E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted.

We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.

Now you can see why our preview of Just Cause 2 was so glowing ... it has 62% more chutes! Yes, it looks this good. Lead game designer Peter Johansson from Avalanche Studios takes us through the game with his sexy accent, and base jumping / parachuting alone looks like a hell of a lot of fun. Seriously, why has no one developed a skydiving game? (Mention Go! Sports Skydiving and we'll hurt you.)

Watch the entire video above (it's long) and you'll see why Spider-Man has nothing on Rico. After all, he didn't carry a gun. The original Just Cause was a slightly buggy mess that was caught up in the changeover from the Xbox to the Xbox 360, although it featured some enjoyable and innovative gameplay. This sequel looks much, much better and we'll be keeping our eyes open for more info before it comes out in 2010.

After sifting through the hyperbole of other previews for this game, we walked into our eyes-only preview of Just Cause 2 as professional skeptics. Well color us pleasantly surprised. After spending a few minutes watching Just Cause 2 in action (running on the Xbox 360) we cannot wait to see more of the game. Developed by the team at Avalanche Studios and now planned for a 2010 release, Just Cause 2 picks up where the original left off -- players once again take on the role of Rico Rodriguez, this time forced to hunt down his friend and former mentor Tom Sheldon.

Sporting a completely overhauled engine and intelligent design decisions, Just Cause 2 isn't your average sandbox action game -- it's what Grand Theft Auto would be if it made sweet love to Bionic Commando.

Did your late night Canasta tournament keep you away from your television last night, preventing you from catching all of GameTrailers' exclusive ... trailers for a number of highly anticipated titles that will be appearing at E3? Fear not -- we've got them posted conveniently after the break.

What games are present and accounted for, you ask? Well, let's see (deep breath): Mass Effect 2, Brutal Legend, Lost Planet 2, Split/Second, Brink, DJ Hero, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Just Cause 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Supreme Commander 2, Dante's Inferno, Madden 10, NHL 10, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Need for Speed Shift, Alpha Protocol and Heroes of Telara. Check 'em out!

Avalanche Studios CEO Christofer Sundberg confirmed to GI.biz that the studio has had to hand 20 employees their walking papers, following the 77 employees the studio let go back in October. Sundberg says that these layoffs will not affect the games the studio currently has in development. Just Cause 2 is still set to appear at E3 next month, and the company is even looking to reveal a new game it's been working on with a publishing partner, though any further details on the project could not be revealed at this time.

Excuse us while we pour one out for the latest homies that have fallen victim to Joystiq's dreaded layoffs tag.

Eidos' surprisingly addictive GTA-clone, Just Cause, is getting the sequel treatment and, according to IGN UK's eyes-only preview, Rico's return will blow the wool socks off your feet and back onto the sheep from whence they were created.

Looking to leave the life of a bad ass, helicopter-jackin' special agent, Rico Rodriguez is forced back into action when his friend and mentor, Tom Sheldon, supposedly goes rogue. Just Cause 2 includes maneuvers immediately familiar to fans of the original. Rico has a seemingly infinite supply of parachutes and grappling hooks, which can be used to glide around the world, hijacking aircraft and vehicles, Pursuit Force style. New to the series is the ability to use the hook in combat, allowing players to grab and throw enemies as well as impale them with the ferocity of a Mortal Kombat character.

Just Cause 2 also attempts to up the ante, as it were, by revamping the visuals -- new screens available on IGN already look infinitely better than the hi-res, prev-gen version released on the Xbox 360 in 2006. Developer Avalanche says the game will include over 100 vehicles and 50 "varied" missions. Just Cause 2 is slated to release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC later this year.

Because it's important news, sandbox action title Just Cause 2 is scheduled to free-fall to retailers sometime during Q3 2009. It isn't quite the 2008 release window Eidos was targeting, but whatcha gonna do?

Eurogamer Germany broke the news (translated), confirming the release in the wake of developer Avalanche Studios' layoff announcement and subsequent promise to put more focus on the anticipated (?) sequel. As long as Just Cause 2 gets ample time to cook in the developer oven, the title could soar from mediocrity to something special. Know that putting care into the development cycle is always a just cause.

