Jagged Alliance: Back in Action PC
  • Publisher: Kalypso
  • Release Date: Feb 8, 2012
User Score
5.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 131
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 131
  3. Negative: 51 out of 131

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  1. Necrotaur
    Feb 13, 2012
    3
    I need to preface this by saying that a lot of the stuff in this review won't resonate with people who have never played the Jagged Alliance series before. I myself have played JA2 since release in 1999 and have enjoyed it immensely; it is one of the few games I wouldn't hesitate to score as a 10/10. Its mix of combat, strategic depth and humor have created a lasting appeal that few other games possess (tl;dr I'm a JA2 fanboy). Unfortunately, Back in Action is a poor man's version of JA2, inferior in nearly every way that made JA2 awesome. Let's start with what BiA did right. The towns and scenery look good, and a 3d environment is something the series has desperately needed. The movable camera is generally an asset (though it still has some kinks to work out). Traveling on the overland map has also been modified so that you can choose a 'faster' path and can bypass enemy patrols easier. The major change/feature 'Plan and Go' is not as bad as people had been worrying, and in certain aspects it actually does better than a turn-based system,.. though, I still wish there had been an option for turn based mode. The outfitting of a mercenary with clothing and camo schemes is a pretty nice touch. Now for the bad. Probably the most major complaint I have is the removal of the Fog of War. When you enter an enemy controlled sector, you can immediately see every single enemy and determine what they are armed with, even in the dead of night or if they're hiding in a building. Needless to say, this makes scouting, spotting and guarding vulnerable mercs completely unnecessary. It's the equivalent of being able to see an enemy base and units in an RTS, or having a form of wallhack in an FPS. It literally ruins the game, ratchets the difficulty down several notches, and absolutely. must. go. Another major complaint: the AI is as dumb as a box of rocks. They rarely react to gunfire, and if they do, there is an odd prevalence of melee enemies who charge straight into your gunsights while swinging axes. This might make for an interesting zombie themed mod, but as a tactical shooter it's kind of silly. To make things worse, While you are struggling against braindead axe murderers, you are also fighting a battle against the interface, which makes a chore out of trying to do anything that doesn't directly involve shooting. Trading items between mercenaries is difficult, weapons autounload when placed in your backpack, weapons can only have ONE attachment, and effective inventory management is nearly impossible with no sector inventory. Additionally, the changes they've made to certain systems remove many layers of strategy. The levelling up system has been completely revamped - you get enough XP, you level up and spend points on whatever you want. No more practicing a skill to level it up, shoot enough guys and you can become the best medic ever. "Training" militia is literally finding a gun and giving it to someone standing around, which is far more expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately ineffective than you might initially believe. Medkits and repair kits are now essentially "health potions" for mercs and guns. Rather than a merc getting seriously wounded and spending a few days in the care of your teams doctor, you use a health kit and they are immediately good as new. Keep in mind however that while repair kits repair weapons, they do NOT repair armor, because that would be "too unbalanced". IMP, the creat-a-merc feature from JA2 is noticibly absent, again because of "balancing issues". The mercenary portraits are pretty ugly and there is a lot less humor this time around. There are no more vehicles. I actually miss the old Ira. Anyway, I suspect I'm ranting a bit so I'll try to draw this to a close. BiA at its core is a literal copy and paste of JA2 (seriously, all the descriptions and text are lifted straight from it) yet it still manages to fail because it is lacking what made people love JA2 - the immersive aspects, deep strategy and black humor. Despite this, I hold a small sliver of hope for this game due to the modding community. Already people are working on IMP mods and trying to figure out how to re-implement FoW. My recommendation, currently, is to give BiA a pass. If you must play it, wait until BiA lands on the bargain bin then immediately search for mods that might appeal to you - don't bother with the vanilla version.… Expand
  2. Scritty
    Feb 17, 2012
    5
    Do you know what. Turn based strategys were REALLY popular, and every time someone demolishes one and turns an IP into a completely different game, TBS fans go ape. And so they should. I mean why? Why not make the game that JA fans actualy WANT rather than the one you assume they want?
