Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 vs Fifa 11

PES VS FIFA

Pro evolution and FIFA are considered the kings when it comes to football gaming. With both games always being highly anticipated people always show a great sense of urgency to find out what improvements each game will have.
Licensing
It seems the main problem that Konami (makers of PES) have had in recent years is to gain fully licensing for some main european leagues, the highlight of this is the Premier League, this results many fans in England and around the world to choose FIFA over PES. FIFA on the other hand have rights to a majority of leagues, also including second divisions for some countries.
This upcoming gaming year, PES 2011 will once again not have the rights to the English Premier League, despite this, aswell as gaining official rights to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in 2010, they will also feature the UEFA Super Cup and the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores sparking off a chain of fans in South America.
Gameplay improvements
FIFA who in the past have been met by criticism for minimal improvements on the previous games seem to have added a few additions for the upcoming FIFA 11.
Personality+: This is supposed to reflect each players individual attributes more resulting in a clear differentiation between players.
Pro Passing: This will mean that the gamer's accuracy in passing will reflect the actual accuracy of each pass in-game, also the accuracy will depend on the player being used in the game.
Fifa Theatre: For the first time ever in the Fifa Series, Players will be able to create their own soundtracks that can be improted into the game. Players can also create customised chants that can be imported and set to play when the players are coming on the field, at haltime, when goals are scored and at the end of a match.
Creation Centre: Players can now edit kits, names, home stadia and players on the internet and download to their console and share it with friends.
Pro Evolution Soccer who in the past generations of football games were considered the king ahead of FIFA, have struggled to match FIFA on the Next Gen Scene. This year looks very promising for PES fans as Konami have promised a much improved game with lots of new features.
Total Control: Konami are said to have improved the 360 Degree passing ratio, meaning the player will have a much higher level of control over passes, shots, throw ins, through balls, and lofted through balls. Players must weight their passes precisely and anticipate the runs that their team mates will make.
Shot and Stamina Gauge: The all new stamina gauge will detail the exact level of the players fitness. Constantly sprinting will hurt the players fitness level, this will affect the players movements and passing ability.
Speed of Play: The additional levels of control in PES 2011 allow the speed of play to change dependent on the situation of the match. For instance the game will quickly liven up when a counter attack starts. Passing will be the key aspect in PES 2011 with long runs not being as effective as in the previous games.
New Defender AI: The new defensive AI means that the defenders now stay in position and no longer chase any ball that enters their area, instead they try to close down the attacker forcing them to make a mistake.
Stadium Editor: With the stadium editor you will be able to recreate any stadium in the game, You will be able to choose the capacity, the turf style, the nets, the roofing and the tunnel placement, whether the stadium has a running track or just grass around the pitch and the distance the stands are from the pitch. There will be space to create 25 additional stadiums on top of the 25 that will be in the game by default.

PES 2011 Logo

Teams
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011
The Italian league, French league and Dutch league are expected to be fully licensed as always, however, it is yet to be confirmed.
The Spanish league is expected to be partially licensed, at least 12 teams.
Only 2 teams from the english league will be fully licensed, Man Utd, and it is thought to be Chelsea but it is yet to be fully confirmed.
Here is an official list of confirmed teams..
Inter, Roma, Man Utd, Chelsea, Benfica, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Boca Juniors, River Plate, C.A Colon, Estadiantes De La Plata, Deportivo Tachira, Deportivo Italia, Caracas FC, C.A Cerro, C.A Lanus, Newell's Old Boys, C.A Velez Sarsfield, Club Blooming, Club Bolivar, Real Potosi, Once Caldes, Deportivo Quito, C.S Elemec, San Luis F.C, C.D Guardalajara, Sao Paolo F.C, Juan Aurich, Alianza Lima, Club Nacional, Club Libertad, C.F Monterrey, Estudiantes Tecos, Junior, Independiente Medellin, C.F Universidad De Chile, C.R Flamengo, SC Internacional, S.C Corinthiants, Cruzeiro E.C
FIFA 11
FIFA have not unveiled any information on any teams yet, but it is expected that many leagues will be fully licensed.
Some of those leagues include:
Australian League, Austrian League, Belgian League, Italian League, French League, American League, Turkish League, Swiss League, Swedish League, Spanish League, Scottish League, Russian League, Polish League, Portugese League, Norwegian League, Dutch League, Mexican League, Korean League, Irish League, German League, English League.
Also it is expected that the English, Italian, Spanish, German and French Leagues will also contain lower divisions
   

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 review - PES is back!

