'Just Cause 3' Review Roundup: Big Explosions Can't Hide Big Problems

Rico Rodriguez makes his explosive return in "Just Cause 3," released Tuesday on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Unlike other open world games, the "Just Cause" franchise is about wreaking as much chaos as possible. With so many good games available, is "Just Cause 3" worth your $60?

Those looking for a kinetic, free-for-all game featuring enough explosions to make Michael Bay blush will find a lot to love about "Just Cause 3," even if there are plenty of problems with the game. Polygon gives it an 8.5 out of 10, noting the sheer joy and many action sequences that would rival major Hollywood set pieces. The island of Medici is a pretty large map -- around 2,400-square miles -- that players can roam around as Rico as he attempts to dethrone a dictator via explosions. The wanton violence could raise eyebrows for gamers considering the many civilians killed throughout the game, notes Polygon.

Eurogamer also highlights the explosive gameplay, but notes there are not enough distinct beats to keep "Just Cause 3" from feeling slightly repetitive. "One of the disadvantages of that bombastic opening, and the willingness to give the player cool toys up front, is that there's nowhere for the action to go," Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead writes. Because there have been so many great open world games, be it "Fallout," "Grand Theft Auto" or "The Witcher 3," the lack of variety or pacing hinders "Just Cause 3."

Other critics, including GameSpot and IGN, recognize the game's strengths while pointing out some bugs. For the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, "Just Cause 3" featured very long load times, according to IGN. Frame rate drops were also a concern for consoles, which is why IGN's review is for the PC version. GameSpot also noticed little glitches -- poor AI and random bugs like a car disappearing -- during their time with "Just Cause 3."

The "Just Cause 3" Digital Foundry technical analysis will make some console gamers leery of picking up "Just Cause 3" at launch. For the PS4, the game runs at 1080p while the Xbox One version runs at 900p. Both games target 30 fps, but Xbox One had drops down to 20 fps while the PS4 went down to 24 fps.