Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Bradley does, as he has fun with his “anti-physics gun.”
Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.
And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
This review was submitted by Bradley Winton. If you’ve played Just Cause 2, or just want to ask Bradley more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360)
Some people may remember the first Just Cause game. It was a launch title for the Xbox 360, and it was a massive sandbox which very much focused on stylish moves and outrages stunts. Now the second game has come, and developers Avalanche have totally outdone themselves this time.
Loved
World: The fictional island of Panau where the game is set is amazing. Like the first, the map is gigantic, and unlike many other sandbox games, the whole island is ready to explore as soon as you start the game. There is no “if you go to this island, you get 5 stars” barrier to prevent exploration. Also, there seems to be no invisible walls. I have yet to try and get to the top of the map, but something tells me it will take a while.
Vehicles: Some of the vehicles in this game are outrageously fun, especially the aircraft. The military jets you can find are a blast to be in, and can cause some major mayhem. The land vehicles can be fun too; you will mostly find average vehicles, but occasionally the game will throw a sports car along your way, which when I spot I praise the game like a god, latch onto the car and kick the poor guy out, which brings me to my next thing.
Stunts: Now this is the main aspect of the game, the ability to defy the laws of physics! Rico uses his anti-physics gun (in the game known as the grappling hook) to attach himself to buildings, cars, people or anything else in the game. This can make it easier to catch that car you want instead of running after holding sprint, hoping you will catch the door and start the hijacking animation. Another thing the anti-physics gun does is it can attach one thing to another, which can create an amazing amount of fun. Now they seem to have it there so you can do practical things like pull cars out of ditches, or destroy statues, but I think they realised that everyone would use it for different reasons. The first thing I did with it (and I assume everyone would have done) is attached a person to the car, then drove off, and laughed maniacally as the helpless soldier was being dragged behind me, or, attaching a speeding police car to the side of a bridge so it flies off the edge.
Hated
Voice Actors: Now, I think the voice acting is often bad on purpose, but it still doesn’t remove the fact that some of the character’s voices made me want to rip out my ears and shred them in a blender.
Sprint: The sprint in the game seems to do nothing. You’re better off using your anti-physics gun to move around.
I really enjoyed Just Cause 2. Its overall design and gameplay make it just a fun game. The best way to describe it is: stupid, but in a good way.
Reviewed by: Bradley Winton
You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.
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