Just Cause 2

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 313 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 230 out of 313
  2. Mixed: 59 out of 313
  3. Negative: 24 out of 313
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  1. blackdog
    Sep 21, 2011
    7
    This game is a sandbox-fans' must-have.
    The Panau's open-world is really open from the get-go without any limitation but the will of travelling while the grappling-hook and parachute are tools that allow for really letting the player express himself; physics-based combat is extremely compelling... achievements will give an added motivation to use the hook creatively.
    The B-movie narration    This game is a sandbox-fans' must-have.
    The Panau's open-world is really open from the get-go without any limitation but the will of travelling while the grappling-hook and parachute are tools that allow for really letting the player express himself; physics-based combat is extremely compelling... achievements will give an added motivation to use the hook creatively.
    The B-movie narration isn't so much of a drawback as the fact that it devolve instead of ramping up, but it has a huge setup at the beginning.
    What is annoying is that after a while you will get the feeling that the game is what happens while getting to a location, instead of what you will do there, because faction missions are short, some could even take like one minute to complete!
    Game mechanic is repetetive but still enjoyable to the end of the game, problem is that in advanced stages the game will probably turn to an achievement-hunt since missions can be tackled with different styles but there's no difference in the outcome since you have simply to blow up stuff.    … Expand
  2. ItsCameron
    Oct 13, 2013
    5
    This game had some very good and bad points. I like this game because of it's never ending freeroam in: motorbikes, cars, buggies, planes and jets. However the game doesn't feel like there's real missions they feel like side missions meaning this game gets quite boring pretty quickly. Overall I think this game should have real missions in the later updates maybe in Just Cause 3.
  3. MarkB
    Mar 29, 2010
    7
    Pros: Open structure, Massive & diverse game world, Set pieces and visuals highly polished, Cons: Size of game world makes travelling at the start very dull, Super alert military police around every corner, Some missions (stronghold capture) repetitive, Poor voice acting particularly support cast, Recommended as an excellent time filler ahead of the summer line-up of games.
  4. Review9
    Aug 23, 2010
    7
    Don't get me wrong this game is fun but like GTA it gets old. Some times to do a mission you must travel across the whole island to get there, this can take 20 mins if you dont have the money (which you don't early on in the game) This game is very fun, standing on top of planes, grappling to everything, parachutes, taking out enemys while on top of a moving car, lots of vehichles, butDon't get me wrong this game is fun but like GTA it gets old. Some times to do a mission you must travel across the whole island to get there, this can take 20 mins if you dont have the money (which you don't early on in the game) This game is very fun, standing on top of planes, grappling to everything, parachutes, taking out enemys while on top of a moving car, lots of vehichles, but this game does get old. I traded it in after 2 months. I give it a 7.5.

    Review 9    … Expand
  5. GodBleeder
    Aug 23, 2011
    7
    It may be ten times better than the first Just Cause, but in terms of being a fully formed third person sandbox shooter, it still has a long way to go. No cover system? Get with the times.
  6. TheCriticCritic
    Nov 15, 2010
    7
    Just Cause 2 offers a large, destructible environment to spend hours exploring. It has fun and free game mechanics that allow you to explore a vast world through a grappling hook and plenty of parachutes. The world is fun to explore and exploring the cities to find things to blow up may be fun at times, even though it doesn't have a co-op, taking turns with friends and watching them is funJust Cause 2 offers a large, destructible environment to spend hours exploring. It has fun and free game mechanics that allow you to explore a vast world through a grappling hook and plenty of parachutes. The world is fun to explore and exploring the cities to find things to blow up may be fun at times, even though it doesn't have a co-op, taking turns with friends and watching them is fun and exciting if the player knows how to play properly. The characters may look choppy at times, but the graphics of the environment look amazing. Sadly, this overhaul does not make up for the campaign aspect of the game. The story isn't greatly written and gives the "Who died and made you king?" feeling. You must ally with multiple cults in the world to try and take down the "corrupt" ruler, who was appointed king once his father died. The voice acting is mediocre at best and feels like the characters are reading off the scripts half-asleep. All in all, you'll be playing this game for it's free-roaming aspect; the campaign is a burden added on so you could engage in missions to earn new features in the game to better the free-roaming experience.… Expand
  7. TheQuietGamer
    Jan 5, 2016
    6
    All the game wants to do is deliver non-stop, explosive action. It gives us a massive world and a handful of toys to do just that. However dated gameplay, poor design choices, and frustrating mission objectives often get in the way.

