First Impressions: Just Cause 3

I am writing this post for one single reason. Why? Just Cos... Wow, that pun has been used too much. Anyway, boarding the hype train early, I pre-ordered the collector's edition of the game in August/September after playing Just Cause 2 and thoroughly enjoying it. Booting up the game a day late due to other commitments and the hype being close to breaking point, I started playing. Just cos!  
If Michael Bay directed a game, then this would probably be it. Explosions! Cheesy one liners! Bigger Explosions! Massive stunt jumps! Nukes! Dropping a trawler onto a fuel tank which spirals and hits a turbine causing a bigger explosion and wingsuiting through said explosion while simultaneously grappling a cow. Which is on fire. In the first ten minutes. EXPLOSIONS!

Seriously though, from what I've played so far (about 4 hours), this game is great. The story is a cheesy as you'd expect but I have so far enjoyed it, with more than a few laughs along the way. The characters are great and varied and the voice acting is good to, with performance of comedic lines being spot on. One problem, however, is that when they are on Commlink and you speak, the response isn't always instant (and the subtitles appear beforehand), so the immersion can be broken.

The game has plenty more than laughs and explosions though. Three main ones in particular. Grappling Hook - can now tether more things together and pull them together, allowing for some creative destruction (especially as now nearly everything is a physics object)
Parachute - steadier than the Just Cause 2 version, you can continue shooting and grappling to your hearts content
Wingsuit - the only way to get around. While originally a bit difficult to control, you soon get used to it and it is just great fun.

I can't really compare it to Just Cause 2, as the more you play it, the more different it seems. There is a lot more terrain, but less villages (at the moment). Random events but not 200 collectibles. Side missions but not faction missions. Great voice acting and emotion instead of Bolo Santosi...

This game definitely is the most 'gamey' game I've played in a while and maybe that's what the industry needs right now in the age of cinematic podcasts. Why? Just cos!

Thanks for reading, Satamer.