Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2 is an action video game developed by Swedish developer Avalanche Studios and published by Eidos Interactive released in late March 2010. It is the sequel to the 2006 video game Just Cause, which had a mixed reception.

Just Cause 2 uses the next version of the Avalanche Engine, Avalanche Engine 2.0; an updated version of the one used in Just Cause. The game is set on the other side of the world, compared to Just Cause, on the tropical island called Panau in South-East Asia. Rico Rodriguez will return as the protagonist that has to overthrow the evil dictator Baby Panay and hunt down his former boss, Tom Sheldon.

Gameplay Elements
Several new additions and improvements to the game were explained by the lead designer of the game Peter Johansson. The AI has been totally rewritten for Just Cause 2. It now uses a sophisticated planning system which enables enemies to do all kinds of new tricks. For example, the enemies will use the environment to their advantage, taking cover behind objects and adapting dynamically to the objects around them. The hybrid locking system is new too and helps you to quickly aim at enemies while leaving you in full control over the crosshair, so you're rewarded for skillful manual aiming. It also enables you to pinpoint specific limbs so you can get a perfect headshot or force an enemy to the ground by shooting their kneecaps. The new grapping hook can let you leap from building to building. Just Cause 2 also has an adaptive difficulty system. As the game is so non-linear, difficulty gradually scales depending on what you've already done in the game. For example a mission that takes place later in the game, after you've created lot of chaos, will always be more difficult because the government gets more desperate and heightens security at installations.

Setting
The game takes place on the island of Panau, situated in the Malay Archipelago. It has similar Topography to New Zealand or Hawaii. Panau has many different environments such as dense jungles, paradise beaches, snowy mountains, deserts and urban cityscapes.

Weapons and Vehicles
There are several new weapons in Just Cause 2, such as the Rocket Launcher with laser-controlled rockets, the one-handed grenade launcher, sticky remote triggered C4, and the detachable mounted minigun. There are several new vehicles added in Just Cause 2 including the Jumbo Jet. There is now a greater difference in the handling between vehicles and ground surfaces now have a great influence to the controls. So while a sports car may be great for driving on pristine tarmac, its not particularly suitable for off-road driving. There is also a real-time deform system and moving parts that can come loose from vehicles.

Since Rico doesn't have any official support from the agency in this mission he has to acquire weapons and vehicles in the field by himself. Early in the game you contact a black market supplier, from whom you can buy weapons and vehicles and get them delivered to your location via heavy drop. As the game processes and the chaos you cause increases, additional weapons and vehicles become available on the black market. Additionally, all weapons and vehicles on the black market have parameters that can be upgraded in several steps, by building upgrades with weapon and vehicle parts. There are over 2,000 parts that you can acquire.

Release Date
Eidos originally announced a Christmas release date for Just Cause 2. However, on October 10, 2008, Eurogamer reported that Just Cause 2 was pushed back to 2009 for unknown reasons. The release date was later pushed to March 23, 2010.