Jagged Alliance 2: 
Unfinished Business

Developer: Sir-Tech
Publisher: Interplay

 

System Requirements Pentium 166 Mhz, 32 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium II 300MHz, 64+ MB RAM, 17 inch monitor

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics: 7 - Showing their age, but more than adequate for a turn-based tactical game-its all about the gameplay! Audio: 9 - Fantastic weapon sounds and the great commentary by your mercs gives the series such personality. Interface: 8 - You may find yourself stumbling a bit if you are new to the series. There is just so much to keep track of. But thankfully the interface was done right from the start.	Play Issues Solo Play: 7.0 - Despite the fact that the core gameplay is excellent, the difficulty is way too high. Multiplay: N/A Replay Value: 6 - The only reason you'll be replaying this one over and over is because you keep losing. Much more linear than its predecessor. Learning Curve: 6 - Again, the difficulty means that there is no way for an inexperienced player to slowly learn the ropes.
Other/Notes Documentation: 9 - I must applaud Sirtech for including a full, detailed manual rather than going the electronic documentation route. Pros: Great Jagged Alliance gameplay, detailed mission creator, new weapons and terrain, good price. Cons: Extreme difficulty level will ultimately alienate newcomers. Not as dynamic as JA2, but that is not really expected. Overall: 7.1

As is well known to most strategy-game fans, Jagged Alliance is one of the most respected and inevitably imitated series in the genre. Its wide appeal comes from its ability to juggle gritty realism and a bit of fantasy. I mean, a handful of mercenaries taking on an entire island of enemies screams cheesy late night action movies--and don't think the series doesn't know when to get a little tongue-in-cheek. These mercenaries, or mercs for short, are more or less caricatures of every type of action hero we've ever seen. But of course, this is one of the strongest appeals--choosing your mercs and nurturing them into human death machines. So, after 2 successful outings fans wait for the third in the series, which is promising the highly anticipated multiplayer capability. But in the meantime, Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business is here to wet your whistle-so is it up to snuff?

The first thing players must be aware of is the linearity. JA2 was a very dynamic game, despite the fact that you started out the same way each time. You could choose what mercenaries to hire, what route to take, when to just wait around and train your mercs, and even what mines to defend and assault for resources. Besides the mercenary aspect, Unfinished Business puts you on a single course to success--but it works. After all, this is not a grand campaign like in JA2, but rather a little side story. Specifically, because of the skills you displayed in saving the island of Arulco from an evil dictator you are called back to assault another island to the north. From there, remnants of the enemy are planning an all-out missile assault. Yeah, not the most original story, but it is the perfect excuse for some balls to the wall action.

For those of you new to the series that do not know what the gameplay is all about, I ask you to turn to our review of Jagged Alliance 2 and then read on to understand why you should probably stay away from this one. But to those of you familiar with the game, you may proceed.

Trust me when I say this game is not for the faint hearted-it is brutally difficult. Right from the get-go you are outgunned and outmatched. I started a game on the easiest difficulty setting and from the start the enemy outnumbered me 2 to 1. If you have not played and mastered Jagged Alliance 2 you will probably not want to attempt this. Yet the game sells as a standalone product, so I have to question the decision to make it so difficult. To the uninitiated it just screams "Buy me, I'm damn cool," but inexperienced tactical gamers are sure to come running back to the store, receipt in hand. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I truly have never encountered a game that hits you with such difficulty from the start and never lets go. I thought that the included ability to import mercs from JA2 would lessen this problem a bit, but the difficulty is actually increased to compensate for their heightened abilities. That said, veteran JA2 players are sure to love the challenge. The chance to bring your favorite mercs even further is a great appeal as well.

But if you are one of these veterans, you have to ask yourself, do I really want more? You could after all just fire up a game of the original and have another go at it. Or you could just wait for the third iteration. But Sirtech has made this choice a little more difficult because they included a mission editor. Despite the fact that I always have ideas for missions running through my head, I have never really sat down with an editor to create one. Frankly, I am speaking from the perspective of someone that is not going to be incensed into buying a product because of a mission editor. But I booted it up for a while and was impressed with what I saw. There is a dizzying amount of objects, terrain and architecture available to create any scenario you can imagine. Also, the new weapons and most of all, new terrain (the snow is back, baby!), further the variety. So if creating missions is what interests you the most, Unfinished Business moves into the category of must-buy.

The game's age is starting to show a bit. The terrain and buildings still look great, but the merc and enemy models are a bit behind the times. I could complain more about this, but I'm not. The Jagged Alliance gameplay is outstanding, and really makes the graphics a moot point for me. Others who have been weaned on 3D may find them too archaic, however. But then again, if you come into the game with this attitude, you have no business playing a turn-based tactical game. For Pete's sake I still cry every time I see a sectoid in the original X-Com-its beautiful stuff.

If you simply must have more Jagged Alliance 2, or can't get enough of your mercs, Unfinished Business is a great deal at only twenty bucks. Also, if you love creating missions, the included editor is a great incentive. But if you've never played Jagged Alliance 2, just get that. It will last you thirty times longer and, at least until the end of the game, you'll have a fighting chance. Though, for previously stated reasons, I believe Unfinished Business should have been sold as an add-on, thus requiring you to own the original, it is certainly not an unwelcome addition to the series.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari