Although gamers are still awaiting the release of Avalanche Studios' Mad Max game, fans of the developer have already trained their sights even further, on the next entry in the Just Cause franchise. For what seems like years now, Avalanche has been teasing the existence of a new Just Cause, but so far they have to say anything official.
And while not much has changed since the developer took a trip to Costa Rica, we do have some intriguing images that may be from Just Cause 3. They could also be from some completely different game project as well, so obviously it's best to treat them with a fair dose of skepticism.
That being said, the images do have an air of Just Cause to them, both in the depiction of the main character and the atmosphere. The sprawling tropical island is of particular interest if only because Just Cause is one of the few series to feature such a setting. That and maybe Mercenaries, but we haven't heard much about that franchise from Electronic Arts in about 5 years.
So, assuming these images are from Just Cause, one has to wonder what the microtransaction system with the weapons and vehicles is all about. Granted, we don't know if the non-descript diamond items used to purchase vehicles like the Mugello Raffinati is in-game currency or real currency, but the "Buy More" option has us concerned. Microtransactions are not something entirely new for Just Cause, but in today's culture they are a no-no.
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Ultimately, though, there are more questions than answers with these images. The visuals are promising, but the watermarks make it hard to pick up too much detail. Same goes for the overhead image of the setting, which looks plenty big but it's hard to tell how big without some form of reference.
And of course there's the question of whether or not these images are even from Just Cause 3. There are plenty of details to suggest it is – like the multiplier for Mayhem and the font used for the menus – but those could easily be faked. At some point, Avalanche is expected to announce a new Just Cause, but for now it appears their focus is on Mad Max.
What do you think of these images? Do they look like they are from a Just Cause sequel? How do you feel about the microtransactions?
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Source: Xbox Underground (via Reddit)