[Via VG247]

Avalanche Studios is preparing to terminate 77 of its 160-member staff following the loss of two publishing contracts worth $34 million. The Just Cause developer is currently working on a sequel to that game for Eidos, which it says will receive a "stronger focus" after the layoffs, and some other game called The Hunter.

Avalanche Studios' CEO Christofer Sundberg is "positive" the company will get back on its feet, but he doesn't believe the studio will grow to 160 employees again. He says the company became "industrialized and impersonal," and plans to keep the studio smaller from now on.

Eidos has announced it'll be showing at least four titles at E3 this year, including Tomb Raider Underworld. IGN reports that the other titles expected to be in attendance are Battlestations: Pacific, Just Cause 2 and Monster Lab.

Sadly, we don't see Agent 47 on this list, which would break the company's trend of releasing a new Hitman every two years, but hopefully that's something Eidos is just saving to announce later.

Eidos has confirmed its E3 lineup for the big show next month and, not surprisingly, Tomb Raider Underworld is on the list. It's not the only game though. Other 360 titles making an E3 appearance include Just Cause 2 and Battlestations: Pacific. Both Underworld and Just Cause 2 have been kept relatively close to Eidos' chest so far. Hopefully E3 will bring forth plenty of new details on these (arguably) highly anticipated titles. Also worth noting, IGN's report of the Eidos list implies that these games (along with Monster Lab for Wii) are merely the only games confirmed for E3, so it's possible we might see some others as well (GEON 2 here we come!).

IGN UK posted a preview of Avalanche Studios' latest project, a sequel to Just Cause, aptly titled Just Cause 2. And right off the bat it's sounding like development on the sequel is moving in the right direction. Avalanche took gamers' concerns and complaints they had with Just Cause, spun the formula and is shooting for the stars with the sequel. Gone are the dull side missions and overly light gameplay and in comes a reworked targeting system, more mission variety and a new arsenal of weapons to serve destruction. Just Cause 2 promises improved AI, better vehicle mechanics, prettified graphics and a grappling hook that'll be equipped at all times. Avalanche is promising a lot when it comes to the sequel, but they wouldn't have it any other way. Just Cause was far from being horrible and with the small tweaks and improvements that are planned, we believe Just Cause 2 could end up being solid. Or maybe we're just suckers for grappling hooks.

[Via EuroGamer, Thanks Boff]

PSW magazine has the revolutionary skinny on the sequel to the stylish -- but ultimately blah -- Just Cause. Rico Rodriguez is now ready to overthrow the government in the South East Asian country of Panau and developer Avalanche is using a new engine for Just Cause 2, which will focus more on exploration and experimentation than the original according to the developer.

The original Just Cause benefitted from a huge world, tropical setting (green and blue is so much better than modern gaming's brown obsession), and the stunts Rico could perform -- it failed on almost every other level. The game's lead designer Peter Johansson says the sequel will enhance the stunts and improve combat. As long as Avalanche takes the time to polish Just Cause this time around it might make for a great alternative to every other sandbox game's gritty urban settings -- well, almost every other sandbox game.

PSW Magazine got some details about the sequel to developer Avalanche's game Just Cause. Titled, who would've thought, Just Cause 2, will carry on the surprisingly decent legacy the first sandbox title delivered to fans. Lead designer Peter Johansson explained the process in creating the second title: "We identified the key areas we wanted to improve for Just Cause 2. We wanted to make better use of our huge game world, enhance the stunts, improve the combat and reward exploration more." Sometimes more is better.

You still play as Rico Rodriguez, but your setting has changed from the island of San Esperitio to an undisclosed (for now) location in Southeast Asia. Another shift from the original title is the complete dismissal of side-missions. This might make the game different enough from the clogged sandbox market to stand out, or it might make it terribly short and rather mediocre. We'll see the game on PS3, 360, and PC at an unspecified date.