Just Cause 2 slips to 2009

By Robert Purchese Published 10 October, 2008

You know, 'cause.

Eidos has told Eurogamer that tropical action game Just Cause 2 has slipped to 2009.

When next year, however, is unclear, and we don't know why it slipped out of its 2008 release window either.

Developer Avalanche Studios has lofty goals for Just Cause 2, which is in development for PC, PS3 and 360. Many of these are abandoned features from the first game, or improvements asked for by the community.

Side-missions are gone, for example, replaced by chaos activities that reward destructive rampages by increasing influence with associated factions.

Gain enough and fresh opportunities will arise, unlocking new information and employees. Eventually influence can be so great that you wield power enough to oppose governments.

On top of all this is reworked enemy AI, new lock-on targeting that allows individual limbs to be picked out, bigger guns and better vehicle controls.

In summary: the openworld action shooter that Just Cause 1 should have been, rather than the 6/10 slog that materialised.

Pop over to our Just Cause 2 gallery for an idea of what to expect.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eighthours #1 3 years ago

    Well, missing the Q4 crush is as good a reason as any at this point.

  • smoothpete #2 3 years ago

    The first one was worth a bit more than a 6 I reckon...

  • X201 #3 3 years ago

    They obviously want to make sure that it has as many bugs as the first Just Cause.

  • Rangerwave #4 3 years ago

    Anyone else actually like Just Cause? I thought it was brilliant personally.

  • Wezi #5 3 years ago

    As has been said, probably the best thing for it.

  • cyacomini #6 3 years ago

    I spotted this on the release list in Game yesterday - they had it down for Oct 24th. Given that I haven't even seen a screenshot of it yet I didn't think it would happen..

    The first was pretty decent so quite looking forward to the next one. Really getting in to these 'open world' games right now - having an absolute blast with Merc 2 and Saints 2 looks pretty sweet.

    Still not getting into GTA at all though - my biggest disappointment of the year (so far!)

  • nick_f Verified Senior Producer, Microsoft #7 3 years ago

    I suspect it slipped out of 2008 because it wasn't finished yet.

    Just a thought.

  • RedSparrows #8 3 years ago

    I liked JC1 a bit. But soon went off it when it just threw the same thing at me over and over.

    I think I have an aversion to 'sandboxes', maybe I was bullied as a kid.

  • pinkpanzer #9 3 years ago

    Yeah, always thought JC was underrated. It was top fun and was one of the early 'next gen' games that really looked special. And agree about GTA - really, desperately tried to love it, but instead have to be content with admiring it - it's just not as much fun as it should be.

  • cyacomini #10 3 years ago

    /\

    Exactly - I just got so bored with it and that was only a couple of hours in.

    I want my sandbox games to be fun more than anything else. Crackdown got everything right and Mercs 2 tries so hard despite it's flaws.

  • Phattso #11 3 years ago

    The original was a slow burner, bugged to fuck, and very repetitive. But it remains to this day one of the most enjoyable sandbox games I've ever played - the insanity of the maneuvers you could pull off (motorcycle; off cliff; open parachute; grappling hook helicopter; shoot down 'plane; jump out of chopper; open parachute; steer over another motorcycle; steal it; rinse...repeat) was very memorable. Beautiful setting, too.

    If they've got their shit together on the bug front, cured the repetition, and bolstered the (already quite nice) visuals JC2 will be a no-brainer for me. :)

  • Waldo #12 3 years ago

    Was it ever even scheduled to be released this year? There's hardly been any news on the game since they announced it.

  • X201 #13 3 years ago

    I liked the idea and most of the gameplay behind JC.
    The problem for me was the vast amount of bugs in the PC version which actually made it impossible for me to complete without starting a new save game. The magazines that gave it top marks obviously didn't play a finished version of it.

