I’ve been playing Just Cause 2 for the last three days, and I’ve got to be honest with you: The game is ruining my life. The world is ridiculously huge, and I can’t stop exploring it. In fact, this article is 20 minutes late because I couldn't stop myself from flying back and forth over an island in an effort to discover more locations.
OK, I know I sound like a lunatic here -- the game can’t be that huge, right? I can’t be that addicted, right? Surely your life won't be ruined as well, right? Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to take any footage or screenshots from the game, or else I would dazzle you with pictures and video from my many, many adventures. Instead, I'll share some numbers with you.
Here are some general stats from the game:
400+: Square miles that make up the island nation of Panau.
200: Missions to play (admittedly, these don't have a ton of variety).
100+: Boats, cars, motorcycles, planes, and helicopters.
350+: Towns, villages, cities, ports, airports, and military bases.
Hit the jump to see some of the stats I’ve racked up thus far.
Here are the stats from my latest save:
16 hours, 57 minutes, 59 seconds: Amount of time I’ve played Just Cause 2 in the last three days
12: Percentage of the game I’ve completed.
157: Locations I've discovered.
56: Kilometers I've driven.
51: Different vehicles I've driven.
2: Types of aircraft I have yet to fly.
303: Resource items acquired (I think there are like 2,700 of them).
899: Total kills.
71: Melee kills.
77: Headshots.
0: Ninjas killed (Must. Find. Ninjas).
130: Fuel depots destroyed.
716: Highest BASE jump (in meters).
22: Hijackings.
You might have noticed that my completion percentage is rather anemic -- especially since I’ve played for almost 17 hours. Here’s the thing: I really, really have a thing for taking over airports for my faction. The airports are huge, and they’re well protected, so it takes a decent chunk of time to completely take over.
Why spend so much time at the airport? Once it’s under my control, enemy soldiers are no longer around, and I have access to whatever aircraft are there. Sometimes I jack an airliner and cruise above the clouds; occasionally I grab a fighter jet and pepper small villages with rockets. It all depends on what’s there.
You know, all of this talk about stealing planes and blowing stuff up reminds me that I’m not doing either right now! If you want to cause some chaos, grab the demo and get started.
OK, I gotta go. Really. Leave me alone. Back to the game!
Some of this stuff sounds absolutely insane. I want to see Aaron jump from a plane..on to another plane! At 5,000 feet, no less!
This article has convinced me to play this game!
Apparently this is exactly the push I needed to finally commit to pre-ordering this.
17 hours in 3 days! No wonder you pawned off those Bitmob Mailbag questions on the rest of us!
@Brett -- What did I tell you! Just Cause 2 will consume us all. It's so over the top and insane, it's a must-buy.
@Omar: Okay, okay. I'll check out the demo when I get back from vacation.
Tell me something I didn't already know. I've had to replay the demo multiple times already just because I need to jump from just a little bit higher or steal that cool helicopter straight off the bat and fly around wreaking havoc. The one thing that worries me is I'll still be hooked come Splinter Cell.
I just may have to get this game. Also, I believe the ninjas come at the end of the game.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the demo, but I also don't think I spent enough time with it. (I was playing at my friend's house) I didn't really know where I was supposed to go, and the game kept telling me it was going to turn off because I went too far off the map.
Also, Aaron, did you play the first game, and if so what did you think of it?
I think I have played the demo for over 20 hours. I am afraid of this game and what it will do to my life. I love setting explosives on as many destructible objects as possible then going up to an overlook and pressing the detonation button and just watching the chaos. The controls could be a bit more dialed in but I got used to them eventually.
I didn't play the first game at all. I've never gotten to the edge of this game's map. It's big enough that I haven't felt the need to go further. I'm now 27 hours in, but I think I'm nearing the end of my playtime. 30 hours with a game ain't too shabby...
Doesn't this game also have some sort of multiplayer?
I tried the demo and suffice to say it gave me some pretty bad nausea. I guess I'm a lightweight.