Just Cause 2: Demo Impressions

I make it a habit of regularly checking the newest available demos on my Xbox 360. More often than not, it equates to me killing an hour with a game that I'll probably never end up buying. The last demo that I played that actually made me want to buy the game was for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Now, THAT demo was amazing. If they hadn't shut the servers down for it, I'd probably still be playing it. (Which brings to mind the amazing "Wake Island" demo from Battlefield 1942 that I also played way too much. I actually bought the game that time, but WoW was that demo ever amazing.)

So today, I start up my 360 with the intention of playing KotOR for the first time in many a year, but since the emulation for it is terrible to the point of frustration, I opt to check out the demos. Up pops Just Cause 2, which I had heard great things about; specifically from Kotaku.

I had never played the first game. Why? Just cause...(pause for effect). Moving on...

The demo starts out with a brief...introduction? I don't know. The voice acting is terrible. Everyone sorta purrs at each other, and speak as though the last word of each sentence they speak is going to be a double entendre.

"Oh, so you like to play games, miss? I, too, like to play...GAMES..."

They honestly talked like that the entire time. If you think that quote sounded corny, then I was spot on.

Thankfully, that really doesn't last very long at all. Immediately after, you're sent to cause some Chaos...literally. You have a "Chaos Meter" on your screen that actually does the impossible, and scientifically measures Chaos, which seems to be directly proportional to the awesomeness of what you've done. For instance, stealing a motorcycle is only a little awesome, so you only get like 20 Chaos points for such an act. But get a little destructive and bring down a gas station, then the game will recognize the additional awesomeness output and grant you more points accordingly.

So, from what I can gather, the basic premise of the game is to just be awesome. Various missions are thrown at you from this militant group called "The Reapers," and you are sent in to just blow shit up in any way you can think of.

Now, for as cool as this sounds, I know what you're thinking: "Blowing shit up in various fashions is neat and all, but that stuff gets a little boring after awhile." That's where the hookshot comes in. This little mechanic brings so much depth to the game, it's amazing. It comes to be integral in getting you around this massive sandbox world you inhabit, and becomes your most devastating method of offense.

With one press of a button, the hookshot can pull you rapidly from one place to another. Think about the hookshot from The Legend of Zelda, and that's pretty much how it works. But it can also do so much more. If a guy is riding past you on a motorcycle, you can rip him off of it and take it for yourself. If a firefight gets too intense, hook on to a passing car to get out of there. Use it to close the gap between you and your assailants by going Scorpion on their asses in true "GET OVER HEEERRRE!!!" fashion. You can also use it to give yourself enough momentum to deploy your parachute, which allows you to float around for a decent amount of time.

But using it for combat is where it gets interesting. You are also given a "double hook" feature, which allows you to attach two things together. By far, the greatest thing I've accomplished in this demo has been to attach one of my attackers to a passing taxi, who was not inclined to slow down. My attacker was ripped off his feet and dragged down the dusty road before he disappeared out of sight. I received a "Drag Kill" for it a while later, which actually made me feel bad for the guy since it was by no means quick.

This little hookshot makes combat and traveling very fun. I was only given a thirty minute time limit and a small section of the open world to mess around with, but judging by what I've seen, this map is HUGE! I stole a helicopter, flew it all the way to the ceiling of the map, which took a long time, and subsequently jumped out and began free-falling. I fell for almost two minutes before I hit the ground (didn't deploy my parachute, which resulted in a painful-looking impact). That just amazed me. Unless I missed my guess, this game looks enormous.

So, yeah, thirty minute time limit and I played it through twice so far. Even with them sticking me in the most deserted place in the map, I still feel that there's a lot to do. It pretty much takes that "havoc-encouraging" feel of GTA and sets you loose on an island paradise somewhere in Southeast Asia. There's still that chance that, after a few hours of playtime, the mechanics might become boring (i.e. Prototype) but with such a beautiful looking world, plenty of gadgets, and all sorts of things to destroy, this game could have what it takes to make more of a splash than its predecessor ever did.