Just Cause (pc) anyone play it?

[Dr.Jeckyl]

what do you think of it? it looks like a mix between FarCry (island and graphics) and GTA:SA or Vice City from the screens on GameSpot.

[Ronin]

I've read the reviews.  It doesn't sound like my cup of tea.  I might try the demo anyway.  But I don't have any plans to, right now.

[BajaBravo]

I played the 360 demo a while back. It was pretty cool.

[Wolfsong]

I know a few people who worked on it. Another Swedish based developer using their own engine, which the started to develop in 2003 compared to GRiN that started theirs in the late 90's.

As for Just Cause, sadly they should have put more effort into the code... The graphics are good enough, and really great at times, but the code has many flaws. AI is really bad for one.

But as the first game from Avalanche Studios ever, I think they have potential for the future. Since the release of Just Cause last summer they have hired more people, I think they have grown from around 40 employees to around 90. Many of whom are programmers, which is what they need. They are actually ranked as Sweden's 2nd largest game developer today, because of it. First being DICE and 3rd being GRiN. Starbreeze (Chronicles of Riddick, Darkness) is around 6th I think. Massive Entertainment (Ground Control, World In Conflict) is 5th. The 4th place is some mobile games company I know nothing about. Lets just say Swedish game development has grown from 5 companies with more then 15 employees in the spring of 2005 (with 1 having more then 50, being DICE), to 10 with more then 20 employees (among them 6 with more then 50 and 4 of those being closer to 100, and one above again being DICE at 190).

I may work for Avalanche one day, who knows. They use Maya. Sweetness!

Side note: DICE having made themselves some enemies in the last week. Their CEO did an interview for a big business magazine and said that DICE was the only true game developer in Sweden, none else was close to producing quality games... Let's just say I've herd some less official comments on that remark from a few of the other developers over here...