Just Cause 2

Overview

Just Cause 2 is a third-person action-adventure sandbox game developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Eidos Interactive and Square Enix. The player takes the role of Rico Rodriguez, an agent of the US government posing as a mercenary, as he takes jobs and tasks for the various rival factions on Panau, a fictitious island nation in Southeast Asia ruled by the dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay". Players can perform over-the-top stunts by combining the grappling hook, the parachute, and the "Stunt Position" system that allows you to mount different areas of the vehicles in the game.

The game was originally slated for release in late 2008; however, it was later announced in October of that year that the game would be pushed back to 2009. Since then, the game was delayed once again to its final release date of March 23, 2010.

Story

Protagonist Rico Rodriguez, an Agency operative, is sent to Panau to find Rico's former commanding officer and friend, Tom Sheldon. Tom is accused of stealing top-secret intel and millions of dollars from the Agency. Recently taken over by Baby Panay, a ruthless dictator, Panau is a violent place.The island features three rival factions: The Ular Boys, The Reapers, and The Roaches. Rico must work with these factions to gain information through helping them in their individual struggles. By completing faction missions and causing "chaos", Rico uncovers information that leads to Sheldon being absolved from his crimes as the plot shifts to a suspicious international interest in the small nation of Panau. Eventually, it is discovered that the island features a great wealth of oil. In the final mission, Baby Panay launches nuclear missiles at the nations attempting to steal his country's oil stash. Rico defuses all but one of the missiles, rerouting it, along with Baby Panay, to destroy the oil and end international interest in Panau.

New Features

• The game uses the Avalanche 2.0 engine, improving upon the engine from the first game.
• The AI has been rewritten to use a planning system to use the environment to their advantage, take cover and avoid damage.
• The aiming system has been revamped. A new hybrid system allows the player to lock on and fire at enemies while still controlling the cross-hair. Additionally, it is now possible to target specific body parts for appropriate effects (i.e. head shots do heavy damage, knee shots cripple and slow movement).
• A new adaptive difficulty system, making the game react on the player's successes and failures. For example, causing general chaos successfully causes the government faction to heighten security by adding more guards at important locations.
• New vehicles have been added, including a jumbo jet.
• Each vehicle now controls somewhat differently. Land vehicles will also take into account the type of terrain the player is traversing: certain vehicles will fare better or worse on different sorts of terrain (such as a sports car doing well on flat asphalt, but poorly off-road).
• Vehicles deform more realistically in real-time, allowing individual parts to break or come loose.
• Several new weapons have been added, such as a rocket launcher with laser-guided rockets, a one-handed grenade launcher, sticky remote-triggered C4, and a detachable mounted mini-gun.
• On the Playstation 3, players have the ability to record their exploits. The game automatically records the last 30 seconds of gameplay by default (though this can be disabled); alternatively, the game can be manually set to record a sequence of up to 10 minutes. The resulting video can either be saved to the PS3's hard drive or directly uploaded to YouTube.
• The grappling hook no longer has to be selected like a weapon allowing you to use it in conjunction with the parachute to traverse the environment very quickly.

Setting

The game is set on a fictional island in Southeast Asia called Panau, situated in the Malay Archipelago. The island features varied terrain, including snowy mountains, deserts, jungles, cities, and beaches, all of which the player is free to traverse. The back of the box claims that the island is 400 sq miles (making it the second largest open world game with FUEL being the first) although this is debatable.

Weapons

• Happy Bubble Blaster: A easter egg weapon. It creates and shoots bubbles and does little if no damage what so ever. You can gain heat by shooting this however. You can also hold 2 Bubble Blasters.
• Rico's Signature Gun: (DLC) Custom made by the Agency with Rico in mind. It's extremely accurate and powerful. Buy it from the black market for only $40,000.
• Bulls Eye Assault Rifle: (DLC) Has a great scope and is semi-automatic. You can kill a colonel with two headshots $50,000 in the black market.
• Protec Grapple G3: A grappling device. Pull yourself to any solid surface. Grapple enemies and cars. A great gadget to have.
• Frag Grenade: $25,000 in the black market.
• Pistol: Can be dual wielded. $20,000 in the black market.
• Revolver: Extremely deadly and accurate. $40,000 in the black market.
• Triggered Explosives: $30,000 in the black market.
• Sniper Rifle: $45,000 in the black market.
• Assault Rifle: $55,000 in the black market.
• Sawed Off Shotgun: $35,000 in the black market.
• Shotgun: $55,000 in the black market.
• Submachine Gun: $35,000 in the black market.
• Machine Gun: $70,000 in the black market.
• Grenade Launcher: $75,000 in the black market.
• Rocket Launcher: $80,000 in the black market.
• Multi-Lock Missile Launcher: (Aerial Pack DLC) A shoulder resting rocket launcher. You can lock on to four different targets. $50,000 in the black market.
• Air Propulsion Gun: (Boom Pack DLC) A high powered air cannon that will push almost any object in front of it. A very fun gun. $45,000 in the black market.
• Quad Rocket Launcher: (Boom Pack DLC) A four shot rocket launcher that shoots four rockets. $45,000 in the black market.
• Cluster Bomb Launcher: (Boom Pack DLC) Shoot one grenade and it explodes into six exploding grenades. Very deadly and its wise to not shoot anything close to you.
• Flak Cannon: There is a four barrel and a single barrel cannon in the game. Used to take out aircraft.

