Stylish environments
Can Just Cause really surpass the greatness of the Grand Theft Auto series?
We published a first look at Just Cause early this month but we were so intrigued about the murmurs escalating around the industry that Eidos’s free-roaming tropical action adventure could well be one of the best games of 2006 that we had to take a look for ourselves.
We’ve already covered the story behind Just Cause, but to those who haven’t read our ‘First Look’ here’s the publisher’s blurb:
In Just Cause, you are a field operative and specialist in regime change backed by a top US secret government agency who will overthrow the corrupt government of San Esperito. The rogue South American state is suspected of stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction, and it’s your mission to negate the threat this poses to world peace. It could be to your advantage that the tropical paradise is about to implode as various factions vie for power – it just needs a gentle nudge in the right direction.
Click for larger imageRight…onto the game. We normally talk about graphics at the end of a preview, but we’ve made an exception for Just Cause. Every inch of the island that we managed to explore was so intricately detailed that it reminded us of the first time that we played Oblivion. I remember a warm tingle running up my spine when I first layed eyes on Bethesda’s RPG and Just Cause gave me that very same feeling. The two games are totally different graphically, and whilst Oblivion concentrates on the realism of the environment, Just Cause lets its imagination run wild with stylish and colourful graphics reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto series. We’re truly in the era of next-gen gaming and the developer, Avalanche Studios have put some of the larger developers to shame with some startling scenery. The trees and greenery shimmer in the light and sway in the wind, as day turns to night shadows are cast from the mountains that encompass the island and clouds dreamily drift by. The dynamic weather system isn’t pre-set and the climate can change from rainfall to bright sunshine at any moment, although day does turn to night in a half an hour life-cycle. The details and superb graphical quality isn’t just restricted to the scenery. Each vehicle, each ramshackle hut and building and every droplet of water in the sea is accurately re-created, it almost feels as though you’re on a tropical holiday that could quite literally never end.
Click for larger imageAs we took an exclusive roam around the 1,024sq kilometres of this South American state we’re categorically saying that we weren’t disappointed by the grandeur of the environment .It’s a whole other game wandering around the small alcoves, islands, mountains, and beaches in whichever vehicle you wish. Walking on foot will only be undertaken by those serious adventurers, we don’t know how long it would take to walk from one end of the island to the other, but we can bet you’d probably die from starvation in the process if you were to do it all in one go. But what about the gameplay? It’s great having fancy visuals but is it enough to keep us coming back for more?