We have finally reached the end of our journey.  Ladies and gentlemen… I present to you… Just Cause 3!!

What a great trailer, right?!  If you are not taken aback by this trailer because you aren’t seeing actually gameplay then check out some footage of Just Cause 2, which was released back in 2010.  While it may have aged quite a bit, Just Cause 2 has remained one of my go-to games for de-stressing and for just plain fun.

I have high hopes for this new entry in the series because of how much I enjoyed Just Cause 2.  Looking back to how I discovered it brings back some great memories.  I have mentioned this before, but the PS3-era was chock-full of great demos.  I remember sitting down in front of my TV and turning on my PlayStation not knowing what game I was going to play, and then I would open the online PlayStation Store and browse the “New Demos” section, which, to my surprise, would lead to a great demo of a future purchase.  This is how I discovered Just Cause 2.

I had, at the time, never heard of the first installment, Just Cause, and so I simply downloaded the demo because it looked interesting.  As it started, the loading screen said that the demo would be timed, stating that I had only 30 minutes to play the game.  The game finishes loading and I spawn in a sort of practicing area with targets and a small range, along with weapons and grenades strewn about.  After learning the simple controls I headed to the cliff at the end of the range.  This cliff was where the main gameplay mechanic of Just Cause 2 was brought to light.  The idea of a grappling hook, as you saw in the Just Cause 2 footage, seems quite interesting, yet the first thought that comes to mind, or my mind at least, is that you will only use it to traverse vertical objects.  In the Just Cause series, however, the grappling hook serves as a primary means of traversal in any direction.  In fact, the unlimited-use parachute that the player is given can be used with the hook to give players greater momentum when gliding through Just Cause 2’s beautiful open-world.

Gliding never looked so good

Just Cause 3 was covered as the featured game on GameInformer’s December issue and boy did they spill the beans.  Players can now expect to glide with a wing suit, as well as, a parachute.  It seems Avalanche also wants to bring its hallmark gameplay mechanics together and allow for the player to make any decision they want at any time they want.  For example, in Just Cause 2 when grappling you could not fire your weapon.  In Just Cause 3 they are removing boundaries like that one to make shooting more integrated into the moment-to-moment action since in Just Cause 2 you would have to usually become static or decrease movement speed to fire at enemies.  Another change coming to Just Cause 3 is the ability to move freely on the hoods of cars.  As opposed to being magnetized to the center of the roof of every car you jumped on top of, you will now be able to move freely about the roof, giving car surfing more of an advantage since you can usually find yourself getting shot at pretty often and being static when bullets are flying towards you is never a good thing.  Those are just some of the small, yet important changes that will make Just Cause 3 the Just Cause we have always wanted.

Just Cause 3 is that number one game for me at the moment.  I am anticipating this game more than any other simply because Just Cause 2 caught me completely off-guard and blew me away.  I expect nothing less from this game.  I may have said that having low expectations is a good thing, but I think we can all agree that when it comes to certain things you just can’t help it.

Thanks for reading once again!  I hope you enjoyed the countdown and the amazing journey we have been on from number five all the way to number one!  Have you played any of the the Just Cause games?  If so, what did you think of them?  If you have never heard of Just Cause at all, do you think the trailer alone would convince you to keep up with information about it in the coming months?

Unfortunately, all journeys must come to an end, but that just means that as we finish one, we begin another.  Get ready for some great gaming news coming in the next few days!!