Jagged Alliance: Back in Action Preview

There's a new hands-on preview of Jagged Alliance: Back in Action up at Gaming Nexus, just in case you want to brush up on your knowledge of bitComposer's tactical remake further before its release on February 14th.
It would be a mistake to think of Jagged Alliance: Back in Action as simply a high-definition remake of the original. The addition of the 3D engine alone adds a new perspective for fans. The option of being able to rotate the camera allows for a complete view of the battlefield. This addition works hand in hand with the new '˜Plan & Go' system that partly returns to the series turn-based gameplay experience. However, the publishers described the change to a real-time setup as modernizing the series for a new generation of games. Players can instantly command their mercenaries or switch to the '˜Plan & Go' system by hitting the space bar. This system pauses the games and allows players to set multiple waypoints for each member of their team. The waypoints can be as simple as sending the team to a location or complex ones that target specific points of an enemy's body. It is up to players if they would rather issue commands in real-time or plan their every move before proceeding into enemy territory.

The basic premise of Jagged Alliance: Back in Action has players taking back key locations on the island of Arulco to re-claim it from a corrupt monarch. By using the in-game laptop, players can hire mercenaries from a roster of 40, buy weapons and equipment, read emails, and issue teams to specific locations on the map. Each of the 40 mercenaries can be hired for a certain amount of money based on their skills and starting equipment. If mercenaries are wounded in battle, they can be healed with the use of medical kits from another team member. However, mercenaries that die on the battlefield will be gone from the laptop roster. Once all of the 40 mercenaries die within battle, it will be game over for players.