Just Cause 2 Preview

I hope someone has insurance...

When he's not floating through the air or clambering about a building like some form of CIA-trained monkey, Rico can often be found stealing vehicles - cars, speedboats, or even aircraft. From camp pink Tuk-Tuks to military helicopters, Rico can drive them all - and ownership is only ever a quick grapple-hook away. Naturally, some of the vehicles' owners are less than eager to give up their rides. If you're engaging hostile forces, you may be forced to engage in a moving firefight. Certain cars and trucks permit Rico to clamber around them even as their moving, using the left stick to move in and out of cover while you take potshots at the bad guys learning out the windows. If you take out the driver you'll be able to dive straight behind the wheel, but sometimes you'll have to engage in a direct hand-to-hand struggle - this appears to always happen if you're seizing control of aircraft mid-flight. A brief (and thankfully painless) QTE follow, during which Rico will batter the poor goon from hurl him from the cockpit.

The important thing to remember about all of these things is that they're happening spontaneously. Something exciting seems to happen every five minutes, but most of the time these events feel organic. Even when the game does throw something big at you, like a large attack chopper, it's up you to deal with the threat as you see fit. Do you battle the opponent head-on, or steal their ride for yourself? It's up to you, but either way it won't be long before you're back in hot water again. Missions appear to be split up into relatively small digestible chunks, and the breezy point-and-shoot controls encourage a manic approach to combat. Chaos is the main currency of Just Cause 2, the means by which you unlock story missions, so expect to be blowing something up every thirty seconds or so.

Let's not forget that there's a massive great island to explore either. I only got a chance to see a tiny corner of Panua, but the full game will have lots of different environments to navigate - from deserts to white beaches to heavy jungle. If you want a quick lift somewhere, you can summon a quick lift from your friends on the Black Market: throw out a beacon, and a friendly helicopter-cum-gun-store will show up in a flash. Here you can tool up your weapons, hitch a ride, or simply buy yourself a new vehicle. In addition to the many side missions littered all over Panau, there are also crates to find that unlock new options in the hovering "Murderz-R-Us" store.

Towards the end of my demo, once vehicle in the Black Market store caught my eye. "That's the Silverbolt," explained the Avalanche rep. "It's probably not a good idea to use it here." At the time, I was standing on a narrow path that ran alongside a steep cliff; in these surroundings, a high-speed jet plane would probably result in a swift death.... but I bought one anyway. A few seconds later, I was slowly edging my plane sideways in attempt to line it up with the track. As runways go, it left a lot to be desired, but it was too late to change my mind... so I hit the accelerator.

The plane shot down the path with bewildering speed, a rock outcrop rushing towards me. "Pull up!" yelled the rep The Silverbolt cleared the boulders with mere inches to spare, and I soared out over the sparkling waters of Panau. I did a barrel roll in celebration, and paused briefly to enjoy the view - a bright panorama with an indefinite draw distance, according to Avalance. It was a beautiful moment. Fine, so in real life I would have died in an expensive fireball - but then this is Just Cause 2. Here, anything is possible.

Just Cause 2 will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010.