User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 353 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 26 out of 353
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  1. justathought
    Mar 30, 2010
    10
    The reviews of this game have been quite harsh. One claimed it was a toy not agame due to the thin plot, surely addictive gamplay is the deciding factor. This game is packed with fun gameplay and allows you the freedom to be creative. It looks awesome on a PS3. Zero screen tear with a huge beautiful environment. The water effects are amazing when the sunset ripples on the surface. You can The reviews of this game have been quite harsh. One claimed it was a toy not agame due to the thin plot, surely addictive gamplay is the deciding factor. This game is packed with fun gameplay and allows you the freedom to be creative. It looks awesome on a PS3. Zero screen tear with a huge beautiful environment. The water effects are amazing when the sunset ripples on the surface. You can even see the rock rippling under water when in the shallows. And best of all you can dive and swim among the seaweed and coral. Mission repeatition is not a problem, because you try different creative strategies. This varies the gameply. I don't mind the B movie voice acting because it is done on purpose for a laugh. It is a caricature of fun, not gritty realism. That sentence just about sums up the whole game really. It goes down as a classic in my book. The grappling hook implementation is a stroke of genius. If you love to explore in a huge tropical paradise, then you will be in heaven. The gunplay isn't as good as Uncharted 2, but it's not as bad as often claimed. One reviewer claimed the weapons were under powered, this is not true because he simply rushed through the main quest without searching for any of the secret weapon upgrades. Some even complain that the map is too big. How can you have too much of a good thing. The island of Panau is full of interesting detail. Everywhere you go, you come across all sorts of installations and settlements. This is a must have game, even if you just want to randomly dip your toes in and don't have the patience to finish it. The people that won't enjoy it are those who lack creativity and need to be led by the hand with a strong linear story. This is atrue sand box. You make your own story in a spectacular real time action movie. Expand
  2. LinusJ.
    Apr 4, 2010
    10
    To many reviewers dont have the guts to rate this as 9/10 or 10/10, thats why it only almost reaches the perfect scores. Reason for that is stuff like voice acting and story and lack of direct orginality; reviewers need some comon ground not to get lost in their rating, and all they find in Just Cause 2 is FUN. This is the game a lot of us - if not most of us - have dreamed about ever To many reviewers dont have the guts to rate this as 9/10 or 10/10, thats why it only almost reaches the perfect scores. Reason for that is stuff like voice acting and story and lack of direct orginality; reviewers need some comon ground not to get lost in their rating, and all they find in Just Cause 2 is FUN. This is the game a lot of us - if not most of us - have dreamed about ever since the 90s when games started to really advance. A game where you are the action stunt hero and do this ridiculously cool stuff in a beautiful envoirment. Where you can drive everything, and seem to be able to actually do anything. Whenever you think "omg, I hope I can do this..", you actually can do it. Not once in 30 hours have I found something I want to do that I cant. Now, problems for reviewers orther than story and voiceacting, is that the orginality is more indirect than usual. Pretty much everything in there has been done before; its almost a complete parody/tribute to various media - its just its never been done in a GAME before, and no other game has been close. Its what GTA allways wanted to be, but still is a far way from. Impossible to give this anything less than a 10 despite voice acting ect... Expand
  3. JakeF.
    Apr 7, 2010
    10
    This is one of the best games that i have ever played. the massive open environment is well designed and can keep you searching for hours. the ability to connect any two objects together is just pure awesomeness. this is easily the best game made this year and kicks the crap out of its predecessor.
  4. ZacH.
    Mar 23, 2010
    10
    This is what gta5 should look in the coming months, the sandbox environment is lushous contrast of beauty and the scale of this would match or better red faction in the environment locations such as ice/snowy too tropical landscapes, i had enjoyed this demo much more than gta4 and other sandboxs games including farcry 2. And i haven't even started with Gameplay! oh my goodness!