Vehicles

Boats:

• Zhejiang 6903: Its a ferry with no weapons mounted to it. It is very slow with only 15 points of speed. Turning and changing directions take a very long time. This boat however is very heavily armored. Zhejiang 6903 is rare to find. Civilians, Ultar Boys, Reapers, and the Agency use this boat.
• U1: A nuclear submarine that appears in two Agency missions. It has several weapons including, four SAM's, four 4 barrel flak cannons, four nuclear missiles, Four UH-10 Chippewa, a number of guided missiles, and two sentry guns. It's only used by the Panau military. Its much bigger than any real submarine, being 510m long.
• Orque Grandois 21TT: A small engine, one masted sailing yacht. It has a top speed of 20. No weapons are attached to this yacht and only used by civilians.
• Winstons Amen 69: The biggest ship in the Panaun navy. It has torpedoes, a depth charge and miniguns. Being a heavy vessel it has a powerful engine. It can go 35 points fast and has heavy armor of 75 points. This is a common boat and is used by everyone except civilians.
• Agency Hovercraft: (DLC) Can be bought for $125,000 from the black market. It has a auto-cannon on the roof. It can travel on land or water and has poor handling.
• MTA Powerrun 77: A powerful and fast boat, available in the black market. When fully upgraded you can have a rocket launcher and machine guns.
• YP-107 Phoenix: A common military boat with a mounted machine gun turret. Its small and has a powerful engine. With fast speed 70 points, acceleration and a machine gun its perfect for causing chaos. Used by Panau military and Ular Boys
• Amphibious cars: Some cars can float and make it possible to tow out of the water. Other cars will just explode or sink.

Helicopters:

• H-62 Quapaw: The only utility cargo helicopter in Panau. A large helicopter and able to make quick turns. You can carry most vehicles, even some boats and can take a lot of gunfire before it will go down. Its common and used by everyone.
• Sivirkin 15 Havoc: An attack helicopter with a minigun and missiles. It's rare to find but can be bought in the black market. You can upgrade this helicopter and increase the miniguns and missiles along with armor. Used by Panau military and the Agency.
• AH-33 Topachula: Heavy attack helicopter with dual miniguns and rockets with great armor. This is a great chaos creator. Common and used by Panau military and the Roaches.
• Rowlinson K22: A small 2 seater copter that can have dual mounted machine guns when fully upgraded. Can be got in the black market and used by everyone in Panau although its rare to find one.
• UH-10 Chippewa: Multi seat attack and scout helicopter. With basic dual miniguns, high heat variant and dual rocket pods. The best attack copter in the game when fully upgraded. The best for attacking bases and anything in between. Used by Panau military and are rare unless you have a high heat rating.
• Mullen Skeeter Eater: A civilian helicopter with no weapons and used by all. A tiny bit slower then most despite the jet engines on the side.
• Hot Air Balloon: A very rare aircraft with only one spawn in game. It moves and handles like a helicopter but much much slower. You have to shoot sandbags to go higher and you have to move Rico to the side you want to turn.
• Delta 5H4 Boxhead: The smallest and most common attack helicopter with machine guns and missiles. It is the second slowest and most fragile in the game. Regular small arms fire can bring it down quickly.

Planes:

• Bering I-56DP: A military cargo plane that's very rare. The Bering is the largest aircraft in the game. You can attach most vehicles to the plane and it will take off with no problem. Used by Panau military, Ular Boys and some civilians.
• F-33 DragonFly Jet Fighter: A jet fighter with miniguns and missiles. It is fully upgraded to 6 stars by default and can be purchased from the black market. The F-33 is the most maneuverable, agile, and fastest plane in Panau.
• G9 Eclipse: Heavily armed fighter jet with dual auto cannons and quad rockets. Its fast and requires a long runway to take off. With touchy controls landing can be a problem. Used by Panau military.
• Si-47 Leopard: Jet fighter with dual miniguns and rockect pods. A very agile and quicker then most but very fragile. Good for sabotaging.
• Pell Silverbolt 6: Futuristic mini jet plane with no weapons. Purchasable in the black market. About the size of a sedan, its the smallest aircraft in the game.
• Aeroline 474: A commercial jet plane with no weapons and fairly common. Second largest plane in the game.

