So I've just started playing Just Cause 2 again, and for the first time on PC. I had it on PS3 but I sold it...

Why? Because the game has the depth of a puddle of evaporated water... which is non existent. You do 3 missions and you've unlocked every mechanic in the game... you just need to 100% a small town by collecting 3 collectables and there... everything. The story doesn't need to be there...

But what are your thoughts on the game? I mean I like it for the crazyness you can do but it just gets so boring after a while...

Michael Bay: The Game

you get to destroy things and cause havoc.

And of course, as a western agent you have the license to kill 3rd world people.

AND! you can beat a pilot out of his own helicopter!!!

"Whoa, I can connect objects to create spectacular car crashes! Wow, I can parachute anywhere and as many times as I want! Sweet, lots of things explode!"

~30 minutes passes~

"Aaaaaaaand now I'm bored."

That was my experience, at least. I finished it, mostly to see if it got any better toward the end, but it didn't. That said, I'm glad I finished it to have something to point to whenever people automatically assume that open world = good game. It's a game full of flash and absolutely zero substance.

I've completed just enough of the missions (third/fourth mission I think) to be able to free roam. I don't care about the story, the characters or any of that. I do however care about and enjoy finding/acquiring and flying helicopters and planes, surfing cars and all that fun stuff, using the grappling hook (obviously), plus exploring the absolutely gorgeous island. However it doesn't hold my interest for long, an hour at the most at a time then I'm bored.

They created a couple of fun mechanics (all based around the grappling hook) and made a beautiful island but it just feels so...uninteresting? Obviously a lot of hard work was put into making the game but it feels like it has zero personality, in my opinion anyway.

I enjoyed it but it got old very fast. After playing the original (which was great fun) I got bored of the fact that there was nothing really new.

For the price Just Cause 2 often goes for, there is a good bit of fun to be had. It always felt somewhat unfinished to me. As though the developers had intended to add greater depth, but ran out of time and/or funds.

If you have played Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction on the PS2/Xbox, it seemed like the interplay between the factions in that game, the choices and consequences for siding with each, were intended for Just Cause 2, but never made it in. Of course, I'm speculating, and that could be wrong.

Still, there was plenty of entertainment to be had in Just Cause 2, but as other have said, it did feel somewhat shallow overall. I still go back to it now and then when I'm in the mood for some fairly mindless destruction in a large open world.

cant say i cared for it
it had saints row 2 type of appeal\potential
but for me the controsl work against me
half the time they are obtuse the other half they dont repond in time

i spend most of my time swearing because the game did not do what i wanted it too

Just Cause 2 is an excellent game! I only had a chance to play the console version, but there was just so much to do! The grappling hook device is a lot of fun to use and you can attach vehicles to each other! It really is a great sandbox game where you can just drive, fly, and cause general mayhem for hours!

I still wish GOG could get the PC version someday, but I don't know if that will be likely. But there is still a wishlist!

And don't forget about Bolo Santosi!

I loved the game and have over 100 hours in JC2 on Steam. Yahtzee once used the term "gratification" for doing stuff in games that you simply do for their own sake and not to get anything from it. JC2 is one of those games. It's a kinesthetic feel that you get when you blow shit up or hijack a jet and fly really fast or simply use your chute + hook to play Spiderman. You do it for its own sake.

Is it shallow? No more shallow than any other game. Is Pokemon, Madden, Grid, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy or any other game out there "deeper" than JC2 and what does that even mean? I play games for challenge and fun and if the game I'm playing meets these criteria then I'm happy.

I tried the game on that 30 minute demo thing from OnLive and I found it really boring, they should make a spiderman game with that grapple hook thing mechanic, and add more gameplay features because that thing isn't enough on its own.

The extremely shitty shooting/driving mechanics really cut down on the fun a pure action game like this could provide.

Took me three attempts within three years to play through it. The first two times I lasted about two hours, then got bored and quit - something I usually only do if a game is really, really bad or unplayable for other reasons. Only at my third attempt I stuck with it and finished it.

To be fair, the game is good in what it wants to achieve: Giving the player freedom to roam around and explore, toy around with its mechanics, act a fool and blow shit up. That's just not what I'm looking for in a single-player experience. But I can see why certain people like that.

edit: Oh, just realised it's a necro...