  5. Travis
    Mar 24, 2010
    10
    Until march 23rd I had yet experienced a sandbox game that even touched grand theft auto's brilliant mix of freedom structured missions and chaos. I am proud to say that Avalanche studios have given me the game of my dreams. Unparalelled draw distance coupled with an overwhelming area to cause destruction make for the funnest sandbox I've played to date. This is every action Until march 23rd I had yet experienced a sandbox game that even touched grand theft auto's brilliant mix of freedom structured missions and chaos. I am proud to say that Avalanche studios have given me the game of my dreams. Unparalelled draw distance coupled with an overwhelming area to cause destruction make for the funnest sandbox I've played to date. This is every action movie you've ever loved mashed with a brilliant parachute and grapple mechanic with a high dose of steroids thrown in. The graphics are astounding and the real acheivement is the environment itself which looks amazing. Blowing up jeeps full of enemies in pursuit with a chain gun on a helicopter packs a satisfying punch. The story is nothing to write home about but rather nudges the player along in this incredibly realized world. Don't be surprised of you come upon an enemy settlement and lose an hour of time collecting armor and weapon parts and strategically sabatoging water towers and antennas until you have 100% control of the area. Taking these things down causes chaos, which is needed to advance to the next missions. Overall I can't say enough about this game as it is one of the funnest experiences I've had with a game in years. Grab your grappling hook, strap on your parachute and enjoy this masterpeice Avalanche has given us. Expand
  6. MarkR.
    Apr 16, 2010
    10
    Brilliant, very fun gameplay, a huge amount of things to do, massive varied world map to explore, desert, city, snowy mountains, and a tropical rainforest, a total of 368 locations to destroy, 104 vechicles, with more being added through downloadable content, easily the best sandbox game out yet.
  7. GregK.
    Apr 23, 2010
    10
    Huge open world fun. Easy to use controls. Only problem is calling in the black market helicopter but that's easy to get pass when the game is this much fun.
  8. Sep 9, 2010
    10
    Just Cause 2 is an amazing feat in something that some games have been lacking lately: sheer fun.I clocked over 80 hours of game play and still felt like I hadn't scratched the surface of beautiful Panau. Mind not the simple and shallow story. The game-play mechanics and graphics assure hours of fun and exploration.
  9. Nov 28, 2010
    10
    Oh. My. God. - What else can I say? This is my game of 2010, it has a spectacular map size and great set piece gaming. One problem I must add is the Storyline, its a bit weak, but, for a massive open world game I am in no way saddened. Buy this now.
  10. Jan 10, 2011
    10
    I really feel some games fall victim to some weird "reviewer" framework that has developed over the years. This is the case with Just Cause 2. The critics feel compelled to go through a checklist of subjective cons and pros to calculate a score. Voice acting, check, graphics, check, physics check, compelling story, check, character models lip sync correctly, check, 20+hours of gameplay,I really feel some games fall victim to some weird "reviewer" framework that has developed over the years. This is the case with Just Cause 2. The critics feel compelled to go through a checklist of subjective cons and pros to calculate a score. Voice acting, check, graphics, check, physics check, compelling story, check, character models lip sync correctly, check, 20+hours of gameplay, check...etc. Now video game shopping has become like TV shopping! I'm looking at features and technical achievements when really I want to know is this product going to provide me with X amount of fun and experiences. Do the character's lips always sync correctly in Just Cause 2? No. Is the story super compelling and interesting all the time, not really. My only real knock against the game is that quite a few of the faction side missions are identical, which is a bit lame. But all the technical knocks, story, missions and other flaws of this game, it is still great fun, and that's what counts. A lot of other reviewers have described the WOW factor at thinking "I wonder if I can do this.." and always having the answer be YES in this game. That's what sandbox gaming is about. This game is fun period. I played over 12 hours before even attempting the first story mission. I might not make it to the second one! I've already got my money's worth from this game. So go read the positive critics reviews if you're on the fence, and if the gameplay sounds like something you'd like, you have to try this game out. But anyone who gives this game a low score needs to go review mobile phones or something, your talents at reviewing are being wasted on games :) Expand
  11. Oct 30, 2011
    10
    Just Cause 2 is a truly excellent game, with an amazing 600 square mile map, filled with plenty of government property to destroy. The story may not be the equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia or Deus Ex, but it doesn't need to be. Nobody plays Just Cause to be regaled with an epic story, they play it to blow **** up. With a diverse environment, awesome grappling hook movement, and plenty ofJust Cause 2 is a truly excellent game, with an amazing 600 square mile map, filled with plenty of government property to destroy. The story may not be the equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia or Deus Ex, but it doesn't need to be. Nobody plays Just Cause to be regaled with an epic story, they play it to blow **** up. With a diverse environment, awesome grappling hook movement, and plenty of **** to blow up, Just Cause 2 it one of my favorite games of all-time, and definitely on of the best games of 2010. Expand
  12. Feb 24, 2012
    10
    Just cause 2 is one the best games this gen! I dont care what people say.. But this game is AMAZING! The story and graphics are top-notch... i gave it 10/10
  13. Nov 6, 2011
    10
    Just Cause 2 deserves more credit than it gets. This free roam is so large that it is nearly impossible to explore every inch of area in the game. Despite a couple repetitive missions and settlements, there is lots to do and it is not a problem when it comes to destroying things.
