After nearly a quarter of a century, Jagged Alliance is kicking my arse again, and I couldn't be happier. Poor luck, hubris, cheaping out on mercenary contracts plus a drizzle of enemy mortar fire has ended a 25-hour campaign with little chance of recovery. I'm not even mad - that was a spectacular last stand. I know what I did wrong. I start again, hiring an all-new team. Next time it'll be different.
While XCOM has become synonymous with squad tactics, I've always carried a torch for Sir-Tech's 1999 gem Jagged Alliance 2. A heady, mix of tactical gunfights, mercenary management and RPG dialogue, sidequests and looting. It was also hard, but frustration was kept low through depth of combat and a deeply irreverent tone halfway between Commando and The A-Team, riffing on action films of the era.
Until now, nobody has recaptured that spark. The darker, edgier and joyless Jagged Alliance: Rage! felt like the end. Thankfully, Tropico developer Haemimont Games had other ideas. Even though squad tactics aren't their usual wheelhouse, I'm happy to say that Jagged Alliance 3 modernises and streamlines while still capturing the original's spirit. It's old-school at heart, and goofy as ever.
DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD
Taking place just a couple years after the '90s original, JA3 is set in the former French-African colony of Grand Chien (translated: Big Dog), rich in diamond mines and opportunists. A local warlord has kidnapped Grand Chien's president, and his daughter wants you to lead a squad of bad enough dudes/dudettes to liberate him and possibly the country too. Unfortunately, with only $40,000 you'll be calling on the B-Team. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BITING BACK
The tooth is out there in adventure TEETH OF GLASS
SMOKE ALARM
THE INVISIBLE SMOKE FACTORY is back in a Flash
MECH ME OVER
Move over Mario, here's mech-based platforming in ARMORED SHELL NIGHTJAR
"I like Pillars of Eternity better than Baldur's Gate III"
PILLARS OF ETERNITY deserves a bigger space in the CRPG pantheon
"A harrowing dark fantasy about hapless, bright-eyed children"
Spelunking into hell with MADE IN ABYSS: BINARY STAR FALLING INTO DARKNESS
THE IMMORTAL LOCK
A massive, meaty game in a single horrific Quake map.
NEW MANOEUVRES
Building a dedicated sim racing space in an average family house
OVERWATCH 2
Save me space girl.
REET GOOD TIME
THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE is a riotous recreation of Yorkshire
THE PLUCKY SQUIRE
How many games let you make friends with a MtG card?