"Engineered for freedom". No, it's not another eye-rolling tagline for the latest car TV ad, but the back-of-the-box headline for the 10th outing of Konami's annual feast of football. You might be forgiven for thinking that this is the usual marketing bulls**t. After all, did we not have the full 360 freedom to manually pass last year? Well, yeah, but let's not ruin a good slogan.

A less punchy tagline, but closer to the mark, would have been more freedom, more often. Konami loves boasting about this stuff, but it bears repeating - if only because it's actually true for the most part. The chief boast is the 'freedom to play', and this is definitely where PES impresses most this year.

Passing feels crisp, responsive and intuitive, and if you can get that right in a football game, you're halfway to greatness. Even if you're one of those players who completely overlooks left-trigger-enhanced manual passing, it's easy to see that Seabass and co. have completely nailed the fundamentals this time around. Simply knocking the ball around to feet, there's a satisfying zip to it, and fewer passes go limply astray. Likewise, AI players are more alive to the situation, and more likely to read your intentions and run towards misplaced passes or try and break into space. The system builds on the flow and excitement of last year's PES, albeit with added conviction.

The licences aren't as plentiful as FIFA but it makes them count - and it's got one of the biggest of them all to boot.

But even when you're trying to win the ball back, the tweaks to the defensive system make the dogged art of jostling for possession feel less irritatingly bobbly and random. In PES 2011, positioning and timing is absolutely critical, and if you can get the right side of your man, the chances are you'll reap rewards. Call another player into the fray to close the player down and tackle, and it's a game where you're less likely to get punished for arbitrary, basic mistakes, but one where you can be passed into oblivion if you give opponent too much space. But while you can generally rely on your defenders getting tighter to the man and generally being less suicidal than previously, keepers can still pull a Robert Green when they want to. They'll probably blame the new balls...

The vast improvements to the animation across the board make the whole spectacle a great deal more convincing, too, meaning that a well-timed sliding or block tackle can be as game-saving as it would be in real-life. If you get it wrong, the slow-motion replay will generally reveal why, though it's fair to say that referees are still pretty intolerant creatures when you deign to lunge in.

On top of that, the improvements to the possession system make it much more rewarding to try and patiently build attacks with hold-up play. The unpredictability of the outcomes make it the sort of game where you'll try new things, whipping in a cross after stealing possession, only for an onrushing forward to score a spectacularly opportunistic diving header. The outcomes are rarely the same, and you'll find yourself taking a punt from all angles - only to miss as many sitters as you'll score improbable net busters.
Tactically, PES 2011 is a tinkerer's paradise. Not only does it have an elaborate stadium editor, but it has a fantastic new system that enables you to drag and drop players into precise formations, as well as issue the kind of team management instructions that effectively turn the game into an incredibly complex simulation.

Fortunately none of the tinkering is even remotely mandatory. On the contrary, the long-overdue reintroduction of variable game speed allows for plenty of mischief (even mid-game) allowing you to either dial it down to a geriatric pace, or crank it up for comedy capers. If that's the way you want to enjoy it, fine. At the very least, it allows you to put the cat amongst the pigeons once you've mastered it.

Tricks and feints play a slightly more prominent role this time around, though it's questionable whether this is necessarily for the best. Being able to create and customise your own link feints and map them to the right stick certainly looks pretty neat when you can pull it off, but it's questionable whether your average defensive clogger should be able to pull off a Step Over Dummy and Sideways Scissors at the drop of a hat. Sometimes, Konami, less is more.