  14. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    The best free-roaming game I've ever played. A slightly weak plot, but this is more than made up for in the vast map and outstanding amount of weapons and vehicles available to you
  15. Nov 22, 2012
    10
    Melon Reviews- Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360)
    10.0/10.0- Absolutley Amazing
    Just Cause 2 is amazing in almost every way. The graphical design, realism, and detail is mind-blowing and on top of that the gameplay is amazing. When Grand Theft Auto IV came out back in 2008, I thought that was the best video game ever, until I played this. Extreme action, violence (and the Mile High Club) make for
    Melon Reviews- Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360)
    10.0/10.0- Absolutley Amazing
    Just Cause 2 is amazing in almost every way. The graphical design, realism, and detail is mind-blowing and on top of that the gameplay is amazing. When Grand Theft Auto IV came out back in 2008, I thought that was the best video game ever, until I played this. Extreme action, violence (and the Mile High Club) make for the manliest and greatest game ever made. Edios finally did it right with Just Cause 2, and I cannot wait until Just Cause 3.
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  16. Sep 17, 2013
    10
    Panau is a big world, and while it will probably take about 72 hours or ore of continuous playing to even make a significant dent in it, JC2 is a stylish game with many possibilities for fun, including the driving option and the "heat" levels. The game could be a little bit shorter, and the glitches need to be fixed, but still a great game that'll keep you occupied for those of us who arePanau is a big world, and while it will probably take about 72 hours or ore of continuous playing to even make a significant dent in it, JC2 is a stylish game with many possibilities for fun, including the driving option and the "heat" levels. The game could be a little bit shorter, and the glitches need to be fixed, but still a great game that'll keep you occupied for those of us who are constantly bored of everything. Expand
  17. Nov 1, 2013
    10
    THE GOOD: This game literally lets you play anyway you want. It has the largest and one of the most beautiful open-world maps ever. You can explore over 400 square miles of jungles, cities, villages, mountains, and deserts. The map is highly detailed and features dozens of easter eggs to check out. The games environments are absolutely beautiful. There are around 7 story missions (whichTHE GOOD: This game literally lets you play anyway you want. It has the largest and one of the most beautiful open-world maps ever. You can explore over 400 square miles of jungles, cities, villages, mountains, and deserts. The map is highly detailed and features dozens of easter eggs to check out. The games environments are absolutely beautiful. There are around 7 story missions (which are all very fun) and many many side missions (99% of them are really fun). Then of course there is the option to cause chaos all over the fictional country of Panau. You can conquer hundreds of military bases, villages, and city areas. The amount of destruction you can cause is stunning. The amount of stunts you can do with the many vehicles are amazing. This is literally the ultimate stunt game. The voice acting is fantastic. It is a very polished game with only a few minor glitches. The PS3 version has a feature allowing you to upload gameplay straight to youtube. The grappling hook and parachute combination allow you to easily travel through the game's large map.

    THE BAD: The character models in the game are not the best looking. The story can be predictable and somewhat generic at times. There is unfortunately no online modes. The game often requires the player to kill many enemies but there is no real reward for killing them. Causing chaos can sometimes get repetitive.

