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Just Cause 3 review round-up

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8

Just Cause 3 (2)

VIVA LA REVOLUCION! Just Cause games have always been an exercise in excess pyrotechnics. While the first game set out to make the biggest sandbox possible at the time, the sequel veered off straight into Schwarzenegger territory and retooled itself as an action-heavy experience with a nifty grapnel hook feature that resulted in many a memorable encounter.

Because you haven’t lived until you’ve attached a hapless soldier to the tail-end of a jet, circled the stratosphere with the goon in tow, jumped out and then left him to plummet back down to terra firma. And then blown that jet up with an RPG right before it hit the ground. As much fun as Just Cause 2 was however, it was also a flawed game. And it looks like the latest sequel has inherited some of those imperfections.

Reviews are all over the place, with Alessandro not being too impressed with Rico Rodriguez’s latest outing:

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.

IGN – 8/10

Just Cause 3 (1)

Just Cause 3 is a playground where you get to be a physics-defying force of destruction, and its loop of liberating dozens of towns across this enormous scenic world would’ve gotten old much quicker if the combat wasn’t so full of options for free-form mayhem.

Getting the most out of it requires some creativity and tolerance for performance bugs on your part, so come expecting to make at least some of your own fun.

The Jimquisition – 6.5/10

Just Cause 3 (7)

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.

The wing suit’s cute, at least.

Game Informer – 8/10

Just Cause 3 (3)

Medici’s three islands have an abundance of places to destroy, and I had a good time liberating the nation overall. Avalanche does a good job of giving players access to new tools just as it seems the novelty is close to wearing off, right until the end.

By the time I finished clearing out the final outpost, however, I was definitely ready to move on. Medici’s a great place to visit, but I’m not prepared to make it a new home – certainly not considering the state I left it in.

Destructoid – 8/10

Just Cause 3 (5)

The enjoyment players get from Just Cause 3 will come from exactly how they approach the game. Those looking to fly around and blow up just about everything in sight will be elated with one of the most fluid movement systems in any game and the gorgeous explosion visuals that really pack a punch.

As bizarre as it sounds though, blowing everything sky high can start to feel tedious after a while without proper motivation.

Videogamer – 6/10

Just Cause 3 (4)

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.

Kotaku – Not yet

Just Cause 3 (6)

It isn’t often that I genuinely wish a game were better. Most games are what they are, and for better or for worse, that’s fine. After 25 hours withJust Cause 3, I find myself in the unusual position of actively wanting it to be a better game than it is.

That’s partly due to its enthusiastic, generous spirit, and partly due to how well it does what it does well. I wish Just Cause 3 could be the game it aims to be more consistently. I wish it lived up to the joy of its best mechanical ideas more often, and I wish it didn’t feel so patched-together.

I wish I’d spent a larger percentage of my time grinning in delight rather than grimacing in frustration.

Last Updated: December 1, 2015

8 Comments

  1. I think I was half expecting this kind of reception. Some good, some in between. Nothing great, nothing bad.
    Some people will compare it to GTA V and some to Saints Row. And it’s somewhere in between all of that, with it’s own unique approach. It still sounds very Just Causey in the way that it doesn’t take itself too serious. I like that.
    I personally think I’ll put quite a few hours into this, just because of the craziness of it all.

    Reply

    • Ir0nseraph

      December 1, 2015 at 08:59

      I am grabbing it, should be good mindless fun.

      Reply

      • Captain JJ never changes

        December 1, 2015 at 09:03

        Agreed. Might not grab it new, have too many games to catch up with right now, but it’s staying on my wishlist.

        Reply

        • Ir0nseraph

          December 1, 2015 at 09:16

          You know us console folk, we like our stuff new and shiny 😛

          Reply

          • Captain JJ never changes

            December 1, 2015 at 09:18

            True that.

  2. VampyreSquirrel

    December 1, 2015 at 08:21

    Wow, these are all over the 6-8’s, which is sad, I was hoping it would be awesome and always enjoyable.

    Reply

  3. WitWolfy

    December 1, 2015 at 08:33

    Never liked Just cause 2… Only bought the first one on 360.. Because that was one of the few games available on 360 when I first bought it.

    Reply

  4. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    December 1, 2015 at 10:34

    Just Cause 2 also got mediocre reviews from the mediocre squad, and yet… it turned out to be a sandbox gem.

    Reply

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