Motorcycles:

• Makoto MZ 260X: A modern day off road motorcycle. Very rare outside the black market. Used by civilians and the agency.
• Mosca 125 Performance: A tiny moped used by civilians.
• Hamaya Cougar 600: The fastest bike in all of Panau.
• Hamaya GSY650: A very common bike used by almost everyone in Panau. It has pretty decent handling.
• Yamada 37-14 Vaquero: The best off road motorcycle in Panau.

Public Transport:

• Sakura Aquila City/Forte: A two door coupe. Top speed 60, acceleration 50, Armor 30, handling 55. Its extremely common and some are the taxis in Panau. This car is usually the type of car that is the wreck on the sides of the roads.
• Tuk-Tuk Ricksaw: a small Indian style tuk-tuk taxi. Extremely common and has a top speed of 20.
• Dinggong 134D: A 1950's style bus. Its very slow and has poor brakes.

Easter Eggs/Points of Interest

The developers of Just Cause 2 have left many easter eggs and special locations around the map, including:

Slice of Pie-Island edition

Located at coordinates 24453X 917Y. Alright, try not to get too excited, at those coordinates is a island in the shape of a slice of pie.

Lost Island

The most well known easter egg in Just Cause 2 is the island in the top left corner of the map, which is an island that contains many references to the TV show Lost. Visiting the island will cause darkened skies and rain, and if the player is flying an airplane, it will burst into flames. On one section of the beach the word "search" can be seen spelled out in the ground with wooden planks, as well as a crashed plane (Coordinates 1274X 3668Y). The hatch can also be found, at coordinates 29584X 4363Y. Although a lot of this is explained in game in a mission provided by the Ular boys, the reference is too clear to be just coincidence. Also, once the mission is completed, all the weather phenomenon and plane explosions will no longer occur.

The island is inhabited by an army of 100 year old Japanese soldiers, who never found out the war was over. It is a reference to a real post-second world war myth, that enclaves of elite Japanese Soldiers remained in the deep jungles of the many pacific islands that remained untouched by the allies. Supposedly they had been ordered to keep on the fight for the empire even after the bombs were dropped. This combined with the various real life experimentation programs started by Japan's military during the war make Lost Island one of the most eerie sites in all of Just Cause.

Inland Shipwreck

Located at coordinates 10387X 23520Y. Not much to see here apart from well, an inland ship wreck (on a mountain). Surrounded by a small town (not marked on map) which contains some valuable crates.

Cape Canaveral

Located at coordinates 30172X 14068Y is a replica of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a famous rocket launch facility on the coast of Florida.

Arecibo Observatory

Located at coordinates 23440X 17420Y is the military base PAN MILSAT. This is in fact a replica of Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, a massive radio telescope that many will recognize from its appearance in the James Bond film Goldeneye.

I Am Legend

Located at coordinates 18207X 21543Y, at the end of a pier, there is a desk and a chair that appear to be a reference to the Will Smith movie, I Am Legend.

Happy Bubble Blaster

Located at coordinates 4265X 26020Y, atop a bell tower in a tranquil grove, is a secret weapon named the Happy Bubble Blaster. The Happy Bubble Blaster fires soap bubbles at an automatic weapon rate, and uses the same ammunition as the MP5.

Hot Air balloon

Located at coordinates 7392X 16151Y next to the side of a hill. The hot air balloon can be used by shooting/hitting the sandbags off, jumping into the basket and then lighting the burner by pressing the "enter vehicle button". Once in the air the hot air balloon can be controlled by walking into the sides of the basket.

Beached Whale

Located at coordinates 29611X 31332Y. The whale can be destroyed allowing you access to a armor crate.

A shark?

Located at coordinates 12730X 22494Y this shark isn't all that it seems.......(It's fake)

Snowman

Located at coordinates 23745X 13662Y. Rico is able to talk to the snowman but sadly only two sentences.

Baby Panay billboard fun

Next time you see a Baby Panay billboard try grapple onto his face and press the "enter vehicle button".

Banana Fail

Located at coordinates 21902X 20264Y. On the ground you should see the words "banana fail" spelled out. However, you'll have to look closely because of long grass.

Surprised smiley face :O

Located at coordinates 29110X 7392Y. Only viewable from above is a large surprised smiley face dug into the ground.