    It is one of the best games ever made! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Must buy!
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  18. RyanP
    Mar 25, 2010
    9
    A very large and very fun sandbox game that throws realism out the window. Surfing jet planes and slinging around better then spiderman are regular occurences in this game. Add the fact that you got like a 600 square mile game world and 104 vehicles with upgradeable weapons and over 300 locations to discover this game has tons of replay value. Voice acting and story are terrible in this A very large and very fun sandbox game that throws realism out the window. Surfing jet planes and slinging around better then spiderman are regular occurences in this game. Add the fact that you got like a 600 square mile game world and 104 vehicles with upgradeable weapons and over 300 locations to discover this game has tons of replay value. Voice acting and story are terrible in this game and their are a few glitches but you'll be having so much fun you could care less. Expand
  19. JustinS
    Mar 27, 2010
    9
    Absolutely a blast. Very fun to just wander around and explore. There are some who may find the missions a tad repetitive, but for the rest of us who enjoy the ability to play how, when and what you want, this is a near perfect game. There was a instance where I fell through a floor and got stuck, and the dialogue is, uh, not exactly Shakespeare, but overall the graphics, frame rate, game Absolutely a blast. Very fun to just wander around and explore. There are some who may find the missions a tad repetitive, but for the rest of us who enjoy the ability to play how, when and what you want, this is a near perfect game. There was a instance where I fell through a floor and got stuck, and the dialogue is, uh, not exactly Shakespeare, but overall the graphics, frame rate, game play and just sheer fun is excellent. Blast through the story or take your time exploring, it's all great. Expand
  20. DarylS.
    Apr 27, 2010
    9
    This game is visually stunning,one of the best so far.Once you get used to the controls;the possibilities as to how you want to wreak havok and cause chaos is phenominal.There is so much to do and blow up in this game.One of the most enjoyable games I have played so far.
  21. JohnV.
    Mar 23, 2010
    9
    Easily the best Sandbox game to date. If you loved the massive world, tons of vehicles, and incredible fun of GTASA and didn't care to much to delve into the story, then Just Cause 2 is for you. The world is HUGE (took me almost 10 minutes to fly corner to corner in an SU-37 fighter jet look-a-like aside from a horizontal scale the world is also huge on a vertical scale. Massive Easily the best Sandbox game to date. If you loved the massive world, tons of vehicles, and incredible fun of GTASA and didn't care to much to delve into the story, then Just Cause 2 is for you. The world is HUGE (took me almost 10 minutes to fly corner to corner in an SU-37 fighter jet look-a-like aside from a horizontal scale the world is also huge on a vertical scale. Massive mountain peaks and the ability to fly a place/helicopter seemingly endlessly high in the game really make it the largest world to roam in any sandbox game to date. The graphics are gorgeous and the draw distance is incredible. The grappling hook is awesome and the controls are perfect. There's a plethora of guns to choose from as well. Don't read into the bogus reviews, Just Cause 2 is definately worth playing. I'd liken it the most to what Mercenaries 2 would have been like if it didn't suck and were 1000 times better. Expand
  22. JamesD
    Apr 17, 2010
    9
    Just Cause 2 is a fantastic breath of fresh air for a sandbox as energetic as it is. This is truly a playground of destruction.
