Michael “MD” Dawson, who just wants to pay his school bills, or the elusive “retired” veteran Gus Tarballs with his bad knee, it’s easy to want to hire all of them to see what they’re all about.

Whether you follow the story of wide-eyed Dr. From their bio blurbs to the tremendous voice acting and hilarious interactions between them, the sheer amount of personality can barely be contained in one game. Jagged Alliance 3 features a colorful and diverse cast of characters, many of whom return from Jagged Alliance 2, covering all the archetypes of spy and action story heroes. Where should you shoot them? You have options. I got my first taste of the wildness of Jagged Alliance 3 when I was flatly turned down by elite operative Ron “Raider” Higgins because I had already contracted Frank “Hitman” Hennessy, who, in Raider’s words, is a “scumbag.” That’s just one small example of how reactive the game is and how the many elements of Jagged Alliance 3 interact. Your choices begin with your first hires from the dozens of mercs available. There’s an entire nation between your team and the prez, so who knows what you’ll encounter during your journey? Jagged Alliance 3 is a highly detailed tactical RPG that provides plenty of freedom, giving you a specific quest to complete but letting you roam freely as you work toward your ultimate goal. His daughter contacts and contracts you to take on that mission, and you must employ crews of mercenaries through the AIM organization’s website to do your dirty work for you. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves rescuing the president of Grand Chien, a fictional African country, who’s been abducted by someone known only as The Major. Jagged Alliance 3 gets the gang back together, but does it still have what it takes to get the job done, or is it time to hang ’em up?

There’s much to live up to for a sequel coming 24 years later. The expansive open world puts modern games to shame with the level of freedom and detail. The characters’ personalities are as explosive as the grenades on their belt. I was excited to dig deep into that world of espionage and intrigue. Even for a game from 1999 that looks its age, the high level of quality is apparent.

I’d only played the first Jagged Alliance before 2023, though I knew the second game was reputedly one of the great tactical games, especially for the PC.

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