    The core gameplay is pretty simplistic. It's just point and shoot in it's barest form. The idea is just to spray and pray while watching the world around    All the game wants to do is deliver non-stop, explosive action. It gives us a massive world and a handful of toys to do just that. However dated gameplay, poor design choices, and frustrating mission objectives often get in the way.

    The core gameplay is pretty simplistic. It's just point and shoot in it's barest form. The idea is just to spray and pray while watching the world around you go boom. It's mindlessly entertaining, but when you begin to notice how you are just doing the same things over and over again throughout the course of the game the tedium sets in quickly.

    Developer Avalanche Studios gives us a massive world to explore. Probably the biggest one I've ever seen in a video game. It's certainly filled with a lot to do, but they boil down to the same objectives repeated ad nauseam. Fraction missions just boil down to escorts and destruction jobs. It all works and can provide some modest thrills here an there, but they can also be quite frustrating thanks to the endlessly spawning enemies that crowd certain locations and the military bases.

    While left to your own devices you just go around blowing up stuff and collecting upgrade items. That's really all there is to the open-world exploration. The game is massive and filled with towns, cities, and bases. The problem is that outside of the simple combat and the thrill on explosions there isn't really much exciting going on in this world. Your journeys to your next locations are often boring and, due to the size of the world, quite lengthy.

    Like I said before the size of the game's world is massive. A quick travel system is available to alleviate some of the suffering from the long treks, but if your objective is far away from any location you have already been to then you're just out of luck. Even in a jet you'll find yourself prone to some lengthy travel time. It wouldn't be so bad if the world were more interesting. Without things like wildlife or random events the game is surprisingly lifeless.

    Where the game shows the most variety is in it's main "Agency" missions that push the plot forward. The writing and voice acting are terrible, but the missions objectives can be a nice way to break up the monotony of the rest of the game. The problem is that the only way to unlock them (along with new fraction missions) is to cause and build up chaos. How do you do this? You go through the mind-numbing process of repeating the same side-missions and open-world destruction over and over again. The repetition sets in fast.

    The worst part is that the only reason the developer(s) lock of the content like this is just to artificially extend the length of the game. There are seven, rather brief main missions that could be completed in no time at all. It's a really irritating way to try and pad the game. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the side-content more if it didn't feel like I was being forced to grind through for an unnecessarily long amount of time in order to progress.