The stadium editor allows for some Konami-tinged retro fun.

Sadly in the case of PES' ongoing licensing poverty, less is definitely not more. The rather apologetic inclusion of a few more official licenses of the bigger teams (such as Bayern Munich) does not make up for having to play as London United or Merseyside Reds. Fortunately, the presence of real player names and some spot-on player likenesses swiftly helps negate the initial disappointment. Directly compared to the mighty FIFA, it's likely that many of you will actually prefer Konami's crisper, more vibrant visual approach - especially when you're playing two similarly coloured teams. Certainly, no-one can have any complaints about the front-end anymore, with its slick minimalism and roster of excellent tunes to nod along to. It's like they listened and everything.

Long term PES fans are also likely to be pulling their shirts over their heads and running around the living room at the thought of an online Master League. Needless to say, time limitations and the fact that the servers only went online on September 30 prevent us from giving detailed first-hand experiences, but you'd bet your house on it, given how well it works offline. Bidding against each other for the best players, in particular, will give an already hugely addictive, absorbing mode an entirely new dimension. Traditional online play, though, we were able to test just prior publication, and found it extremely easy to get up and running, and pleasingly lag tolerant. On the downside, it's a little short on options for an online game in 2010, and is definitely an area Konami could improve dramatically in the future.

Closing Comments

After the promising strides made by last year's reboot, PES 2011 feels very much a realisation of that potential. With its emphasis on fun still apparent, the added realism provided by control, animation and AI enhancements improve and broaden the package's appeal no end. Factor in the added tactical flexibility and the addition of the online Master League, and it's easy to see why PES' return to form will be widely celebrated. Some may prefer FIFA's more studied approach to football realism, but when it comes to pick-up-and-play fun and intensity, PES 2011 gets my vote this year.

IGN Ratings for Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (PS3)

Rating	Description
out of 10
8.5	Presentation PES 2011's still lags behind FIFA in terms of licenses and frills, but this year's is by some margin Konami's best attempt, with slick menus, match build-up and replays.
8.5	Graphics With some incredible player likenesses and super-slick animation, PES is neck and neck with FIFA in most departments. As usual, the lesser-known and generic player models drag it down slightly.
7.0	Sound The commentary team could do with a revamp, and the crowd chants are nowhere near as good as FIFA's, but the soundtrack should get the thumbs-up from the indie crowd.
9.0	Gameplay Instant, intuitive, and almost as satisfying to play against the AI as a human opponent. A long overdue return to form.
9.5	Lasting Appeal There are few games in the world that have the lasting appeal of a top-notch football title, and PES 2011 definitely qualifies as one of those.
9.0 OVERALL	Outstanding (out of 10)

                                                                                                                 
                                  











          


source

Army of Two: The 40th Day Review

Submitted by Chris Leyton on January 13 2010 - 12:02

Rios and Salem return in a slightly more tasteful and subtle sequel...

Pros

• Subtle yet effective moral themes.
• Co-op pivotal to game.
• Buddy bravado toned down.

Cons

• Weak combat and controls.
• Pretty short length.
• Poor multiplayer modes.

The men in the masks return, this time around with less chest bouncing, fist bumping and air guitars.  Army of Two: The 40th Day (a better title than Army of Two: 2 but not entirely sure what it represents) finds Salem and Rios reunited on the streets of Shaghai, in a sequel to the third-person shooter that places the emphasis on co-operative play and buddy, buddy action.

According to EA's research, Europeans apparently found the antics of Salem and Rios "ridiculous" and "tasteless" in the original Army of Two, two words that seem pretty apt in consideration of its general tone.  In an attempt to appease such sensitivities, The 40th Day makes a departure from two goons bringing further carnage and destruction to the likes of Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, defending back-to-back against waves of suicide bombers and references to Al-Queda.  Instead, EA Montreal has decided to tastefully subdue the crudity, dropping the sensitive real world settings and themes for a more fanciful, yet subtlety effective, attack by a megalomaniac on Shaghai.

