And Now For Something Completely Different

On some level, most computer games seem like they are either tag or chess. Either you are running around somewhere chasing other people, or you are sitting on high allocating resources. Jagged Alliance 2 definitely falls into the second camp. While there's little to no rushing about, there are brain bending moments of focus where JA2 is forcing you to leverage the personalities and armaments of six relative psychopaths to alleviate the sufferings of indigent peoples. Jagged Alliance 2 is a game that defines its own genre, taking elements from role-playing games and strategy games and mixes them with a solid story, creating a tight mercenary management simulator.

Words of wisdom from Mr. Wolf.

sirOS VIII - your gateway to the JA2 Intranet.

What's the story?

Jagged Alliance 2 takes place in the developing nation of Arulco. The rightful leadership has been deposed by the purely evil Deidranna Reitman; she frames her husband, the king, for his father's death and has him arrested and seemingly killed. Then over the course of ten years, she shifts Arulco's economy from agricultural subsistence to pure mining and resource extraction for export. All the while, she reduces basic human services to practically nothing and begins an intense military buildup, including stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction.

Notice the bodies in red.

Actually, those are called 'Bloodcats.'

Most games contain stereotypes, archetypes - characters and situations we're familiar with from movies, television, other games. Jagged Alliance 2 is no different, except that the scenario here is more political, seemingly informed more by the New York Times than by Pulp Fiction. Actually, "Queen Deidranna" is a wicked bitch, there's no two ways about it. Beyond the game's basic grounding in romanticized geopolitics, the actual scenario in this devolving third world republic is straight drama - save the poor people from the heavily armed wicked witch.

Between sectors, there are interstitial scenes. This is one of them. It is a cabin, amidst trees.

Fusty - improve thyself!

You are contracted by the noble-educated-deposed-pacifist leader of the country, Enrico Chivaldori, Deidranna's husband. In a secret deal in Prague, you are contracted to lead a band of merceneries deep into Arulco, to liberate this torn land one sector at a time. The money, however, is only enough to get started, so once you arrive, it is up to you to capture the mines back from Deidranna and use them to fund more hired guns.