Just Cause 3 Hands-On Review: 7 Explosive New Details

6. The Rebel Uprising Is Believable

In Just Cause 2, many of the game's set-pieces were player-created, and that's something that Just Cause 3 is set to continue. But in JC 2's island of Panau, it often felt like there was nothing really going on on the island aside from you blowing stuff up. Skirmishes between rebels and government troops felt lifeless, and there were few impactful moments that really made you care about what happened to the populace of Panau. The fact of Medici being Rico's homeland, along with the solid dialogue, already set the game up to be a bit more personal than its predecessor. One of the early missions I played, 'Terrible Reaction', adds to the sense that the island of Medici is a homeland to people rather than just a sandbox for your destructive pleasure. During this mission, General Di Ravello sends tanks in to bombard the town of Costa Del Porto to avenge for your destruction of one of the island's power plants earlier on, and it's up to you and Mario to stop him. The mission itself is a fun romp through the night as you and Mario flee the town and head out to a rebel base. I particularly enjoyed taking out the paratroopers by tether-tightening them to each other. But what stood out in this mission was the fact that you actually see a town burning, and real consequences for Rico's actions, which until now you've been carrying out with blithe abandon. Rebels and government troops are fighting in the street, the town's ablaze, and you actually feel like things are at stake here, which is another narrative first for the series.