Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Contraband game logo hidden away in a shipping container
FPS Games Contraband: Everything we know so far
Jurassic World Evolution 3 screenshot of two adult Triceratops and a little baby dinosaur
Simulation Games Jurassic World Evolution 3: Everything we know so far about the new dinosaur management sim
Death Stranding 2 screenshot
Open World Games Hideo Kojima already has a Death Stranding 3 pitch that could relate to a DS2 plot device, but "I am not going to make it myself"
Jurassic Evolution 3 screenshot of a T-rex family
Simulation Games Jurassic World Evolution 3 officially announced with an adorable trailer filled with dinosaur families and Jeff Goldblum, and it's coming this October
The Witcher 4
Games Wildcard Wishlist: These are the games we've pinned our hopes and dreams on turning up at Summer Game Fest 2025
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
FPS Games Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
MindsEye
Action Games GTA veteran's new open-world game uses a camera trick while you drive "to make you feel like you're on the edge of control, almost like you're in a Fast & Furious film"
  1. Games

Just Cause 3 - What we want from the ultimate sandbox of destruction

Features
By Alex Roth published 23 May 2012

Give us the most chaotic open world possible for this sequel

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

We cant be the only ones who were caught off guard by Just Cause 2. Like the dictator of some tiny island nation, we were sitting on our gaming thrones, completely unaware, and then Rico Rodriguez crashed a flaming airliner into our hearts. We were blown away by the unlimited destruction offered by Avalanche Studios open world title. Better yet, explosions werent the only eye candy on display, the game boasted one of the most beautiful tropical locations wed ever seen. Lush jungles, beautiful seas, rolling snow capped mountains far as the eye can see.

With rumors flying about Just Cause 3 and 4, its easy to gush about the games best qualities, but there were one or two things that stood in the way of the fun. Wonky shooting controls and the occasional frustrating mission just made us want Just Cause 3 all the more. If Avalanche merely fixes the flaws of the last game, it would have a near masterpiece on its hands. Of course, were hoping they aim even higher, and grapple a flaming propane tank into our expectations for open world madness.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
More destruction

More destruction

Alright, were not saying that Just Cause 2 was short on destruction or anything. There was a whole lot of stuff you could break, burn, or just plain blow up. Even if we didnt have a Chaos Meter to fill, we would still spend most of our time smashing things. But if the ante is to be upped for the third outing, were gonna have to ask for more destruction.

Let us bring down skyscrapers, destroy dams to flood valleys, and maybe even do permanent damage to the environment. The Mercenaries series has sort of fallen off a cliff, and it feels like Just Cause 2 could pick up the ball and run with it. Wouldnt it be fun to fly over the city, see a giant crater and think, oh yeah, I remember that. That was fun!

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Multiple grappling hooks

Multiple grappling hooks

This is one is inspired by the awesome Bolopatch mod for Just Cause 2 on the PC. Its a total game changer, letting you deploy multiple grappling hooks to your hearts content. The possibilities with something like this are huge. Swinging around like Spider-Man, weaving webs of grappling hooks for enemy helicopters and tanks to get caught in.

Maybe this wouldnt be appropriate for us to have all the time, but for certain missions and sprees of wanton, free-roaming destruction, it would be awesome. Being able to hook multiple busses to hot air balloons, drag a fleet of cars behind a tank, or just being gratuitous with our ropes would be so much fun.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Let us go inside more buildings

Let us go inside more buildings

There were a limited number of structures you could enter in the last Just Cause game. It was never really a problem, with a game map so big, it wasnt like we were short on places to go. However, Just Cause 3 would be the ultimate playground of destruction if we could enter buildings and mess them the hell up from the inside. Maybe plant explosives at some structurally integral point and watch it turn into our very own Leaning Tower of Pisa?

What if we could hookshot our way up the side of a skyscraper, break some glass and come careening in through the window? Or blast a hole in the ceiling and grapple our way to the floor above? The possibilities, they are limitless.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Dont make us drive to missions more than once

Dont make us drive to missions more than once

As weve mentioned, Just Cause 2 had one of the biggest, most versatile sandbox environments ever. Thats great! But it also made you traverse it over and over again every time you failed a mission. Thats bad! Cant we just respawn at the front door of the base we have to destroy, instead of having to drive there all over again?

Or better yet, how about more mid-mission checkpoints? Some of them were badly spaced out in Just Cause 2. You dont need to force us to travel your wonderful sandbox, Avalanche - well do that on our own, blowing up plenty of stuff on the way. Making us drive to a mission once is fine, but more than that? Even Grand Theft Auto lets you skip the driving if youve attempted the mission already.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
A more efficient black market, please

A more efficient black market, please

Ok, its pretty sweet that our illegal weapons dealer friend will helicopter in any sort of explosives or weapon we want, but only one thing at a time? Is the black market just made of chopper fuel or what? In Just Cause 3, we have to be able to buy more than one item at a time. Also, while home delivery is nice, it takes a while. It would great if there was a store we could visit, in addition to summoning a helicopter with a beacon.

Also, how about making vehicle upgrades apply to all vehicles of that type? Since Rico goes through vehicles like a cold sufferer goes through Kleenex, buying a beefed up vehicle was a bit of a waste.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Polish the gunplay

Polish the gunplay

Running and gunning wasn't Just Cause 2s strong suit. To be fair, in a game where C4 and a fully loaded Apache attack chopper are always around the corner, you dont need to have the sharpest gunplay on the block. Still, third-person shooters have been experiencing a bit of a renaissance lately, so Just Cause 3 will have to step it up to compete.

