Game Review: Just Cause 4

Hello Enthusiasts,

There are a few video game series' that I have been a fan of for some years now. Mario, Splinter Cell, the Arkham games, just to name a few. One such series has been the Just Cause games by Square Enix, a fairly mindless series that I've enjoyed since the second game was released (after which I went back and played the original). So today, I will be reviewing the newest entry into this series, Just Cause 4. Is this the best game in the series? Read below with the knowledge that there may be some Spoilers Ahead.

Also, if you would like to refresh your memory regarding my thoughts about the previous title in this series, Just Cause 3, you can find that review at https://boredenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/11/game-review-just-cause-3.html.

The very fact that I mentioned that there may be spoilers undermines everything that I love about this series, and it's a knock on this game that I cannot wait to mention. The forth installment in the series takes a lot of time going into the story of the game, something which none of the other games have done. This could be one of the worst moves possible, because these games have always been the video game equivalent of an over-the-top 80's action movie. The story has always been bare-bones so the player can get right to the action. But okay, maybe the team came up with a story that is so compelling and driven that we needed it, right?

The game follows our returning character, Rico Rodriguez, as he gets to another island, Solis, with another government that needs overthrowing. Armed with his grappling hook, endless parachute, and wingsuit, he attempts to overtake the weather-controlling weapon that has subdued the people of the island. Rico finds that he is severely overwhelmed and has to take down the government strategically rather than with a head on attack. To do this, he has to take down smaller stations and raise an "Army of Chaos". Sounds a lot like the previous games, but there are a few added twists. It turns out that Rico's father was one of the scientists who created this weapon, along with the uncle of one of Rico's  friends in the game, Mira. It also turns out that the mercenary group that has been plaguing Rico across some of his previous adventures, the Black Hand, is based out of this same island. The leader of the Black Hand, Oscar Espinosa, is the same person who controls the island, the weather machine, and was the person that had Rico's father killed. Also, it turns out the the Espinosa family has been working for generations to erase the rich history of the island, and one of the strong side stories is to uncover the true history of Solis, which may shed some negative light on the Espinosa family.
Also, The Agency (the government group that Rico worked for in the first two games) may have been behind some of this shady stuff, which brings Rico's old friend/enemy Sheldon back into the picture.

Look, it's a jumbled mess of a story that isn't as compelling as the short story of the third game (overthrow that dictator, who was the person that sold you to The Agency when you were a child).

Okay, so take out the story, what are the best parts of this game? Well, the diverse weather across the island is awesome, with twisters and sandstorms adding a lot of variety to the formula. The gunplay is as solid as it had been previously, with some new weapons added in to change things up. The game controls well overall and the environment is vast. There are also some fun additions to Rico's arsenal outside of new guns, such as balloons that can be used to lift up objects and added variety to some of the other gadgets that Rico has used in the past. There are some really fun side missions, both new as well as some that have carried over from prior entries. I personally have always loved the little side missions that don't take long, but add in some diversity to the game. And, of course, there are plenty of explosions to be had all over Solis, with more ways than ever to make things go "boom".

However, the story is not where my problems with this game ends. The graphics are a real downgrade from the third game, especially during the cutscenes. I mean, the characters in the cutscenes wouldn't look out of place in a PS2 game. Plus, several of these characters are wildly annoying, so having to hear them speak while they looked terrible was a bad experience all around. The driving feels kind of sloppy, more so than it had previously. Despite liking the addition of the balloons, I did not like the set up they had for the gadgets. Basically, you have to choose what your grapple does at any given time (it can connect things to reel together, it can add balloons, or it can add jet boosters to a surface). I feel like these would have worked better if they had all been mapped on the controller instead of having to choose what you're currently using, and to what extent. It was a good idea to add the variety, but it wasn't very well executed. I also wasn't a fan of the changes they made to Sheldon, who they basically just prettied up from the previous games.

There's also a problem that I can't seem to put my finger on the cause of, but it has to do with the overall feeling of the game. The third game felt so grand, everything felt so important and worthwhile, while this game just feels less important. I don't know, the stakes were still pretty high in the story of the game, but I just didn't feel as invested as I did during the third game.

So, how does this game compare with the others? I think it's mostly better than the first and second, but it falls short of the third game. It's not a terrible experience, but it was a disappointment after the third game blew me away the way that it did. The fact that I know this series can do so much better made me feel a lot worse about this game. There are better games that you can buy, including Just Cause 3, and I'm hoping that Just Cause 5 will continue the upward climb in quality that we were getting from this series prior to this entry.

I give Just Cause 4 a 5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast