I need to sleep. I really really need to get some sleep. But Just Cause 2 won't let me. I keep saying "I'll just 100% this tiny little base" then the next thing I know I've hijacked a helicopter and I'm blowing up another base. Or I start out in some base (after getting blown up or crashing or being shot) far away from where I want to be so I order a plane. Next thing I know I'm swooping low over the ground trying to get low flyer achievements or ogling the sky and water or trying to swing under a bridge for the bridge limbo achievement. The gameplay is just so much fun and there are so many moments in the game that make you love it. You can go from feeling god-like and overpowered to dead in a matter of seconds because that tank you commandeered just got filled with bullets from the Panuan helicopter that you knew they had scrambled but just plain forgot about. This game is NOT meant to be taken seriously. You can hop out of a jet flying at several hundred miles an hour and just stand straight and tall looking like a bad ass. You can haul a minigun with unlimited ammo around and lay waste to everything in your path. You can grapple swing parachute for miles. You can base jump out of a helicopter, land safely and then get crushed by the helicopter as it falls out of the sky In Just Cause 2, you can do all of that and more. The story is hilariously over-the-top. If it wasn't clear at first, there's a mission where they throw ninjas at you and a nuclear sub pops out of an ice lake... on a tropical island. I don't think they were going for believable, they were going for fun with James Bond class mega-villains and stereotype allies.

Yes, there is nothing realistic about the game, and isn't that really the wonderful part of it? This is a game where you need to be open to embracing the silliness because it's all an excuse to play and have fun.… Expand

This game reminds you why the sandbox game genre was so fun in the first place. TO EXPERIMENT, unlike games like GTA 4 where you lose $1,000,000 everytime you die there is no penalty for dieing outside of missions and that is excellent. the world in this game is huge and amazing and the voice acting is hilarious. you can surf on jets, hijack planes, base jump off waterfalls and all sorts of insane shit that makes GTA 4 seem like watching glue dry.… Expand

Just Cause 2 is a phenomenal game which implements so many features that no other game - at the time of release or now - has ever implemented. You have a parachute and a grappling hook along with more than a hundred vehicles and tons of weapons as well. It only took 20 hours to get through the main story, and the game has so much more than that. Some badass things I do: standing on a boat and shooting rpgs off of it, grapple hooking my low-flying 747 to a boat and flying away with it, defusing nuclear missiles while riding them, and base jumping out of a hot-air balloon. The great thing about this game is that none of the things I said will ruin the game for anyone because the world is so many kilometers wide that you could play for 100 hours and not even see any of the things I'm talking about. I truly recommend this beautiful, action-packed game for anyone that likes sandbox, FPS, action, or story games.… Expand

This game got me addicted within the first hour. Whether you're climbing mountains or diivng undernearth, you'll be sure to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. The vast scale of this map is so huge it took me five minutes of flying in a jet plane to get from one side of it to the other. The grappling hook and parachutes in this game will just make you wanna play for hours on end. And did you know there are 104 different vehicles? From cars to motorcycles to planes to jets to boats to...other stuff. And for 50 bucks this game is cheaper than MW2 or AC2(which are both good games nontheless). I think that reviewers rated this game in all the wrong aspects. This is definately not a GTA close, it's more like Uncharted 2. At least it looks like it.… Expand

This game is epic. perfect game engine all is so.. i don't now this word... I think there are some bugs but that is not important for me. This game is very very very very very very good.

Haven't had this fun with a sandbox game in a while. True, the story and characters are pretty shallow (who would expect interesting characters from a sandbox game? well GTA4 but thats very rare), but the gameplay makes up for it. While the gunplay can be somewhat simple and Rico may seem overpowered (you can easily manage with one un-upgraded pistol headshotting everyone for most of the game), the game's real richness is its in freeform exploration. You get the whole map at the beginning, you dont need to unlock new areas. When not using fast travel the map feels HUGE. There are many things to do from surfing on top of an airplane to running amok around the island causing chaos everywhere. The slingshot/parachute mechanism is well made. Warning to realism seekers: you can kiss goodbye to laws of psychics, because this game employs its own. This is one of the most things I like: you can experiment with everything try, and fail with different things and then fail some moar. Mission design is pretty sloppy, but they are GRAND! You can expect lots of big things to blow up. Just Cause 2 is not a perfect game, far from it, but its able to deliver a very entertaining experience and is game which you will be returning to play for some moar freedom.… Expand