    What makes a game it's it's playstyle - not it's name. If someone brought out the next Battlefield game,     and it was a point and click adventure game...well it wouldn't be Battlefield would it? Oh yes - in BF now you do "point and click...when you shoot something what else are you doing but "pointing and clicking" dullards might argue, but the point would be the gameplay is the game - NOT the name. Calling this game Jagged Alliance is a mistake. It's pausible for sure (and that's rolled out as a reason why it's "similar"....meh) Taken on it's own merits it's a lot more like Commando's 2 (rather than the first one) and that's no real bad thing. It's a solid pausible strategy game - no more - no less. and I would have given it a 6 if it hadn't tried to hide under the name Jagged Alliance. Remember we've got another monstrous garbage pile coming up soon with X-Com - the first person shooter - god save us!… Expand
  3. gas
    Jul 31, 2012
    3
    Duno if they were out of money, out of time, or just out of skills, but this 2012 edition falls badly compared to the 1999 original one, also the ja2 got one of the biggest and most impressive mod out there (1.13, there are also some others very good btw) which makes the comparison even more bashing this new one.
    This Back in actions is half finished, its bugged, and mostly its ridded by     terrible developer choices.
    The camera controls are awful, in some maps the point of view is so low that i was wondering if they ever tested it.
    The line of sight/cover system is full of bugs and also when it works it goes against common sense in many cases, like covering behind a tree results in having half los blocked by the tree itself.
    For some reason they stripped out half content which was in the original, there are less mercs, less traits, no training, no cars, no chopper, less npcs, less quests, and they changed the story in a manner that make no sense.
    To mention also the very sub par voice acting, which is instead superb in the original one.    … Expand
  4. Digitalkid
    Feb 13, 2012
    8
    First of all, it's a solid tactics game. Unless you like to snipe enemies from a far, game allows it, but be ready ro ruin your gameplay and come here screamin and crying. Second, I wish they use that gameplay in their own game, instead of Arulco, which I never wanna see again)) I've started JA2 more then a doezen times when I was young, not again please. If these guys can make a game with tactics, open-world, quests, nice graphics, surely they will get much attention. But why take all that Arulco crap again? Scores low, people only see "Elliot!.." thing been removed and jump out of the window.. And turnbased mode has nothing to do with realictic tactics.))… Expand
  5. No1livesforever
    Dec 1, 2012
    8
    I played a lot of JA2 back in its time, and I would say JA:BIA is worth playing and get it only when it is on sale. For players who haven't played JA2 will find fun in this game. For players who already played JA2 are better off not to compare the different gameplay mechanics. Simply adapt new feature and treat it like a new tactical game that uses JA2 story. I find it really okay that game developer used Jagged Alliance for naming otherwise I would have missed this tactical game.… Expand
  6. Vasot
    Feb 14, 2012
    7
    A good game but ithe gameplay is inferior compared to JA2. After Kalypso launched the latest patches for the game the A.I is improved and some bugs were fixed. Unfortunately still the game lacks a lot of the features of JA2 and the the combat becomes monotonous after a while. Anyway this is a good reboot of the series but it is not great
  7. LD9000
    Feb 13, 2012
    3
    A mediocre clone of the JA. There have been many others, and just like others, this game does not deliver some of the features that made the JA and JA2 such great games: -No ability to train militia -No custom merc to play as, you can only recruit -No ability to repair equipment -No doctor/patient or training Very dumb AI The game is much smaller than the original. The current game would've been a nice standalone tactical shooter. But putting a name of Jagged Alliance on this and charging 40$ for it is a rip off. Maybe for 15$ I would play that. Right now I feel very ripped off.… Expand
  8. Monte28
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    The game really makes you think. It can be tedious work sometimes but it can also be very challenging. The gameplay is repetitive but you do not really realise this because the layout of every area is very unique with different vantage points and choke points. A great sum of weapons and equipment make the game seem like every character is unique and every enemy you have to look at to get a understanding if he is wearing body armor or not. The game deserves an 8 for a well planned game with a unique concept and gameplay that will last awhile. I have 11 hours into the game and i've been running into graphical glitches and crashes. Could be my sli setup by why 11 hours to conflict. Either way i would recommend the game. But fair warning, if you don't have patience than this is not for you. One enemy can whipe out your entire team if you rush without care.… Expand
  9. pazmacats
    Apr 19, 2012
    0
    The difference between 1999 and 2012 in video games. 2012 releases a half-finished game that lacks any kind of creativity, but has 3D environment.
    The UI of this game is terrible and a whole lot inferior to Frozen Synapse. The gameplay is okay for about 2 or 3 hours, but after that you start to notice the AI issues (either rush or camp) and the lack of ... everything.
    No destructible envir    onment.
    No throwing weapons.
    No Fog of War.
    No Stealth kills.
    No story.
    No cash management.
    No (global) inventory screen.
    No merc friendships or personality.
    No aliens.

