Since 2006, fans of theJust Causefranchise have been toppling dictators, exploring vast, open worlds, and blowing up just about everything they can get their hands on. When it comes to explosive sandbox action fueled by one-liner quips uttered by a chiseled, muscular protagonist,Just Causehas never failed to deliver.
RELATED:Best Action Games To Play If You Like God Of War
Unfortunately,Just Cause 4(2018), while action-packed, didn’t rank quite as high as the previous titles. It was considerably flawed and over-ambitious to the point of being quite complex at times, which is a huge no-no when all you want to do is set the world on fire.WithJust Cause 5being the inevitable next title in the franchise, we’re looking at what needs to be done to make it a return to form for the series.
10Take A Look At Those Graphics
In the first-everJust Causetitle, an innovative experience released on PlayStation 2 consoles in 2006, fans were left gobsmacked. This was a game that bordered on being ahead of its time, offering players one of thelargest sandbox environmentsever seen in the history of gaming. It looked and felt fantastic, even if it was a little empty.
With the follow-up releases, the graphical quality of theJust Causefranchise only improved, with each subsequent title landing within a new generation of gaming technology. However,Just Cause 4was too rough around the edges to truly stand out as anything special, and graphically, it had gone backwards as opposed to forwards.
9Saturate The Sandbox
It’s all well and good having an enormous open world, but it has to feel realistic, and more importantly,it has to feel alive. FromJust Cause 2onwards, developers Eidos Interactive (later Square Enix) tried to populate the staggeringly huge open worlds, but it still resulted in a lot of empty spaces.
This wasn’t addressed inJust Cause 4, and perhaps it even worsened. With each new release, the worlds have swollen, but it’s gotten to a point where it’s more quantity over quality. IfJust Cause 5is going to succeed, it’ll need to come equipped with a map that truly is exciting and interesting to explore.
8Spice Up The Story
For many years, some leading gaming franchises have relied heavily on their ‘formulae’. It’s an unfortunate fact at times, but if a developer finds something that works, it’ll often stick with that plan and roll it out year after year.
InJust Cause, the fundamental concept has remained the same for almost two decades. It has always been a story of liberation; flying into a country ruled by a dictator and toppling said tyrannical leader by taking over the nation step by step. It would be a breath of fresh air to see a different formula used inJust Cause 5, and maybe evena new protagonistcould be introduced. While we love the one-liner action hero that is Rico Rodriguez, we’ve known him for almost twenty years.
7Wipe Out The Weather
In the dynamic, explosive world ofJust Cause, the ultimate goal has always been to go one better with each new release. While we’ve seen countless innovations and advancements, none of them have been more unwelcome than the weather engine introduced inJust Cause 4.
RELATED:Games With The Best Weather Effects
It sold the trailers quite well, but endless tornadoes, sandstorms, and blizzards became a tired concept remarkably quickly. They were fun for a short while, but they ended up becoming a bizarrely important and core part of the game, despite being borderline irritating. There will be a universal sense of appreciation among the players if the weather system is revised inJust Cause 5.
6Go Back On The Gunplay
There were canonical reasons explaining the change, butJust Cause 4fully twisted up theweapon and gunplay systemscompared to the rest of the series. It’s only a small touch to some, but the protagonist, Rico Rodriguez, was easily identified by his classic handguns. InJust Cause 4, all handguns (and SMGs) were totally removed.
While developers opted to focus more on the inventive opportunities presented throughJust Cause 4’s‘modular grapple hook’ system, fans rued the loss of these weapon classes. There were also no grenades, a change that stripped away another layer of destructive potential.
5Make It Multiplayer
Today, gaming is seen as an extremely social practice, and many developers are opening up their franchisesto a wealth of multiplayer potential. In fact, some franchises that were single-player exclusive for years have been known to throw out curveballs and pop out a multiplayer release, such as Bethesda’sFallout 76.
However, despite this information, no release in the entireJust Causefranchise has ever boasted a multiplayer mode. While the community has rallied to create effective multiplayer mods in bothJust Cause 2andJust Cause 3, there’s no indication yet thatJust Cause 5will be an inherently multiplayer title.
4Double Down On Destruction
At the heart of theJust Causefranchise is the ability to blow the snot out of many, many structures, vehicles, and installations. There’s no doubt it’s one of the biggest attractions to the franchise, with fans seeking out more inventive ways to wreak havoc on the world around them.
WithJust Cause 5, these destructive elements need to go one step further. For many years, players have had the ability to destroy specific thingsin the open-world environments ofJust Cause, but perhaps it’s time to give them the ability to destroy everything from the ground up. It’s ambitious, but it’s definitely doable.
3Help Out The Handling
InJust Cause, players are traversing some of the wildest open-world environments in the history of gaming. They’re absolutely enormous and as such, players can get around with the use of planes, helicopters, cars, ships, and even rocket-powered wingsuits.
However, the vehicle-based movement mechanics have always been a little loose and unintuitive, and inJust Cause 4, driving a car at high speeds felt likeBambion ice. If we consider these games as the action-riddled, high-octane experiences that they are, it makes sense for thehigh-speed vehiclemechanics to feel smooth and exciting, not jarring and lethal.
2Calling All Customization Options
These days, players are eager to leave their mark on their gaming adventures. FromFortniteskins to liveries inForza Horizon, gamers adore having the opportunity to show off what they love, or what they’ve created.
RELATED:RPGs With The Most Impressive Customization Options
Just Causehas always been severely lacking in the customization department, and in most cases, there haven’t been any customization options, period. InJust Cause 5, it would be a good move from the developers to let players customize Rico Rodriguez, his vehicles, and maybe even his weapons.
1Let’s Go Home
While players have always had the ability to liberate and effectively take over entire nations inJust Cause, they’ve never hada place to call home. There are friendly military bases, safe houses with basic abilities, and green zones littered across the open-world environments, but there’s no real home forJust Causefans to retreat to in-game.
InJust Cause 5, as the player ranks up and unlocks more of the world around them (and some financial assets), why wouldn’t they invest in a little real estate? This is a game that gives players the ability to unlock a vast collection of vehicles and weapons; how about they’re now given a centralized location to store and display them? It could be taken one step further; give players the ability to customize that property.