I guess alot of these reviewers didnt get enough of a kickback payment for there revirew because anyone that has played this game would give it no less then a 9, I have played literally thousands of pc games and this is BY FAR one of the most fun games to play as well as excellent graphics and voice acting. I dont think I have ever played one game continuously for 100 hrs and still cant wait to play it every day. Kudos to the creators, and shame on you to all the reviewers who rated this game lower then 90 especially the idiot that put it in the 70 percent range obviously NOT a real gamer and probably didn't even play it.… Expand

This game is great if only it had multiplayer. Good thing jc-mp.com is working on that. I got this game last weekend right when they were testing the beta. I'm going to give this a 10 because I think it's going to live up to it. This game has great potential. You can read all about the game from the other reviewers I'm just going to say buy this game you can find it dirt cheap. I think I payed $7 bucks for it.… Expand

I probabaly give this game a little more than it deserves- People are right, the game is repetetive. However, the mechanic is so new and innovative that somehow it worked for me. The map is huge, too huge for me to explore it all, and while its not really "boring" it was still not intresting enough to make you want to see it all. The main storyline is not linear at all, Its just not very interesting, but I think the story's only goal was to give you moral obligation to cause as much chaos as possible in the entire state so I think the story did fine overall, even had few nice So why 9? Because of those staff that simply keep being fun no matter how repetative they are: Hijacking helicopters, Hijacking airplanes, Pulling vehicles stunts, flying around while doging bullets, and of course attaching things to each other. Yes, it probabaly wasn't the most effective to attach the two cars chasing you to each other near the bridge. And yes, shotting that guy instead of attaching him to a gas tank and shooting the gas tank could probably save me some time and health. The rope and parchute machanic is distinctive enough to make this game worth buying. The closest game mechanic to this game was that of infamous (where you can also hijack helicopters). but somehow this game is still very much different (And not only because its more challanging)… Expand

Think of this game like your favorite summer action flick: outrageous stunts, tons of explosions and light on plot.
Just Cause 2 is effectively a playground of destruction. A lot of vehicles (on land, sea and air) and plenty of weapons.
And the grappling hook. By far the most entertaining part of the game. It can be used to pull yourself up a building, or pull an enemy off of one. Or, you can tether two things together, such as an enemy to a rocket and watch the hilarity ensue.
Classic example of gameplay: I'm flying an unarmed passenger plane; enemy helicopters are dogging me. I fly high up into the sky, climb out of the and jump onto the top of my plane. Plane starts losing altitude, but I wait until an enemy helicopter gets close enough. I jump, going through free fall, diving past the helicopters. Midair, I grapple onto one of the 'copters, haul myself up onto it's nose, proceed to shoot the co-pilot and then beat the pilot senseless and throw him out of the I am now flying the helicopter and I use it to shoot down the remaining enemies flying after me.
And that's how the game goes. It wasn't part of any mission, it was just me toodling around and only a few hours into the game.
I can't comment too much on the story, since I really haven't been paying much attention to it. Basically, you're a spy/agent and your mentor was deep undercover and went rogue; now it's up to you to find him. To do so, you need to get in good with local rebel groups (by running missions) to destabilize the tyrannical regime and flush out the rogue agent.

Problems:
Camera shake. Nearly everything causes the camera to shake, sometimes horribly. My eyes can't really handle it and there isn't any way to turn it off. Might not be an issue for some, but it is for me.
Mods: there are only a few, and they're somewhat useful, but nothing like an overhaul or texture packs.
Bugs: I haven't really noticed any; although sometimes physics will wig out, but I've only seen it happen a few times. Although, I did just fall through a bridge, but it's the first time it has happened in the 30+ hours that I've been playing it.

tl;dr: playground of destruction, a lot of fun, and it's $15 on Steam. Definitely worth it.… Expand

