For any folks on the fence I picked up Just Cause 2 on the Thanksgiving sale and I think that it's great. Normally I don't like open world games (GTA IV, RF:G and what not) but Just Cause 2 joins Crackdown in the set of these games that I like.
Both JC 2 and Crackdown have a big focus on both collectibles and a focus on the movement of your character. With the grappling hook and the parachutes moving Rico from location to location around the massive island is great fun, even without an active mission to spur you on. The actual missions are just ok, there are a few slightly original ones (the Mile High Club, the abandoned WWII weather stations) but even those are pretty by the books. The real fun comes from creating your own fun in the levels. Hijack a plane from a military base, then fly it around and blast the crap out of the base. Grapple a grunt enemy to a propane tank and then blast a hole in the tank to launch him into the air. Drive a motorcycle to the highest point in the game and then ride it off the cliff edge to base jump. Grab a Cessna and try to fly it under all the bridges in the island.
The game has really varied scenery and looks great on my system. Having all the different climate types helps to keep the surroundings fresh, so when I'm bored with the desert region I just nip over into the snow capped mountains for a few missions. Of even just forget the missions totally and dig about for armor upgrades in out of the way locations. Having a percentage to "complete" a region in terms of collectibles and objects to destroy is great so I know that when I get to around 70% or so (I'm not a 100% type of gamer) I know that the region is tapped out and I just move on to the next section.
