Metareview - Just Cause (Xbox 360)
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Sep 26th 2006 at 1:55PM }
Just Cause was a hit at E3. People were talking, and as Saint's Row was being written off as a shallow GTA-clone, Just Cause was said to be blazing new trails for the sandbox genre. Well, it's here now -- and it's a bore. Good idea. Poor execution. - Game Informer (73/100) credits Avalanche's attempts to "try a few new things," but noble efforts don't always amount to a memorable game. [Oct. 2006, p.93]
- GameSpy (60/100) believes Saint's Row is the better choice for sandboxing on Xbox 360. (We agree).
- Eurogamer (60/100) coins the term: "poor man's Mercenaries" ... which sums Just Cause up well.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JimmyHACK @ Sep 26th 2006 1:59PM
game sucks
rent it with a free rental coupon only
Petrie @ Sep 26th 2006 2:00PM
Glad to see I made the right choice in picking up Saints Row, that game is going to keep me enthralled for weeks to come.
pandlcg @ Sep 26th 2006 2:01PM
How in the hell did Times Online give this game a perfect score?
Nate @ Sep 26th 2006 2:18PM
Saints Row kept me entertained for about an hour, then got boring....quick. Just Cause was fun in the demo, but I'm not too sure about the full game. I thought playing the demo 3 times was enough.
With that said, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is better than both games. Some of the most fun I've had in a game in a long time.
hack thompas @ Sep 26th 2006 2:25PM
Hi I am here to say that violence in videogames is bad and all that. Be a good person and throw the blame on the world on something other than your own actions! Killing is ok and forgivable as long as you blame it on videogames. Abuse doesn't cause people to become abusers, no Videogames do. They also cause terrorism. The terrorists might say they are against capitalistic ways like making huge amounts of money off of horrible murders, but they really just don't like the US because it has videogames.
WizarDru @ Sep 26th 2006 2:30PM
But...but...this is the next gen! Mercenaries was last-gen. It...It HAS to be better, doesn't it?!?
You're lying Joystiq! I hate you! I HATE YOU!
[runs up stairs, slams door, collapses on bed, sobbing]
ManekiNeko @ Sep 26th 2006 2:40PM
I'm just wondering how they got Reginald Fil-Aimes to star on the cover. Viva la Reggie-lution!
JR
Master_Shake @ Sep 26th 2006 3:11PM
The Xbox 360 live demo was horribly broken. Frustratingly glitchy. Looked pretty, though.
dsub @ Sep 26th 2006 9:35PM
this is what happens when a good game concept is rushed and poorly developed.
James @ Sep 26th 2006 3:16PM
THis game is crap.
James @ Sep 26th 2006 3:21PM
"How in the hell did Times Online give this game a perfect score?"
Cuz times online sucks dick.
Mike Daniels @ Sep 26th 2006 3:32PM
#8)
I agree with you on the 360 Live demo. After playing around with it for a few moments I was wondering how in the hell this game was getting such good press as everything seemed off.
I continued to hold out some hope that the finished game would justify the hype but it appears that's not going to be the case.
Lone_Canuck @ Sep 26th 2006 3:42PM
Ah, yes. Game journalism at it's finest. I remember reading a review in Playstation magazine and saw that they gave it a Bronze Star (which I thought was good) and I skipped ahead to the end of the review to see what they were REALLY saying.
"Short, tedious, boring. Nice graphics. 8/10"
How the hell do you give a game that has NO GAME 8/10?!??! It may as well be a screensaver if it has no gameplay.
Wild Homes @ Sep 26th 2006 3:37PM
the demo was glitchy and ugly, with poor controls, terrible texture mapping and too much bloom. I knew a minute into it that I wouldn't be buying this game.
that said, the Just Cause demo is still better than the twitchy and oh-so-bland F.E.A.R. demo... which, it just so happens, is also the recipient of this year's First Annual WrestleMania XXI Framerate Problems In The Oddest Places Award. have you ever played a game that lagged when your character slid down a ladder? if not, you're in for a freaking treat.
patman @ Sep 26th 2006 3:40PM
The Demo was an ass sandwitch.
I expected lower ratings to be honest.
