Just Cause 2 - The Thread of Grappling & Parachutes (Updated: Interview inside)

[crownjules]

does this use GFWL?

No. I believe in some places it says it does but this is wrong. Just Steam as DRM.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Turn off Vsync.

I've turned off vsync and mouse smoothing, I still have about .5 seconds of input lag with mouse and 360 controller. It makes the game almost unplayable, I'm going to update my vid drivers and will lyk.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Latest drivers, I don't have issues with any other current games. It feels like the controls (kb/m and 360 pad) are connected via rubber band.

It's too bad, because it seems like a ton of fun but this makes driving extremely frustrating.

 

[crownjules]

It's too bad, because it seems like a ton of fun but this makes driving extremely frustrating.

It's not your machine, it's just the driving controls are very bad in the majority of cars. It's a common complaint.

The game is absurdly fun if you use the already published trainers out there. I'm not sure how they expect you to play this game without things like unlimited health/ammo. It is so easy to pick up heat and find yourself swarmed by 6 attack choppers and a dozen assault rifle armed soldiers in mere seconds. Rico shouldn't get heat just by passing soldiers. Causing chaos sure, but you'd think a top CIA operative driving along on the road would be able to avoid suspicion from low-level guards cruising along the road.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

You know, I walk by soldiers just fine and don't get heat if they aren't already on alert.

 

[pontifex]

so i figured out how to disable the timer and played a bit. unless the full version changes the game by a huge amount, there's no way I'd buy it. by the time I quit i was completely bored with it. why is it so damn hard to get car driving mechanics done correctly? i don't know about you guys but i've never driven a car that acts like the cars in this game.

even the character controls are a bit sluggish like i mentioned earlier.

 

[coldmeat]

The constant rain is starting to get annoying. It seems to rain every day in this game.

 

[IcePickFreak]

I played the first one and thought, despite it's shortcomings, it was still pretty fun. At the time though I couldn't help but think what it could have been, a game that does GTA better than GTA.

I picked up the second one, and all I have to say is 'Grand Theft.. what?'. This game puts GTA to shame.

 

[Alienwho]

I played the first one and thought, despite it's shortcomings, it was still pretty fun. At the time though I couldn't help but think what it could have been, a game that does GTA better than GTA.

I picked up the second one, and all I have to say is 'Grand Theft.. what?'. This game puts GTA to shame.

I kind of agree with that. This game has an epic scale that GTA can't come close to matching. I still can't help but feel that this game just isn't really that fun for me. I try to play it, but it's easy to get frustrated and bored.

Yes, GTA's controls were clunky and awkward when it comes to controlling the guy on foot, and the shooting was kind of a pain and not very good. None of that really mattered though, because the car controls were smooth, easy to control yet difficult to master, and made the game very fun to play.

Just cause 2 on foot is also awkward and clunky to control, very similar to GTA. The control lag is always there just a little bit. The hookshot and parachute introduce a really awesome new gaming element that is 80% of the way there, but just not quite. I can't help but compare the control to Prototype, because that was a game that is very similar to this game, but prototype was just easier to control and overall much more fun and smoother experience.

Since the foot control isn't great, I was hoping the vehicle control would be. Unfortunately it's no GTA when it comes to vehicle control. Yes there are countless awesome vehicles to play with, but they just don't seem to control well. I remember easily mastering the e-brake powerslides in GTA. It's impossible with this game.

What this game lacks in smooth control and execution, it makes up in epic grand scale. It's awesome pulling the parachute cord as you drive off a cliff, and I feel like I can do just about anything. But unfortunately, it just isn't quite as fun as it should be. This is all in my own opinion of course.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

so i figured out how to disable the timer and played a bit. unless the full version changes the game by a huge amount, there's no way I'd buy it. by the time I quit i was completely bored with it. why is it so damn hard to get car driving mechanics done correctly? i don't know about you guys but i've never driven a car that acts like the cars in this game.

even the character controls are a bit sluggish like i mentioned earlier.

Why are you in a car to begin with? Despite the similarities, this isn't GTA. Get a plane. Or a tank. Or grenades, a parachute and a grappling hook.

 

[pontifex]

Why are you in a car to begin with? Despite the similarities, this isn't GTA. Get a plane. Or a tank. Or grenades, a parachute and a grappling hook.

I didn't see a single plane or tank in the demo.

 

[coldmeat]

Except for the demo (and likely the full release) had terrible mouse lag.

When playing with the display settings I noticed SSAO created a lot of mouse lag. When I got rid of it, the lag went away.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

When playing with the display settings I noticed SSAO created a lot of mouse lag. When I got rid of it, the lag went away.

!! Interesting..

I turned off SSAO (and pretty much everything else, including the myterious bokeh filter..) and it greatly reduced the lag, I'd say a tenth of a second. Still more than GTA, but playable. Cars are still a PITA but precision aiming is much better.


Why would these things cause so much input lag without a noticeable drop in framerate?


Either way, I am SICK of the opening cut screen. Does it look like crap for everyone else? "I heard you are very... skilled." "They say I am.. the best." Just get at it already you two.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

I didn't see a single plane or tank in the demo.

There are definitely planes in the demo - you get one in the race mission.

