Does anybody else have a weird relationship with the Just Cause games?
I picked up Just Cause 2 after a long time of not playing it a little while ago and I had a bit of a realization....
I simultaneously get bored easily with and highly enjoy these games.
Outposts and towns are incredibly repetitive, and those make up 90% of the game's runtime. It's not like that's all there is, and Just Cause 3 does have some other side diversions and new tools, but in the end, I'm just running, driving, and/or flying around a massive largely empty, albeit pretty map.
It's incredibly mindless sometimes, and I never stick around too long, but there's also this call to it. It is mindless.
It's simple. I know where to go, what I'm gonna do. Im gonna see some pretty sights, big explosions, and I'm gonna zip around like a deranged Spider-Man. No deep planning or strategy, just spur-of-the-moment chaos. See a thing? Blow it up.
It's almost like candy. As long as I only come back and play it here and there, I will play it consistently.
Side note: On a certain level, exploring Just Cause's maps is pleasant in its own way. They are remarkably pretty and it kind of scratches an itch of just being able to GO. No real destination, no plan, just going.
I play Just Cause 4 every once in a while, and ironically because of that mindlessness it's almost the perfect game to pick up and play in short bursts - go in, blow some shit up, be done in 20 minutes. It has its appeal because I know I can just pick it up, where bigger story games like Cyberpunk or Fallout you spend a few minutes every time you start up going "now where was I..."
The wingsuit in Just Cause 3 might be the most fun traversal I've seen in any game, it's just a shame there's nothing much to explore and the world is pretty boring. I've always enjoyed playing it for a little bit but the game's kinda shallow to warrant ever finishing it or actually taking quests seriously.
Oh me! Loved Just Cause 2 and had an even better time with 3. I love it specifically because of how mindless it is.
No one plays Just Cause for the story (since it’s the same every game just pick a different part of the world). Flying, gliding, and blowing shit up. Bonus points for tethering a moving police car to another object and blowing even more shit up!
I haven't played since 2, but it was definitely "make your own fun". At the time everyone was playing the 2 hour demo over and over, and that was some of the most fun I've ever had.
Dudeee. I spent so much time as a kid just farting around replaying that demo just to see how much chaos I could get, or what insane shenanigans I could get up to. Somehow I've played way more of that demo than the actual game now that I own it.
Never finished 3, or even bought 4, but I've spent so much time in JC2. I made my own objectives, such as riding different vehicles down a mountain, or strapping them to planes taking off. The actual objectives, like outposts were secondary, only sometimes clearing them when encountered.
My main reason is the different biomes of 2. A desert, a massive city, snowy mountains, an island archipelago. I love seeing it all sprawl out in the distance and knowing that it's all mine to explore and do whatever.
I loved the map. The environments were very pleasant and there was always something to find. I just remembered the time I came across here https://justcause.fandom.com/wiki/Three_Kings_Hotel and strapping cars to the elevators with my modded unbreakable unlimited grappling hook.
Yeah, they're great to just spending some time in them. They're not deep or complex, but sometimes simpler games are great, especially if you have other thing going on. It's a bit like fast food.