ONE of my very favourite games of all time is Jagged Alliance 2, a combination turn-based/real-time tactical game which put you in charge of a squad of mercenaries trying to liberate the fictitious country of Arulco from a dictator.
What made the game stand out was that each of its mercenaries had individual personalites – some wouldn’t work with others, some were married to each other, some were pyschos, some were cold professionals, and most of them were very entertaining in their own way.
It was an amazing game, but it also came out in 1998(!) and people have spent the past 20-odd years trying to recapture its magic.
THQ Nordic have shown off a trailer for the sequel, Jagged Alliance 3 (being developed by Haemimont Games) at GamesCom in Germany, and I am officially very excited for the game now.
The mercs shown in the video are all from the earlier Jagged Alliance games, including fan-favourites Ivan and Tex, and it looks like the spirit of the tactical combat (as well as the many, many guns) that made Jagged Alliance and Jagged Alliance 2 so good are absolutely back for the third iteration in the series.
Per the official website:
Grand Chien, a nation of rich natural resources and deep political divides, is thrown into chaos when the elected president goes missing and a paramilitary force known as “The Legion” seizes control of the countryside. Now, the President’s family has pulled together all their resources, including an arrangement with the powerful Adonis corporation, to hire a group of skilled mercenaries tasked with finding the President and bringing order back to the country.
In Jagged Alliance 3, select from a huge cast of mercenaries all with their own unique personalities, quirks, and backstories. Then go out and explore Grand Chien as you meet new people, earn money, grow your team, and ultimately make your own decisions that will decide the country’s fate.
I haven’t been genuinely excited about an upcoming game in ages, so am really looking forward to this one – it’ll be out on PC “Soon”.
In the meantime, Jagged Alliance 2 Gold Edition is available on Steam for less than AUD$5 until August 23 – so if you haven’t played it, now is your chance. It really is extremely good, even all these years after it was released.
