Just Cause

Format PlayStation 2

Developer Avalanche Studios

Publisher Eidos Interactive

Genre Action

If Antonio Banderas ever played James Bond, this would be the game of the movie. As we sit in a demo room (that smells suspiciously of massage oils) in game maker Avalanche Studios' Stockholm HQ, we half expect the Bond theme's brass section to explode from the speakers as the game's hero parachutes nonchalantly into the back of a pick-up truck - cocky as a dog with two diddlers - and takes control of its mounted gun before being whisked away to a rendezvous point.

This is how we're first introduced to CIA agent Rico Rodriguez, a man of impressive stubble and inappropriate footwear. No combat fatigues or flak jackets for him; stylish slacks come at the top of his packing-for-tropical-dictatorship-destinations list. Even the parachute pack Rodriguez wears over his impeccably tailored shirt is as much about making a dramatic entrance as it is a means of getting into and out of tight spots.

Right from that first scene the tone is set for rest of the game. Yeah, there's a structure to it all, and you can always approach everything in a straightforward A-to-B manner - especially if your name's Derek and your games are all stacked alphabetically, chronologically and by genre against your relentlessly beige wall. But that would be missing the point and most of the fun.

There are no boundaries anywhere in Just Cause's 1,024 square kilometres of tropical greenery. If you want to take a scenic drive through every one of San Esperito's provinces, you can do so from the outset without fear of being shot to pieces by trigger happy SWAT teams. And apart from a short pause when a mission is about to be undertaken, the whole island is free of loading times.

FREE AS A BIRD
Considering the sheer size of the place - if you were daft enough to walk from one side of the island to the other, it would shorten your life by no less than 90 minutes - the fact that it's even running on the old warhorse-like PS2, let alone so smoothly, is nothing short of miraculous. We did check to see if we could spot any bits of game code dribbling out of the console's seams, but there was no overspill.

Rodriguez is tasked with ousting San Esperito's resident megalomaniac dictator, Salvadore Mendoza. Funnily enough the CIA has evidence that he's stockpiling a huge arsenal of really dangerous, really illegal ballistics. Oh, and he's got a little sideline in drug trafficking ticking along nicely, too. Understandable then that they want someone to get rid of him. But rather than steaming into the presidential abode and laying waste to everything that moves, a more subtle approach to regime change is needed to prevent the little country careening into chaos.

GUERRILLAS IN THE MIST
The 100 or so villages and settlements of San Esperito are divided into 33 regions, each governed by Mendoza's administration, each needing to be methodically destabilised to make it easier for Rodriguez and the revolutionary guerrilla forces to take over. A quick look at Rodriguez's PDA will reveal the balance of political power, with each region colourcoded according to which faction's flag is flying. As one region is won over by the guerrillas, so the neighbouring region becomes unstable - only then can the revolution expand into the next area.

There's still plenty to do besides vying for local government. Another look at the PDA reveals interest spots dotted over the entire country - these signify side missions. Anything from breakneck racing to collecting cigars for the local head honcho should be expected, and completing these tasks is one of the ways to build up Relationship Points with whoever sets the challenge.

As these points are gained, Rodriguez gains more acceptance among the locals and gets access to safehouses, complete with a unique vehicle. There are over 30 houses located around the island, acting as havens from unwanted attention and doubling up as well-spaced save points.

You're probably sick to the back teeth of hearing about open-ended, sandbox gameplay. It's usually a fancy way of saying you can approach a task from one of two or three angles. Not here. You start a mission, you finish a mission - that much we can say for sure. The bits in between aren't quite so clear cut.

SO MANY CHOICES
Just about the entire island's resources can be called upon for most missions, and you're free to go anywhere and do anything if it helps you on your way. One objective requires Rodriguez to wipe out a coca field to seriously damage a drug cartel's produce. That's it - no hints or help, you're left to your own devices. Do you take a machine gun to the fields and cut the crops down? You can if you want. Or do you flick on the PDA, notice a mission-specific interest point, head over to its location, find a crop duster, take it up for a flight and wipe out everything that way?

There are loads of little Just Cause facts and features which we could reel off to try to impress you. Things like airdrops being available to deliver vehicles almost anywhere you require them, at virtually any time, and the instant extraction feature which saves the need for a long trek back to a safehouse. But none of these really gets across how massive the game is, in terms of both size and scope. You've simply got to play it to comprehend its almighty hugeness. You'll have the chance to do just that when it's released this summer.

PSW Staff