Jagged Alliance II - Good Squad Game!

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If you like turn=based tactical combat with a group of roughneck gun slingers and some RPG elements thrown in, this game is for you. I recently purchased it at my adjacent EB store for $7.99 and man am I surprised. I've played every X-Com and this game is right up there. You hire mercenaries to help take over a country ruled by some wench who is the wife of the person who has hired you. Silly yes, but the gameplay is flawless. You have a handy dandy labtop computer which you can surf the net and hire these fine mercs. You can also order flowers. Basically you start a war which envolves killing the bad guys (in this case their the military), secure cities and train militia to defend the cities you liberate. If not the enemy army will reclaim it. To fund this mad event you have to hold the natural resources which are ore mines.

Combat has all the standard stuff: you can run/walk, stand/crouch/prone, fire a single shot/burst. You can even climb on roofs or shoot through windows. I like to launch mad pincher movements. Two guys on both sides of a building, a guy going inside the building, and a guy on the roof.

I recommend this game to squad lovers and even fans of fallout. Go get it and post stuff here.

 

The idea was good, but it fell when the game became overly unrealistic. And no, I'm not talking about the sci-fi mode. Combining realism with non-realism is always a bad idea, I could mention a dozen example but as I remember only three (Max Payne, CS, JA2), they'll have to suffice.

Jagged Alliance 2 is real fun in the beginning. I've started it over numerous times, but right after getting a hold of a few towns, it gets boring. The fights get less tactical, the enemies cheat more (the classical "oo I shoot you in de head wit me pistol and you can't even hit me in de chest wit your rifle with your marksmanship of perfect, ha!"... or insert any other event with any other maxed out player skill vs computer cheat), and the realism gets lessened down to the point where you pump up an enemy full of lead with your full-automatic shotgun from point blank range, he takes the hit, and turns and shoots your head out.

Also, the graphics are severely outdated. I don't know why exactly, but I find the graphics of UFO: Enemy Unknown less disturbing than the ones in JA2.

I'm waiting eagerly for the 3:rd part though. Even though I've no idea of the financial success JA2 has had, it does enjoy a quite good reputation though so I'd imagine someone was interested. For all I know, there might already be some official information of a sequel being done out there. A friend of mine acts as an administrator in the official JA2 boards, but I haven't heard nor followed any news of it for 2 years.

Multiplayer would be really good though. With sort of an "initiative" system. So that every player would build their own characters much in the same fashion as you do in the singleplayer mode. Then you could play either against other players or (preferably) as co-op against the computer. Just limit the time allowed per "turn" so that no-one could take more than what is absolutely needed. That'd be nice. I loved playing both UFO:s as a hotseat session with this friend of mine, and in a working realistic world this could be even more intriguing.

[ June 25, 2003, 14:50: Message edited by: Foradasthar ]

 

I've played my cousins JA2 to death
Unfortunately he lost it, so I have to buy it somewhere.
It is a very cool game though and I eagerly look forward to part three.

 

Part of the problem with JA2 is that the enemy knows *exactly* what the chances of a hit are. Like in Panzer General 2, when you mouse over a unit, and you see the expected losses on your side and the enemy's side. Precision. And the militia are right next to worthless.

Like in Fallout1, at the end levels, with your team mates. They serve as extra targets. So the chances of the enemy aiming at you (much less, hitting you) are not 100%.

I guess our militia were kind of like that in the American Revolution. But it's kind of frowned upon to say it like that...

JA2 is a really awesome game, if you cheat. I have put a serious amount of time in on JA2, and it is certainly still in my main cd game case. I usually end up loading it up at least once a year, and nailing down 16 to 20 hours of gameplay on it.

Xcom1, Xcom3, Fallout1, Jagged Alliance2. All of these had excellent gameplay.

 

I have JA2 since it came out and I still plays it. The game is good, I usually ends up with my IMP, Danny and Reaper. This IS a great game.