Rating: 
Summary: Five Reasons Why JA2 Deserves Five Stars
Review: 1) It's a wonderfully multi-layered strategy game. Everything from the position of each merc in a battle, to the level of confidence the citizens place in you, to the training and progress of your mercs -- and much more -- is carefully balanced. It's amazing, actually, how delicately fine-tuned the game is. None of your myriad concerns obscure any of the others, and each is dealt with in a level of detail appropriate to it. They intertwine smoothly, both requiring and rewarding a balanced, flexible approach. 2) The available mercs (there are plenty to choose from) are quite distinct, each with his/her own abilities, face, personality, voice, and play-affecting quirks. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, and an area where JA2 markedly outshines the rest of the strategy genre -- yes, including X-Com -- and, in fact, much of the RPG genre. Every bit of dialog in the game is spoken aloud, and you'll likely find yourself laughing out loud frequently at the things that will pop out of your mercs' mouths. Most game situations draw from a basic set of responses (many of which are still quite enjoyable), but it's fleshed out by a large amount of dialog that's custom-tailored for specific situations in the game (and for each individual merc). Sir-Tech went far beyond the minimum here. And yet the "personalities" aren't just for fun: they're also practical. You'll have no trouble with confusing your mercs with each other, and vocal cues can alert you if, for example, you've accidentally selected the wrong one. It's quite a good idea, actually, and I don't understand why more games haven't taken this approach. It's a fairly simple system that doesn't reach for the stars, but enhances the game considerably on many levels. 3) The game lets you develop your own strategies. For real. The items, skills, and actions can be combined flexibly, opening the possibilities up to include your own wild ideas, instead of limiting you to those "allowed" by the programmers. There's no satisfaction like coming up with an unusual solution for a tough situation, only to stare open-mouthed as the game actually lets you do it. (My stock response to questions from new players: "Try it.") Furthermore, JA2 is chock full of "Easter eggs". There's a wealth of clever responses waiting for anyone who's crazy enough to do the ridiculous things that "normal people" wouldn't think of.(cough) 4) The learning curve is rather easy for a game this complex. Don't get me wrong -- there's plenty to learn, and it will take a while before you've discovered all of the details you can manipulate. But while details abound, they never become cumbersome, and you don't need to master them all in order to play successfully. The controls are easy to learn, and delightfully smooth once you're familiar with them. Shortcuts, audiovisual cues, and intuitive alternate input methods abound. The interface is really quite impressive, especially given the number of different things you have to handle. Almost always, it actively assists your gameplay, instead of interfering with it -- and that's unusual in a game of this type. 5) There's something indefinable... something that keeps you on the edge of your seat, that makes you say "I'll just stay up a little bit longer", and leaves the taste of the game in your mouth well after you stop playing. It's not just the addictive quality of a well-designed strategy game. I don't know what it is, but it's frighteningly strong. (If I had a dime for every hour of sleep I've lost...) I cannot recommend this game highly enough. It is literally my favorite game I've encountered in the 15 years I've been playing computer games. I have a friend with no patience for turn-based strategy games (didn't even enjoy Civilization or Alpha Centauri); after much prodding, he reluctantly tried JA2, and much to his surprise (but not really to mine), he became thoroughly addicted, and has remarked repeatedly since what a fun, impressive game it is. I know that I can't stop playing it, and I've spent waaay too much time with it already in the past year+. Keep in mind, it's not easy. (There probably should be an easier level for new players -- even "novice" has plenty of tight spots.) But that is really the best part of all. It will give your brain a thorough workout, requiring careful planning, attention to detail, and lots of creativity. If you consider yourself intelligent and are looking for good brain-toys, you owe it to yourself -- bigtime -- to pick this one up. At the end of your struggle, your hard-won victory will truly be sweet. And then, of course, you'll have to start over, just so you don't have to stop playing it...