Skull Island

Located on the horseshoe island in the center of the map is a skull. Best viewed from the air in a helicopter/jet. The skull is on the front of the island on the front. It is, presumably a reference to King Kong.

Pre-Order Bonus Content

Pre-ordering Just Cause 2 granted access to various pieces of downloadable content depending on the retailer, including:

• Agency Hovercraft
• Monster Truck
• Chevalier Classic
• Rico's Signature Gun
• Bulls Eye Assault Rifle
• Specially Designed Chaos Parachute

Those who pre-ordered the game in the US were restricted to the piece of content that their chosen retailer offered; customers outside the US, however, could obtain all of the bonus content no matter with which retailer they placed their orders. Avalanche Studios responded to controversy over this by putting all pre-order DLC up for purchase after the game's release.

Downloadable content

On the 8th of April 2010 Avalanche released the Chevalier Ice breaker as free DLC. Described in press releases as a "pimped up ice cream truck" it is a upgraded ice cream truck that can be purchased for $25000 in the in game black market.

On April 26th Square Enix announced that it would be bringing two new DLC Packs to Just Cause 2, they would retail for $1.99/£1.99

The Black Market Aerial Pack was released on April 29th and contained the following items:

• F-33 Dragon Fly Jet Fighter
• Multi-lock Missile Launcher
• Parachute Dual Thrusters

The Black Market Boom Pack which is due to be released on May 25th will contain the following:

• The Quad Launcher (Shotgun/Rocket Launcher hybrid)
• Cluster Bomb Launcher
• Air Propulsion Gun

Unofficial Multipayer Mod

Just Cause 2 has an unofficial multiplayer mod that allows you to play with other players and cause chaos in Panau. The JC2 MP is not yet released but there are public betas that you can find on JC2-MP website. So far only purchased Steam copies of the game can run this mod and they do not plan to make it on Xbox or PS3 ever. The moderators can change the character models of players but as of yet the player has no choice. The AI/NPC's will not be as present as in the singleplayer. The mod does not effect your singleplayer game in anyway however. You can chat with other players by pressing "T" and all player have unlimited ammo.You can not access the black market tho. During the beta all DLC is disabled.

Progress Update January 12, 2013, 9:21am
The past 2 months have been the most productive days of development the project has ever seen. We brought on another developer, Philpax, which sparked a development roar as the two of us pushed feature after feature, and squashed bug after bug.
We've been working on some major features and are nearing a feature freeze. What this means is that no more features will be implemented for 0.1, and our focus will turn exclusively to improving stability and squashing bugs.
The Lua API has grown extensively since the last test, and you can expect a much more engaging experience thanks to a feature we have decided to keep quiet until the test. We have replaced our rendering engine with the very popular UI framework, CEGUI. This has seen a dramatic improvement to framerates, and enables us to greatly improve the user interface.
We will be holding a test in the coming weeks, although it is likely there will be a much smaller test held earlier to members of our IRC channel to test specific areas with a lower player count.
Keep your ears and eyes poised on Twitter and Facebook as these are the channels we will be announcing the test through.
Trix

PC System Requirements

Minimum

• OS: Microsoft Windows Vista (Windows XP is unsupported)
• Processor: Dual-core CPU with SSE3 (Athlon 64 X2 4200 / Pentium D 3GHz)
• Memory: 2GB System Memory Hard Drive: 10GB of free drive space
• Graphics: DX10 compatible graphics card with 256 MB of memory (Nvidia GeForce 8800 series/ ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro)
• Sound: 100% DirectX 10 compatible sound card
• DirectX®: Microsoft DirectX 10

Recommended

• OS: Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 or Windows 7
• Processor: Intel Core® 2 Duo 2.6 GHz or AMD Phenom X3 2.4GHz or equivalent
• Memory: 3GB system Memory
• Graphics: DX10 compatible graphics card with 512 MB of memory (Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 series/ ATI Radeon HD 5750 series)
• Sound: 100% DirectX 10 compatible Dolby Digital 5.1 sound card
• DirectX®: Microsoft DirectX 10.1

Demo

On March 4th, a demo for the game was released on Xbox Live, PSN and PC. The demo placed players in 35 square miles of the desert area in Panau, allowing 30 minutes of gameplay in each playthrough. Players who racked up enough Chaos were allowed to take part in one of the Faction Missions for the Reapers, and eventually unlocked the Black Market, allowing them to upgrade their weapons and call in vehicle drops. A Challenge Mission was also included, in the form of an airborne race in which players flew vehicles through rings against a timer in order to earn money.

The PC version of the demo was found to contain some content from the full game that could be accessed by editing the demo's configuration and .ini files.