Jagged Alliance: Rage! - TBS set 20 years after JA:2

Games
1

I had no idea this was coming, it looks like it could be worth checking out.

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I’m not sure about the art style. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it, neither. Like I mentioned in the title, it’s set 20 years after the first JA game (not sure where JA:2 fits into the time line?) and according to the PC GamesN article there will be some things to do outside of combat, like caring for your mercs, crafting, repairing, and the like. Training? That was a thing before, right?

I love JA:2 and it’s expansion though I haven’t played in ages. The latest attempt to bring this franchise back (with RTWP) sort of left me unsatisfied, but this is a turn based game and it could be a great follow up, if given the chance, so I’ll keep my mind open.

2

Wow, I thought the franchise was dead after the demise of the Danish studio that pitched JA: Flashback.

It’s weird the PCGamesN piece says nothing about who’s making this game. THQ Nordic is the publisher, which may mean this is for real.

I quite like the premise in that trailer, and the art style is cartoonish but fun.

3

That title certainly doesn’t inspire confidence. Also, I think the good name of the franchise has been dragged through the mud enough already.

4

5

https://www.handy-games.com/en/

6

That doesn’t fill me with confidence.

7

This is thoroughly in “wait and see” territory.

8

“The last 20 years have not been kind” is about right.

9

I’d put myself in the core audience for this type of game and I think this sounds terrible.

Managing your mercenaries alcoholism so they don’t get the shakes in combat?? That sounds suuuuper fun.

10

Yeah, I didn’t really like this aspect at all. I would have rather had a new pool of mercs to recruit from than the originals, 20 years older. That’s just… odd.

11

From the tone of the trailer, I’m a little afraid that this is going to feature a smaller fixed set of characters with individual storylines rather than a large pool of recruitable mercs. Which is fine…but not what I’d want from JA.

12

I don’t see the draw. I’ll pass.

13

It looks to me as if pretty much every JA game since JA:2 has been garbage. This developer’s track record doesn’t inspire any added confidence.

14

JA:Back in Action, after patching, was playable but you’re right that nothing has captured the greatness of the original.

I think it’s because the right developer hasn’t been behind it. Now set this up with the folks that made the new Xcom, and I think that would give us more confidence.

And I agree the title is goofy. First of all, Rage is taken. Of course, so is Has-Been Heroes.

15

I’m super confident about it. They have the IP and a trailer. That’s 90% of the way there.

16

Dear god, no. The new Xcom is an abomination and an absolute disgrace to the tactical squad level TBS genre. If I were generous I’d describe it as a board game with needlessly forced confrontations where you’re at the mercy of dice, with all elements even remotely resembling a simulation, removed.

Alas, I am not, so I call it what it is - a pile of shit. And it pains me that it has become the flag bearer of the genre for new generation of tactical TBS players because they’re ignorant and simply don’t know better.

17

Wow. What would you say is the best game of this type currently on the market?

18

Jagged Alliance 2 with 1.13 mod.

19

Year, that tracks. Now I wanna reload JA2. Where’s this mod, please?

Is it this one?

http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage

20

Yep, that’s the one. There are also multiple branches of the mod on the Bear’s Pit forums, in case you feel like playing the campaign with Wildfire maps or something like that.