Central to the Army of Two experience is the Agro system that underpins the co-op structure.  Essentially Move, Hold and Follow commands have two operators, covering the actions in a stealth and not-so stealth manner.  The idea being that if one person is laying down covering fire, it takes the heat from the other person to move undetected up the flanks.  Like its predecessor, the Agro system is a remarkably simple yet efficient system to promote the game's co-operative structure and strengths.  Generally the co-op AI looks after itself and handles commands effectively, even if occasionally confused by the more taxing task of pressing buttons together.  Such issues won't be a problem if you're playing with a friend, but strangely it's a system that's best employed on your own.  The tactical benefits of the Agro system are underplayed as you'll often come under the same issues of who's in command.  Unless you've a military discipline or just playing with somebody that enjoys barking out orders, Army of Two looses a little in the tactical stakes, but gains a little more entertainment when played with somebody else.

The qualities of the central system are however undermined by a general lack of imagination, which ultimately finds the game degenerating into the typical mediocre third-person shooting action that seems to be all too prolific at the moment.  Although the devastation that befalls Shaghai continually impresses, it ultimately leaves a sense of a rapidly decreasing engagement as the game goes on.  The introduction of a specific covering system highlights the inadequacies of the core combat.  Movement and shooting feel loose and unresponsive compared to the heavyweights of the genre - or more specifically Gears of War - while combat suffers from throwing waves of the same opponents, spiced up occasionally with the appearance of tougher heavy soldiers with specific techniques and more elaborate routines to overcome.  Gun customisation forms a peripheral aspect of the game, but failed to really make itself exciting or beneficial enough to warrant any experiment with this aspect.  The default weapon was sufficient to see me through the course of the game, and no amount of blinging up pistols with gold plated coverings or diamond encrusted grips was enough to make this any more interesting.

It's a shame that EA Montreal hasn't had the will or desire to take the idea of co-operative play further considering the game is so inexplicably woven around the concept.  Beyond the Agro system, levels are designed to compliment the setup but the overall experience slips into typical facets of co-op gameplay.  Surely some development studio can come up with more than the same old tired ideas such as hoisting the other character up to an elevated ledge, or shock horror, sequences that split the pair up.  Strangely the sequel removes staple elements from the predecessor such as combined parachute jumps and vehicle sections.  Such sections probably wouldn't have helped the overall flow and certainly aren't the key to developing the co-op experience, but would have provided some much needed relief and variety from the monotonous shooting nevertheless.  Back-to-back sequences, which find the pair tagged together and defending against 360 degrees, are kept to a brisk minimum, although largely well staged when they do prop up.

EA Montreal has added the customary new features expected from any sequel, but you get the feeling that most have been underdeveloped and not properly thought through.  A new HUD feature allows you to temporarily view the route you're supposed to be heading down in a much clearer way then before and also brings the ability to scout opponents and discover their rank.  The idea being that if you can grab hold of a high ranking officer the others will surrender.  It's a concept that sounds good, but is never really pushed and really only played out in hostage set-pieces.  The same can also be said about the mock surrender technique, which allows you to spring a surprise on the unsuspecting opponents.  Again, beyond the tutorial demonstrating how to use it, the technique is woefully underused.  It's probably possible to use it more, but if the game doesn't push it, what's the point?

To give some credit, The 40th Day is a considerable improvement over its predecessor.  22 months since they first burst onto our screens, Rios and Salem have undoubtedly grown up considerably and no longer irritate every time they open their mouths.  If you managed to find the testosterone fuelled antics fun the first time around, you'll probably take some heart from the fact that it's all still there: you can praise and diss your partner and even play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.  Thankfully the buddy bravado is never shoved into your face this time around, which is fortunate for those who consider such Fratboy gimmicks a little trivial when you should be saving Shanghai from destruction.

