Jagged Alliance 2

"My gun is primed. I have a target in my sights, as I hide behind a low brick wall, seeing him through the window of a run-down home. He's wielding a rifle in his hands, unaware of me, though he looks menacing and tough. I know he has buddies nearby whether in the building or outside, but I snuck up close enough to let my pistol do the talking when I engage him. I'm not alone though; I have two buddies close by with a clear view of the house, a third on a flat roof nearby with a sniper rifle in hand that is aimed at the front door, and two more around the side of building behind me, covering our flank with assault rifles, and ready for action. I take a shot at my intended target, miss, and alert my enemy, who takes advantage of the moment to fire off a shot at me and get out of my sights, thinking I'm the only one there. Fortunately, he moves into the line of sight of one of my guys, who fires off their sub-machine gun in two separate bursts, getting decent hits and felling him, yet even as he does, I know I took a shot, and soon, I will bleed until the sector is cleared, as my team's sniper catches sight of someone trying to escape the front, to which he opens fire. Thus the battle truly has begun to liberate this small town..."

A probable scenario, but one you might encounter in perhaps a classic strategy title that has all the flares of a great game for the PC from the 90s. Jagged Alliance 2 is truly a good masterpiece, and even after 15 years, where you can pick it up from Steam, it is still a noteworthy game to play, and a true classic from its creation. Nothing can truly immerse you in a vibrant world of towns, jungles, mines, desert, coastline, swamps and bases anymore, than this game.

The game's story is a simple enough affair. Set some time after the mercenaries of AIM liberated an island and provided it's unique sap to treat many across the world, this time there is trouble a-brewing in the small country of Arulco. A former self-sufficient farming region, the country has been wrecked badly by its dictator, the ruthless Dreidranna, who has forced many to mine the ground for gold and silver to line her pockets and fund her army and various weapon projects. Hired by the country's deposed leader to work with a resistance movement in Arulco, the player will form teams of mercenaries (up to a maximum of 18), send them off to liberate areas, fight hostiles, train militia and fellow members, make money from bounty hunting and owning the country's mines, patch up items and personnel, explore the terrain one sector at a time, complete work for various people, and ultimately hit the country's capitol and eliminate the dictator.

The game blends many good elements of strategy with a nice RPG feel to it, and plenty of moments when the player must use tactics and various methods to deal with hostiles; not just human enemies, but sometimes wildlife and more. Along the way, their are various people to meet and greet, help out, recruit, and even buy and sell supplies to. It's truly a game to enjoy. First things, first... what are the bad points to it? Well...

1. The sound of the guns in the game, do seem quite unrealistic, even after so long.
2. There are some issues you experience which can dampen the game a bit.
3. The graphics after 15 years are a little dated by now.

But beside these points, it's still a fun and good game to enjoy. The good points to it, justify buying this and trying it out, if you haven't played this series before, or are a fan and want a bit of a nostalgia run on it...

1. The story is nicely done, and you feel so much a part of it, working to liberate each area. The small cutscenes at the palace between Dreidranna and her advisor Elliot are really good and provide good humour too.
2. The mercenaries are nicely designed, not only in looks but personality. Hearing a merc compliment another for a good bit of work, or hearing them complain about another is a nice touch, while some lines are purely amusing and funny, like how Steroid mentions when you want to hire him from AIM, that he is "unavoidable". Really funny and enjoyable, these characters make you feel for them when they fight, get injured and, if it happens, die.
3. The controls and interface are easy to use, and the keyboard shortcuts make it a game that can be played with no fuss or difficulty.
4. The music is a little dated, but gives a nice atmosphere in places, whether moving about, or fighting a group of enemies.
5. The side jobs you do are nicely designed and provide a nice little bit of work to do while working on liberating an area.
6. Combat is nicely handled, and the battles feel nicely done, with the difficulty settings well designed, allowing a novice to play well to get use to it.
7. The replay value is nicely done; certain people can be somewhere else, you can design a custom merc in a different way for a second run, and you can always try liberating areas in a different order.
8. The Sci-Fi Mode is a nice touch, adding something new and giving you more to do while working on the main job. The *hostiles* this mode provide are certainly a nice touch.

Overall, Jagged Alliance 2 really is a fun and enjoyable game to own. I recommend playing it if you love tactical games and also enjoy using different strategies as well.

I score this as 9/10. "Fun, enjoyable... I am glad I bought it from Steam. Playing this again, it just feels so great to own it and enjoy it like anything I played in the 90s. Even if I did cheat on Jagged Alliance 2 when it first came out, and never played the first one of the series... Still... Really can immerse yourself in this, and feel like you are some tactical genius." - Reviewer's Last Words.