|
|
|
| Just Cause |
|
| Action |
|
| Avalanche |
|
| Eidos |
|
|
21st September 06 |
|
26th September 06 |
|
|
16+ |
|
(M) - Mature |
|
|
|
There have been a number of sandbox games to appear on Xbox with the likes of Grand Theft Auto 3, Total Overdose, Driver 4, Mercenaries, Fable, and more recently on the Xbox 360 Elderscrolls IV Oblivion. What these games provide the gamer is an opportunity to mix it up within the game world outside of any main storylines or quests, effectively giving players a complete world to explore and mess around in at their leisure. With games like GTA and Driver the onus is definitely on city life and the trials and tribulations that go with it. Well Eidos has decided with the help of Avalanche Studios to team up and bring players Just Cause which as you may have guessed is another sandbox type game; however rather than use the tried and trusted city environment, Just Cause takes place in the idyllic settings of a South American tropical island which boasts some 250 acres of land space.
In Just Cause players assume the role of Rico Rodriguez who is an undercover operative working for a top US secret government agency. Rodriguez’s job is to overthrow the corrupt government of San Esperito. Sounds easy? Well actually no, it’s far from easy as not only is the island inhabited with various underbellies of society such as drug lords and cartel members but also lays host to a number of factions. Rodriguez has his work cut out however with careful use of diplomatic skills is able to join factions and do the odd bit of work in return for valuable info and resources. In fact if Rodriguez is clever then he is able to play the different factions off against each other creating several tense moments on the isle.
Just Cause is full of missions for the player to undertake and obviously there will be story based missions along side a whole heap of sub- missions to complete. Expect to partake in plenty of killing and perhaps the odd bit of delivering goods as well as hunting for specific items which people may require. There’s a lot of possibilities when you have an entire island at your disposal and I’m sure there will be plenty of variety too when it comes to missions.
When you have a massive Island which has been quoted as being the Size of Jamaica then obviously you are going to need some sort of vehicle to get from A to B especially if the distance between the two is considerable. Well never fear as Just Cause has a whole plethora of vehicles for the player to hop into and ride. These will of course feature things like Cars and off road vehicles but also boats and aircraft. Just Cause will feature over 100 vehicles for players to mess around with which is quite an impressive figure.
One of the more striking aspects of the game is Rodriguez’s use of a parachute which were told he can use at any time. So basically from any high point he can jump off knowing that a safe landing will be had. However Rodriguez doesn’t do things by halves and will be able to perform a number of death defying stunts which include things like jumping onto car roofs, kicking out the driver and then resuming control of the vehicle; perhaps long enough to drive it over the edge of a cliff before bailing out and gliding to safety with his trusty parachute. What is more Rodriguez is able to grapple vehicles whilst gliding with the parachute to hitch a ride and no doubt open fire on escaping vehicles from a comfortable height. There seem to be an endless amount of possibilities open to the player with regards to the parachute and from what we’ve seen at E3 looks very intuitive indeed.
It’s quite a feat that Just Cause isn’t reserved only for the Xbox 360 as an Xbox and PS2 version is also planned. I’m not sure how these consoles will cope with huge draw distances and heavy action sequences but I’m sure the team at Avalanche have enough tricks up their sleeves. What I do hope is the Xbox 360 version will have ample detail and attention poured into it to ensure that it not only plays well but looks on par with what gamers expect from the console rather than simply being a touched up port.
Just Cause is looking and sounding like an impressive and vastly ambitious title and whilst we have had plenty of sand box type games to date looks like it has enough personality to stand out from its peers, more-so on Xbox with all those other sandbox games to contend with. Just Cause is scheduled for release On Xbox and Xbox 360 this autumn/fall and personally I can’t wait to play it. For more Just Cause screenshots simply click here.
Preview By: Robert Cram
|
|
|
|
|
|