  23. JustinS
    Mar 26, 2010
    9
    Absolutely a blast. Very fun to just wander around and explore. There are some who may find the missions a tad repetitive, but for the rest of us who enjoy the ability to play how, when and what you want, this is a near perfect game. There was a instance where I fell through a floor and got stuck, and the dialogue is, uh, not exactly Shakespeare, but overall the graphics, frame rate, game Absolutely a blast. Very fun to just wander around and explore. There are some who may find the missions a tad repetitive, but for the rest of us who enjoy the ability to play how, when and what you want, this is a near perfect game. There was a instance where I fell through a floor and got stuck, and the dialogue is, uh, not exactly Shakespeare, but overall the graphics, frame rate, game play and just sheer fun is excellent. Blast through the story or take your time exploring, it's all great. Expand
  24. Dec 13, 2010
    9
    this game was a suprise to me . i didnt think it would be this good . since the first just cause game pretty much sucked . well edios and sqaur-enix are on the right path with this series . the world you get to explore is HUGE it makes grand theft autos maps seem tiny . you get a decent amount of wepons and you can upgrade for more ammo, better acuracy , and more power. you can also do thethis game was a suprise to me . i didnt think it would be this good . since the first just cause game pretty much sucked . well edios and sqaur-enix are on the right path with this series . the world you get to explore is HUGE it makes grand theft autos maps seem tiny . you get a decent amount of wepons and you can upgrade for more ammo, better acuracy , and more power. you can also do the same with vehicles which you get alot like over 130 . you can drive just about any thing on 2 wheels and 4 wheels and even helicopters , planes and boats . the mission varity is decent with many ways to approch each mission . the graphics are fantastic with little in the way of pop ups . the envirmonet for being so huge is lush with all kinds of stuff . the grappling hook and parachute are alot of fun to play with . the ability to fast travel to any location you been to is also very nice as it saves boring time in driving or flying to every where you want to go. you can also call in a black market dealer who will drop off wepons and vehicles which is very nice as it saves you time running to a gun shop. the game does have its issues though . it is alittle buggy but not bad when you consider the size of this game and its not very often where i had many isses outside of 3 times in my playthough where i got stuck in some thing and had to reload . the story and voice acting is the biggest downer . the story is pretty boring and i felt little to no intrest in what was going on . the voice acting in some cases is HORRID . the one girl who is in charge of one of the 3 factions is the worst and i couldnt stand hearing her talk i had to skip every cut scean with her she annoyed me so bad. the enimy's can feel cheap some times with them calling in helicopters on you and having it show up with in 5 seconds of you being spotted and the health system sucked they should went with the auto health recharge to full instead of trying to find med kits which in more then a few cases i could find any near the place i was attacking. all in all though it was a real fun game and provided me with almost 50 hours on fun . i do wish they had more side missions as well almost all lot them where so easy and very short. and there is only 7 main missions which also arnt that long for just being 7 missions .the biggest struggle i had was taking down enimy bases . its deffinitly a must check out if you like open world games like grand theft auto. Expand
  25. Aug 17, 2010
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is one of the most addictive and fun games i have yet to encounter. Have just completed the platinum trophy and swear im still not bored with it.
    The controls are fairly easy to grasp, the map is HUGE but this isn't a big deal as getting around is easy as well as fun with the huge array of vehicles available, the gameplay is solid aside from the occasional glitch, graphics are beautiful, the storyline is shockingly bad as is the voice acting, the missions are varied and the majority are great, (flying a fighter jet into a giant rocket in midair never gets old). Its not difficult but not easy either, somewere in the middle, the parachute and grappling hook combination work perfectly and are great fun to use, the explosions are epic, it is addictive, fun, entertaining, hilarious, ridiculous and truly extraordinary game which i love and would recommend to anyone, download the demo at least, you wont be disappointed!
