Panau is a truly incredible setting for a video game. A mixture of snow-capped mountains, dense jungle, urban sprawl and arid desert, it offers a multitude of different environs in which lead character Rico can create trouble. Here’s a quick run-down of the sights you’ll want to see when you visit this South East Asian paradise.
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Panau Capital City
Panau’s largest settlement and home to countless high-rise towers, this urban sprawl is curiously at odds with the rest of the island’s underdeveloped shanty-like villages and towns. Here’s you’ll find the most affluent members of Panauan society driving around in their expensive cars; however, despite the glitz and glamour, these people are just as black-hearted as the rival gangs which terrorise the rest of the country. When visiting Panauan city by air be careful not to make contact with the buildings or you’ll end up as an unsightly stain on somebody’s office window.
The Mile High Club
Floating thousands of feet above the surface of Panau, this exclusive gentlemen’s retreat may be difficult to get to but for the island’s most influential playboys it’s the venue of choice. Complete with curvy pole-dancers (of both the male and female variety) The Mile High Club has something for everyone, but be careful not to make too much trouble or you’ll attract the attention of the non-nonsense bar staff, who are as adept with a gun as they are at mixing a cocktail.
Giant Satellite Dish
Nestled deep within the mountains, this military outpost is awe-inspiring in its size; if you witnessed the dramatic climax of the James Bond movie GoldenEye then you’ll know what to expect. The dish also serves as the Panauan Government’s main data link with the outside world so the more havoc you can inflict here, the better chance you’ll have of throwing a real spanner in the works.
Cape Carnival Space Port
Panau may be a small island but it certainly has big ideas, as this high-tech space port suggests. You’ll be sent here early in the game by one of the criminal gangs to sabotage the launching of several satellites; the evil Panauan Government intends to gain control of all of the island’s communication network and brainwash the long-suffering populace even further. This particular assignment is one of Just Cause 2’s most enjoyable outings and allows you to get to grips with triggered explosives and flying a combat aircraft, amongst other things.
Panau International Airport
There are several airfields dotted around the island but if you want some heavy-duty air superiority then you’ll want to head to Panau’s main international airport. Here you can pick up one of the biggest vehicles in the game – the monstrous Aeroliner 474. It’s also worth a visit because unlike the military installations security isn’t as tight, making it easier to sneak in, steal a plane and get out just as swiftly.
Japanese WWII Base
Located on a remote island which the locals believe is home to the ghosts of cannibals, this crumbling relic from WWII features an electromagnetic pulse generator which blocks communications and brings down aircraft. Unfortunately the generator also blocks incoming transmissions so the assembled Japanese troops have no idea that the war ended years ago. For a group of men aged well over 100 years old they certainly put up a decent fight, and represent one of Just Cause 2’s most unusual enemies. You’ll need to conquer this spooky island in order to fulfil a mission for the dastardly Ular Boys, one of Panau’s most notorious criminal gangs.
Read the rest of our Just Cause 2 for Xbox 360 review
Just Cause 2 for Xbox 360 review: Overall verdict
Just Cause 2 for Xbox 360 review: Gameplay
Just Cause 2 for Xbox 360 review: Weapons and Vehicles
