sorts lies in the Mediterranean and for the most part, is a beautiful place to visit. Unfortunately, it has a slight dictator problem. The citizens of Medici have chosen to rise up against the ruthless General Di Ravello. Its Rico’s job is to help the militia liberate the island with his specific skill set; namely blowing stuff up. And…well, that’s about it…

    The story is subpar at best, which isn’t a bad thing. It didn’t take long to notice that the focus is clearly on the over-the-top shenanigans of Rico Rodriguez – the narrative only serves as an excuse to destroy everything in sight. Missions task the player with uprooting Di Ravello’s regime by removing propaganda speakers, toppling statues, overtaking military bases and more in the most outlandish ways possible. I’m talking about tethering two helicopters together which sends them spiraling into a tower covered in C4 or firing a rocket at a plane you just ejected from as it careens towards a group of soldiers. The bigger the explosion the better is the game’s motto.

    This sort of crazy can also be seen when dealing with the locals. At my earliest convenience, I began to explore the world, including side missions and activities. I normally found myself using my wingsuit, flying around while pulling myself along with my grappling hook and parachuting immediately for lift. Because this was early in the game, I would end up accidentally bumping into random citizens. That didn’t seem to care. Even while doing some amazingly acrobatic detonations while clearing objectives, everyone who wasn’t an enemy was uproariously nonchalant about it. They all know you, the amazing Rico, do things like this all the time. So their response to your antics are often a cheerful, “Oh, that Rico” before moving on.

    Going back to the tethering for a bit, I must say that the ability to grapple things together allows for hours of entertainment. I spent a good amount of time forgoing missions and just tethering stuff, with hilarious results. I tethered a car to an electrical bay and just watched the disorder and confusion run rampant. My favorite was tethering a cow and watching it get launched in the air. I just couldn’t stop! Once I unlocked the rocket C4 that was all she wrote. I started planting the C4 on citizens, then tethering them and watch them flip around as if they were on an insane ferris wheel, while laughing like a hysterical hyena. Don’t think I’m psychotic because of this! It’s just video games.

    All this goes to show the genius of Just Cause 3. The open world looks and feels amazing. The music and sound are superb. The feel of the game is reminiscent to 80s action films that border on the ridiculous and surreal. My only complaint is the load times and framerate issues. A normal wait time runs around 90 seconds – to compare, the load times on the PC version seem almost nonexistent. We are only two years into the current gen and this is the best that can be done? The framerate on the Xbox One at 900p it runs at 30fps, but when all the explosions and action are on screen there is a noticeable stutter. It’s disappointing that the hardware can’t seem to keep up with the run and gun play; though I feel this is more on the developer’s part as they should be able to optimize the game for the platforms it’s on. Some game mechanics, such as the grappling or the physics, also get caught in the world in weird ways, but nothing that feels like the game cheats.

    My advice? Buy this game, not for the story, but for the fun. Just let yourself loose and blow the island up to smithereens. Play with the weapons and upgrades you unlock. When was the last time you played something where you just have a ridiculous time with it for the sole purpose to show off the absurd and laughable situations to your buddies? Just Cause 3 is the perfect vehicle for that sort of play. Just be aware that there are some problems on the current gen versions; nothing that should keep you from purchasing the game of course.

    Gameplay:

    10

    Amazingly detailed world with game mechanics that, although flawed, can be forgiven due to the sheer ludicrous situations you can put yourself in.

    Graphics:

    7

    Everything looks amazing – even with the Xbox One locked at 900p with 30fps. That said, once the action starts the frame rate tens to dip.

    Sound:

    10

    Music matches the world. The sounds, from the bullets to the explosions are what one would expect from this type of game.

    Replay Value:

    10

    Once you complete the story you can re-occupy the cities and bases with bad guys for more blasty-boom fun. That, along with the open world, only your imagination is your barrier.

    Final Score:

    9.3

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