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Just Cause 3 Analysis

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Just Cause 3 is about fun. The islands of Medici are a destructible playground for the player, full of neat challenges to complete and utter chaos to wreak. But one thing hampers this more than any other aspect: the load times. I have a lot of positive things to say about Just Cause 3, but the time I wasted waiting in loading screens is not one of them. My record wait time was 67 seconds—this came after I attempted to restart a race, seemingly a simple task. The average wait time is somewhere in the vicinity of 25 seconds.

I understand that a massive environment puts strain on hardware, but there are so many load screens—before and after cutscenes, of which there are many; when restarting challenges; when fast-travelling; after death; between …show more content…

When each end starts retracting towards the other, the stone Di Ravello generally ends up ripping off his own head before pulling his arm off. That, or attaching the statue to attacking helicopters; two birds, one problem.

As a counterpoint to how focused the action is, the narrative wobbles along on clichés and spy tropes. The events aren’t terribly inventive or surprising; the premise is effectively identical to that of Just Cause 2, except Medici is Rico’s home. But even if the plot isn’t that clever, what really surprised me is how genuinely entertaining the writing is; the characters are genuinely entertaining and spout often-clever action-movie-esque one-liners, further creating a sense of almost-parody.

Even cruel Di Ravello—whose ruthless acts seem to imply he’s meant to be taken seriously—comes across as more ineffective, exaggerated jerk than a legitimate threat. Like the burning of ‘cowboy’ Tom Sheldon’s signature cowboy hat: it was clearly meant to show that Di Ravello has no limits, even with his associates, but I was in hysterics as it …show more content…

Because the buildings don’t receive damage, it’s almost as if this destruction is negligible, but the human cost of these actions is undeniable. This is, perhaps, why most of Medici is wide open spaces—the fewer opportunities for murder, the more justifiable Rico’s and the rebels’ actions are.

Because at the end of the day, and end of the game, it’s really hard to say that Rico Rodriguez—a man who tore down infrastructure, mass-murdered military forces (many of whom are likely equally oppressed under Di Ravello’s rule, and who are just following orders), left countless dead or injured civilians in his wake, stole vehicles, and otherwise committed gross acts of terrorism—is a hero.

Toppling a corrupt, violent, and oppressive dictator is clearly the right goal, but the manner in which it’s done is very questionable. But then, that’s why it’s called Just Cause, right? The ends justify the means, in this game at least. It’s still weird and unsettling though; Medici is Rico’s home, and many citizens recognise him on the street, so any one of those people he’s robbed or killed could have been friends or family. Troubling stuff. In any case, I suppose I had best get back to tearing down satellite dishes by dropping C4 as I glide past with my

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