The other day, I drove a speed boat onto land, ran it up a ramp-like cliff, parachuted out before it exploded, grappled onto the mid-air flaming remainder of a boat, and proceeded to get crushed underneath thanks to my arch-nemesis, gravity. Why'd I do this, you ask? Just cause. If you're one of those gamers who plays a game with the intention to beat it as fast as possible, yeah--you'll have a rather repetitive experience. But if you choose to be creative, if you choose to do random, crazy things "just 'cause," everything is prepared for you to go balls-out (in a damn-beautiful open world, too). Don't get me wrong though, there are missions, side-quests, and a decent story to keep you on track as well. Don't pass up its next sale on Steam.… Expand

Possibly the greatest stress-relieving game ever made. Driving around the island in a Marten Storm is the most fun I've ever experienced in a video game, next to driving around the island in a Cougar 600. The game doesn't support multiplayer, but watching/taking turns with a friend is extremely entertaining. The campaign is bad. But that doesn't matter.

Just Cause 2 is great fun and a big improvement over the first installment. Panau is absolutely huge and although the game takes time to get into, you can easily log 80 hours plus into this game. Many people have stated that the gameplay is similar to Gran Theft Auto 4 but Just Cause 2 has it's own unique style that it pulls off quite well. The graphics and sound are just beautiful and work really well. This game has enough to keep you coming back for more although the DLC on the Limited Edition of the game was a bit disappointing.… Expand

This game is HUGE and AWESOME!!!!! Sometimes hard to finish towns due to hard to find packages but that makes it more worth while! Super fun gameplay!

Everyone knows this game is huge. But there's no point in having 400 square kilometers if theres nothing to do there. When you first start just cause 2, it can seem a little desolate. There are some highways and a couple of small settlements, 3 faction missions, but there really doesn't feel very action packed. Especially if you've already played the demo and the novelty of the grapple has worn off some. My advice is to push through it. The first faction couple faction areas you unlock will open up something like 20 or 30 missions alone, and once black market equipment starts getting unlocked, and you find new areas of the game, its a complete blast. Some of the larger military bases are epic in scope, and the level of freedom, once you fully realize it, is unparalelled. That being said, this game has its share of annoyances. While car handling is quite excellent (you can drift in a limo, how cool is that?) Plane handling is pretty awful, and helicopters are slow and difficult to maneuver. When you attack a base, destructable items stay destroyed, but guards will keep on spawning until the entire base is destroyed. While this seems like it would keep the base assaults action packed, in practice it becomes a chore to keep taking out every new wave of baddies. As far as I know, there are patches and DLC in the works for this game, so even if you dont get it immediately, keep it on your radar. When it comes down to it, its just really effing cool.… Expand

This game may be repetitive and the voice acting sucks and the storyline isn't that good either. But does the storyline really matter? No. I love exploring in this game and the the graphics are insanely beautiful even for two years later. The grapple hook is fun to travel around with and there are mods for this game, such as free vehicles you can buy, when they actually cost a lot of money which makes me play the game 1000 times more. The game is simple, go blow up stuff, and kill if you want or need to. The game may be repetitive but it's still fun. This game is very well optimized and if you have a bad card then you'll have to lower quite a few things..… Expand

I love this game, the objective is create the Chaos, all things you destroy are good for the progress of the game. This Sand Box is very very funny. The game have 7 principal missions, 49 secondary missions and 70 racing missions. In the game there are a total of 370 locations (Militar bases, towns, cities, points of interests etc...). The weapons are very very more good that you found on GTA IV. You can update all weapons and vehicles. In this game you can search a total of 3200 Item box... realy realy a lot of things to do. I recomended 100% this game. [10/10]… Expand

This game is loads of fun if you like sandbox style games (which I do). According to my Steam account I have logged 158 hours in the game, so that should be an indicator of how good the game is or how insane I may be... If you don't love the parachute/grapple hook combo you are really missing out on the fun. I have played the GTA games (except IV) and found this to be more my style. One note: I did go buy an Xbox360 controller because that is the only controller this game recognizes. So, I used the controller for driving and flying and the mouse/keyboard for running around/fighting and parachuting! I can hardy wait until Just Cause 3 comes out...… Expand

Great fun. Beautiful graphics and world. Loads of action and funny situations. The physics simulation is something like HalfLife 3. Good replayability. A very good game, deserving somewhere around 9 points. To rate this game below 6 is absolutely ridiculous.

an amazingly fun game, that kept me coming back, and in the current steam sale, the value for money has never been better, only let down is some of the repetetiveness

Just Cause 2 - lets you play as an American secret agent running around a tropical island sandboxes creating chaos to destabilise the government; allie yourself with three different local factions vying for power. The factions give you adventure missions to prove your loyalty, get cash and power ups. Also - jump out of planes, off of trees or mountains, and base jump with a really cool parachute - if you can say something in Japanese then say it now !

