The original Just Cause was released on the Xbox, PS2, 360 and the PC in 2006. The game, developed by Avalanche Studios, was a third person action adventure game with an open world map, a huge map I might add, and a ton of missions. The game received mixed reviews but has gone on to sell more than one million copies. Now Avalanche Studios is preparing to release Just Cause 2 for the PS3, 360 and PC. I was amazed at what I saw of Just Cause 2 at E3 and the game looks amazing. Today, TheGamerAccess.com has been blessed with an interview with Mr. Peter Johansson, Senior Game Designer at Avalanche Studios, to talk about Just Cause 2. Enjoy. Click Read more to see the full interview.
TheGamerAccess.com: For those who don't know much about the first Just Cause game, can you give a brief overview about the first game and how it ties into part 2?
Peter Johansson: Rico Rodrigues is the best agent working for an agency that specializes in regime change. After overthrowing the government of San Esperito in the original Just Cause, Rico quit the business but is now forced back into action and sent to the South East Asian island nation of Panau. His mission is to hunt down and kill his former boss, friend and mentor Tom Sheldon who has disappeared in Panau with top secret intel and several millions of agency cash.
TheGamerAccess.com: Just Cause 2 will be available for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 correct?
Peter Johansson: Yes, all three versions are developed in parallel and the plan is to release for all three platforms simultaneously.
TheGamerAccess.com: What is the release date or release window for JC2?
Peter Johansson: All information I can give you at the time is 2010. Progress is going great and we are currently in the polishing face, focusing on bugs and communication to the player.
TheGamerAccess.com: How long has JC2 been in development?
Peter Johansson: Around 3 years. Basically everything has been redone from scratch and improved from the original Just Cause.
TheGamerAccess.com: What is the difference between Rico Rodriguez in the first game and in the new one?
Peter Johansson: Rico has been completely redone from scratch. There's a completely new and much more detailed model, completely new animation system and completely new animations.
TheGamerAccess.com: What gameplay elements, such as stunts, are you trying to improve on with JC2?
Peter Johansson: Rico has learned many new tricks since Just Cause. Stunts in particular is one area that has been enhanced in a lot of ways. The grappling hook plays a central part in many of the stunts. Rico now has the grappling hook attached to his left arm so it can be fired at any time without having to equip it first. You can reel in to objects, pull objects, slingshot yourself around the environment with the parachute and many more things. An especially cool feature is the dual hook that enables you to tether any two objects to each other. You can drag enemies behind vehicles, lift objects or enemies with a helicopter, suspend enemies from objects etc. The new vehicle stunts enable you to climb around on vehicles while firing your weapons and taking cover from enemy fire. Rico's new abilities and stunts are now integrated into everything you do... combat, missions or simply getting around. By being creative and skilled you can really develop your own style.
TheGamerAccess.com: What did you try to improve with JC2 over the first game and how do you plan on responding to some of the criticisms of the first game?
Peter Johansson: Stunts, combat and filling the game world has been the main priorities for us. These are all areas that we feel showed potential in the first game but has now really been improved.
TheGamerAccess.com: What was the lead platform when developing Just Cause 2 and why?
Peter Johansson: All three version are developed in parallel so there really hasn't been a lead platform. I think your choice of version is just going to come down to which controller you prefer.
TheGamerAccess.com: Based on the E3 gameplay and footage I saw, which was amazing, what is the best thing about this generation of consoles as far as graphics and power?
Peter Johansson: Developing Just Cause specifically with this generation of consoles means we are not held back in any way by the last generation. It has really enabled us to improve the game in every area, and we're really proud over how much has been improved in the sequel... we've never taken the easy way out and quality has been ours an Eidos priority from the start.
TheGamerAccess.com: At E3 I saw all of the different things you can do with the parasail and the grappling hook and I was amazed at how there seemed to be infinite possibilities. There are guns in the game of course but the grappling hook and parasail are the primary weapons used in JC2. How hard was it to get the two tools to work together and where did you come up with the idea of using the grappling hook as a weapon? How did you get the mechanics of the grappling hook to work so well?
Peter Johansson: We really wanted to integrate the grappling hook into many different aspects of gameplay, both for combat and moving around. Our aim has been to make sure that after you've gotten used to the grappling hook in Just Cause 2, you're going to feel that something's missing from all other games. And I must say that we've achieved just that. I now constantly find my self pressing the "grappling hook button" while playing other games only to discover that it's not there and get annoyed at the limitations. Of course all games have their own rules but after you've tasted the freedom in Just Cause 2, you can't help to miss it in many other games.
TheGamerAccess.com: The physics in this game looked dead on. You are using an in-house engine correct? What is it called and what types of things did you make sure it could do so the game could be just how you wanted it to be?
