My my, Avalanche Studios has been busy. Not only are they collaborating with Bethesda Softworks on next year's Rage 2, they've caught me entirely off guard with their Simon Stalenhag-inspired Generation Zero, also looking at a 2019 launch. But arriving even sooner is Just Cause 4, sequel to 2015's Just Cause 3, a game that I had plenty of dumb fun with.
Just Cause 4 is looking at a late-in-the-year December 4 launch—just in time for the lush tropical setting and feisty Spanish guitar soundtrack. But who cares what time of year it is when it comes to the schlocky action-packed poetry explosions of Rico Rodriguez? I mean, eat your Fulton heart out, Metal Gear Solid V, because in this video Rico has attached four balloons to the corners of a car and is standing on its hood firing a rocket at a combat chopper. That's just in the first 12 seconds of the video.
The world is expansive and lovely with four biomes to explore (not to mention two to four sub-biomes in each one of those biomes), (say "biomes" again, Randy), or to just soar over in your wingsuit. The new gameplay craziness comes in the form of tornadoes that interact with the destructible environment. Yeesh. Like I said: crazy. There isn't just a day-night cycle, there are extreme weather simulations going on. There are cows and cars getting sucked up into these twisters. So, there are tornadoes, sandstorms, and blizzards. These things aren't just for looks. They're tying gameplay around these things.
But when all's said and done, Rico's grappling hook is still there to get him through thick and thin. And the grappling hook gives players even more power and freedom. I love how for months after Just Cause 3 launched, there were hundreds of videos of people just wreaking havoc with the environments and environmental objects. I have no doubt that there will be many more months of that to come when Just Cause 4 launches.
Just Cause 4 hits Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 4.