    It's a depressing piece of low-budget junk.
    0.5 points to the guy who designed the engine. Because the 3D environment sort of works alright.    … Expand
  10. YourNeighbour
    Apr 19, 2013
    3
    First of all, warning to the people who are planning on buying: YOU CANNOT MAKE YOUR OWN MERC AS OF PATCH 133(E) Apart from the graphics, everything from game mechanism to scenario looks like a downgrade. There's a lot of limitations that comes with BIA compared to JA2. You cannot plant bombs anywhere you want You cannot DIY your makeshift traps with landmines You cannot bash enemies with a crowbar
    You cannot unlock a door with a shotgun
    And the list goes on, there's a lot of things you could do in JA2 that is totally missing in BIA, playing BIA is more of a chore than fun. Ten minutes into the game and you can tell that the developers have not really played Jagged Alliance 2.

    It's not that exciting. Another example of failed resurrection by developers who wants to make easy dollars    … Expand
  11. gromit
    Feb 23, 2012
    3
    This is the Duke Nukem forever of the JA series. This game disappoints on so many levels, The extremely poor quality AI, the idiotic pathing, the bugs. The game has the look and feel of JA without the quality or fun factor. such a shame as I was looking forward to this game, they really didn't need to do much to the orginals to make this game a hit, just about every step they took in this release was a backwards one.… Expand
  12. socokid
    Jan 20, 2013
    9
    I am a gaming hobbyist from the early 80's, record dozens of hours a week to this day, and write very few reviews. However, I felt a need here. I just purchased this game a few weeks ago, so I may not have experienced the issues recorded in much earlier reviews, but this is a good game. It really is. I recently finished re-playing Silent Storm 2 and 3, so this game felt very, very familiar.... Throw in arming civilians in towns you have liberated, usually with the guns and armor you find on bad guys, a need to help protect these areas from warnings of incoming hostiles, and better graphics. There are a few frustrating bits that become much less of an annoyance after playing several hours. Using the camera view becomes more fluid with use, for example. I also see complaints here about things that they obviously fixed (assuming the original reviewer was accurate to begin with), like how you can check "fog of war" before starting a new game if you want.

    I am about 20-30 hours into the game and am having a good time, which is the best review a game can receive, IMO. I've been a video game hobbyist since the early 80's, and still play dozens of hours a week. I rarely submit reviews, but a 5.4 user score is not in line with the current version that I am playing.    … Expand
  13. Zarunil
    Feb 16, 2012
    3
    Kalypso needs to stop making crappy games. They take a big name like Jagged Alliance and proceed to take a dump on it, sort of like they did with Dungeons. They played it into being in the spirit of Dungeon Keeper, and it was nothing like it. This game is crap too, rather buy JA2 on Steam for way less, and get the community patch.
  14. netcoder
    Jul 9, 2012
    1
    I have been a big fan of JA2 back in the days. I've read some reviews before buying this one and got the demo. The reviews were bad, but the demo was sort of okay so I gave it a shot by buying it on Steam.

    Well I don't see anything fun about this game, which is the reason you play games in the first place. It's not that it's not like JA2: it's not and it's fine. It's just not fun, perio    d. The AI will spot you out of nowhere even if you're crawling behind them and make no noise at all. Your squad member will take 2 seconds to aim a gun even if he/she has 90 Marksmanship skill. If your character gets hit, it resets the counter too. That basically means that a guy running over 200 meters with an axe will kill you even if you have a shotgun and is facing him, because of the weird randomization of the game (in this case, the aiming speed).