Peter Johansson: We're actually using Havok as a physics system but of course we've adapted everything to suit the vision we had for Just Cause 2. We're using the term Hollywood realism. With that we mean that our rules of physics are based on realism but we've stretched them in areas where it leads to more fun. I mean, reeling in towards a building, open the parachute to fly up in the air and then land on the roof is simply more fun than taking the elevator or slowly climbing the facade. Standing on a vehicle roof, travelling at 130 km/h while dual wielding an SMG and sawed off shotgun is simply more fun than falling off the when car reaches 20 km/h. Having unlimited parachutes is simply more fun that having to go somewhere to collect new ones or ordering more from a store.
TheGamerAccess.com: What HD resolution are you aiming for with Just Cause 2, 720p, 1080i or 1080p?
Peter Johansson: We're supporting 720p and 1080i.
TheGamerAccess.com: What were you able to do with JC2 that you could not do in the first game as far as the size and scope of the levels, gameplay and graphics?
Peter Johansson: There are so many things that have been enhanced that it completely overhauls the way that you play the game. Stunts are integrated into everything you do, combat has been enhanced with a completely redone AI and aiming system, the game world has been filled with much more activities and variety. When you explore the game world, there's something for you to do whenever you see something interesting, a village, military base or even some old ruins. The game world is also much more varied with different climate zones and many more interesting locations.
TheGamerAccess.com: The gameplay/map for JC2 is huge, can you tell us how big the game is going to be and how long the single player campaign is going to last? How many mission will there be?
Peter Johansson: The game world is actually the same size as Just Cause, our focus this time ha been to increase the density of activities. The time for the campaign is going to vary a lot depending on the choices you make as a player since you have so much freedom to form your own route through the game. An [estimate] is that a normal player that just wants to finish the game can do it in perhaps 20 hours but if you want to discover and complete everything you'll definitely have to spend over 100 hours with it. I can tell you that exploring Panau and trying to find and complete everything can get really addictive.
TheGamerAccess.com: I believe you stated at E3 that there would be no multiplayer, is that correct? If not why did you choose to focus on single player and not have multiplayer?
Peter Johansson: Multiplier is nice if you do it correctly, but it can also be an expensive tacked on feature that you create because it's the hot thing to do and you end up wasting a lot of resources that could be better spent on making a fantastic core gameplay experience and it can also be limiting to the things you can do in the single player game. For Just Cause 2, there were so many things we wanted to improve that we decided early on to focus on creating the best single player experience we can. It's important to us that multiplayer enhances the game without diluting the core experience.
TheGamerAccess.com: Do you think not having multiplayer will hurt the sales of the game since so many games have multiplayer and it has been a big selling point this generation?
Peter Johansson: I think most gamers, like me, sometimes enjoy a multiplayer game and sometimes enjoy a single player game and they are two distincly different experiences. If you want a fantastic single player game where you can do increadible stunts and experience insane action like no other game, Just Cause 2 is perfect for you.
TheGamerAccess.com: Do you plan on having downloadable content for JC2?
Peter Johansson: I can unfortunately not talk about that yet. Maybe soon :)
TheGamerAccess.com: What are some of your favorite things about JC2?
Peter Johansson: Rico's abilities; his stunts, the grappling hook, parachute etc make it an experience like no other. And the variety of different insane situations that you're quickly thrown between. After a large mission and you're pumped with adrenalin, it's actually difficult to remember all the different situations that you experienced. I love that feeling.
TheGamerAccess.com: How is the development of JC2 going so far? Have there been any setbacks?
Peter Johansson: There are always setbacks when you're developing a game as huge in scope as Just Cause 2, but I see them as a natural and organic part of what makes a game great in the end. If the game turns out exactly the way you planned them, it's probably really boring. Development is going great at the moment. We're at the point where we know we have a great game and are focusing on polishing [any] bugs. It's really rewarding, sitting down and playing your game and realizing you're having more fun than any other game you're playing at home at the moment.
TheGamerAccess.com: Have you had any trouble developing on any of the 3 platforms, namely the PlayStation 3, and how did you overcome those obstacles?
Peter Johansson: There are always challenges when starting to work with new hardware, but I can't say that we've had any major problems out of the ordinary with any of the platforms. You just need to work with the advantages of all systems instead of designing it for one system and expect it to work as well on the other platforms.
TheGamerAccess.com: Do you feel that the PlayStation 3 was hard to develop for? What do you feel are some of the benefits or setbacks of the 360 and PlayStation 3 and what are the primary differences you noticed between the two when developing JC2? Do you plan on taking advantage of the benefits of each console or are you going to port from one to console straight to the other?
Peter Johansson: You're never going to get great results from a straight port so taking advantage of the strengths of each system is important. Our aim is for the game experience to be identical on all systems.
TheGamerAccess.com: Do the 360 and PlayStation 3 versions look the same or are there differences because of development issues or limitations on each console?
Peter Johansson: They are more or less identical.
TheGamerAccess.com: What would you like people to know about the game that they may not know yet or you feel is important?
Peter Johansson: Check out justcause2.com. There so much more to tell you about the game but you'll just have to wait a little longer :)
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written by fatman01923, September 15, 2009
) but when he said that everything was done from scratch I was impressed! Sounds like with the three years of development, everything is going smoothly and according to plan.
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written by David Simpson, September 16, 2009
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