I went into this release quite skeptical, being a big fan of JA2 and putting an insane amount of hours into the vanilla game and 1.13 modification over the past decade or so. That being said, JA3 holds up and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the turned based tactical game genre.

Let me start off with the negatives, to just get it out of the way.

First and Foremost, this is not an exact replica of (arguably the best turn based tactical game ever made) JA2 which will be disappointing to some. There are a few things that I personally disliked when comparing the two titles, mainly how much smaller maps are in JA3 and the increased emphasis on resource management. Maps feel tighter and more fleshed out, but there was a certain charm to larger battles in JA2 that I feel is missing here. Moving on, I can understand not including Bobby Ray's shop even if it was one of my favorite features of JA2, but in the 12 hours I've played so far I have not been able to field even a single machine gun because there is never enough ammo to feed it. Furthermore, I have yet to find enough medical supplies to make healing my own troops a viable option. These aren't a big deal, but I do wish there were more options for purchasing certain resources beyond the limited markets, especially ammunition.

Another gripe I have with this title is the UI. I miss having distinct strategy and computer menus to better organize everything. Everything just kind of feels thrown at you all at once, and it can be a struggle to organize everything you're trying to do. That being said, the overall presentation is fantastic and it's clear a lot of work was put into making the map and menus look top notch.

The actual gameplay is an absolute joy to play and feels faithful to JA2 while adapting to modern times. It still feels like I'm in a gunfight more so than anything, and I have personally chosen to forego the modification to display hit chance because it never really matters in the grand scheme of things. You take your team and put them in the best position to fight, and it's incredibly rewarding when your mix of stealth, positioning, and patience pays off with an overwhelming victory over a superior force that would stomp you in a face to face confrontation.

I'd like to take a moment to inform new players that this game is incredibly difficult, and that ironman mode alongside higher difficulties is absolutely not how you should play this your first time around. Quicksave is your friend, and the beginning portion of the game when you only have access to pistols and SMGs is especially difficult, so don't be disheartened if it doesn't seem fair or fun your first hour or two. It gets better when your team is fully kitted out, I promise lol. Be aware however, that you might make some critical strategic mistakes (such as picking a bad team, running out of cash, letting too many people die, etc) your first time around and that this game takes a long time to learn and master.

It's obvious that some of the new changes are inspired by XCOM but I do not personally believe this is a bad thing. A cover system was originally in JA2 but you never really knew how well you were covered and this could cause problems so I like the change. When combat kicks off it's only natural that enemies should run for cover and get behind something and this along side all enemies moving at once at the start of their turn feels organic and fluid which I think is cool. Like, you kick combat off by putting a bullet through the strongest enemy's head from a distance and everyone scatters. Every turn they close in on you as a team all at the same time, and you can really feel the tension as they flank and surround you, often far outnumbering your forces. I know it's a little thing, but I believe it adds a lot of quality to the game all things considered.

The story is just okay and some of the characters are over the top (especially on tutorial island) but the actual strategic gameplay is wonderful and feels improved when compared to JA2. I love the diamond shipments that move across the map and enemy outposts that need to be weakened externally before being battled head on. Furthermore, some of the quests have been a blast (rescuing Biff has been my favorite so far, what a wild battle!) and I love how fleshed out the world is. You'll show up to sectors sometimes thinking you'll have just a regular battle and then things can get crazy which I enjoy quite a bit.

Some people may take offense to some of the characters and what they say ("you shoot pretty good... for a girl") but this stays faithful to how characters were portrayed in JA2 which were often over the top action movie stereotypes that weren't exactly PC. The dialog isn't great but I don't think it's as bad as some other reviewers have stated. Overall I think it adds to the unique charm of the game but it isn't exactly amazing either.

Performance isn't great on my 4K setup, but I have yet to encounter any actual bugs so far which is a good sign. While I should be able to play this on ultra settings, I've had to settle for medium settings which still looks good so I'm not too upset. I believe that over the following weeks and months that the developers will only continue to improve everything, but so far it's definitely in good shape technically.

With steam workshop being already available and fantastic core gameplay as a base, this a title I could see myself getting hundreds, if not thousands of hours into over the years. Although there is way more I could say, I am incredibly excited to see how much this game improves over the years and I believe it is a worthy successor to the legendary Jagged Alliance 2.

If you like XCOM or similar games you'll probably like this a lot too. Give it a go, there's a good chance you'll like it.