    The auto-save is horrible, it basically saves you "just" before you start combat. Most of the time loading an auto-save means getting blown to smithereens because for some reason, loading a save will not pause the game for you (even with all the auto-pause events activated). Enemies are clearly overpowered. I was used to overpowered enemies in JA2 but this is even worse, because of the counter-reset thing. Enemies will just blast your squad in seconds even if you play very tactical.

    There's no strafing possible in the game, which means everytime you go around a corner you get shot if someone's there, because your character will not "spot" them until you face them (line of sight). The controls are poor: they give you tips during loading screens about aiming manually yet give you no clue about how to do it. Hell, I even get most tips in German for some reason.

    I have really no idea why this game passed QA. If you liked JA2, don't buy this game. If you hated JA2, don't buy this game. If you don't care about JA2, well don't buy this game. It's not a game at all anyway.    … Expand
  15. steevm
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    (Note: This is an updated review to reflect changes in the latest patches.) Ok, so it's not as good as Jagged Alliance 2. But how many games are? he new real-time system is quite fun (and I'm normally a TBS nutter!) and the ability to plan your strategy while the game is paused is well implemented. A number of patches have removed or alleviated some of the more blatant flaws in the initial release - the addition of sector inventories is a godsend, although equipping militas is still cumbersome (you need to run around and talk to each merc to equip them). If you can see past the lack of FOW and some of the other changes since JA2, there's a lot of fun to be had here. If you desperately want to play JA2, well, then play JA2, it's still the great game it always was.… Expand
  16. lliam
    May 6, 2012
    1
    Love all the Jagged edge games although I dont think this counts as one. Poor poor game. Should never be called a jagged edge game not worth £1. If you liked the Jagged edge series of games avoid this.
  17. AxeJeebs
    Feb 13, 2012
    4
    The interface is inconvenient, the AI sucks, and it's got some of the most abrasive action music I've ever had the displeasure of muting. That said, it has a few features that'll make it worth a spin once you can get it for under $15. This game is built to cater to the X-Com/Fallout 1 & 2 crowd, and it has exactly as much content as that demographic would expect from a top-down tactical strategy game, without any real innovation or clever additions.… Expand
  18. JKaylor
    Feb 14, 2012
    6
    It's such a disappointment yet I can't stop playing it. The game is clearly unfinished, from the bland character models, lack of the personality and charm from the original series, and no polish. You can even hear the gore exclamations, "Wow, that was gross!" and the enemy models fall in the same tired fashion. You know there is a horrific death animation that just wasn't added in. The mercenaries are all generic character models, with almost no details to distinguish them. How is it that the game from 1999 has better portrayals of these classic characters in terms of graphics and voice acting. Remember those cutscenes from JA2 that showed Elliot getting slapped around and feeling the genuine rage of the Queen and the progression of your campaign? Well, those are gone too. The tactical aspect of training rebels, and mercenaries has also been removed. You collect a weapon and hand it to an available freedom fighter. He becomes militia. Which you might as well give them all knives because the weapons and armor seems to make almost no difference, and they will lose the battle. Most of the game will be limited by retaking points and stationing your mercenaries near various parts of the map to intercept and defend the cities before the squads even get near them.

    But even with all the bugs, poor AI at times, and just lack of any type of production value, there is a solid game hidden behind it all. The mix of real time and planning during battles is challenging and addicting. You'll find yourself re-loading after getting wiped out over and over again and enjoying every minute of it. Learning from each approach until you find the perfect strategy to clear the immediate area and move on. There is still a large selection of weapons, armor, camouflage and items which stay true to the Jagged Alliance style.

