walkeros

I played the game long ago, and yet since it's available on GOG I gave it a shoot again. The game has mysterious atmosphere and really good riddles along the way. The low-res graphics may seem to be joke this days, but it's not the graphic which is important. The plot is interesing, gives you the impression of "semi-open-world" which you can explore to some extent... however it's linear as most of the adventure games that days. I'm at the moment in the half of the game and it still gives me a lot of fun. I can recommend the game to those who likes the mystery. in point-and-click advanture games.. otherwise you might seem disappointed.

The best turn-based strategy game ever! A lot of mercs with individual skills, individual weapon preference. Realations between the mercs can infulence the game. Every stat has its own value for the game. Generally good AI. The game is available via Gog and Steam which is great. Lots (!!) of guns with different characteristics. Possibility to create own custom merc. Interesting plot. For cons: I would say that nowadays the resolution is low, you can use some hacks to advance the game really fast (like going to the edge of the screen and advancing to the next section), but it's generally your decising if you exploit that or not, so I would not say this is big deal.

One of the best turn based strategy games every. Totally flexible base development. Really good isometric view (simulating 3d). Aliens which are always much stronger than you (unless you plan your research/engineering perfectly) these are things no longer met in modern implementations - XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within or XCOM2. The new implementations are way easier than it was in original. In original aliens did not wait for you with their development. Have you every noticed that in new versions like XCOM: Enememy Unknown you encounter first Muton when you research laser weapons? - yes this is linear.. nothing like that in original. Although I love new version (XCOM and XCOM2) I really miss the pixels (meaning enemy ufo) from the original.

To challenge the guys saying that every mission is "on timer"... you've got to be kidding me!! Maybe 50% max and if you don't feel that your soldiers can handle it you can skip the mission... it's not a tragedy. Also the timer really forces you to act strategically!! In XCOM 1 you could go one square a time with 100% of causion... Is it strategy?? Do you call it strategy.. real strategy begins when you need to face the time. If you loose with time, go and evacuate your soldiers... Please note that XCOM: Enemy Witin tried to achieve the same with limited time to get MELD containers. However there you can just don't care about MELD, in XCOM2 there is no "don't care" - either you care about time, die or evacuate the soldiers. This is Strategy! And for those who writes that the game is hard - Have you ever played UFO: Enemy Unknown or any other UFO from old times? That game was hard. There you had even problems getting out of Skyranger gecause aliens could kill you when your head was out and you did first steps. They could shoot at you and did not know where the shoots were comming from. THAT WAS HARD. There is nothing like this in XCOM2. It simply requires more out of your brain to finish mission.... and if it is still hard than YOU HAVE THE "EASY" DIFFICULTY? Did you try it before writing that you hate the game because it is hard... so when you write that you are very good in strategy games and you played every version of XCOM and you say that XCOM2 is difficult, than I tell you this: "You did not play, but used save/load"... if you really played XCOM: Enemy Within for real (without using save/load to much) you will NEVER say that XCOM2 is super duper hard, because it is NOT... it simply prevents you from cheeting using save/load. That's all. About other aspects of game. I will not write the things that the others have done already. Yes - it has performance problems, but if you have them - just lower your graphics (my friend plays on LOW and says that graphics is preety good), AI is better (oposing to what some people says) - for example enemys tend to retreet when they are loosing and attack with another pack of aliens. Any other allegations? First play at least 20 missions, loose the game one time and then write your review.

Before I start I will say that I am true fan of the whole jagged alliance series. Even two weeks ago I started to play again Jagged Alliance 1 with lovely chats of Ivan Dolvitch in russian. I completed Jagged Alliance 2, JA2 Unfinished Businesses and also played modded versions of JA2. Ok.. so what I expected from JABIA (Jagged Alliance Back in Action) ? I expected the same turn based game and was really disappointed that game will be playable on in real time...... but when I started playing more and more I have to say (and please don't hang me on the tree... :)) that this version is really good!! Now why? Before I go into the details I will start with small items which makes the game better in many aspects then JA2: 1. knives and matchetes are finally usable - in JA2 you can do nothing useful with the knife, knives were useful in JA1, but in JABIA you can kill the enemy with single cut 2. you can but good weapons, grenades, armors almost from the beginning of the game (in JA2 new guns most of the time where to week for current power of enemies) 3. armours can not be repaired - this is wonderfull (!) - you need to buy new instead of repairing them 4. explosives are finally usefull... the same with land mines. 5. you can join militia defending cities in the middle of a battle 6.... there is a lot more which I won;'t name at the moment.... just play it and discover And in general is the game worse comaring to JA2 ? Nooo.. it is different. Real time fight is realy realistic. You can create ambushes hiding in woods with good camuflage without beeing spoted by enemym, you can play command style - taking knife and silently killing enemies who does not expect attack from the back, you can play sniper style by killing each and everyone from distance. What is better? Enemies IQ is quite good for me. Enemies at certain levels of experience does not come close to you, they can try to ambush you, snipers can shoot you from distance and you will not see them without mercenaries with good perception (but even then they can have good camo so that killing them is hard). I could write about many aspects which makes this game worthwhile, but I really suggest to try (playing tutrial first to see what options there are)... so does the game lack anything from JA2? Yes many things: 1. there is not SCI-FI - oh well... for some people this was redundant part from JA2 2. Faces of mercs are not cartoon-like - oh well... this is 3d world so they are 3d, but still they are different and people saying that they are alike are wrong... take a looke at your friend sitting next to you. Maybe you will notice that in real world we are all alike - and this is how JABIA presents mercs - if you give to all them the same helmets and glasses they will look almost the same... wow like soldiers in real world.. so is there any problem with this ? I don't think so. 3. turn-based combat - yes...I love turn based games.. I love XCOM and like to play chess... but this is JABIA - it is not turn based game - it is realistic game, so just deal with it 4. ... probably even more, but the point is that almost for every "lack of something" there is a reason behind it and this reason is in most cases "realism" I don't want to say that the game is better, worse or equal to JA, Deadly Games, JA2.... it is simply different but really exciting and I love playing. I'm treating it as a different approach to the series - having similar plot, the characters (mercs), place (Arulco) and rules (jamming weapons, lockpicks that needs to be taken etc.). People who are giving bad reviews are, in my opinion, mostly frustrated that it is not turn-based and forget to pay attention to what is good... and there is a lot of good in JABIA.