In order to unlock missions, players must create chaos throughout the military controlled region of Panau once a set amount of chaos has been created, CIA operative Rico Rodriguez, who returns from the first title, can take on missions for any of the game's three rebel factions or the Agency itself (the latter progresses the game's story while the former act as mandatory experience missions). Yes, you can explore any part of the multi-islanded region that comprises the game world, but the missions in Just Cause 2 are so rigidly structured that the 'sandbox' nature of the campaign comes across as nothing more than an obvious attempt to artificially lengthen the heavy-handed storyline.

Just Cause 2 is ostensibly an 'open-world' game but that's an incredibly ill-fitting description for what is a very linear experience. It's used to describe almost any game that allows players to decide their own progression path within a wide-open area. The term 'open-world' is used far too liberally these days.

Just cause 2 faction choice