    As a whole the game is just missing that spark of excitement in it's content that other open-world games have. Add in an extra dose of frustration and the simplistic shoot and make things explode gameplay gets old much faster than it should. It's a perfectly acceptable open-world game and one where almost everything works (I did have one side-quest outright break on me). It even can provide some mindless, destructive fun. But with so many better, livelier, and just all around more enjoyable open-world games out there I don't really see much of a reason to give this one your time.    … Expand
  8. Aquamantor
    Jun 20, 2011
    7
    As a serious game, Just Cause 2 is poorly designed. You will both live and die entirely on the game's whims, and your ability to run away when injured, rather than by using any actual skill. You will be constantly frustrated on missions that should be fun, but aren't, anymore, the moment you fail them the first time. You will be annoyed by a few glitches, and assaulted with accents so poorAs a serious game, Just Cause 2 is poorly designed. You will both live and die entirely on the game's whims, and your ability to run away when injured, rather than by using any actual skill. You will be constantly frustrated on missions that should be fun, but aren't, anymore, the moment you fail them the first time. You will be annoyed by a few glitches, and assaulted with accents so poor they'd put the cheesiest action movie to shame. However, there's something to be said for the complete and utter chaos that Just Cause 2 encourages, as well as its massive world, sheer plethora of vehicles, and of course the grappling hook. Once you get into it, this game will be great fun. Just know that running around the countryside wreaking havoc is much more entertaining than many of the frustrating and poorly paced missions.… Expand
  9. Mr_Meme
    Jul 14, 2012
    7
    With this title i feel as though it did good on almost all of what it tried to bring to you, but what it didnt get across well just brought it down a lot. One major thing that i loved and had a very big problem with was the chaos/quest feature. The game glorifies its nonsensical explosions and allows players who just like to destroy stuff the free will to do so. However i feel this is alsoWith this title i feel as though it did good on almost all of what it tried to bring to you, but what it didnt get across well just brought it down a lot. One major thing that i loved and had a very big problem with was the chaos/quest feature. The game glorifies its nonsensical explosions and allows players who just like to destroy stuff the free will to do so. However i feel this is also its major downfall. I mainly play games for the story and what i didn't like about this was that it made destroying things mandatory to both get item's and gain quests. This feature honestly was good at first since it gave reason to blowing everything up, but eventually it makes just blowing things up seem very repetitive. For example to do basically anything related to its storyline you must first blow up many things. The game tried to make you feel like a badass trying to help the populace but if the blowing up military objects to gain quests and money wasn't mandatory then this game would be easily deserving of a ten.… Expand
  10. Seamus100
    Jan 4, 2015
    7
    The game plays and feels like Far Cry 3, GTA, and Mercenaries 2, all of which I've played.
    I found it kind of boring and some of the challenges difficult to complete, and some I just gave up trying to finish.
  11. NewbieKenobi
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    Had this game on the PC a few years back and truly loved it. When I got an Xbox 360 I thought I'd go grab it but never quite got around to until just recently. A perfect game to play from the comfy TV sofa on a huge flat screen TV Even though the game is brilliant with it's open world design and opportunity for total mayhem of senseless destruction it has one huge flaw; the controls. TheyHad this game on the PC a few years back and truly loved it. When I got an Xbox 360 I thought I'd go grab it but never quite got around to until just recently. A perfect game to play from the comfy TV sofa on a huge flat screen TV Even though the game is brilliant with it's open world design and opportunity for total mayhem of senseless destruction it has one huge flaw; the controls. They are slow, inaccurate and annoying. Even with the aim assist enabled I have a hard time killing stuff while the enemy has no problems at all blowing my sorry ass up I really love this game, but it just brings out the darkest gaming side of me while trying to fly an airplane under a bridge, skydive onto a passing airplane or blowing stuff up with a helicopter. In the PC version, I could throw myself out of a burning helicopter and hook onto the enemies chopper to highjack it with ease... Now I constantly hit the ground, land with the parachute and get shot up or need to take cover before getting killed, all because of the slow controls. Mabye it's not an issue for everyone, but it sure is for me.. It's a great game and it really deserves the high rating and I WANT to play it, but I might better not … Expand
  12. Rahsmoove
    Dec 9, 2014
    7
    This game isn't bad the but let's be realistic. JC2, lacks a lot in a lot of areas. Looking at these user scores I can tell Just Cause 2 is very overrated game.

    The map, is very big 400 square mile. However it lifeless. I'm not talking about how rural, I'm talking about how they have a huge desert, snowy moutains, a city, jugles, and woods, but there's no immersion. There aren't NPCs    This game isn't bad the but let's be realistic. JC2, lacks a lot in a lot of areas. Looking at these user scores I can tell Just Cause 2 is very overrated game.

    The map, is very big 400 square mile. However it lifeless. I'm not talking about how rural, I'm talking about how they have a huge desert, snowy moutains, a city, jugles, and woods, but there's no immersion. There aren't NPCs in areas, and there's no wild life. I had problem with that.

