Just Cause (video game)
Just Cause is a 2006 third-person action-adventure game set in an open world environment. It is developed by Swedish developer Avalanche Studios and published by Eidos Interactive, and is the first game in the "Just Cause" series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The area explored during the game is described as being over in size, with 21 story missions and over 300 side missions to complete. As of 23 April 2009, it has sold more than one million copies. A sequel to the game developed by Avalanche  Studios, published by Eidos Interactive and distributed by Square Enix, titled "Just Cause 2", was released in March 2010. "Just Cause 3" was revealed in November 2014 and released in December 2015. "Just Cause 4" was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in December 2018. Plot. "Just Cause" begins in 2006 with Rico Rodriguez, an operative for an organization known only as the "Agency", being dropped into a Caribbean island nation called San Esperito to link up with his mentor and Agency superior, Tom Sheldon, and help him overthrow San Esperito's dictator, President Salvador Mendoza, whom  the Agency believes to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction. After his arrival, Rico meets up with Sheldon and fellow agent Maria Kane, and they ally themselves with a guerrilla group staging a rebellion against both Mendoza and the Rioja drug cartel, which has exploited the corruption of the regime to expand its operations throughout San Esperito. Most of the game focuses on Rico's efforts to dismantle Mendoza's regime, eliminate the Black Hand mercenaries hired to oppress the people of San Esperito, and fight back against the cartels. Rico can also assist in the liberation of  various territories to further destabilize the government's rule over the island. Eventually, Sheldon discovers that Mendoza does, indeed, have control of WMDs, and with San Esperito lost to his control, the president is forced to retreat to his private island just off the mainland. To stop him from using the weapons, Sheldon and Kane fly Rico to the island, causing Mendoza to attempt an escape by jet. However, Rico boards the jet and kills Mendoza and his remaining bodyguards, ending his reign over the islands and allowing the Agency to secure the WMDs. Gameplay. The core gameplay consists of  elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, with a large, open world environment in which to move. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, swimming, and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can take control of a variety of vehicles, including cars, boats, aircraft, helicopters, and motorcycles. Players can also perform stunts with their cars in which they can stand on the roof and jump to another car, or choose to open their parachute while still in motion on the roof. Other key features of the game  include skydiving, base jumping, and parasailing (by latching onto a moving car or boat while one's parachute is deployed). The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game, players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can roam freely. However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The player can partake in a variety of optional side missions, for example, liberating a village or taking over a  drug cartel hideout. These are necessary to gain points with certain factions. Reception. The PC version of "Just Cause" received "generally favourable reviews", while the rest of the console versions received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, where the Xbox 360 version was ported for release under the name "Just Cause: Viva Revolution" and published by Electronic Arts on 8 November 2007, "Famitsu" gave it a score of 31 out of 40, while "Famitsu Xbox 360" gave it a score of one seven, one eight, one nine, and one eight for a total of 32  out of 40. IGN noted that the gameplay of the same console version lacked depth and that the side quests are boring and repetitive. The game suffers from its share of bug-related issues though, as noted by many reviewers, who felt the game may have been "rushed" to market without sufficient time to fix certain problems. The PlayStation 2 version, in particular, suffers from a number of 'game-killing' bugs that render certain missions impossible to complete, or the entire game unplayable until it is reset. Eidos had not released a patch for the PC or Xbox 360 versions  of the game. "The Times" gave the game all five stars and said, "Fans of the Nintendo SNES classic "Pilotwings" will literally jump at the chance to parachute from any of the aircraft for spectacular views of the vast landscape below. There is bound to be a sequel, because this original is so good." "Edge" gave the Xbox 360 version seven out of ten and said, "For all its quirks, the overriding impression of "Just Cause" is favourable. There's an almost childish enthusiasm at work here – and an unparalleled sense of freedom that can be enjoyed just as easily  as it can be criticised." However, 411Mania gave the same console version 6.5 out of 10 and called it "a fun game but only a must-own by a wide stretch of the imagination." "The Sydney Morning Herald" gave the game three stars out of five and said, "Sloppy vehicle handling, some bugs in the design of the missions and the endless travel means it doesn't hit the same high notes as "Grand Theft Auto" and others, but the mindless action is still good dumb fun." The Xbox 360 version stayed on top of the Xbox 360 sales chart  in the UK for three weeks in a row.