GREAT idea. Poor game. I was sleeping about 12 mins into it.
dantebk @ Sep 26th 2006 3:51PM
Just Cause is a very SO-SO game. A few weeks ago on my blog I did a series of PC demo reviews. Here's what I had to say about Just Cause then:
What was the next demo I played and why? Two questions with one answer! Just Cause! This game is a mixture of fun and frustrating. Frustrating: poor driving physics, buggy, stutters, crashes, confusing weapon pick-ups and drops. Fun: constant skydiving, blowing things up, shooting people, racing a super fast boat and shooting missles out of it. So it depends on what you find important. The much touted "stunt position", where you can jump in and out of cars (or helicopters or whatever) and stand on the hood turned out to be pretty much useless. I couldn't even shoot my gun from that position, so unless I want to deploy parachute, there's no reason to attempt it. Also, I couldn't finish the demo, which is always a bad sign. The first time I failed because I didn't realize it was timing me, and "the sun went down" before I did all my objectives. The second time I was playing much faster, and was well on my way to finishing it in time, but then it crashed for no reason. I don't plan a third attempt.
Will I buy it? Maybe, if it ends up in a $10 or less bargain bin.
GOD @ Sep 26th 2006 3:59PM
"poor man's Mercenaries"??? I'm pretty sure Mercenaries is a LOT cheaper than Just Cause.
Darth Pixel @ Sep 26th 2006 4:15PM
Another 360 lemon...
Number of AAA titles released for Xbox 360 this year: 3
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Dead Rising
Clearly, Sony should not be afraid.
Xbox 360 is a great hardware platform, with few good games.
Hiro Protagonist @ Sep 26th 2006 4:30PM
Love the picture.
Popular art ftw!
I have no other comments, except that I wont be getting this when I (hopefully) get a hold of a 360.
Imadogg @ Sep 26th 2006 5:33PM
OXM gave Just Cause an 8.5.
Why the huge jump in ratings, I do not know. They must have liked something.
Jojo @ Sep 26th 2006 5:36PM
I loved this game. The demo was a blast and I've must have played it for 10+ hours. Any game that gives you choices in completing missions, and a wide (frigg'n huge) open area is a great game in my opinion. It lacks polish, but once you get used to the control I found it a wonderful experience. I will be picking it up, and hoping enough other people do so the company will make a sequel, and get to polish it when they go to liberate another country.
For me when you steal a helicopter, go high as you can and just enjoy the sights. Depending on the weather, you can see for miles to the other islands. Its beautiful. Then you jump out, pop your shoot and gently glide to the ground.
Other reviewers really enjoyed it, 8.5 from OXM, 7's from Gamespot and Game Informer.
Viva La Jojo!
Jojo @ Sep 26th 2006 5:42PM
Excuse my stupid spelling mistakes... chute..
BTW, I was playing on the 360. Found the PC controls horrible.
Bootes @ Sep 26th 2006 7:39PM
PC version is great. :) Lots of fun.
Donutta @ Sep 26th 2006 5:56PM
Haha, Atari (local distributors) got shitty with me over a preview I wrote, saying that with previews like mine, who needs enemies? I should have retorted that with games like Just Cause, they don't need enemies. :P
razer @ Sep 26th 2006 8:05PM
I've also got about 12 hours into this game and it's freakin excellent! The graphics are very nice and it gives you just about everything (minus the pimps and hos) that Saint's Row gives you except a world double the size. It takes about an hour real-time to drive from one end to the other. I don't see how doing the same escort ho, kill rival gang, buy bling and race as something so superior to Just Cause? The battles are much better in JC and SR suffers from some of the worst glitches I've ever seen in a game (How many times is my car going to disappear leaving me sitting in mid-air?). I think the game is worth the money, with all the missions(50+) you get many hours of fun.
And Dark Pixel take your nose out of Sony's ass and play some other games. Those ones you listed are great but there are a lot more good ones and if you think Sony is going to offer much different you will be disappointed.
OffTopic Man @ Sep 26th 2006 9:21PM
PC version is great! I love the whole skydiving and gun that hooks up to helicopters and lets you steal it as its flying over your head. Kind of gives a new dimension to the whole GTA genre. Highly recommend.
Pseudo99 @ Sep 27th 2006 12:55AM
WOOT to 20, 24 & 25, There are now four people who actually like this game, including me!!!
Seriously, people didn't give this game enough of a chance. Comparing it to Saints Row, or GTA style stuff is an injustice. It's more like Mercenaries or Freedom Fighters, with quite a few nice innovations added in.
Rince @ Sep 27th 2006 4:45AM
Don't trust the reviews. If you liked the demo, the full game will be your dreams come true.
Funny how the reviewers all use similiar wording. "Big islands but not much to do." Yeah, what do you expect on tropical island? A coke vending machine every 500 meters?
Fact is, this game is freaking beautiful and above all a lot of fun.
Rince
Muttonchops @ Sep 27th 2006 10:48AM
I can remember the same being said about the driving physics in the demo for Test Drive. The game turned out to be awesome.