Just Cause 3

The gigantic world and thirty hours of gameplay at least, which consists of constantly repeating twenty minutes – it's Just Cause 3. It´s necessary to add, that how much entertaining this twenty minutes will be, it's up to you. If you need to relax or to vent some destructive appetites, the game does not disappoint you. Just don’t expect anything else.

This is, after all, a game that goes out of its way to empower in a way few other games dare. [Jan 2016, p.102]

In the end, Just Cause 3 does not make as much of an impact on the genre that it’s predecessor did. But just because that is the case, that does not mean that this is a bad game, it’s far from that, it’s a good game that knows what it wants to be.

Just Cause 3 is a sandbox game that works only if you create your own experience. But if you play it in a straight way, it shows only limitations (and some technical issues that we hope Avalanche will fix soon).

Just Cause 3 is genuinely fun most of the time, but it’s the periods where its not that hurt it most. Add to that some mystifying design decisions around progression and upgrades, and you’ve got a game that attempts to go bigger than its predecessors while forgetting some of the elements that made them so good in the first pace. A fun, albeit flawed game.

The explosions are amazing, and it’s fun in short bursts, but Just Cause 3 is ultimately an unremarkable, shallow experience.

Just Cause 3 is a good game, but it should be better. The open world is phenomenal, chaotic fun makes you smile and graphics are extremely pretty. Unfortunately the gameplay is plagued with minor technical issues, clunky combat and weak storyline. The flaws are small but there is a lot of them - hence a little let down.

Just Cause 3 is okay. It’s far from great, but it’s not bad either. It’s just a decent waste of time. You can expect to mine at least twenty hours from it, with far more on top if you get really into it. Personally, I feel there are far better ways to waste your time, but there are far worse too.

Just Cause 3 is a game you'll either love or hate. It depends on how you grapple with the technical flaws and repetitive gameplay. But at least -in a boundless destruction sphere- you will hardly find a better option. [Issue #259]

It’s testament to Just Cause that I had no hesitation pushing through its annoyances; the surroundings are so exquisite that sometimes it’s worth enduring the slideshow for the canapes and champagne. This is a sumptuous world teeming with stuff to do.

My excitement hinged on juggling vehicles, firearms, and Rico’s toolkit over protracted periods. For much of that time, I doubt that a real thought cohered in my mind other than a notion that the user-generated videos spawned from Just Cause 3 will be bonkers and may form the game’s true legacy.

When you liberate an enemy stronghold Rico sometimes says, “That was fun - let’s do it again.” This feels like a perfect summary for the game: it is 15 minutes of stupid fun on repeat. But that barely matters when you are firing remote-detonated cows at a military compound filled with the red stuff.

From its intense firefights to its wanton destruction and carmageddon, Just Cause 3 ​has all the hallmarks of a classic action movie - it's just a shame the end result is more Van Damme in quality than vintage Schwarzenegger​ or Stallone.

There's a lot to do in Just Cause 3, it's just that doing it all isn't really that much fun. In fact it's probably a better game in retrospect than it is when you're playing it: freed from the controls and other issues, you'll remember it fondly. You'll also likely want to get back to it: there's a moreish, Ubisoft-style vibe here that encourages repeated playing. Those of you that wanted Just Cause 2 Part 2 will love what's on offer, but it all feels lesser than the sum of its parts.

A chaotic action romp, tragically let down by repetition and padding. There's fun to be had, but all too little variety in its huge open world.