Jagged Alliance 2

"Best game of it's year and one of the best strategy games ever"

Jagged Alliance 2

The idea of Jagged Alliance 2 may seem appropriate or even slightly convenient, but there is no way that it is an RPG like the game bills itself. It has certain traits of an RPG, such as hit points, NPC characters and development but the core of the game is hardcore strategy. Usually strategy games composes itself in too much complexity that it fears the worst possible; becoming just too boring. But Jagged Alliance 2 is compelling with the irresistable gameplay, slightly dramatic bordering on black comedy plot and an array of unique characters. The whole idea of this game seems unique and just adoring on paper. Playing this game becomes more and more of a treat by each minute turned to hour you play it.

Breaking through the concrete barriers of first perceptions, most games like Jagged Alliance confuse gamers and often pave the way for them to missunderstand the delights of modern strategy games; the fact that they roll so many aspects of genre's into one. This may very well be the reason why Jagged Alliance 2 reasons to be an RPG when it could be parading of it's other genre's it crosses into - and they pull it off tremendously well. The restriction being one fatal thing perhaps - the false advertising of the term RPG. While some believe it holds the defining qualities of the genre, some may actually purchase the game solely depending on it under the unaware pretention that it isn't. But the immediate reaction of Jagged Alliance should persuade anybody into instantly making this a personal classic.

A woman on valium has to be killed. Hire mercs from the internet and the rest is history.

Innovation is the main arsenal for the game, can you think of anything more appealing than to hire mercenaries off the internet with wacky personalities that form friendships and enemies amongst each other as well as the enemies you shoot?. Is there any more depth than to buy weapons from the internet, giving your mercs life insurance and sending flowers to the main antagonist for the reason to simply wind her up awful?. Or how about a game that competes to be the most explicit, outdoing Grand Theft Auto in the process?. A game with hardly any innibitions. Again, this all sounds immensly outstanding on paper but once you dive into Jagged Alliance, you'll find it plays a cameo role compared to the heaps of other things that make this game genius.

The main protaginist of this game is vague, and irrellevant to your goal of this journey. Original?. All that is known is that he's male and a commander or someone with extensive knowledge of war. You meet at a bar with a man named Enrico Chivaldori, who has informed you of the ruins his home country of Arulco lies in thanks to his ex wife and the ruler of Arulco, Queen Deidranna. Enrico pays you money to hire mercenaries and take back his country by liberating towns before getting to the capital of Meduna to combat the Queen. You find loyality and aid within the rebels of Omerta in Miguel Cordona, Enrico's best friend. You never see the character who is hiring the mercs, it is as if you are him as you control his laptop that screens everything. Supposedly, he is a third person while you carry out what he's supposed to be doing. This is never missed and hardly un noticed due to the fun and hardwork that is requried. Some consider this the RPG cross over, some don't.

Fidel doesn't have the brains to give himself a headache

Classic and immortal catchphrases come from your mercenaries, who are adorable in the insincerest way. They have nicknames summarising their personalities or backgrounds. "Cough up bunny balls" as spoken from the not so demure and potentially psychotic Norma "Meltdown" Jessop, who certainly ups the game for the womens liberation anyday. Also popular in the ridicule of ways was Biff Apscott, the cowardly merc who half of the A.I.M detest. "Looks like a carrot, fights like a p***y." is just one of many remarks you will be in hilarity at. The famous quotes are endless, and forever to be applauded at while the characters harbour more controversial opinions ahead.

Who dis Flo?. Should be housewife. Biff should be at home, lookin' after his mama.

One chore of this game is to get your mercs along. Basically this means you need to be aware that some characters don't get along and will refuse to renew contracts and throw hissy fits, decreasing their morale if they are placed in a squad or sector with someone they can't stand. This basically means unemployment for Biff and his girlfriend Flo. Obviously if someone has a problem with someone else, they will be outspoken about it but to avoid this, you should listen to their speech if you choose to talk to them. And the controversy arrives when each merc has their predujice about another nationality. Some will find it with no suprise that an American merc will detest a French merc. Nearly every nationality is targeted here, which brings up a subtext of hidden mockery at the world's current state. One classic example of this predujice would be "I hate everything Russian....apart from their whiskey." or something along the lines "Get those Russians off this team until they fix the vodka problem.". If you are after professionalism, then be tactful of who you put who with. And beware, racism, sexism and political incorrectness follows the stigma. Like stated, there are no innibitions in this game. Other than that, if you want good comical value, then put a group of people in a squad and hear them whine and gossip to you about one another and your ears shall be on fire.

Pricing is also vital to note. The mercs are hired through two internet organisations - A..I.M and M.E.R.C. For better performances, mercs but at the expense of cash upfront, A.I.M gives you the bigger and wider selection of mercenaries on a roster. M.E.R.C is the left overs company that let's you pay up your debt while giving you half rated mercs. The prices for each varies on their abilities and the salary for mercs rises by each attribute point they learn. For example, Gus Tarballs is above average in all departments, therefore making him the highest costing merc. While Michael "MD" Dawson is inexperienced, and less than great in every department giving him a much much more cheaper value. You can also hire mercs in Arulco, some will join for a certain amount of money and the four rebels will join for free when you take over more towns. Securing contacts can be chosen from a day, a week to two weeks. Once hired, you can keep adding days or weeks on depending on the mercs mood, and if they are indeed alive. Insuring them saves you money if they do die, and you're more likely to get a refund from A.I.M as well. In total, you can have three squads of six mercs totalling an allowance of eighteen mercs for you to hire.