    This game could have been so much more and it falls short on so many levels. I really hope the modding community can fix this mess of a game and bring out the amazing potential that it could and should have had.    … Expand
  19. emeraldstorm
    Feb 17, 2012
    2
    I can't really give this above a 5 right now. The User Interface is awkward and counter-intuitive. Moving the camera around involves holding down the alt-key. Cameras are a semi-standardized part of gaming- I'm not sure why they chose to go with something that didn't work over something established that does work. I haven't seen a way to click on an enemy and have my character move towards it and fire. It seems like you have to first move your character into range, and when it's just right, they'll start firing. There may be a way to do this, but even if there is, it isn't adequately explained. There are also a number of bugs and little annoyances. Like when you recruit people, you have to wait for this sequence of a sound of a modem connecting to finish before actually recruiting someone. Even when you first start the game there are a ton of logos you have to click escape from, etc. I bought this game because I like the concept, and some people gave it positive reviews- so I had hoped the main version would be better than the demo. I knowingly took a risk, and, so far anyway, it wasn't worth taking. In fact, if I can return this game (bought it less than 24 hours ago), then I intend to. Somebody said this was a rough diamond, and I agree, but I would emphasize the word rough. Until there is a patch out to *really* fix all the bugs and annoyances, my rating will be at a 2, because for $40.00 I expect a hell of a lot better than what I got.… Expand
  20. Kelemvor
    Feb 13, 2012
    2
    How someone can screw up a remake of such a great game is beyond me. They had everything. The story, the maps, the weapons etc. They could have just COPIED everything with better graphics, and most fans would have bought this game outright.
    The AI is very erratic. Most of the times it just seems stuck. It ignores weapon ranges and tries to hit you with a shotgun, 120 yards away. Other time    s it moves in loops without actually doing something useful.
    There is no fog of war. You enter a map, and you can see where everyone is. No surprises, no suspense. The plan&Go is an ok mechanic but in no way as good as the round based system in the original.
    The management aspect has been botched extremely. You don't have to pay your soldiers regularly, you just "buy" them. An illogical and unnecessary streamlining. On the other hand you have to arm militia by hand like in XCOM. But the militia can be so numerous, that you have to arm 30 people by hand. Why?
    Even the story presentation is bad. How can someone make cutscenes which look WORSE and more ugly than in the 13 year old original, with its minimalistic graphics?
    Sorry, how someone can fail so badly in doing a remake with had nearly perfect mechanics is beyond me. Please don't buy this game, or we have to endure comparable **** games in the future!    … Expand
  21. Megatanis
    Aug 24, 2012
    3
    What a pity. I played all the XCOM, fallout, jagged alliance etc games, and I must say I really enjoyed them. Especially the xcom series, with that mix of tactics and strategy, economic management and R&D, so freaking awesome. And JA2, I discovered this game quite "late", and wow what a gem! Fun, difficult, nice humor, very immersive. Jagged Alliance Back in Action has some very serious flaws, for a tactical squad level game. 1. No fog of war. Are you kidding? no, really. No fog of war. Try to understand the deep meaning of this statement. Try thinking xcom without fow. Try to imagine a tactical engagement where you are aware of EVERY single enemy position right from the start. Magic! Telepathy! Just..why? 2. Inventory management. What inventory management? to sell items, you have to select every single merc and talk individually with the merchant. If I want to SWAP items between my mercs, I can't do it from the strategic map. You must load a tactical map and do it from there in real time. Try thinking when you have I dunno, 8 mercs, ten maps full of items, and you have to manage this mess. Of course, no sector inventory, so you have to load maps and run around fetching stuff left over from that time when you were too loaded to carry other suff away. For the first time in my life, I disregarded drops from enemies in pure frustration, since if you don't pick up something as soon as you kill an enemy, well good luck running around the whole map. Not fun.
    3. Militia: now this is really ridiculous. Apply all that was said for inventory management, and now imagine that you must equip EVERY SINGLE militia (auto generated guys that fight to defend your territories when you are not there) manually, by giving them weapons and armor. Tedious is an euphemism. It literally takes hours. But don't worry, militia is useless in any case, you're much better off just selling your stuff to equip your mercs.

    I don't know, instead of going forward in terms of innovation, immersion, gameplay, in one word FUN, this game is a huge step back if compared to JA2. And since it's called "Jagged Alliance back in action" well..you are gonna get comparisons. JA2 is what, 10 years old?? shame shame shame..can't give a higher score to a TACTICAL game with no fow, sorry. Yeah graphics are ok.