Rating:
Summary: Five Reasons Why JA2 Deserves Five Stars
Review: 1) It's a wonderfully multi-layered strategy game. Everything from the position of each merc in a battle, to the level of confidence the citizens place in you, to the training and progress of your mercs -- and much more -- is carefully balanced. It's amazing, actually, how delicately fine-tuned the game is. None of your myriad concerns obscure any of the others, and each is dealt with in a level of detail appropriate to it. They intertwine smoothly, both requiring and rewarding a balanced, flexible approach. 2) The available mercs (there are plenty to choose from) are quite distinct, each with his/her own abilities, face, personality, voice, and play-affecting quirks. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, and an area where JA2 markedly outshines the rest of the strategy genre -- yes, including X-Com -- and, in fact, much of the RPG genre. Every bit of dialog in the game is spoken aloud, and you'll likely find yourself laughing out loud frequently at the things that will pop out of your mercs' mouths. Most game situations draw from a basic set of responses (many of which are still quite enjoyable), but it's fleshed out by a large amount of dialog that's custom-tailored for specific situations in the game (and for each individual merc). Sir-Tech went far beyond the minimum here. And yet the "personalities" aren't just for fun: they're also practical. You'll have no trouble with confusing your mercs with each other, and vocal cues can alert you if, for example, you've accidentally selected the wrong one. It's quite a good idea, actually, and I don't understand why more games haven't taken this approach. It's a fairly simple system that doesn't reach for the stars, but enhances the game considerably on many levels. 3) The game lets you develop your own strategies. For real. The items, skills, and actions can be combined flexibly, opening the possibilities up to include your own wild ideas, instead of limiting you to those "allowed" by the programmers. There's no satisfaction like coming up with an unusual solution for a tough situation, only to stare open-mouthed as the game actually lets you do it. (My stock response to questions from new players: "Try it.") Furthermore, JA2 is chock full of "Easter eggs". There's a wealth of clever responses waiting for anyone who's crazy enough to do the ridiculous things that "normal people" wouldn't think of.(cough) 4) The learning curve is rather easy for a game this complex. Don't get me wrong -- there's plenty to learn, and it will take a while before you've discovered all of the details you can manipulate. But while details abound, they never become cumbersome, and you don't need to master them all in order to play successfully. The controls are easy to learn, and delightfully smooth once you're familiar with them. Shortcuts, audiovisual cues, and intuitive alternate input methods abound. The interface is really quite impressive, especially given the number of different things you have to handle. Almost always, it actively assists your gameplay, instead of interfering with it -- and that's unusual in a game of this type. 5) There's something indefinable... something that keeps you on the edge of your seat, that makes you say "I'll just stay up a little bit longer", and leaves the taste of the game in your mouth well after you stop playing. It's not just the addictive quality of a well-designed strategy game. I don't know what it is, but it's frighteningly strong. (If I had a dime for every hour of sleep I've lost...) I cannot recommend this game highly enough. It is literally my favorite game I've encountered in the 15 years I've been playing computer games. I have a friend with no patience for turn-based strategy games (didn't even enjoy Civilization or Alpha Centauri); after much prodding, he reluctantly tried JA2, and much to his surprise (but not really to mine), he became thoroughly addicted, and has remarked repeatedly since what a fun, impressive game it is. I know that I can't stop playing it, and I've spent waaay too much time with it already in the past year+. Keep in mind, it's not easy. (There probably should be an easier level for new players -- even "novice" has plenty of tight spots.) But that is really the best part of all. It will give your brain a thorough workout, requiring careful planning, attention to detail, and lots of creativity. If you consider yourself intelligent and are looking for good brain-toys, you owe it to yourself -- bigtime -- to pick this one up. At the end of your struggle, your hard-won victory will truly be sweet. And then, of course, you'll have to start over, just so you don't have to stop playing it...
Rating:
Summary: Great story, great gameplay, great game.
Review: Arulco is a tiny South American country that runs under the unique system of a democatic Monarchy...a family rules the throne, but every 10 years elections are held to assert their legitimacy. Enrico Chivaldori, trying to keep his family in power, took a wife, Deidranna Reitman, in order to boost his popularity as a candidate. Then everything began to tumble...
Deidranna killed Chivaldori's father and framed him through a large amount of circumstantial evidence. She turned him over to his political enemy, Miguel Cordona, in the hopes that Cordona would kill him, instead, they helped him flee. Deidranna has since turned the peaceful country of Arulco into a destitute land ruled by the whim of a rutheless dictator, acts of genocide are common, and anyone not of value of swiftly removed from the population...Now it is time to remove her.