When I'm finished with her, she's going to wish she checked into a beauty pageant.

The objective of Jagged Alliance would be to capture each town that is guarded with the Queen's militia. Each town has a loyalty percentage that rises with each victorious battle you achieve. If you choose to be lazy then the percentage will drop, lowering the town mine's income and your ability to hire mercs. If your percentage isn't over 20, then you can't train militia to guard your town from the Queen's further attempts to take back her liberated town. You need militia so you can progress on the map to other towns and feel secure in leaving your town unoccupied with your mercs but trained soldiers that will instead guard it for you. Each town has their uses - for example, Drassen would be your airport, where you can fly your mercs anywhere on the map (once you've taken over SAM sites) and San Mona would be the outlaw town, the "Las Vegas" of Arulco).

Elliot!, you idiot!. Send my troops to the location at once!!......As you wish your Highness.

There is great personal pride in capturing towns as you're treated to incontinece rendering cutscenes between Deidranna and her estranged assisstant Elliot each time you take something belonging to her. After the first few times, you expect her reaction but you're loving it all the same. Many gamers were humoured that Elliot goes through the most development in the course of the game - by the multiplying bruises applied to his face by Deidranna's very tongue in cheek slaps.

Guns + Psychos = a lot of dead people

Jagged Alliance offers you an explorative world of guns in your own contempt. There is an actual option to choose the vast amount of weapons that can be used in the game. And when you derive these weapons from the internet and dead soldiers, you'll be shocked at the gigantic selection that seems to be missing in other games. And each has their own pros and cons to help you select your weapon carefully.

The main interface of Jagged Alliance's success is the battles, which stir more than real emotions. You have your deadly music, surrounding you, warning you, ordering you, scaring you and forever haunting each course of action you take. The music somehow always makes sure that you're in disbelief at what could happen, and that each of your moves could be thwarted very easily - spilling the coppery blood of your mercenaries, who make remarks when they kill and enemy and dodge death, this is engrossing and very good because they feel what you feel.

The most fascinating subjection to the battles are the places you can fight. You can fight in the woods, desert, farms, towns and islands. And it's up to you to use the surroundings to shield the gunfire from the opponents. Stealth and survival are meshed into one big feat you desperately need to utilise as any item, building, structure, furniture can guard your merc from receiving a death blow shot to the head.

However, the enemy A.I is never merciful. In fact, in the early stages where you've snugged your merc behind a corner while each damned enemy runs past you and is shot heartilly to their deaths, you'll see that not always does this strategy work and you can be easily countered. With the mercs moving and shooting on A.P points that you need to ration, the enemies may realise that killing you isn't neccessary in one turn when they can pop out, shoot you, take health AND energy points from you in order to slow you down and prevent you from moving to a safe location to heal yourself or deliver more than one shot. And when Deidranna realises that more rebellion grows than the crow's nests near her eyes, she'll send out her best troops for the remaining towns, giving you a real scare when you find yourself no longer smug on the fact you've just found a shotgun when you're face to face with a LAW.

Another thing - your reputation is everything. When you see your merc take their last bullet and slump to the ground with the resonating blood pouring out suddenly, you will freeze in ice cold realisation "Oh my God, they're dead.". Yes, and they won't be coming back. One a merc dies and you see their face plate transform into a skull plate, you will be horrified and gutted. However, if you are not so careful and your mercs are dropping down faster than an harlot's knickers then you will find it near by impossible to replace them by hiring. The mercs will decline your offer.

Less is more?.

The graphic system is admittedly fundamentally budgetted and very basic, but you really wouldn't see anything else working for the game. They are small 3D combined in semi 2D graphics in places that show a good scale and prevent any sloppy camera angle. It's your typical PC strategy game overhead that should be accepted easily. The face panels of each character are interesting and lifelike that it only sketches more to what these people would be like if you were face to face with them. The small dosage of FMV we are given may be limited, but indeed impressive in technical terms with no glitches. But for people who crave deluxe, the graphics may churn some people off the game. It shouldn't however, if you are a true gamer and value gameplay over finesse.

The haunting effects.

Equally balanced in a mixed appreciation is the sound. The music has to be some of the best ever used in the game because of it's innovation for bringing you into the battlefield. There is a tiny qualm about Jagged Alliance's music and that's the fact that there's only two compositions. Yes, one for battle, and a plain normal one. Now, both are great tracks worthy to the game and they should distract you from noticing this for awhile - but more themes would have been more appreciative.

The voice acting is noticably a handful of people doing various characters. Not that it is a bad move, but a bizarre one. They bring each (and there are quite a bunch you know) character to life, especially in Deidranna and Elliot's case (the case of the witch and her useless aide). But bar that, the sound in general is sloppy and glitchy, with the voices sounding trembling. I've heard that there are a few games infected with this and have needed a patch to sort it out. Not fair Talonsoft, could treat us very much better.

The game of the year.

Jagged Alliance 2 is never once boring or cliched and brings a whole new lease of life to the strategy genre. It is original and enticing from the mere look of it. With the endless ways to win battles, strategies that can be replayed and moderated bolted on with the use of lot's of characters who all have their own say in the matter, the game is one of the funniest and enjoyable games made, especially for it's genre that is stereotypically serious. It may seem lighthearted, but underneath the uncomplicated gameplay lies a subtext of black humour and outrageous behaviour that is rarely accomodated in video games. The game just has charisma. I see no reason for people to hesitate buying this game, especially strategy gamers. You won't regret it in months to come.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/04