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  26. Sep 5, 2010
    9
    Just Cause 2 is a very fun sandbox game. The graphics are great; make you feel like your on a tropical island, especially the water ripples that look so realistic. The explosions look awesome as well. The gameplay is great; you can parachute off cliffs, blow the living day lights out of an army base; use Rico's grappling hook to tether a car to a helicopter and more; and the controls areJust Cause 2 is a very fun sandbox game. The graphics are great; make you feel like your on a tropical island, especially the water ripples that look so realistic. The explosions look awesome as well. The gameplay is great; you can parachute off cliffs, blow the living day lights out of an army base; use Rico's grappling hook to tether a car to a helicopter and more; and the controls are smooth. The replay value is astonishing. There's so much to do like races, rain destruction on enemy bases and collect weapon and vehicle parts to upgrade your arsenal of weapons and/or vehicles. This game will take forever to complete to 100%. I didn't care for the story though and the characters dialog is ruff as well but Just Cause 2 is a blast to play and a definite improvement over its predecessor. Expand
  27. Dec 27, 2011
    9
    this was a diamond in the rough for me. once i played the demo, i kept thinking about it, and usually that indicative of a sure fire purchase. the controls were tight, the gameplay addicting, and the missions challenging at time. stunning graphics and open world format makes me want to go back and play it again and again. plenty to do in Panau. there were some interesting bugs and quirksthis was a diamond in the rough for me. once i played the demo, i kept thinking about it, and usually that indicative of a sure fire purchase. the controls were tight, the gameplay addicting, and the missions challenging at time. stunning graphics and open world format makes me want to go back and play it again and again. plenty to do in Panau. there were some interesting bugs and quirks in the game (such as losing all missions points in the game.) but that was probably because my console was dying at that point. but the game is solid and you should play it, if not to add it to your game library. Expand
  28. Mar 18, 2011
    9
    As a first note I must say that after the first hour of just cause 2 you might be a little disappointed. The controls are difficult to understand at the beginning and the game is all over the place. Once you really understand everything, especially when you find the helicopters and jetplanes the game picks up enourmesly. Basically if you are a fan of ''real'' sandbox games that actuallyAs a first note I must say that after the first hour of just cause 2 you might be a little disappointed. The controls are difficult to understand at the beginning and the game is all over the place. Once you really understand everything, especially when you find the helicopters and jetplanes the game picks up enourmesly. Basically if you are a fan of ''real'' sandbox games that actually let you do everything you want Just cause 2 might be the best out there. The world map is huge and there is a **** ton to explore. The missions are nicely varied and they go from shooting down an entire base to driving an airplane into a flying rocket, just incredibly awsome. As opposed to what some others say I think the voice acting is brilliantly funny. The developers created the game with certain flaws on purpose. They know that the story isn't the important part of the game and they laugh at most cliched action movies out there. Being Riko Rodriguez, some kind of god, you can preety much do whatever you like. The gameplay is really fun when you know the conrolls better. The graphics are amazing. drifting towards the sunset on your parachute right after you landed a helicopter onto a soldeir's face is something for the ages. A note to Rockstar that have lost their ways after GTA 4, THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE A BLOODY GOOD SANDBOX GAME. Highly recommended. Expand
  29. Mar 18, 2011
    9
    Maybe the greatest sandbox game on the PS3, and definitely one of my favorite games. I spent more than 100 hours on it (and achieved more than 98%), this tells a lot.

    This game is just lots of fun. Game mechanics are innovative (hook and chute allow you to get everywhere), the map is varied and huge. You can drive pretty much all vehicles you can find (bikes, cars, choppers, planes,
    Maybe the greatest sandbox game on the PS3, and definitely one of my favorite games. I spent more than 100 hours on it (and achieved more than 98%), this tells a lot.

    This game is just lots of fun. Game mechanics are innovative (hook and chute allow you to get everywhere), the map is varied and huge. You can drive pretty much all vehicles you can find (bikes, cars, choppers, planes, boats, tanks). Action is great (destruction, shooting), weapons are balanced, enemies are somewhat clever.

    Now the reasons why I do not give a 10: driving is a bit awkward (hard to keep the car on the road when gaining some speed), the story is not very compelling (more of a B movie plot) and there is too little side quests / rewards.

    I think this game should have deserved better critics and some pro reviewers should be ashamed.
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  30. Dec 1, 2013
    9
    To this day, I still haven't reached 100% completion. Yes, the game is THAT huge. A lot of work has bee put into this game. It's just fun. As for the horrible story? Well, to me, the story was so bad it was good. Lots of stuff to do, driving, flying, skydiving, etc. etc. etc.
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 66
  2. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. Games Master UK
    86
    All things considered, Just Cause 2 is comfortably the best "zany" sandboxer out there, and a brilliantly improved sequel to the great-if-flawed original. [Apr 2010, p.60]
  2. One of the most enjoyable sandboxes for players to experiment in this side of Grand Theft Auto. [Issue#204, p.86]
  3. Just Cause 2 can hardly be called an average game. It's a good one undermined by a selection of mediocre elements, and it's all the more frustrating this time around because Avalanche shows us glimpses of just how much fun two weeks on holiday with Rico should be. [Apr 2010, p.96]