Were not asking for a cover system. We liked that you could run into the fray, dual wielding machine guns like youre in a Robert Rodriguez movie. It was that finicky targeting reticle that got on our nerves. Once thats ironed out, how about some Max Payne style slow-mo? That would make mid-air grappling and shooting all more stylish and easier to execute.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Let us have a bigger effect on the war effort

Let us have a bigger effect on the war effort

The Just Cause games are always about Rico Rodriguez overthrowing some evil dictatorship. Just Cause 3 should probably follow suit, but wed like to feel more connected to the revolution. That means more rebel NPCs running around the city, causing havoc that we can join in.

The missions we complete should have a more visible affect on the war effort. When we make deals with military suppliers, we should see our freedom fighters with better gear and bigger guns. Better yet, let us choose the upgrades for our forces, and then watch them go into battle. It could be like GTA IIIs gang wars, but with armored personnel carriers and AK-47s instead of lowriders and Uzis.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
How about a new location?

How about a new location?

Both Just Cause games have been set on a tropical island, so wed say the series is due for a new locale. Urban sprawl, open farmland, maybe a desert city full of skyscrapers like Dubai? How about all of them? If Just Cause 3 gave us a game world big enough, and a means of navigating it quickly, then maybe they could cram all those different settings into the game.

They dont have to ditch the islands, either. There could be one off the coast of the game world. It would give us a reason to fly a plane other than looking badass standing on the wing. Desert world, jungle world, ice world, is it too much to ask for all the classic video game settings in one amazing sandbox?

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Get even more ridiculous

Get even more ridiculous

Just Cause 2 had us doing some pretty crazy stuff. Surfing on airplanes, grappling our way up two hundred story buildings, parachuting whenever we please, fighting off ninja attacks, the list goes on. If Avalanche Studios wants to top its last game, the team is going to have to reach deep inside the most insane part of their brains, and keep reaching until it loses all inhibitions and just goes for broke.

When we say up the level of crazy, we dont mean give us sillier guns. We mean go from a Saints Row 2 to Saints Row the Third level of crazy. Make Rico even more of an over-the-top machismo stereotype - we want him to essentially be Antonio Banderas in a Robert Rodriguez movie (noticing a trend?). Let us grapple a car and skate behind it. Let us hook a flaming propane tank and actually control its flying ascent. Or how about we hook a launching space shuttle and get pulled into orbit? Why? Just Cause! .sorry.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
What do you want from Just Cause 3?

What do you want from Just Cause 3?

And if youre in the mood for more speculation, check out What We Want from Doom IV and Star Fox Wii U.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Alex Roth
Alex Roth
See more Games Features
Read more
Contraband game logo hidden away in a shipping container
Contraband: Everything we know so far
Jurassic World Evolution 3 screenshot of two adult Triceratops and a little baby dinosaur
Jurassic World Evolution 3: Everything we know so far about the new dinosaur management sim
Death Stranding 2 screenshot
Hideo Kojima already has a Death Stranding 3 pitch that could relate to a DS2 plot device, but "I am not going to make it myself"
Jurassic Evolution 3 screenshot of a T-rex family
Jurassic World Evolution 3 officially announced with an adorable trailer filled with dinosaur families and Jeff Goldblum, and it's coming this October
The Witcher 4
Wildcard Wishlist: These are the games we've pinned our hopes and dreams on turning up at Summer Game Fest 2025
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
Latest in Games
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer reportedly had so much fun playing the Elder Scrolls Online dev's unannounced MMO that Xbox's Matt Booty had to take his controller from him — 4 months later it's canceled
Team Fortress 2 Sniper calls somebody on a payphone
A Steam Deck user with an extra thumb asked if anyone had an adapter that would fit their hand – the next day someone had 3D printed one, and then someone else 3D printed an extra thumb so we can all enjoy it
Palworld
"Save them Bucky": Fans hope for the best after Palworld and Pocketpair Publishing lead asks Romero Games about its defunded game – "Would love to hear more about this project if possible"
Super Mario Party Jamboree
The Mario Party developer's first new game on Switch 2 is already out: it's Welcome Tour, the weird and divisive tech demo
A young man scanning a reef while looking at an alien fish during the trailer for Subnautica 2.
"No subscriptions. No loot boxes. No battle pass": Subnautica 2 devs address concerns following major leadership changes, insist "it will remain a single-player first experience"
Mecha Break
Mecha Break's $47 skin packs and gameplay-boosting auction house drag user reviews down to "mixed" even as the shooter's concurrent player count hits 132k on Steam
Latest in Features
Superman
Krypto the Superdog - The comic history of Superman's best friend
All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #1
Spider-Gwen's new comic introduces her own personal symbiote villain, Tantrum: "Tantrum is the embodiment of everything Gwen was trying to leave behind"
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing Maelle fighting an enemy.
I accidentally became a god in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it broke combat so badly that I had to nerf myself to keep things fun even on Expert mode
Multiple Jans discuss their situation in The Alters
My current GOTY contender sold itself to me with an out-of-nowhere musical number, and I can't praise that choice enough
Death Stranding
6 years too late, I bring lukewarm takes: Death Stranding rules, and we should all play more games outside of our comfort zone
María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer
James Gunn's Superman may be setting up The Authority movie with its enigmatic villain The Engineer
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...