Jagged Alliance 2 Explained

Jagged Alliance 2 is a turn-based tactical squad game, with a twist: you can also go real-time.

Now I'll admit, I have never tried the real-time confirmation mode, but when you see the trouble you go through in turn-based mode, I cannot believe that real-time would bring anything but anguish to the casual gamer. This game is not for those who play with their brain disconnected. It is a game of evaluation, planning and precision. If you just move your mercs all over the place, you'll be returning to the hiring page quite often.

That being said, if you have never played XCom or Battle Isle: Incubation, you still do not know what it is about. Being brief, any squad-oriented turn-based game gives you a group of characters (1 to 6 typically, sometimes much more) and lets you decide where they go, how they get there (walking, running, crouching or crawling) and what they do when they get there (look around, shoot, blow something up, . . .).

Of course, visuals play a part, but what we are most interested in in this type of game is the amount of interaction that comes with the game engine. If you can take your squad around very pretty and detailed areas, but you cannot order them to pick up anything or blow up something else than the elements that are scripted in the mission, then it is not really fun. JA2 lets you play with dozens of weapons and a few type of explosives. The explosives are not limited to being placed in specific locations, you can blow up almost anything. I have blown trees apart, blown holes in walls, even blown up whole buildings. The only thing the game does not allow you to do is blow up mining tunnels. You can always place the charges, but the walls will not cave in and you won't get an easy way out of tight place.

The weapons seem accurate enough; a handgun is much less precise than an assault rifle, but you can put a silencer on a handgun. You can place a scope on the larger weapons, and you can even add laser sights on all weapons. Take an assault rifle with scope, laser sight and bipod, lay the merc down and let him go with controlled bursts. Watch him score huge amounts of damage, even if he is not the best shot in town. Take away the bells & whistles and your merc is left with his marksmanship as sole basis for scoring. He will score less, a lot less.

However, not all is left to percentages and characteristics. You also have a number of action points, which determine how much a merc can do in the turn. Even without scope et al., if you use more points than the minimum for a shot, the aim will be better and the chances to hit are increased.

The various stances that are possible, the sheer amount of weaponry available as well as the range of actions allowed amount to a great tactical experience, albeit a slow one. You can, of course, take risks and have your mercs charge through firefights like in the movies. You'll most probably see them drop like flies, though. Patience and tactics are much more rewarding in the long run. The game really does encourage you to work in teams, one merc moving, the other covering him. Your mercs will last longer if you place them in stealth mode when danger lurks, since they will hear the enemy before the enemy hears them. Your mercs will grow tired less quickly if you move them bit by bit, instead of making them run all the time.

Really, this game is worth it. It contains the trade-offs that seem to belong to true combat (hey, I've never been in a war, but this does feel like the real thing). Group your firepower and you take down your enemies more quickly, but you are more vulnerable to losing mercs to a well-placed mortar shell or a mustard grenade. Load them down with ammo and they'll outlast any opponent, but they'll also tire much more quickly and move slower.

A kind word must also be put in for the story in the game, that changes slightly if you play in real mode or in sci-fi mode.