The introduction of Moral choices is also a surprising quality of the game.  They work largely because of the minimal way in which EA Montreal has included them, and as such you won't find Rios or Salem's appearance changing to a more virtuous appearance adorned with Halos whenever they take the high ground and save hostages.  Instead cut-scenes play out depicting certain choices surrounding an expanded set of characters that pop up throughout the game.  It's not a huge deal, but EA Montreal has managed to make the outcomes particularly surprising and less morally clear then they initially seem.  Such an effect helps to embellish what initially appears to be a paper thin plot and provides some reasoning behind the motives of the megalomaniac.  Mirroring the themes of the plot with through gameplay is an impressive skill of certain developers this generation, which helps to subconsciously reinforce the overall proposition of Army of Two: The 40th Day in a surprisingly accomplished yet subtle manner.

The 40th Day's seven stages are over pretty quick in approximately 5-7 hours.  Beyond weapon parts, collectible radios and hidden cats (!) the chance to see the alternative outcomes to the moral choices is enough to warrant a second playthrough, but that's about it.  A selection of more typical multiplayer modes also make an appearance, but never seem to gel with Army of Two's concept of co-op gameplay. It's almost as though EA had to include them for the sake of it.  Tacked on multiplayer, surely not!

• Graphics: 77%
   
• Sound: 75%
   
• Gameplay: 71%
   
• Originality: 75%
   
• Longevity: 66%
   

Overall Score: 7/10

Army of Two: The 40th Day's qualities come from unusual areas. Although the Agro system underpins the overall co-op gameplay sufficiently, the lack of imagination prevents the game from pushing forwards the co-op experience. Instead there's more satisfaction gained by the subtlety that EA Montreal has brought to the series; something we never imagined ourselves to say about the antics of Rios and Salem.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/Army-Of-Two-The-40th-Day/review-14891.html

 

Command & Conquer 4 Review

Submitted by Chris Leyton on March 22 2010 - 12:28

Big changes and flashy visuals can't avoid Kane's legacy ending on a whimper...

Considering that Tiberian Twilight marks the final installment of Kane's story in Command & Conquer, the team at EA LA certainly haven't shied away from introducing sweeping changes to the format that has more and less governed the series for the past 15 years.  Typically we're big supporters of originality and there can be no doubting that Command & Conquer 4 achieves this, but in this particular case we're inclined to wish they hadn't been so drastic.

Set 10 years after the events of Kane's Wrath, Tiberian Twilight finds the world at the brink of near collapse, consumed by the ravenous effect of Tiberium and the conflicts surrounding its control.  Standing on the brink of disaster, Kane contemplates the one thing previously considered unthinkable, an alliance with the GDI, forming the Tiberium Control Network to safely harness the benefits of the deadly yet powerful source of energy.  Of course such an amicable agreement wouldn't exactly be the fitting conclusion to Kane's story, and so over the course of the game's single-player campaign we discover Nod separatists and corrupt officials hell-bent on bringing further conflict.

The abundance of Tiberium is a convenient means for the team at EALA to introduce the most drastic change to the format.  After 15 years of sending Harvesters to fields ripe with Tiberium and dotingly watching them return safely to the refinery, EALA has decided now is the time to remove that element from the game completely.  Adopting a structure similar to Relic Entertainment's Dawn of War series and Massive's World in Conflict, Tiberian Twilight replaces the concept of resources with the introduction of a cap on unit production.  Smaller units cost less, but the change typically means you'll rarely have more than 10-12 units under your control.  While the decision allows the game to focus immediately on the battles and action, the switch leaves Tiberian Twilight feeling quite unlike any Command & Conquer that has before it.

