Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire confirmed; exclusive details inside

Publisher Strategy First has officially announced that Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire, a new follow-up to the acclaimed strategy game, is in development at i-Deal Games.

Like the original game, Wildfire takes place in the fictitious and war-torn country of Arulco, whose once-booming precious-metal export business is now being used as a cover-up for the nation's new underground economy: drug trafficking. And as was the case in the original, you play as a mercenary commissioned to clean out Arulco; this time, you're up against drug dealers and corrupt politicians. You're hired by the North American Drug Agency and you're able to solicit help from A.I.M., the private organization of elite military mercenaries that appeared in the previous games.

Wildfire will include a number of new features and additions, including tweaks to weapons, terrain, missions, and artificial intelligence. The new game will feature a tougher challenge from smarter enemies who guard their installations with minefields, guard towers, perimeter lighting, and alarms. Wildfire will also include improved sub-quests to perform during specific missions, as well as more-realistic weapon modeling. The new game will also feature a host of new real-world weapons, including the USP, Uzi, UMP, MP5A, Mini-30, HK33, G36, MP7, MSG90, AN-94, RPK, V-94, VAL, and the VSS.

Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2004, and will include the full version of the original Jagged Alliance 2. The game will ship with a price point of $19.99.