Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Leipzig show - ignoring the high number of irony free Iron Maiden t-shirts on display - was the quality of Just Cause, the upcoming 360 game from Eidos. A free roaming third person thing set on a stunningly depicted tropical island, Just Cause is a preposterously over the top and hugely enjoyable action hero romp. From the moment you start - parachuted in to enemy territory, landing on a vehicle and leaping off guns blazing - the action rarely lets up. Think jumping off a stolen motorbike and skydiving to the ground before pulling a stunt flip off a nearby jeep and you'll get the picture. The missions I played were fairly standard take out the bad guy affairs, but such was the anarchic and inventive action it didn't seem to matter.
The sun dappled graphics are impressive too - the initial missions need to be competed before the sun sets and the excellent lighting negates the need for an on-screen clock. Obviously I've no idea how it plays out or whether the action gets any deeper, but on initial impressions Just Cause looks like something special.