Resource harvesting isn't the only thing deemed superfluous by the team at EALA.  The initial process of setting up a base and defences has been removed entirely.  Evidently, EA LA decided such concepts, which constituted the early processes, clogged up the game and decided to streamline the experience to cut straight to the chase.  Instead the changes are geared around the introduction of the Crawler, an 'all-in-one' mobile base that allows you to advance across the battlefield as the tides of the conflict change and dictate.  Each stage begins with the choice of selecting between Offense, Defence and Support classes, each of which offer varying tactical options, units and techniques to choose between.  This illusion of choice seems to be little more then that, and perhaps an option that's better served when playing the campaign in Co-Op.  The Defensive class offers the closest Tiberian Twilight gets to base building with a limited range of turrets to place on the surrounding area and focuses on Infantry.  Support seems to be largely the domain of the Co-Op, while Offensive offers the most balanced **.  Although the concept has its merits, we found the overall idea lacked a sense of development and never really encouraged us to move beyond employing one class, typically the Offensive unit.

There's a number of pitfalls that Tiberian Twilight falls into as a result of these changes.  The level cap imposes a tendency to just form a relatively small battalion and move this across the battlefield, completing objectives as they occur.  As a result, it's a game that focuses on one conflict at a time instead of orchestrating larger, more detailed strategies.  The change is also evident in maps that feel considerably smaller than previous C&C titles, and battles that are more intimate than the grand conflicts featured in previous titles.  The focus on smaller unit groups and battles is further demonstrated by the camera, which sits pretty low to the action.  Although this highlights the visual splendour of the game, it restricts the ability of employing larger scale tactics and heightens the sense that you're just moving between objectives with a small group of units.  It also means there's an inability to tank-rush to any satisfactory effect - shocking!  Simply put, Tiberian Twilight is not the Command & Conquer that we all know and love.

The whole concept of a 'persistent experience' constitutes an RPG influenced system of unlocking new units and techniques with experience gained on the battlefield and collecting Tiberium Crystals.  We'd argue that it's better demonstrated through the draconian online setup that requires a 'persistent' online connection just to get the game running, even if you're intending just to play the single-player mode.  It's a setup we're thoroughly opposed to, and should be noted by anybody contemplating playing a quick mission on the bus or otherwise away from an internet connection.  The setup also has further drawbacks, as there's a considerable amount of material to grind through just to unlock the more advanced units and technology that comes later in the game.

Command & Conquer fans eager to discover revelations are in for further disappointment.
In terms of story, the promised conclusion to Kane's story is largely underwhelming and lacking in terms of genuine revelations; major themes are left unanswered and important characters forgotten.  It's not particularly the noteworthy send-off that Kane really deserves, but something tells us Kane's ascension isn't the final word.  Although the FMV sections are of a high quality, many of the new actor's are insanely irritating (the playable character's wife in particular) and the attempt to improve C&C's customary hammy overtones leaves the sections feeling as though they're trying to achieve something they're definitely not.

Ultimately, Tiberian Twilight feels like a game that has been rushed to the shelves as once Kane's end is finally revealed there's a distinct lack of content to fall back on.  The lack of a Scrin campaign can be conveniently explained by the Nod/GDI alliance, but ultimately leaves the game's Nod and GDI campaigns, consisting of seven missions, largely underwhelming and over pretty quickly.  Considering Tiberium Wars featured three different factions and significantly more missions, the feeling that Tiberian Twilight is a little on the brief side is an overriding feeling that's hard to shake.  The Skirmish mode, typically the legs of a Command & Conquer title, offers game types of up to 5 vs 5, but only supports Domination as a game type and 10 maps to choose between.  That said, multiplayer is undeniably the highlight of the game and still manages to provide an intense and immediate experience that builds upon the series' heritage.

• Graphics: 84%
   
• Sound: 80%
   
• Gameplay: 72%
   
• Originality: 82%
   
• Longevity: 62%
   

Overall Score: 7/10

Tiberium Wars was actually a fairly decent attempt at resurrecting Westwood's series, so you have to ask why has it gone so wrong? Tiberian Twilight is little more than a mish-mash of ideas from other RTS games, and looses C&C's identity in the process. Why the studio decided to implement such drastic changes with the final chapter in Kane's story is beyond us, surely it would have been a smarter idea to introduce new concepts in the next saga.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/Command--Conquer-4-Tiberian-Twilight/review-15066.html

Just Cause 2 Review

Submitted by Chris Leyton on March 24 2010 - 16:29

Avalanche Studios ticks all of the boxes where the first game failed...