 

[l0cke]

Either way, I am SICK of the opening cut screen. Does it look like crap for everyone else? "I heard you are very... skilled." "They say I am.. the best." Just get at it already you two.

There is a mod by Gibbed from the SomethingAwful forums that gets rid of the opening screen, instant black market, all vehicles in black market for free, and some other stuff. Unfortunately, SA made the thread private. But, here is the link to his website
http://mod.gib.me/justcause2/

What you want is gibbed_jc2_demo_hackpack_v2.zip

:awe:

 

[pontifex]

There are definitely planes in the demo - you get one in the race mission.

wait, so you ask me why i was driving a car and tell me to fly a plane, but then to get the plane, you tell me i have to do a race mission, i assume in a car?

 

[l0cke]

wait, so you ask me why i was driving a car and tell me to fly a plane, but then to get the plane, you tell me i have to do a race mission, i assume in a car?

No, the plane is always there. The race mission is just where you find the plane. It respawns.

The race is in a plane.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Also if you go North from the starting area you can grab a helicopter - complete with missiles etc

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Nice review. Not sure whether your comment about the Black Market being accessible only when Rico has no heat is correct. I've accessed it (PC version) when he is being shot at by multiple helicopters and about 40 soldiers .

My favorite mission so far (spoiler alert)?

Spoiler

One of the later missions for the ujay boys (or whatever that faction is called) had me blowing up satellites perched on the top of enormous rockets still on their launch platform. Near the end of the mission, one of the rockets launches and you have jack a plane and blow the satellite up while the rocket is in midair. When flying towards the rocket, there was an point where I said, outloud, "Holy shit! I'm flying towards the space shuttle on launch!"

I had a couple of other other "holy shit" moments while simply exploring the countryside. Like when I found the recreation of island from the TV show, "Lost," and the satellite monitoring station from the movie "Golden Eye."

This is by far one of the most fun games I've played in long time.

 

[gorcorps]

Nice review. Not sure whether your comment about the Black Market being accessible only when Rico has no heat is correct. I've accessed it (PC version) when he is being shot at by multiple helicopters and about 40 soldiers .

My favorite mission so far (spoiler alert)?

Spoiler

One of the later missions for the ujay boys (or whatever that faction is called) had me blowing up satellites perched on the top of enormous rockets still on their launch platform. Near the end of the mission, one of the rockets launches and you have jack a plane and blow the satellite up while the rocket is in midair. When flying towards the rocket, there was an point where I said, outloud, "Holy shit! I'm flying towards the space shuttle on launch!"

I had a couple of other other "holy shit" moments while simply exploring the countryside. Like when I found the recreation of island from the TV show, "Lost," and the satellite monitoring station from the movie "Golden Eye."

This is by far one of the most fun games I've played in long time.

You can access the black market during heat, you just can't use extraction. I don't remember if it was different in the demo, but yes in the full game you can definitely buy and upgrade stuff during heat like you said.

 

[coldmeat]

I really wish they would have lowered the number of helicopters they send at you at high heat levels. I just spend the last 30 minutes trying to shoot all the water towers off a part of the city, and about 28 minutes of that time was dealing with choppers. They were sending them 3 at a time at me, about every 2 minutes. If that's not bad enough, the choppers come rushing towards you, shoot you a bit and then fly straight down to the ground, so you can't aim at them without going down too, but your heli flies down at about 1km/h. It also doesn't help that your heli takes forever to turn around. I must have to move my mouse about 3 feet to turn 180 degrees.

Still fun game though.

Oh, and the rain still isn't letting up. It's rained twice now in this one game day. edit: wow, it's raining again, what a surprise. congratulations Avalanche, you've made rain in your game as hateful as real life. edit 2: and again

And the cutscenes when you call the black market dealer, that pisses me off too. I know you can skip them, but they are totally pointless and annoying.

 

[Rezident]

Brilliant game so far (4 hours and 4% in). I mean, the “story” is risible but the gameplay and sheer potential for devastation is sensational. I’m not even doing the story missions, just driving, flying and parachuting around blowing shit up. This is my kind of game.

It’s like GTA’s sexier younger sister. In the jungle. On coke.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Brilliant game so far (4 hours and 4% in). I mean, the “story” is risible but the gameplay and sheer potential for devastation is sensational. I’m not even doing the story missions, just driving, flying and parachuting around blowing shit up. This is my kind of game.

It’s like GTA’s sexier younger sister. In the jungle. On coke.

I dunno, I'm just not willing to drop $50 on it just yet. The controls system is horrible compared to GTA - if driving and aiming were better I'd have bought it already.

I'm going to play the demo some more this weekend and probably look for a trainer. This is the first time I've used a trainer for a game but it's almost required, even in the demo I'm -sick and tired- of seemingly everything causing 'heat'.

 

[MarcVenice]

I got it for 25 euro's and I think it's pretty sweet. The fact that a lot can be blown up is just awesome. Controls are a bit clunky, untill you get used to them. After that, you can use your parachute and go everywhere. It is a bit of a bitch on your graphics card though, although a HD 5850 will handle it perfectly at 1920x1200.

Running a HD 5970 myself, at 5760x1080, and then you definately have to turn down the settings..

 

[EarthwormJim]

This game runs slower than Crysis yet it looks like garbage...

It's still fun though.