Just Cause

Times Online

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.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Juggling impossibly huge gaming areas with varied, consistent, imaginative gameplay, it has managed to create a slice of Southern American comic violence that begs to be played. [Oct 2006, p.64]

PGNx Media

One of those amazingly fun, carefree games and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The action is hectic and breaks every law of physic and though the gameplay isn’t that varied, it’s still quite fun.

Pelit (Finland)

Has a fun, over-the-top attitude and a great looking world to explore. Unfortunately, the missions repeat a pattern and get boring fast. Still, good entertainment in short doses. [Oct 2006]

Official Xbox Magazine

The massive and scenic game world does feel a little sparse at times(unlike the far superior one in the Xbox 360 version), and the side missions grow repetitive. But this sandbox has some damn cool toys and not a gangbanger in sight. [Dec. 2006, p.84]

Cheat Code Central

After you liberate the island and eliminate the dictator, there is simply no other reason to put the disk back in your system. The island looks pretty and there are plenty of attractions to see, but once you spend a little time there, you are ready to leave.

GamingTrend

A fun, albeit highly frustrating, experience. For starters, the bugs and glitches are across-the-board aggravating and Avalanche, Eidos and Microsoft all should have kept this title in development for at least another month.

GameZone

A generally fun experience that I encourage you to rent. You will finish it quickly and will no doubt notice its faults, but you just might like the features Just Cause has to offer.

Gaming Age

For the most part, though, Just Cause pulls players along with a promise of bigger and badder weaponry.

Game Informer

It is a fun game with some cool ideas, just one with its share of problems. If nothing else it tries a few new things, which is more than you can say about many games. [Oct. 2006, p.93]

GameSpot

Just Cause is able to justify its relative brevity and disrespect for physical law with some extremely visceral and often satisfying action.

eToychest

The stunts, however, steal the show, and really elevate the game beyond its limitations. From skydiving and parachuting onto the top of moving vehicles to jumping out of helicopters or launching tow cables at passing cars, Rico can do some things that games haven’t allowed players to do before, and there’s a lot to be said for enabling new frontiers.

Game Chronicles

Overall, on the scale of sandbox games, JC falls somewhere between True Crime and GTA: Vice City. Rico Rodriguez' San Esperito is definitely more impressive than Nick Kang’s Los Angeles, but the storyline is nowhere near the Vercetti's Vice City.

IGN

The lack of depth really comes through once you get more than about 10 hours into the game and the monotony of doing the same side quests over and over takes its toll. After that, it comes down to how much fun you can create by yourself.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

The finicky grappling hook controls lack the intuitive ease you'd like from such an integral control element (never mind the fact that you can't hook onto buildings or trees...wha--?). Even by the game's end, I'd still stumble when trying to sling from car to passing helo.

Sydney Morning Herald

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 GTA and others, but the mindless action is still good dumb fun.

Games Radar

And the world is huge. If it was more packed with opportunities for us to use those tools and stunts, this could have been a GTA-killer.