A shadowy figure...you...meets with exiled Enrico Chivaldori in the Czech Republic, he explains what he wants you to do: build an army out of mercenaries, and topple Deidranna's regime. This shows how rich and deep the story is, but it would be irrelevant if the gameplay wasn't good. Thankfully, the game play is brilliant. Using an ingenious laptop interface, you take the money given to you by Chivaldori and hire the best mercenaries you can. You figh from town to town and in the rural areas, killing Deidranna's forces with firepower and tactics. This is no mere "shoot-em-up," the player must train militas, guard mines, take down SAM sites to clear the skies, make sure your mercs interact well, train your mercs,talk to characters, some of whom can be recruited to your cause, some of whom will attempt to kill you.
But you also get to take on Deidranna's forces with over 25 weapons and other items. There will be weapons you haven't seen and creatures native to Arulco (more so if you choose the Sci-Fi) option. Combat is great fun, and there is a lot of it. Moreover, the game is completely non-linear, so if you wish to make a run on the Capital City of Meduna and Deidranna herself only 2 hours into the game, by all means do so, just dont worry if you're sent back in a body bag. I can't reccomend this game highly enough...it has funny, interesting characters, outstanding gameplay, and a story that the game adheres to throughout the game, something that few games can claim credit to. Buy it, buy it now.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, great gameplay, great game.
Review: Arulco is a tiny South American country that runs under the unique system of a democatic Monarchy...a family rules the throne, but every 10 years elections are held to assert their legitimacy. Enrico Chivaldori, trying to keep his family in power, took a wife, Deidranna Reitman, in order to boost his popularity as a candidate. Then everything began to tumble...
Deidranna killed Chivaldori's father and framed him through a large amount of circumstantial evidence. She turned him over to his political enemy, Miguel Cordona, in the hopes that Cordona would kill him, instead, they helped him flee. Deidranna has since turned the peaceful country of Arulco into a destitute land ruled by the whim of a rutheless dictator, acts of genocide are common, and anyone not of value of swiftly removed from the population...Now it is time to remove her.
A shadowy figure...you...meets with exiled Enrico Chivaldori in the Czech Republic, he explains what he wants you to do: build an army out of mercenaries, and topple Deidranna's regime. This shows how rich and deep the story is, but it would be irrelevant if the gameplay wasn't good. Thankfully, the game play is brilliant. Using an ingenious laptop interface, you take the money given to you by Chivaldori and hire the best mercenaries you can. You figh from town to town and in the rural areas, killing Deidranna's forces with firepower and tactics. This is no mere "shoot-em-up," the player must train militas, guard mines, take down SAM sites to clear the skies, make sure your mercs interact well, train your mercs,talk to characters, some of whom can be recruited to your cause, some of whom will attempt to kill you.
But you also get to take on Deidranna's forces with over 25 weapons and other items. There will be weapons you haven't seen and creatures native to Arulco (more so if you choose the Sci-Fi) option. Combat is great fun, and there is a lot of it. Moreover, the game is completely non-linear, so if you wish to make a run on the Capital City of Meduna and Deidranna herself only 2 hours into the game, by all means do so, just dont worry if you're sent back in a body bag. I can't reccomend this game highly enough...it has funny, interesting characters, outstanding gameplay, and a story that the game adheres to throughout the game, something that few games can claim credit to. Buy it, buy it now.