    The gameplay is very repetitive, and so is the storyline. They look up to Rico like he some god. The grappling hook was cool. Climbing up moutains, jum cars and planes but it's repetitive and get very boring and it's the best way around the map.

    The physics mechanics are bad. The driving is totally stiff, and cartoonish, the flying is like Saint's Row's, and boats handle retardedly. And the guns have no recoil, or pump actiion whatsoever.

    The AI is horrible also, esppecailly the noriety system. Shoot someone out of nowhere, they come everytime.

    The game isn't bad but slighty above average.    … Expand
  13. lucasledain
    Feb 26, 2019
    6
    Just Cause 2 boasts a solid and impressive open world, however it's generic story and unrefined gunplay mechanics cause the game to still unfortunately miss the mark that it could, and eventually does, easily hit with follow up installments in the franchise.
  14. Broyax
    Apr 15, 2017
    5
    Une aire de jeu immense et on doit saluer les qualités techniques et artistiques du moteur 3D d'Avalanche Studios, les bases, les villages, les **** aéroports ici et là, la configuration de l'archipel, le cycle jour-nuit évidemment, la météo, la distance de vue... du beau travail. Quelques temps de chargement pour les missions certes mais rien de rédhibitoire. La musique est de bon aloi etUne aire de jeu immense et on doit saluer les qualités techniques et artistiques du moteur 3D d'Avalanche Studios, les bases, les villages, les **** aéroports ici et là, la configuration de l'archipel, le cycle jour-nuit évidemment, la météo, la distance de vue... du beau travail. Quelques temps de chargement pour les missions certes mais rien de rédhibitoire. La musique est de bon aloi et la VF bien que caricaturale fait le boulot (elle reste dans l'esprit du jeu, totalement caricaturale).

    Le grappin est une riche idée tout comme le parachute intégré mais le personnage n'a malheureusement pas la mobilité d'un Assassin's Creed ou d'un Infamous, loin de là : incapable d'escalader quoi que ce soit ou d'enjamber la moindre balustrade, c'est souvent pénible, car le saut ne s'adapte pas à l'environnement. La maniabilité est par contre celle d'un bon TPS lors des combats.

    En vérité, dans le genre du monde ouvert, il n'arrive pas à la cheville d'un Far Cry 3. D'abord parce qu'il est définitivement trop répétitif, trop bourrin et con avec ses hordes d'ennemis qui ne cessent de réapparaître dans votre dos, ensuite parce ce qu'on manque souvent de munitions et que pour s'en procurer, il faut les acheter (en achetant carrément les flingues à chaque fois !) via le marché noir et se les faire héliporter par le truchement d'un menu et d'une cinématique aussi lents que mal foutus.

    Si on s'éclate bien à tout faire péter avec un hélicoptère, il faut ramer longtemps avant de pouvoir avoir le sien à disposition (et de le faire livrer par le truchement du même menu mal foutu). A cet égard, Just Cause 2 est loin d'être aussi souple et marrant qu'un Saints Row 3 ou 4. Il est en fait aussi chiant et lourd qu'un Far Cry 2... Enfin, on ne peut pas *tout* détruire, dommage !    … Expand
  15. brendo214
    May 22, 2019
    7
    Explosions are cool and all, but when that is all that a game really has, it gets boring really quickly.

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
19
#19 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
10
#10 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 74 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 74
  3. Negative: 0 out of 74
  1. X-ONE Magazine UK
    80
    As a high-octane action game this is among the best in recent memory. Everything it does falls just the right side of ludicrously fun, so that it's hard to really criticize anything too harshly...Only the tiniest of niggles drag what is an excellent game back to earth. [Issue#56, p.77]
  2. Game Informer
    90
    One of the most enjoyable sandboxes for players to experiment in this side of Grand Theft Auto. [Issue#204, p.86]
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  3. Edge Magazine
    70
    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]
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