Just Cause 3 is a Gorgeous Sandbox Experience - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 14 October 2015 / 7,140 Views
I never really got too far in Just Cause 2. Every time I tried to jump into the game and work my way through it, I'd get completely distracted just using the grappling hook like a madman and messing around, acting like a fool. However, when Just Cause 3 was announced, I knew I had to jump back onto the bandwagon. I was pleasantly surprised to see a playable build at New York Comic Con, and after playing it I was definitely left wanting much, much more.
The build that Square Enix was displaying threw me right into the action on the game's massive island. The expansive world is gorgeous and it's tempting to just sit for a while and take in. Everything from the water, to the trees, to the cityscape made full use of the high-powered PCs Square Enix was demoing the game on.
Moving through the world feels very smooth as you grapple around and make use of the new wing suit; there's an almost Arkham series feel to it, though the wing suit isn't nearly as manoeuvrable as Batman's outfit. Transitioning from the grapple to the parachute and then to the wingsuit, or vice versa, is great fun. Although it was available as a mod in Just Cause 2, the full integration of the wing suit in Just Cause 3 will finally allow console players to experience the joy of fluidly traversing the skies with different gadgets.
While exploration is a ton of fun, the shooting mechanics feel a tad bit awkward. Aiming isn't quite precise enough, even when looking down the scope. Causing a ruckus amongst the soldiers is still a breeze though, and there are a vast amount of different objectives to tackle around the island which will raise your wanted level among the insurgents.
Rapid movement and skilful use of the grappling hook is therefore key to survival, especially given that cover isn’t a permanent solution and the air doesn't provide much safety (I was constantly being shot at by machine guns when using my wind suit or having my helicopter explode due to an RPG, even with the tight vehicle controls).
While I died plenty of times during my short time with the demo, I did so with a smile on my face throughout. When you do manage to survive, dodging missiles and bullets before making a clever getaway makes you feel like a boss. Ground vehicles continue to feel well polished as well, though I much preferred to grapple around than hop in a Humvee. Above all else, Just Cause 3 improves upon and continues the outrageously enjoyable gameplay from the previous entry. I can’t wait to see what the modding community will do once they get their hands on it either.
I spent an exponentially longer amount of time queuing in line than I did actually playing the Just Cause 3 demo, but running around the sandbox island in Just Cause 3 was one of my favorite parts of this year's NYCC regardless. I'll be reinstalling my copy of Just Cause 2 and jumping into its sandbox craziness in preparation for Just Cause 3's release this December.
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Looking good.
JC2 was some of the best pure fun I've had with a game last gen. Even though the world seemed empty at times, the sheer scale of the island and the fact that you could practically go anywhere and hijack / drive anything right from the get go made for tons of hours of mindless fun.
Great Mindless fun, Now its looking great.
Of course it is!
I've never been able to get into this series as much as other series. I'll still give JC3 a fair chance though.
I've always enjoyed this franchise more than GTA. Cannot wait to get it later this year. Wonder if it will have some co-op element to double down on destruction!
meh.