With radiant sunsets, snow peaked mountains and crystal clear oceans Panau provides the idyllic holiday destination... provided you can overlook the corrupt dictatorship and violent gangs vying for power and control.  It's a setting best observed not from the comfort of first class, or even slumming it up in economy, but strapped to the nose of a jumbo jet momentarily taking in the view before plunging towards the ground and pulling out the parachute at the last opportunity.

Rico Rodriguez is back in the sequel to Avalanche's surprisingly entertaining sandbox romp from 2006.  Entertaining is perhaps the best way to surmise the original title, as it certainly had its fair share of problems.  Released when one generation was transitioning into the next, Avalanche's attempt to bring the original to the Xbox 360 alongside the Xbox and PS2, was nothing less than ambitious but ultimately foolish.  The result, a bug-ridden experience that could have quite easily put a final nail in Rico's coffin before he even had a chance to shine.  Fortunately, Just Cause made enough of a splash (hurtling from a hundred or so feet, it would be hard not to) and so Avalanche has the opportunity to bring us the sequel, which builds upon the promise of the original and delivers where Rico's first outing was often found lacking.

This time around, Rico's up against his former mentor and most trusted ally, Tom Sheldon.  It still feels little more than cartoon characters wavering over a paper-thin plot to give some context to the action of the game, which is a little odd considering the game has been slapped with an 18+ rating.  It's the type of game that you'd imagine teenage boys would enjoy, and not necessarily the edgy, gritty setting that such a rating typically entails.  But plot and characters aren't exactly the reason to play a game like Just Cause 2.

Just before the anguished screams of, 'not another sandbox game' ring out, it's worth noting that Avalanche demonstrates an understanding of the genre despite the studio's relative infancy.  Sandbox games are a tough undertaking to get right and require a considerable amount of time, effort, and money, so it's no surprise that Just Cause 2 has slipped from its intended 2008 release quite considerably.  But it's been worth the wait and there can be little doubt that Avalanche is showing an increasing capacity to handle the genre and leave its mark.  After all, a sandbox is only as fun as the toys inside it and this one is stuffed full of carnage, insane possibilities, and plenty of things to blow up.

Learning from their previous mistakes, this time around the Swedish studio has made sure Panau's quite literally stuffed full of material worth taking the time to explore and discover.  Yes it's a sandbox game and yes there's three factions vying for power, each of which provide a handful of missions for Rico to undertake as he attempts to track down Sheldon and bring the ruthless dictator Baby Panay to his knees.  This certainly isn't the game to push the genre forwards, but it does at least grasp the potential hinted at by the original and deliver an experience that's hard not to find enjoyable.

The thing that Avalanche absolutely nails with Just Cause 2 is in making the trip between A and B, or between missions, much more entertaining than most other attempts in the sandbox genre.  Panau's a vast game world, so ensuring travelling across it is as fun as possible is a necessity.  It's a sandbox game that, like the best examples, is often more entertaining just to deviate away from the missions and do your own thing.

With missions varying from assassinations, taking hostages, to waging full-on warfare, Just Cause 2 mixes it up to a entertaining degree across the magnitude of challenges on offer.  The touch of creativity and the feature that brings the facets together is the Chaos system, which underpins the entire experience.  The main storyline is advanced through Agency missions, which are unlocked by completing faction missions, secondary challenges, and general destruction to Baby Panay's buildings and installations.  It's a setup that lends a sense of progress no matter what you're doing and encourages exploration and variety beyond the main story arc.  However, it does mean the pacing can seem a little erratic at times; the Agency missions are often few and far between and the faction missions can become a little samey after awhile.  But ultimately the pace is left to the player, those wanting to rush through the game's main story arc can do so in a little over 12 hours; however there's much more longevity for those that seek out all of that Just Cause 2 has to offer.