  • haldier #14 3 years ago

    Iīm with cyacomini GTA was a total let down, getting a 9/10 in the papers when Mercs 2 got 5 or 4 /10 is by my thinking a pretty bad rating of the so called press. Just Cause getting a 6/10 two years ago or something is the same thing. The so called reviewrs has told us free roaming is athing passed as long as it isnīt GTA. How much can we believe in these sites? Unless ofcourse they start selecting people who like the type of games theyīre reviewing to review, obviously thatīs what happened to JC and Mercs 2. Love both of them while thinking GTA was a total let down (Still hope M$ gets their 50 mill worth).

  • Monkey_Puncher #15 3 years ago

    Mercs 2 was a piece of shit to be fair, deserved all the crap reviews it got. Don't get me wrong, there was fun to be had in the game, but it should never have been released in such a buggy messed up state. To charge Ģ40 for that busted glitchy mess of a game is quite simply insulting.

    Just Cause was fun, so monotonous though. The stunts were amazing, if they could make the rest of the game as much fun as the sky diving then they'd be onto a winner. Failing that some more varied missions would be nice, every f'ing side mission was exactly the same.

  • Skurmedel #16 3 years ago

    There have been some interviews with them lately in swedish newspapers and magazines. They have a really cool megamap technology going on which generates whole cities and stuff, looks stunning actually.

    I think it can be cool if they polish the stuff that didn't quite work in the original, like the abysmal car handling etc.

  • rumrum4444 #17 3 years ago




    I loved the 1st one but i didnīt finish it !

    I just loved the 1st fifteen minutes but then it got boring.


    but great graphics though !



    looking forward to just cause 2



    .

  • BadBoyBonner #18 3 years ago

    Loved the first one - completed it (on 360).

    Last mission was crazy - where you were getting catapulted in different direction due to the explosions - managed to complete by strafing from the roof of the mansion you had to head to.

    The clouds were right up there with those from Crysis years before it came out.

    Sure it needed some work - but the fun was in the execution.

    Avalanche were featured in EDGE quite a while ago - an the tech they had then was looking amazing - I can remeber thinking how good Far Cry was on PC - then all of a sudden Just cause was up to the same standard (obviously not the characters) and you could see it all from miles away at an amazing frame rate for what it was doing.

    To this day Just Cause has the most memorable 360 achievement of any game - anyone who has completed the 1000m base jump will know exactly what I am talking about.

    Roll on Just Cause 2 - will be a purchase from me - regardless of a 6/10 score - it was easy a strong 7 or low 8 - and those that forgive it it's little quirks and fell in love with the control a possible 9 for the time.

  • cyacomini #19 3 years ago

    BadBoyBonner - did you get the base jump acheivement in Crackdown?

    Jump from the top of the headquarters and land in a small swimming pool at the bottom - heart racing stuff!

  • Skurmedel #20 3 years ago

    cyacomini - I did :)... great stuff... it was scary for real.

  • agparrot #21 3 years ago

    Going to give JC a go after the BBB mini-review there... cheers Bonner.

    I just love gettnig them at bargain prices, too.

    p.s. Yes it was me on COD the other night.

  • BadBoyBonner #22 3 years ago

    Cyacomini - yeah I got that but it was a bit of an anticlimax as......

    ... I had already managed to climb the tower and jump off in the time restricted demo - so actually spoilt the game for myself a little bit with the hours I put into the demo - did not realise the final game would be so small - perhaps they gave too much away in the demo?

  • Wille_Ash #23 3 years ago

    The next Duke Nukem? Delayalanche must pray that Eidos does not go bust prior to release of the game.

  • RedSparrows #24 3 years ago

    My alternate review:

    + Awesome sky diving
    + Lovely graphics
    + Lots 'to do'
    + Huge

    - You don't want to do it, because it becomes impossibly repetitive
    - Terrain is also repetitive as hell
    - The first point, repeated, to emphasise the repetitiveness.

    Beware!

  • Dr.Mott #25 3 years ago

    As repetitive as JC1 was, it's still one of only a couple of 360 games I got the full 1000 gamerscore on. I just loved it. The same thing's currently happening with Mercs 2, it's so fun I can't stop playing it, even if it is bugged to hell. GTA4, on the other hand, I just completed the story and haven't been back to it since.

  • muscleblade #26 3 years ago

    @Dr.Mott

    You should definently but Saints Row 2.