Just Cause (video game series)


Just Cause is an action-adventure video game series created by Avalanche Studios. The series consists of Just Cause, Just Cause 2, Just Cause 3, and Just Cause 4. The games are open world and take place in islands and archipelagoes primarily. By June 2018, the series had shipped over 15 million copies worldwide.
The series directly draws its name from the real-life United States invasion of Panama, code-named "Operation Just Cause".

Overview

Each installment in the Just Cause series features a story of multiple factions fighting for control of an island nation. Although all four games take place in real world locations, the islands are fictional and the games only draw inspiration from those locations. The player can partake in a variety of optional side missions, such as liberating a village or taking over a drug cartel's villa. In Just Cause these missions are generally repetitive, but necessary to gain points with certain factions. In Just Cause 2 the side missions became unique and more complex. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and create chaos. However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities in the form of "heat".
In all four games, players play as Rico Rodriguez, a secret agent who originally hails from the Mediterranean nation of Medici. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, with a huge open-world map to explore. On foot, Rico is capable of walking, swimming and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons. Players can take control of a variety of vehicles, including cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters, and motorcycles. Players can also perform stunts with their cars in which they can stand on the roof and jump to another car, or choose to open their parachute whilst still in motion on the roof. Other key features of the games include parasailing, skydiving, and wingsuit flying.
The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Like many 'sandbox' style games, while storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game, players can complete them at their own leisure.

Games

''Just Cause'' (2006)

The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, with a large, open environment to move around in. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, swimming and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can take control of a variety of vehicles, including cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters and motorcycles. Players can also perform stunts with their cars in which they can stand on the roof and jump to another car, or choose to open their parachute whilst still in motion on the roof. Other key features of the game include parasailing and skydiving.
The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game, players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and create havoc. However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities described as "Heat". The higher your heat levels are the more authorities there are and gets increasingly harder.
The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions, for example liberating a village or taking over a drug cartel plantation/villa. These are generally quite repetitive but are necessary to gain points with certain factions.

''Just Cause 2'' (2010)

Just Cause 2 is an action-adventure game with one of the largest game maps ever. All gameplay is in an open world/sandbox and even most missions can be done in various creative ways.
Originally set to be released in 2008, it was pushed back multiple times until it was released on March 23, 2010, in North America and March 26, 2010, in Europe.
It could be bought in an original or limited edition which came with Rico's Signature Gun, Bulls Eye Assault Rifle, Chevalier Classic, Agency Hovercraft, Chaos Parachute, and a double-sided Panauan Intel Map and Poster. All these items can be obtained as Downloadable content.
There is also a free demonstration version of the game available for download.

''Just Cause 3'' (2015)

Just Cause 3 was released worldwide on December 1, 2015. The game is set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Medici, where it is run by dictator Di Ravello. Along with a larger map than Just Cause 2, there is the added feature of a wingsuit to be used by your main character, Rico Rodriguez.
In comparison to Just Cause 2, the storyline is now much longer, but there are no faction side-missions. However, there are now Random Encounters and a lot more types of races and other challenges.
The game allows players to shoot their way through walls, blow up and pull down even bigger Radars and Statues, which will shatter into more pieces. You can even blow up an entire bridge if you're being chased on it. "That is the scale of destruction we're after, not really breaking a hole in the wall."

''Just Cause 4'' (2018)

Just Cause 4 is the latest game in the Just Cause series, released on December 4, 2018. The game is set in the fictional South American country of Solís. The new dynamic weather systems expand upon the function of the wingsuit introduced in Just Cause 3 and are the focus of the storyline.
In comparison to Just Cause 3, the map is far larger and more diverse, however, the removal of the base capture system does reduce the need to visit large portions of the map. However, the addition of secondary fire for all weapons does present a new challenge for players.

Film adaptation

In 2010, it was reported that a movie adaptation of Just Cause, titled Just Cause: Scorpion Rising, was in production, written by comic book writer Bryan Edward Hill. Nothing came of these plans, and Hill’s Just Cause: Scorpion Rising was never produced.
In 2015, Adrian Askariehalso, producer of the Hitman films, stated that he hoped to oversee a shared universe of Square Enix films with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider. He also stated, at that time, that the latest outlook for the Just Cause film was that it would be based on the third release of the video game series. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films.
In March 2017, it was announced that Jason Momoa will play Rico Rodriguez and Brad Peyton will direct the movie., Peyton admitted that no script existed yet, and that he and Momoa already had full schedules well into 2019. On May 21, 2019, it was announced that Derek Kolstad will write the film. On July 15, 2020, it was announced that Michael Dowse will direct the film.