I’ve seen things like wild animals spawning out of thin air and remaining locked in T-poses for several seconds before moving, and I’ve seen airliners on runways crank 90 degrees upwards and take off like rocket ships. I don’t know if my copy was glitched or if this was by design, but either way, it was a letdown.Īnd if it was a bug, it was one of a thousand. The marketing buzz surrounding Just Cause 4 led me to believe that the much-hyped tornado would dynamically roam about as a random element to stir up the already-hectic action, yet the tornado in my game just stood in the same spot for the entire campaign apart from the one scripted sequence that made proper use of it. The sandstorm sequence in particular mimics the confusion and chaos surrounding similar bits in Avalanche’s own Mad Max.Īside from those few story missions, the weather effects are regretfully under-utilized. The missions in which Rico captures Illapa’s command centers make great scripted use of these effects. The evil regime in Solís is developing something called Project Illapa, which allows them to create hazardous storms at will. The inclusion of extreme weather effects is an enticing change, particularly in a series so focused on widespread mayhem. Solís feels indistinguishable from Panau or Medici, and frankly, sheer size just isn’t as impressive as it once was. The jaw-dropping scale of Just Cause 2 meant that it offered mountains, beaches, forests and cities, all transitioning seamlessly from one to the next, but that vast variety has left Avalanche with few new ways to mix up the scenery. I never once used either of these tools outside of the missions introducing them.Īs a setting that exists purely to be blown to pieces, Solís – the fictional South American country in which Just Cause 4 is set –just isn’t interesting. Rico can now use his grapple to attach balloons or jet boosters to objects, and while the effects are briefly amusing, they’re just roundabout methods of getting items out of the way – something that the standard tether already does. This was all true in the last game, though, and Just Cause 4’s new additions are disappointingly weak. It takes practice to be able to maintain a single glide for minutes at a time, but it’s ultimately so much more enjoyable than just effortlessly flying around in a helicopter. All three remain a blast to use, giving us total freedom without sacrificing the work that makes getting places rewarding. No, the whole point of Just Cause is to revel in the destructibility of the environments and the sheer number of ways we can send things crashing down.Īlthough players can hijack any vehicle in the game – and I do mean any vehicle, up to and including passenger jets and aircraft carriers – their main tools for transportation are a grappling hook, a parachute, and a wingsuit. The plots of these games have never been engaging, though that’s almost part of the charm - it’s as if becoming too attached would get in the way of players enjoying large-scale carnage. Just Cause 4 offers surprisingly little polish to compensate for its lack of new ideas, and the result isn’t just something I’ve already seen before, but something I was considerably more impressed with the last couple of times.įor those unaware, the Just Cause series centers on Rico Rodriguez, a mercenary who specializes in destabilizing governments. It’s a guilty pleasure, but there’s still a place in this industry for it. ![]() This is a franchise fueled entirely by the basest amusements – exotic locations, massive explosions, unlimited firepower and a goddamn grappling hook. The series still exemplifies third-person sandbox play in that it makes me feel like a child who takes just as much pleasure in trashing his Lego sets as he does in building them. Just Cause 4 is brand new, but it feels like it’s already a generation old. ![]() ![]() WTF The grapple upgrades, which have zero practical use. LOW The lack of commitment to said weather effects. HIGH The destruction wrought by the new weather effects.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |