Such a great potential ruined with less than mediocre output and lack of finishing touch
Good :
- Excellent combat engine, best to date in my opinion.
- Lots of weapons and stuff and never-seen-before things
- Quite realistic occasionally
- Many good ideas and improvements to the genre
Bad/Worse :
- Graphics are mostly outdated, except for weapons
- Lacks in story, if there is even one
- Some bugs and some irritating coding issues
- Quest information is sometimes quite vague
- Most likely we ain't gonna be getting any more updates etc.
Neutral :
- Music isn't great, but personally it rarely bothers me
- Can be very hard and unforgiving, but still doable (after a few tries)
- Gun sounds. They vary enough, but I guess you could say something is still missing
- A.I can be challenging at times, but sometimes still works as a complete idiot
The Long Story(tm) :
Jagged Alliance in real time? Could it be this surprise- and unhyped game? Well, the answer would be 'no'.
I don't know where to begin. Brigade E5 creates so much mixed emotions. It's quite good, but still quite bad and under the par we'd expect new games to be like. Take graphics for example : in pictures it looks horrible and if I'd have to guess, I'd date them to the end of 90's or so. However, the character animation is good enough and it the weapon models balance it a bit. While textures are gruesome and bland, I'd still have to say that placing of surroundings are well done, the villages seem like villages and not just set of scattered houses along the sector somewhere. But graphic-wise there's nothing to cheer about.
But thank god, the combat-engine is tight. Instead of turn-based point-system, everything happens in real time (altough you can control the time's speed), so actions cost time instead of points. As with previous installments of realtime combat, this brings certain things possible, and it makes combat look bit more real and makes it more complex. Do I have time to shoot this guy, or does he get me first?
Movement is pretty much what we've gotten used to lately; your guys can walk, run in two speeds (jogging or something and full speed), crouch in two speeds and move via prone. Different moving styles consume different amount of energy, ie. if you run all you can, you will go fast but won't last for long. Also, you can move with your gun pulled up, meaning that your time to aim is shortened since you're already more ready to fire. This however consumes energy and cannot be used endlessly, which is only a good thing. Your guys also strafe on walk and crouching positions, use ladders and so on. Additionally, some new stuff is introduced, such as a quick turn-around around the corner, which can replace the strafing. This can be very usefull wether there is somebody or not waiting you to come, since, again, your aiming time is shortened if you've put your weapon ready. Also, while prone, you can roll (like strafing) on ground.
Sadly due half-assed coding, these do not always work in spots you'd expect'em to. Roll-around the corners works around 90% of the time (altough the cursor has to be put waaaaay further than you'd expect), but rolling on ground works maybe 50% of the times you try it, or less. Most of these cases happen when your near some obstacle, and it doesn't matter if it really is on your way or not. This can really piss you off, if you can't do a roll, but you have to turn your side towards a possible enemy to get to wanted position.
There's so much to say about all the stuff you can have, so I'll separate it to weapons and other stuff.
For weapons, I have to say that there's a huge amount of them. Jagged Alliance's and Co have had plenty of weapons to go with, but Brigade E5 blows the bank by introducing a good variety of bullet-throwers. As somekind of an example, I think there's like maybe six or seven shotguns and a few automatic shotguns, and almost all of'em are combat-versions of the models. Happen to know the G36 -assault rifle? Well, so far I've encountered four different kinds of G36-series rifle's. Same with MP5's, there's at least MP5SD, original model and one with folding butt, plus MP5K and MP5K-PDW. Of course, there's always something to add to the store when it comes to guns, but this has to be enough at least.
Depending on the model of the weapon, certain equipment can be attached to your weapon to enchance the shooting experience. This includes scopes of many kind, bipods, bayonets, laser sights, tactical lighting, grenade launchers and even a shotgun under your barrell (not that this would be unheard of, but it's the first time I've seen it in a game) and of course silencers. As an extra-fine detail, not every add-on fits to every gun. WR-railing required only fit to one's with WR-rails (well duh) and so on, which adds more precious feeling to your weapon when you've finally managed to find that long sought after scope or similar.
Information about weapons are good too. You can see the time it takes to shoot with it, time it takes to ready it, how scarce are the ammunition etc, the damage in numbers, chart how well it actually works and how far, etc. This gives you a good idea about the real potential of the weapon you're holding.
As a great addition, now it makes a difference wether your weapons butt is foldable or not, because when you fold it, it takes less space, making some weapons possible to fit into slots that have room for a pistol-sized object at best. MP5K and MP5K-PDW along with smaller Uzi's are prime example about this. Also, since people tend to have two hands, you can now put away the gun to hang onto your shoulder. This provides a perfect way to put a gun and grab a grenade or something, since the shoulder works nearly instantly, compared to going to grab the gun from your backpack or something.
Also, as a prime example about small ideas, we can now do dual-clips with certain clip-types by using ductape to hold'em together. It took 10 years to get someone actually do this in to a game. Grenades also come in various versions, from offensive and defensive grenades to smoke- and stun grenades. There's also some throwing knives and just plain knives available for using, but I personally don't have much experience about'em, since I tend to finish unconscious opponents just by beating and kicking'em to death (yes, I'm such a charmer, aren't I).
For gear, some massively fine ideas have been included. First off, you start with just your shoulders (for bigger weapons than handguns) and your pockets, that you can fit a pistol into at max. There are few ways to increase the space. You can do that with vest with pockets, a backpack and a belt, where you can add some sort of bigger pocket or two, depending on the belt type. And of course, the time to pick items varies depending where you are fetching it, so putting spare clips to your backpack along with grenades isn't really the best idea.
Generally speaking there should be enough space to put stuff into, usually your guy's weight limit comes across faster than you'd be out of space in your inventory with full gear.
Also, a few different kinds of protective gear are available, namely a vest and a helmet (which due some gender discriminating bug doesn't fit for women), that give you moderate shielding, but definetely do not make you invulnarable, since they mostly block shots only from front, if even from there.
I mentioned ductape and grenades, but there is more. Different kind of mine's, claymore's with remote detonators, tripwire's, gun cleaning kit (yes, your weapons get dirty and might jam, instead of just plain wearing from use), different sets of medical supplies and so on.
As another fantastic small idea, the game introduces something as simple as clips to weapons. No longer you order full clips of ammunition from store and get rid of'em after use. Now, you need to have clips to put the ammo into, unless you like to spend a lot of time during battle by inserting ammunition to your empty clip. A great detail that adds sense of realism and does indeed make a difference.
Combat is generally fun, and by generally I mean there are still some annoying bugs and things, and it can be really difficult at times.
First of all, I've never gotten very used to how the camera pans. I think they should have spent a bit more time with it, and not let the blind guy from Bangladesh do it. Also the camera doesn't always let you see properly, because it gets stuck on buildings and tree's instead of going through them. Same thing with the battlefield : since it ends to emptiness that could be considered as a wall, having your guys next to that sector line and looking outward from behind their backs is nigh impossible to do, because the camera doesn't bend or go further away from the playground. But thankfully, all this can be somewhat work out somehow and you can still enjoy the game despite this obvious flaw.
Your mercenaries can fire a few different kind of shots. Normal shot and aimed are the two options you have always available. Also there can be a sort of a hip-shot, that's fast but only accurate in short range, so it's good enough for sudden surprises etc. Also, both single and bursts are included in all shot modes. Some weapons have also their proper burst limiters (for example MP5's to three shots, G36's to two, etc) as an option instead of full burst. Additionally, if I'm not mistaken, when taking a full burst, it also shows the odds of shots hitting (9 of 10, etc), which can give you a rough idea what should be happening.
With aimed shot, you can aim also other spots than just body. These include legs, left and right arm and head, with proper results (shoot a good enough shot to legs -> immobilized, and to hand(s) -> weapons flies off). Naturally, headshots tend to be lot more dangerous one's than bodyshots, but you can still die from even one proper bodyshot while wearing the armor. There lies one fine factor in this game, a notch towards realism. Nobody, not even your own guys, can withstand a critical hit in body or head -area, it's pretty much an automatic instant kill. This is also great, because you may not have to shoot more than once each guy, giving that the shoot is good enough.
One thing that is very combat related feature, is your character and their skills. Skills go up by doing the respective skills, and the higher the skill, the better the guy is doing that skill. But, Brigade introduces us a heartbeat, which has a direct effect on what you are doing and how well you might be doing it. Heartbeat makes possible to actually do the longwaited suppressing fire, because when you get fired upon and you are not a complete hard-boiled soldier, your heartbeat tends to rise and your shooting goes somewhat down the drain. Also, from certain events, such as a grenade exploding in range etc, you might go to a short-period shock, and depending on your merc's gunfight -skill (which controlls the coolness under fire I think), you can snap out of it quick or stay in panic and not be able to hit anything. Pretty amazing thing really, but also such a frustrading feat if your mercenaries have low skill in gunfight. Only option then is to back off to cover and cool down and/or wait there.
Why is combat so hard then? Well, it's mostly because sometimes A.I gets lucky and/or just works intelligently enough. They throw grenades after certain point in the game and force you to flee away from'em, etc. A.I isn't great, but it does somewhat the same moves that you can, do you can expect to see opponents come around corners and roll on ground just like you do, just maybe not as often. Also, they seem to know that you get better shots while prone, and like to take'em. They do, however, come like pigs to slaughter through the door if that's the way in, so nothing spectacular in it, yet nothing we hadn't seen before.
By "A.I getting lucky" I mean the frustrading lucky shots they get. Sure, sun shines occasionally even to dogs a...rear, but it starts to get on your nerves when your guy with HK G3 -rifle with scope and bipod is prone on the ground shooting but can't get good hits, and he get's a shot in the head or body that instantly kills him, and it came from like a guy with a shotgun 50 meters away, ie. beyond 'ghostly' in hit possibility. Also, at certain positions near a corner, you can see the guy, the guy can see you and can shoot you, but you can't shoot him. So basically the game mechanics ruin some of it, because it makes no clear information wether the guy is going to hit the wall he's being next to or not. I mean, I'm no gun expert, but I would propably know if I'm going to be able to shoot the guy or the wall that is next to me.
That's pretty much for the gameplay. The story of the game goes that you sign up to some party (NDF as goverment, smugglers or rebels) and do missions for'em, so there is no Jagged Alliance like of controlling sectors and advancing gradually. Sure, the situation lives a bit and some depot's and towns change "owner" sometimes, but it takes quite an effort for you just to demolish the opposition right away.
The missions are pretty much of the basic pattern of "go there and kill this guy/these guys". Couple of different kinds of "go talk to this guy" are available too, but it's pretty plain really. And usually the payment is not in par with the effort really. Getting 5,000$ for killing over 20 soldiers with two merc's doesn't really seem worth it, but you can get some money off of the scrounged stuff from the field. To help you carry all this and move around, there's a few different types of vehicles for you to buy and drive around with, and also store gear. This becomes great help of emptying sectors of stuff after fight, since your merc's can only carry so much. As a neat little detail, you can point a driver for your car, so only the driver looses energy while driving.
So, is the game any good? Yes, definetely worth a try, but a classic game, no. It has great amount of new ideas, brilliant combat and lots of stuff to play and dress up your merc's with, but all this is hampered by half-assed release and the lack of final touch. Getting over the poor graphics wouldn't be a big step if the game would be otherwise flawless or close to it, but since for other than combat it's very plain (no character development of anykind really) and it still has some annoying and gameplay-effecting bugs, so it lands quickly to bargain-bin and propably people will never pick it up even from there, which is a huge loss to people who love the genre.
I hope the sequel of Brigade E5, called '7.62', will be done and released in proper manner worldwide, since the developers certainly showed that they CAN do a good game with fresh and new things when they want to.