Jagged Alliance 2

'Jagged Alliance' and it's multiplayer expansion kit 'Deadly Games' has built up quite a cult following with tactical and role-playing gamers over the years, 'Jagged Alliance 2' is no exception, using a familiar (and now proven) game structure, competent graphics and clever use of sound and speech.

Beside combat, gameplay is fleshed out with roleplaying encounters, which add dedicated assignments and tasks linked with the characters (both hospitable and argumentative) that you meet on the way, while a solid storyline unfolds the more you progress and explore further into the game. Progress and development is also another strong and important element of the game with the player able to strengthen his team through experience on the field and training, and the opportunity to acquire funding for better Mercenaries, weaponry, armour and other factual hardware, of which there is a wide choice, which adds a welcoming attention to detail.

Hardcore tactical gamers will delight in the array of options available while players new to the genre should have no problem getting to grips with the controls as the interface is not as daunting as it may first appear. Sir Tech keeps things informative with many features but without bogging down the player with unnecessary clutter.

For some, Jagged Alliance's game style maybe a little dated, (especially in these intensely 3-D biased times) and there's no denying anybody who has played 'Sabre Team', 'Breach' or the classic 'X-Com' will find themselves in familiar isometric surroundings. Jagged Alliance expands on this, adding more depth, more realism, and a healthy dose of talented voice acting which add a huge amount of life to the proceedings, elevating the game from simply good to one of the best of it's kind.

This game has a lot going for it, but the unusable interface is beyond belief. I find myself asking questions like "why won't the grenade I threw explode?" and "I'm 6 feet away from this guy with a healthy character and full magazine, so why won't my cursor highlight him so I can shoot him?" to the point where the challenge of the game becomes more about overcoming the clueless interface feedback than actual squad tactics. It's sort of an exercise in programming and systems troubleshooting, sort of like learning for the first time how to set up a wireless router with password security so it works with both PCs and Macs - only at the end of all your hard work you've learned how to play Jagged Alliance 2 instead of garnering any marketable skills. When games like Total Annihilation were out two years before this one (I know it's a very different type of game, but there are still a lot of relevant lessons to be learned from the interface design) even the "but it was 1999" excuse becomes flimsy

This is, without reservation, the finest computer game to date. Non-linear, full of personality, and ready for anything you might think of to do, Jagged Alliance 2 really satisfies the gaming hunger.

The premise of JA2 is the conquering of a small nation, sector by sector, with the intention of restoring the rightful ruler to power. The deposed ruler hires you, a mercenary, to do the job. Your mission entails recruiting additional mercs, managing resources, and interacting with multiple NPC's.

The level of detail includes over 10,000 spoken lines of dialogue, individual personalities for each merc (some get along well - some hate each other), many various items of ordinance (LAWS, grenades, rifles, SMG's, LMG's, explosives, TNT, detonators, shotguns, mortars, pistols, and most types of ammunition), and a realistic physics engine for them to play with.

I am hoping that things will get even better with the up coming JA:UB and JA3. The JA series is tried and true and each one is better than the last. Great job, Sir-tech.

This game is a turn based tactical combat/rpg game. If you liked classics like X-Com, Fallout, Fallout Tacticsth en you'll love this game!! The graphics may be a bit dated, but I'm still addicted to its AWESOME gameplay. This game is one of those few gems that comes along once or twice a lifetime!!!

You're a mercenary commander who is hired to take back the island of Arulco which is being run by a dictator. You get to hire your own team of mercenaries each with their own set of special skills and weapons. The purpose of the game is to take back the island one sector at a time and earning money by taking over mines so you can hire more mercs. Each of the mercenaries have their own personality. I keep hearing Steroieds say "I see da evil peoples", or Hamous saying "Goodbye naughty man" after he finishes off a bad guy :-) This game has everything, customizable guns, quests, combat, strategy, gore, etc...

In summary if you're sick of all of the crappy games that are being published, and you want to try something different then this game is for you.

10/10

Once more it is proven that gameplay is far more important than graphics or sound: this game will fit right in with classics such as Civilization, X-com and The Operational Art of War, where most of the work has indeed gone into gameplay.

But even though the game runs well on low-end systems such as my own P120, it does have good cosmetics as well: the graphics may not be very detailed but the animations are smooth, and the sound is a thrilling combination of a blood-pumping martial music score and lively voice acting.