Rating: 
Summary: Editorial Reviews Missed some Key Points
Review: As a fan of the X-Com games and Shadow Watch, I was really looking forward to this game. Based on the Editorial Reviews on this site, I was expecting somethiing in a similar vein. Unfortunately, there are some subtle problems with this game that make it vastly inferior to the previously mentioned titles, and cause the game play to be rather slow and frustrating. Problems with the tactical level: #1. Extremely long fights: Most of the weapons in this game are frustratingly innacurate and don't do much damage. As a result, fights go on and on and on and on and on and . . well, you get the idea. In X-Com and Shadow Watch, fire fights tend to be relatively quick and decisive. If a bad guy steps out in front of you without cover, he goes down. In this game though, he can stand right in front of you at a range of three or four spaces and it will still take a few turns to kill him. You shoot and miss, and shoot and miss and so on. And then when you finally do hit the guy, it takes five or six shots to take him down. Your mouse hand will get sore from all the point and clicking. Both the accuracy and the lethality of all the weapons in the game should be about doubled or trippled, which would lead to shorter, more decisive engagements. 2. Computer controlled characters have a huge advantage in accuracy: This is a weird glitch that becomes really obvious from about the second fight onwards. All computer controlled units are roughly two to three times as accurate as your (supposedly elite) mercenary units. What does this mean? A couple of examples: a.) One of your mercenaries (with a high accuracy rating) is lying on the ground, firing at an opponent lying on the ground, with no intervening cover. The computer controlled character will hit you about four times for every time you hit him. b. You have a unit which has carfully positioned itself crouching behind a tree for cover, shooting at a computer unit standing in the open. You will hit each other with about the same frequency. While over all game balance is preserved by the fact that your mercs can just take so damn much damage, it still makes game play awefully frustrating. Here you are, knocking yourself out to find good covered positions to protect your guys, and the computer still hits them easily, while you're missing its guys that are out in the open. The problem becomes even more annoying once you start training local militia to protect your villages. Being computer controlled, the local militia also benefit from this huge increase in accuracy, which means that they completely outclass the mercenaries who trained them. Which makes you wonder why they needed your mercenaries to come liberate them in the first place. Problems with the Strategic Level: Unbalance Economy: Simply put, the amount of money running around in the game doesn't balance out against the cost of most items. Local Militia, for example, can be trained for $750, a sum so small by comparison to what your mines are turning out that it doesn't even enter into your strategic thinking. Similarly, the rewards for completing quests in the game are ludicrously small wnen compared to your income. What do you say to a major NPC who is trying to get you to do some major quest by offering you 20K dollars. "Hello, I make more than that in a single day of mining. Why should I bother?". The numbers on a lot of this stuff need to be adjusted. 2. A preponderence of innefectual hand guns: For some reason, most of the mercs that you can afford at the start of the game come equipped with hand guns rahter than assault rifles. Excuse me? A professional merc who's going to airdrop into the middle of a civil war with only a pistol? This is particularly ludicrous when you realize how innefectual handguns are in this game. Even at close range, an NPC is likely to die of old age long before you ever manage to finish him off with a .38 revolver. Adding to this problem is the fact that you can't buy rifles. Oh sure, the nice mail order company that you do business with will send you ammo, but not big guns, grenades, night vision goggles, or any of the really cool stuff that you want to play with. To get that stuff, you have to ever so slowly find it off the bodies of dead enemies. In the course of 15 hours of play, I managed to find only two rifles. Unfortunately, they were of a calliber that I couldn't buy ammo for. Arrg. Why can't you just buy decent armaments in this game? Overall, I would have to encourage people to buy all the X-Com games and Shadow Watch before buying this one. And even then, I would replay the former titles again before sending buying this one. Firefights in Jagged Alliance are needlessly long and indecisive, there is little variation between combat locations and opponents, and there is a lot of built in frustration in the fact that your units are so vastly inferior to those controlled by the computer. This is a game with a lot of subtle problems that should have been caught in the beta testing.
Rating:
Summary: The hours just flow through your fingers like sand
Review: Having solved the first JA and playing JA Deadly Games a lot, I could'nt wait 'till JA2 came out. Well, the wait was worth it, to say the least. I'm a big first person shooter fan and games of this type never interested me until JA. You gotta' try JA2; it may not be first person, but, it really takes tacktics to kick some slime-ball butt. You won't be dissappointed with this game. When you can, hire Ivan, majic, shadow, Wolf or Scope. They will rock your sniping world. Famous quotes: 1. Ivan "Bye Bye" 2. Wolf "I'm Cryin'" 3. Majic "Got me a snapper head" 4. Fidel "Leave me alone, I busy"
Rating: 
Summary: A great game, but difficult for the 'casual gamer'
Review: I bought this game about three weeks ago and have been playing it basically non-stop ever since. I've played lots of tactical squad games like this such as the XCOM series and "Soldiers At War." I've never played any of the Jagged Alliance games until now however. Personally, I find this game a tad difficult for the casual gamer. It is incredibly fun, incredibly complex and detailed, and incredibly well made. However it can be incredibly difficult. As the reviewer from Gamespot says, the difficulty ramps up exponentially at the end, even on "Novice" level. Maybe I'm just being a crybaby. :-) But really, this is an awesome game. You will really need to learn proper 'tactics' and ways of fighting Jagged Alliance battles to win though. Deidrianna's troops will give you no breaks, except if its the head of your troops!