OverallScore 9.7 Played the SteamPC version in 2012.03 (2 years after release)
[DRM] Steam only (and always easy)

[Challenges] Main mission run and gun adventures provided by the factions are straightforward and short (just right for that ADD in me). Weapons are standard and great, the grappling hook is awesome and essential to the game and easily mastered - this is so cool - allowing you to parachute fly across the land. RPG-like progression requires accumulation of parts, armor, money, and chaos points by completing missions (which are easy and abundant). To help your abilities progress complete enough SIDE missions. If you like to run and gun the highest adrenaline side missions are to take over military installations (always lots of fun like that first latte in the morning); if you like to explore and run away then discover the towns around the countryside for loot (simple and repetitive after a while - like eating marshmallows). I played on expert level and rapidly RPG-maxed out my favorite weapons and cars making the game much easier. There seems to be a mission for every mood. There is a bunch of optional but lucrative mini games like racing with cars, planes, boats, and base jumping - they all take skill - and if playing on a PC then you need a Joystick for full enjoyment of flying minigames. The AI is good and will kill you (do not eat cheese doodles while playing) [Value] This game is quite fun and quite long. I do not think you can replay this game - if you try to complete every side mission I think you have a 300 hour game on your hands.... The real fun ends around 100 hours - sounds like too much eh? [Children] This is not for kids - this game keeps track of the number of headshots; at least there is no smoking (smiley face wink) [My PC] i7-2600K 3.4GHz / ASUS Z68 ProGen3 / 8Gig RAM / Radeon 6870 / 1920x1200 / W7 PRO SP1 [Graphics 9.0] Why is there so much texture popping?
[Controls 10] I always play with a Logitech keyboard and a Kensington trackball. Remapping the keys was easy and appears in the onscreen instructions.
[Sound 10] I always play with headphones. I liked the way the music energy moved with the action - like Deus Ex - and at times was soothing; there was a good music variety; I turned up the volume ! [MyFavorites] [PC Win7] Crysis&Warhead JustCause2 Rage [PC XP] DeuxExHumanRevolution&TheMissingLink DeadSpace1&2 Fallout3&NewVegas HalfLife1&2 Bordelands BatmanArkumAsylum AssassinsCreed1 Magicka RedFaction Portal1&2 FromDust MrRobot Sam&MaxSeasons1&2 CulpaInnata TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland DreamfallTheLongestJourney Syberia1&2 CrayonPhysicsDeluxe DefenseGridTheAwakening PlantsVsZombies Prototype Bioshock1&2 UnrealTournament3 Quake4 [360] AfroSamurai BrutalLegends [XBOX] HALO KOTOR1&2 Crackdown ArmedAndDangerous AggressiveInline BeyondGoodAndEvil DeadOrAlive1&2&3&ExtremeBeachVolleyball Psychonauts [AppleG4] DeusExMachina ReturnToZork Suspended UnrealTournament TombRaiderSeries Suspended [Born] 1964… Expand

This game is one of the best sandbox games out there. The possibilities are almost endless. The set pieces are beautiful, and the explosions are some of the best explosions I've ever seen in a game. The only downside to this amazing sandbox experience is the campaign. The voice acting is hilarious, and the campaign basically sucks. Recommended to all people who love exciting, ridiculously fun sandbox adventures.… Expand

I love sandbox games. Despite what some people might tell you, genuine open world sandbox games are few and far between. Just Cause 2 is one of them. It plays much like a B-movie, which of course is a good thing when it comes to an action game. I even downloaded a mod that turns the protagonist into John Rambo, it's hilarious (good job, modder!) The island paradise game world is huge and strikingly beautiful, but despite the game being so big, it never gets tedious getting from point A to point B, because you have your trusty grappling hook, and multitude of vehicles you can steal GTA style or purchase on the black market. The black market guy can also extract you to any previously discovered location, for a price. The combat is quite satisfying, it can get really hectic when a lot of enemies are on the screen. The explosions are over the top and incredibly fun as well.… Expand

A great free-roaming game that is set in communist Panau. The gameplay is great, the story is alright, replay value is high, the graphics are well done, the characters are decent, and the style is cool. A great recommendation for those who have played games of the Grand Theft Auto series.

