PREVIEW – It seems that for a lack of a heavy opponent 2015 will be Square Enix’s year. What shows this the best is that there are only high profile announcements from them. Of course E3 or the Tokyo Games Show can have a few surprises, however we can safely say that right now we can’t say bigger announcements from anyone else, as Sqaure Enix has Rise of the Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy XV, and Just Cause 3.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are glad to announce that Rico Rodriguez will return at the end of 2015. Square has surprised everyone with an announcement trailer, that while is only CGI , shows off gorgeous explosions, and we get to see our main hero, while Torre Florim’s Firestarter is playing in the background. This is all we got from the publisher since the announcement back in November. They did not provide us with too much, just a few tidbits about the development and the options within the game. Let’s see what we have

The location this time is Rico’s home country, the fictional Medici Republic. In terms of size it will be roughly similar to the previous entry, but this time it will be worth it to uncover secrets underwater such as caves, tunnels. Medici was inspired by Italy, with some hint of Greek architecture, large plantations, and small villages with Azure blue waters.  This scenic paradise however has one plague on its land, the fearsome dictator Di Ravello general and his army rules it. Rico now after overthrowing two governments, decided to return and rid the land from the general’s grasp.

You thought you were free in Just Cause 2? Think again!

No matter how free we felt ourselves in the previous game, after a while we thought: yes it’s a big world, and we can do whatever we want, drive whatever, but why we can’t blow up whatever we want, and not just the enemy’s buildings. The developer rethought this issue and decided that now everything can be leveled to the ground. This allows the player to create new tactics. Want to get into the base, but the main gate is being guarded? No problem just blow up the rear walls, and raid the base from that point.

The next compromise was that there were two options when falling from the sky or ejecting from a plane: Slowly descending with a parachute (albeit controlled), or freefalling quickly. These two options have now been expanded by a third options, the skydiving suit. At first it felt like a Transformers game, but after initial testing they were able to sort out the issue. They were surprised that they did not think of the feature sooner.

Avalanche! Sit down, it’s an A+!

As mentioned in my previous Zombie Army Trilogy preview, I like it when a developer / publisher listens to player feedback, and then make their decisions for a sequel based on those comments. This is especially important in a sandbox game, as developers can’t think of everything. So they decided to review some of the footage from youtube that was uploaded by Just Cause 2 players, and a lot of times they saw the issue that one or two hooks are not enough. Well in the third entry, we will not need mods or multiplayer to use more than two grappling hooks, as multiple ones will be available to us.

The Golden Team

Usually I do not find it too important to know who made the game, if they succeed and make a great game. However some of the developers should be mentioned for Just Cause 3, as we’ll have to wait a long time for it, and it will be great to see who is creating, and making a new entry with high standards and quality.

Roland Lesterlin:
He created old simulation for the army back in the days.

Andrew Yount:
Ratchet & Clank, Resistance trilogy.

Zach Schlappi:
Started as a Light technician in Ice Age (movie), and then went on to work on Medal of Honor and the Far Cry series.

Francesco Antolini:
Assassin’s Creed III and Brotherhood.

Joe Ishikura:
Infamous 1 and 2.

Hamish Young:
First worked on  Burnout, then from 2010 was the main car designer for Need For Speed

Alex Crowhurst:
Heavenly Sword and TimeSplitters.

As everyone can see a lot of AAA developers. Avalanche Studios’ founder and main creative director Christofer Sundberg though that the PlayStation 3 version of Just Cause 2 was not too shabby, but believes that fresh blood and outside the box thinking is required and needed for the development of the new game.

One bad news however I must share. There will be no online multiplayer for Just Cause 3. They’re not against it, and know that the mod for online multiplayer was popular, but they feel that currently they should focus on a pure Singleplayer experience. Although this might change since there is still an entire year from release, and who knows what can happen, but until then don’t get your hopes up.

– Dazo911 –