Just Cause 2

For a sequel that no one asked for, Just Cause 2 stands out among free-roaming action games in a way that the original didn’t.

As you jump from a helicopter at the start of the game, free-falling into an enemy base, the first thing that stands out is the scope of the game’s world. It is enormous. You will often fly a jet from continent to continent as you travel to your next mission; these trips offer both an amazing spectacle and a sense of boredom as a result of the prolonged lack of action (although there is a “warp” system introduced early on).

The missions themselves are woefully outdated: The escort mission with brain-dead A.I. rears its ugly head from 2003, along with amusing yet frustrating-to-control air races that recall Pilotwings [パイロットウイングス].

The strengths of the game are the scope of the world and the ways you traverse it with a grappling hook and parachute, allowing you to become your own makeshift parasail. Better yet is the grappling hook’s ability to tie any two objects together. This opens the combat up to all sorts of hilarious antics. Link an enemy to a gas canister, shoot it and watch it fly off along with its victim. Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time until you exhaust the possibilities and wish there were a better game to embody such impressive settings and clever ideas.