Feb 28, 2013
Analysing what are probably two Just Cause 3 screenshots
Just Cause 2
Just Cause 3 screenshots thumbnail


Two weeks ago, Just Cause creator Christofer Sundberg posted a blurry, sepia-toned screenshot of a man knocking another man off a motorbike. Rumours had been kicking around that their studio, Avalanche, might be making a Mad Max game, so we theorised this might be from that.

But last night he posted another shot of the same character, this time looking a lot like Rico Rodriguez, and doing Rico Rodriguez's favourite thing: jumping out of an aircraft. This is very, very probably Just Cause 3. So a) Woo! and b) Ooh. Let's analyse!



Compared to the Rico of Just Cause 2, this guy has 4 interesting differences.

1. The glove. It's still big, which suggests it's for more than just gripping things, but the grappling cable that used to stick out of it is gone. Which leads us to:

2. The spool. A circular thing near the belt with a thick cable leading out of it to his shoulder. Interesting! To me this suggests a new grappling hook, one that's stronger and maybe designed for Rico to spend more time dangling from. You could hang from aircraft by your hand-grapple in Just Cause 2, but I always wanted to be able to extend it to do big Tarzan-swings between planes.

3. This thing. Probably a gun holster.

4. This curved thing. Completely mysterious to me here, but the other shot shows him swinging a short, curved weapon or tool - something he's presumably just hit the bike's former driver with. This could be the holster to that, though I don't have a good theory for what it is.

The context is also interesting. What we can see of the aircraft he's jumping from looks like the undercarriage of a blimp, and the blurry white thing on the ground next to the character's shoulder could easily be a blimp on the ground. If they're planning to strap a stripclub to the bottom of it, this'll be a prequel.

In both shots, every vehicle we can see looks a bit old-fashioned. But it's hard to know if the sepia tone is an artistic hint to the setting or just a shitty Instagram filter.

Anyone spot any other hints?
Feb 27, 2013
This Teased Image Sure Looks Like Just Cause 3
Just Cause

This Teased Image Sure Looks Like Just Cause 3You know what game was a lot of fun? Just Cause 2. But as delightful as it was, it had more than its share of flaws. So, you know what game will probably be really fun? Just Cause 3. And this image shared by Avalanche head Christofer Sundberg on Instagram suuuure looks like a new Just Cause game.


Here's the full image:


This Teased Image Sure Looks Like Just Cause 3


That sure looks like a plane, and that guy sure looks like Rico Rodriguez.


Avalanche has several games in development at the moment; Kotaku's resident investigator Superannuation believes that one, code-named "Project Mamba," is likely a new Just Cause.


Sundberg recently tweeted another blurry image that also looked like a new Just Cause game, and this new airborne shot seems to reinforce that theory. His description of the image remains cryptic: "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? #yearoftheavalanche #avalanchestudios."


First of all: No, it's not a bird. Yes, it's a plane! Well, or a blimp or something. But is this a shot of Just Cause 3? Or some other Avalanche game that simply has a very similar look? And if it is a new Just Cause, does it mean that Just Cause 3 might take place somewhere with a desert? That'd be cool by me. We may not know yet, but it seems likely that we'll find out soon.


Christofer Sundberg [Twitter via VG247]


Feb 22, 2013
These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come


Wednesday's PlayStation 4 event showed us what next-gen graphics are capable of, so if you had any doubts that game environments could grow even better looking and more detailed, they're probably now gone.


Cities and city skylines in general were always a perfect way to show how beautiful a game is, so we collected some huge and gorgeous cities from upcoming titles—and a few from recent memory as well.


SimCity (SimCity 2013)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: EA




Hengsha (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Deus Ex Wiki




Panau City (Just Cause 2)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Just Cause Wiki




Vekta City (Killzone: Shadow Fall)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Killzone.com




Chicago (Watch_Dogs)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Ubisoft




Los Angeles (LA Noire)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Rockstar




Los Santos (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: GTAGaming




Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto IV)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Rockstar




Liberty Dome NYC (Crysis 3)

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Crysis.com




And this is how it looked back then. The neon lights of Moonside in Earthbound are still pretty charming.

These City Skylines Prove Just How Far Video Game Graphics Have Come source: Starmen.net


You should submit your picks with visuals in the comments below!


Feb 14, 2013
Just Cause creators tease new project with blurry shot of blurry men doing blurry violence
Just Cause 2
Avalanche Studios


"We've got our publisher's PR crew here today. Maybe I should shake them up a little bit and leak something just for the fun of it," Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg tweeted yesterday. Minutes later, he uploaded the instagram shot above saying "We're making awesome games at #avalanchestudios! This year will be awesome!"

But will it be Just Cause 3 awesome, or Mad Max awesome? Rumours of an Avalanche Mad Max project have been circulating for years, and a movie reboot starring Tom "Gotham's reckoning" Hardy is due next year. The battered motorbike/sidecar combo and the crowbar thing the driver's wielding fit in nicely with the regressive post apocalyptic tech of Mad Max, but the driver also sports the dark shirt and shoulder straps favoured by Just Cause protagonist, Rico. Hmmm, what do you think?

We're making awesome games at #avalanchestudios! This year will be awesome! #yearoftheavalanche @… instagr.am/p/VrXdz6JwtU/— Christofer Sundberg (@CHSundberg) February 13, 2013

Feb 7, 2013
Just Cause 3 hinted at by Avalanche CEO, targeting “next generation” platforms
Just Cause 2
Just Cause 2


Details have surfaced of Just Cause 2 developer Avalanche's upcoming projects. Kotaku's Superannuation spotted the LinkedIn profile of Avalanche head Christofer Sundberg that hint at a follow up to Rico's ridiculous island adventure.