Rating:
Summary: I can play it all day.
Review: I first got the demo from PC Gamer and played it over and over. I finally got the game form Amazon. One of my all time favorites.
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely detailed but lacks soul
Review: I just got this game, and am still figuring it out, but wow is it great. This game superbly incorprates many aspects of tactical combat that have been attempted in other games, but were done poorly. This game is sort of like a hybrid betwen X-Com, SWAT, and its own unique spin on Role-Playing. It is a RTS/TBS/RPG. The game is set in modern day pseudo-cental America, and you are a mercenary that has been hired by a dissident of this war-torn region to come in and eliminate this evil warlord, and her army. To do this, you must hire other mercenaries via "the web" and bring them in to help with the task. You also train militia as you gain support of the local population, and various non-player characters join your army as well. You gain income from seizing control of numerous gold and silver mines in the region, and from selling weapons and stealing money. There are also other side quests/bounties, etc. The game play is really excellently designed. You play in real time isometric view most of the time until you encounter an enemy, and then the game goes into turn based tactical mode, which is excellent. I personally think some of the interface could be cleaned up a bit, but once you memorize the hot keys for common commands this is less "clunky." There is also an overhead map view wherein you canb check the status of your various troops/squads, and direct them around the large grid map to different sectors. Another aspect of this game I love is the depth of development of the NPC's and your own special merc or "player character" (you in the game). There are various attributes like in other RPGS (Strength, Agility, etc.) but then there are random special abilities your PC will obtain (based on a psych profile you fill out at the begining). These include stealth, martial arts, hand-to-hand, night ops, knifing, ambidextrous, heavy weapons, electronics, automatic weapons, teaching, camouflage, lockpicking, etc. There are too many features to list, but this an engrossing well designed game with no bugs to speak of. I only hope they come out with a JA3 with fancier graphics, and perhaps some more portrait options for your character. ;^)
Rating:
Summary: What a great game!
Review: I just got this game, and am still figuring it out, but wow is it great. This game superbly incorprates many aspects of tactical combat that have been attempted in other games, but were done poorly. This game is sort of like a hybrid betwen X-Com, SWAT, and its own unique spin on Role-Playing. It is a RTS/TBS/RPG. The game is set in modern day pseudo-cental America, and you are a mercenary that has been hired by a dissident of this war-torn region to come in and eliminate this evil warlord, and her army. To do this, you must hire other mercenaries via "the web" and bring them in to help with the task. You also train militia as you gain support of the local population, and various non-player characters join your army as well. You gain income from seizing control of numerous gold and silver mines in the region, and from selling weapons and stealing money. There are also other side quests/bounties, etc. The game play is really excellently designed. You play in real time isometric view most of the time until you encounter an enemy, and then the game goes into turn based tactical mode, which is excellent. I personally think some of the interface could be cleaned up a bit, but once you memorize the hot keys for common commands this is less "clunky." There is also an overhead map view wherein you canb check the status of your various troops/squads, and direct them around the large grid map to different sectors. Another aspect of this game I love is the depth of development of the NPC's and your own special merc or "player character" (you in the game). There are various attributes like in other RPGS (Strength, Agility, etc.) but then there are random special abilities your PC will obtain (based on a psych profile you fill out at the begining). These include stealth, martial arts, hand-to-hand, night ops, knifing, ambidextrous, heavy weapons, electronics, automatic weapons, teaching, camouflage, lockpicking, etc. There are too many features to list, but this an engrossing well designed game with no bugs to speak of. I only hope they come out with a JA3 with fancier graphics, and perhaps some more portrait options for your character. ;^)
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