Beyond the significant improvement to the game's structure, Avalanche has also taken the key gameplay components back to the drawing board.  Fans of the original will know that just as much time is spent in the air as it is on the ground.  To this extent, Rico's parachuting and grappling hook antics make a comeback in a big way.

The grappling hook is the key to gaining the most fun from Just Cause 2.  It's a sandbox game that encourages you to experiment with this feature and its new found dual hook ability.  Pull a guard from his feet towards you, hook two guards together for comedic effect, or tie one to the tail of a plane and quickly take him into orbit... the possibilities are virtually endless.  It's also got more functional uses such as towing vehicles or pulling statues of Baby Panay crashing to the ground in scenes reminiscent of Saddam Hussein's downfall.  At its most outlandish the hook can be used to tether chasing vehicles to stationary objects and send them catapulting into the air, or hooking a guard to a gas canister, putting a few bullets into the outer casing and watch it propel the unsuspecting victim into the air or hurtle clumsily along the ground.  It's a dynamic that never grows tired and makes the most out of areas in the game that would otherwise be somewhat lacking.

Used in conjunction with the parachute, Avalanche has created a means of transport that actually works this time around.  Hooking onto vehicles and attempting to parasail never really worked in the original and has thankfully been replaced with a system of slingshotting.  It's thoroughly unbelievable but nevertheless an efficient way of getting around the islands, providing a satisfying mechanic akin to web-slinging in the Spider-Man games.  The controls still take a little time to get used to, but ultimately are up to the many actions at Rico's disposal.

It's the grapple system that also makes the otherwise largely unremarkable combat more entertaining then it should be.  Unfortunately the concept of a game that takes so much pleasure in action and destruction ultimately feels a tad dated.  Beyond some entertaining dual weapon combinations, the run-and-gun gameplay has remained largely unchanged from the original.  It suits the exaggerated nature of the game, but left us yearning for advancements we now take for granted.  It could be argued that Just Cause 2 isn't a game that should be based around a cover mechanic, but we beg to differ.  All too often Rico finds himself in a blaze of bullets and it's often difficult to distinguish where it's all coming from.  Equally, the manual requirement of pressing a thumbstick to pull the camera closer is a little arduous; we'd rather have seen a system that pulls the camera over the shoulder automatically when aiming down the scopes.  Combat isn't helped by the perfunctory enemy AI.  Guards will take cover and generally not look too idiotic, but it never elevates the game beyond the arcadey, run-and-gun nature.  The aged gunplay and combat is also demonstrated in the staged nature of the destruction throughout Just Cause 2.  In an age when destructible environments are taken for granted the  selection of canned explosions and destruction falls a little flat, although those that are scripted to blow up do collapse in pretty satisfying ways.

Being finicky, we'd also suggest there's an issue over the lack of anything worthy to spend the hard earned cash that Rico accumulates.  Being able to purchase and upgrade weapons and vehicles from a Black Market operator seems like a good idea, but the fact that you're constantly running out of ammo or forgetting where you left the vehicle leaves it largely redundant.  It's also not helped by a setup that requires you to purchase each item individually and watch the same cut-scene and loading section over and over again.  Ultimately it's easier and cheaper just to use whatever you come across.

• Graphics: 85%
   
• Sound: 80%
   
• Gameplay: 83%
   
• Originality: 76%
   
• Longevity: 80%
   

Overall Score: 8/10

Just Cause 2 doesn't attempt to reinvent the sandbox genre, neither does it really push it forwards. But it does present one that's chocked full of insane action and plenty of creative opportunities, and knows that ultimately it's all about having fun. It's a brash, no-brainer experience that gives everything you want from a sandbox game, but lets make sure the combat ramps up a notch in the next title.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/Just-Cause-2/review-15071.html