Overall: 8.5/10

I went into this release quite skeptical, being a big fan of JA2 and putting an insane amount of hours into the vanilla game and 1.13 modification over the past decade or so. That being said, JA3 holds up and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the turned based tactical game genre. Let me start off with the negatives, to just get it out of the way. First and Foremost, this is not an exact replica of (arguably the best turn based tactical game ever made) JA2 which will be disappointing to some. There are a few things that I personally disliked when comparing the two titles, mainly how much smaller maps are in JA3 and the increased emphasis on resource management. Maps feel tighter and more fleshed out, but there was a certain charm to larger battles in JA2 that I feel is missing here. Moving on, I can understand not including Bobby Ray's shop even if it was one of my favorite features of JA2, but in the 12 hours I've played so far I have not been able to field even a single machine gun because there is never enough ammo to feed it. Furthermore, I have yet to find enough medical supplies to make healing my own troops a viable option. These aren't a big deal, but I do wish there were more options for purchasing certain resources beyond the limited markets, especially ammunition. Another gripe I have with this title is the UI. I miss having distinct strategy and computer menus to better organize everything. Everything just kind of feels thrown at you all at once, and it can be a struggle to organize everything you're trying to do. That being said, the overall presentation is fantastic and it's clear a lot of work was put into making the map and menus look top notch. The actual gameplay is an absolute joy to play and feels faithful to JA2 while adapting to modern times. It still feels like I'm in a gunfight more so than anything, and I have personally chosen to forego the modification to display hit chance because it never really matters in the grand scheme of things. You take your team and put them in the best position to fight, and it's incredibly rewarding when your mix of stealth, positioning, and patience pays off with an overwhelming victory over a superior force that would stomp you in a face to face confrontation. I'd like to take a moment to inform new players that this game is incredibly difficult, and that ironman mode alongside higher difficulties is absolutely not how you should play this your first time around. Quicksave is your friend, and the beginning portion of the game when you only have access to pistols and SMGs is especially difficult, so don't be disheartened if it doesn't seem fair or fun your first hour or two. It gets better when your team is fully kitted out, I promise lol. Be aware however, that you might make some critical strategic mistakes (such as picking a bad team, running out of cash, letting too many people die, etc) your first time around and that this game takes a long time to learn and master. It's obvious that some of the new changes are inspired by XCOM but I do not personally believe this is a bad thing. A cover system was originally in JA2 but you never really knew how well you were covered and this could cause problems so I like the change. When combat kicks off it's only natural that enemies should run for cover and get behind something and this along side all enemies moving at once at the start of their turn feels organic and fluid which I think is cool. Like, you kick combat off by putting a bullet through the strongest enemy's head from a distance and everyone scatters. Every turn they close in on you as a team all at the same time, and you can really feel the tension as they flank and surround you, often far outnumbering your forces. I know it's a little thing, but I believe it adds a lot of quality to the game all things considered. The story is just okay and some of the characters are over the top (especially on tutorial island) but the actual strategic gameplay is wonderful and feels improved when compared to JA2. I love the diamond shipments that move across the map and enemy outposts that need to be weakened externally before being battled head on. Furthermore, some of the quests have been a blast (rescuing Biff has been my favorite so far, what a wild battle!) and I love how fleshed out the world is. You'll show up to sectors sometimes thinking you'll have just a regular battle and then things can get crazy which I enjoy quite a bit. Some people may take offense to some of the characters and what they say ("you shoot pretty good... for a girl") but this stays faithful to how characters were portrayed in JA2 which were often over the top action movie stereotypes that weren't exactly PC. The dialog isn't great but I don't think it's as bad as some other reviewers have stated. Overall I think it adds to the unique charm of the game but it isn't exactly amazing either. Performance isn't great on my 4K setup, but I have yet to encounter any actual bugs so far which is a good sign. While I should be able to play this on ultra settings, I've had to settle for medium settings which still looks good so I'm not too upset. I believe that over the following weeks and months that the developers will only continue to improve everything, but so far it's definitely in good shape technically. With steam workshop being already available and fantastic core gameplay as a base, this a title I could see myself getting hundreds, if not thousands of hours into over the years. Although there is way more I could say, I am incredibly excited to see how much this game improves over the years and I believe it is a worthy successor to the legendary Jagged Alliance 2. If you like XCOM or similar games you'll probably like this a lot too. Give it a go, there's a good chance you'll like it. Overall: 8.5/10