It appears under the title "Unannounced Sandbox Action Game," and is due to published by Square Enix. The description reads: "New installment in a very well-known game series. The game is being developed at Avalanche Studios New York studio and is scheduled for completion in June 2015 for next generation console platforms."

That's about as close to saying "look guys, we're making Just Cause 3" as you can get without actually saying "look guys, we're making Just Cause 3". Although this unannouncement does mean we've no firm details for the game, like whether it will include Bolo Santosi and her untraceable accent.

There's another unannounced game listed on the page, for an "Open-World Action Game". The description for this one reads, "Avalanche Studios first licensed game, developed based on a well-known movie license. The game however, stands on its own and is scheduled for release in April 2014. The game is developed for current and next-generation console platforms and PC."

The team have been rumoured to be working on a game based on the upcoming film Mad Max: Fury Road, which would fit the brief. It's interesting that it specifically mentions PC, while Just Cause 3 (sorry, "Unannounced Sandbox Action Game") only lists next-gen consoles. Still, given both Avalanche and Square Enix's history of PC development, hopefully there's no cause for concern.

Thanks, CVG.
Jan 28, 2013
Nvidia 313.95 beta drivers improve performance for Crysis 3 beta, Assassin’s Creed III, Far Cry 3
Just Cause 2
Crysis 3 Ceph-thrower


On the cusp of an open multiplayer beta for Crytek's maximally lustrous Crysis 3, Nvidia released an early version of its GeForce 313.95 drivers today. The GPU giant claims the drivers boost SLI performance for Crysis 3 by up to 35 percent in addition to other "sizeable SLI and single-GPU performance gains" in games such as Assassin's Creed III and Far Cry 3.

Nvidia says users should expect a 27 percent gain in graphics performance while playing Assassin's Creed III, 19 percent in Civilization V, and 14 percent for both Call of Duty: Black Ops II and DiRT 3. Just Cause 2 improves by 11 percent, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, F1 2012, and Far Cry 3 all improve by 10 percent.

Demonstrating its mastery over orderly green bars, Nvidia also supplied benchmark charts for these games using four of its most recent cards: the GTX 650, 660 Ti, 680, and 690. With the 313.95 drivers, the company declares GTX 690 users can max out all settings in Crysis 3 and still achieve 60 FPS.

Grab the new drivers and check out the charts at Nvidia's website. Also try out the GeForce Experience—which we've talked about at length—to automatically optimize and configure your games based on your PC's hardware.
Oct 27, 2012
Daily Deal - Just Cause series, 75% off!
Just Cause - Valve
Today's Deal: Save 75% off Just Cause and Just Cause 2!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Oct 12, 2012
Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod kicks off weekend public beta test
Just Cause 2
Just Cause 2 Multiplayer thumbnail


Panau party time! The team behind the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod announced a weekend-long public beta test over Twitter, C4-ing open the gates for hundreds of players to pile in and unleash chaotic hell for 48 hours.

As previous gameplay videos suggest, adding multiplayer support to Panau's vast open world sends the shenanigans into overdrive with exploding cars, exploding buildings, and exploding explosions.

You'll need a copy of Just Cause 2 to participate, of course, but if you want in, head over to the mod's official website and download away.
Sep 25, 2012
Today’s other news: Resident Evil 6, Borderlands 2, Orcs Must Die! 2, and more
Just Cause 2
orcs must die 2 dlc


Today's helping of news we didn't post includes a shiny Resident Evil 6 trailer and a quip montage from a truly deranged little girl in Borderlands 2, among others. Also, Gangnam Style synchronized Skyrim dance. Enough said.

The official Tokyo Game Show trailer for Resident Evil 6 how things went tentacled-pear-shape.
At first glance, Tiny Tina seems like a displaced unfortunate in Borderlands 2's cutthroat world of Pandora. That's when she starts talking.
Just Cause 2's mayhem-filled multiplayer mod helped along a "brighter future" for the franchise, according to developer Avalanche.
Contrary to what dwarves tell you, orcs just don't pop out of the ground, and Orcs Must Die! 2's $5 Family Ties DLC (releasing tomorrow on Steam) proves it with the biggest orc matriarch wielding an even bigger spiked ball of death.
Watch a cop-evading sportster slowly trade rubber for mud in Need for Speed: Most Wanted's latest trailer.
Sep 16, 2012
How Two Men Built a Mod That Lets 1800 People Kill Each Other On The Same Map
Just Cause 2

The Just Cause 2 multiplayer project is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my 28 years playing video games. Here is a massive sandbox game that shipped without multiplayer of any kind, and which now has some that is redefining the very term "massively multiplayer" with up to 1800 people on the same, single map (that measures in at around 400 square miles).


What's even more impressive than the scale of the project, though, is the manpower behind it. The creators of Just Cause 2 Multiplayer are...two guys from Australia. That's it. Foote, the programmer, and Jaxm, the gameplay designer.


Foote says the project's creation has so far taken around 700 hours, most of that spent reverse-engineering Just Cause 2's engine to see how everything fit together. Now that it's been cracked (for the most part), tens of thousands of gamers have been testing it out over the past few months.


Ready for possibly the craziest part of all? The current ceiling of 1800 concurrent players are all handled on a single server. And that single server shows no signs of giving up any time soon, with the pair "yet to reach any real barrier or limitation preventing us from reaching an even higher player count than the previous public tests."


You can see now, maybe, why when people say it's a project that could reshape the way the industry approaches multiplayer gaming, they're not joking.


Just Cause 2 Multiplayer: Behind the scenes with gaming's greatest hack [Red Bull]


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