JA2: Unfinished Business Screens and Details

Yesterday, Interplay announced that it has acquired the rights to Sir-tech's Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business. Originally intended as an expansion pack to last year's turn-based tactical combat game, Unfinished Business is now being marketed as a stand-alone product. Unlike Jagged Alliance 2, which featured a complex strategic overview concept in addition to the tactical combat, Unfinished Business will focus on a more linear progression of events. The game won't be as open-ended, but this will let it have a more detailed story and will also emphasize the combat rather than the strategic management.

Unfinished Business takes place on the fictional island of Arulco, soon after the events of Jagged Alliance 2. The island is now being threatened by The Ricci Mining and Exploration Company, a veritable dictatorship that's trying to wrest control of the island's resources by violent means. That's where you come in. As in previous Jagged Alliance games, Unfinished Business lets you hire from a pool of mercenaries, including expert killers, aspiring novices, and loose cannons looking to make a buck. The game features an interface that's a mock web browser with links to two mercenary services, A.I.M. and M.E.R.C. These services offer a number of different individuals for hire, each with his or her own distinct specialty, personality, and cost. Your first order of business will be to decide which mercenaries you want working for you, and Unfinished Business features many of the old favorites as well as ten all-new mercenaries to choose from.

Soon after you select your squad, you'll quickly find yourself isolated near the town of Tracona. You'll need to have your mercs fight their way to town, and from there, you can mount your operation to overthrow The Ricci Company.

Unfinished Business recycles much of the graphics, sound effects, and gameplay of Jagged Alliance 2. As such, the game doesn't look particularly modern. However, the detailed characters and highly sophisticated turn-based small arms combat transcend the game's technical shortcomings. Slated for release next month, Unfinished Business will be suitable for Jagged Alliance 2 fans as well as those as yet unfamiliar with the highly acclaimed series. Stay tuned for GameSpot's full preview of Unfinished Business.