If you base JC2 on JC1 at all - you are really missing out. That's what I did, and I initially missed an amazing game.

The controls take a while to get down, but then you're inside one of the best sandbox games made yet. You can play it like an idiot, guns blazing, not worrying about dying, or you can be careful, precise, and make it a real challenge. The only complaint would be that once you finish the storyline missions, the game goes a bit on auto-pilot (in fact it offers to a chance to just be done). Things should really change once you've 'won' the main story, but they do not. You could argue that it just allows you to continue playing sandbox unabated (and trying to hit 100% - good luck!), but it feels like there should be a fundamental change in the game once you've hit the main objective.

That's a minor complaint, overall it's a blast.… Expand

Only in Just Cause 2 can I grapple onto a fighter jet as it's taking off, throw its pilot from the **** fly to a cliff-side enemy base high in the snowcapped mountains, strafe it with missile and machine-gun fire, get shot down by a SAM site, bail out of the flaming wreckage, grapple onto a passing attack helicopter while in free-fall, resume my attack of the enemy base using the chopper's guns, get shot down again, bail out again, land nimbly onto a tower, kill the soldier inside, take his mini-gun, destroy the rest of the base on foot, and then base jump from the edge of the cliff onto the beach half a mile below.

Just Cause 2 does action right. It's so wondrously over-the-top it makes me wonder why all sandbox action games don't give the player a grappling hook and a parachute. It makes Grand Theft Auto IV look like a game about a 12-year-old kid's newspaper route. It makes Red Faction: Guerilla look like a shiny tech demo on Mars (Oh wait, it's always resembled that).

What about the story? Oh right, there's a story. You are Rico Rodriguez, and you have to overthrow a corrupt regime on an island nation. You work for an agency. And you have to shoot and kill your way into a number of crime factions in order to cause sufficient "chaos" that the regime's leader will finally come out of hiding and confront you. That's about it.

I skip every cut-scene the game shows me. I just. Don't. Care.

The fun in this game is being able to explore the largest game world I have ever played. I understand that larger game worlds have existed before, like Asheron's Call. I've never played that game, so the worlds to which I can compare that of JC2 are from Fallout 3, Oblivion, and Far Cry 2. These worlds are mere islands in JC2's vast nation.

One final note: Just Cause 2 is the best game to play in conjunction with Steam's screenshot feature. F-12 yourself some excellent shots.… Collapse

Just Cause 2 should be able to be appreciated by any sandbox fan. If you like being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and approach every mission from a multitude of difference angles, this game is for you. On top of that, if you're a completionist, there are hundreds upon hundreds of gameplay hours available here. I have also spent countless hours grappling up a mountain, just to single-handedly destroy an entire communications base with rocket launchers, then steal their helicopter, fly to the beach, then destroy a military base with missiles, causing multiple choppers to come out and have a dog fight. If my heli gets blown up, I can safely land on the ground by *pulling myself toward it* with a grappling hook or by deploying one of my infinite parachutes. Physics be damned. Realism be damned. This game is utterly ridiculous. Kill everything and everyone. Blow up all the things. If you don't like this game, you are hereby deemed clinically-depressed, a boring human being, and I hate you.
Just Cause 2 is one of the best games I've ever played, and one of the only games I can pick up year after year and find something new to do. Poor reviews on this game disgust me and make me lose faith in humanity. Learn how to have fun, you entitled little pr!(k.… Expand

The best sandbox game I have ever played and a great springboard from the GTA series, which are getting tedious. The area you can scour is enormous and breathtakingly beautiful, the possibilities - countless, and they are expanded even more by the mods available for the PC version. People criticize the story, but I find it to be a good satire - it is not supposed to be serious and it's not the usual American pathos (which is a plus for me). Flaws - while it's a brilliant title, it certainly doesn't use its full potential. The amount of missions and their variety could be higher. The AI could use some work, but show me a game with a good AI nowadays, huh. It also isn't a game for people who prefer being hand-pulled and follow a straight line. Just Cause 2 is a game for people who value freedom :)… Expand