    So they destroyed the fallout series, crippled heroes of might and magic, utterly smashed to pulp that miracle of a game that was civilization, and really did a bad job with Jagged Alliance.. now what? oh right, xcom! i would not be surprised if it was a spaghetti western in a post atomic world where you must hunt down dinosaurs. BUT...hey it's 3D!    … Expand
  22. urmumisanrpm
    Feb 12, 2012
    2
    If you liked jagged alliance, chances are you won't like this game. Whilst the developers have supposedly innovated with a plan and go system, they have clearly cut corners everywhere else and also while they are at it, robbed your grandma. The game feels like jagged alliance interpreted through creative ballet. Without fog of war the game is severely broken. It was in the early dev version supposedly but became "too hard" to play. A sheer remake on a new graphical platform and fixing and improving would have been awesome. I get the distinct feeling the developers drank all day instead of coding, scratched this together in a week and are laughing all the way to the bank knowing the nostalgic steam users will grab it and give it a run, without trusting the overwhelmingly negative reviews.… Expand
  23. Gorkoan
    Feb 13, 2012
    2
    JA: Back in Action is an unfinished mess, with loads of bugs, such as sometimes not being able to target prone enemies, some pieces of terrain not blocking line of sight for the enemy soldiers and so on. It also contains questionable game-play decisions, such as no FOW, no tactical overlays, no difficulty setting (the game is way to easy), no way to change squad formation. If compared to the old Jagged Alliance 2, the game is also lacking in content and strategic gameplay. Gone is the need to train militia, now the militia pop up when you capture a place, unarmed though so you need to collect weapons and run around handing them to every single militia soldier in the area, and if you want to upgrade their weapons you have to do the whole thing again. This is dreadfully boring and time consuming. Gone is also the doctor/patient healing system in which you only could bandage your soldiers in tactical view, and then had to use a doctor to heal them up in strategic view. Instead you now fully heal your soldiers in 5 secs when using heal kits in tactical view, without any kind of debuff. And as your characters don´t die instantly when getting to 0 hp (the fall down, and you have a good amount of time to heal them before the die) you can often just run straight at the enemy using no tactics whatsoever. This takes away all the realism that helped make Jagged Alliance 2 so good, and makes for a really boring game.

    If you want to play a tactical squad based game, go play Jagged Alliance 2 or good old X-com (or wait for the remake from Fireaxis). Or if you do not like turn-based games, go play Fallout Tactics, which lets you chose if you want to play real time or turn-based. Do not buy Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, you will be disappointed!    … Expand
  24. Joshua_Northey
    Feb 14, 2012
    9
    I look at the extremely negative user reviews from people who "loved" JA2 and I wonder what game they are playing. Now this game (and JA2) are not for everybody, but if you like JA2, XCOM or squad based tactical games I don't see what is not to like here.

    Are there things this game is lacking that JA2 had? Absolutely. But it also has made some real improvements in many areas, and the "    plan and go" system is a great idea that works very well and will perhaps breath some new life into this genre. JA2 was a 10/10, especially considering when it was made. But just because this game has some glitches and needs a little more polish doesn't mean it deserves a "2" like people give an unfinished abortion of a game like Sword of the Stars 2. This game is substantially finished, playable and a lot of fun. And personally I play games to have fun, not to pick them apart with comparisons with a determined effort to find every way they could be better. I get the impression some people reviewing this either haven't played it, or bought it specifically to pick it apart, which is quite silly if you ask me.

    The voice acting could be better, but it is sufficient. The combat mechanics are not perfect, but they are fun and make sense. The interface could really use so work to make managing inventories better, but my understanding is that is in the next patch. I thought the music was quite good, and the graphic elements were absolutely excellent for a game like this.

    The strategy map is a real improvement over the old classic, parts of the interface are greatly improved (and other parts missing/lacking). Anyway if you liked JA2, or XCOM, or the UFO: A series, or Laser Squad Nemesis, et cetera and you would like to play a modern game with those elements than this is just the thing for you.

    I had very modest expectations and it has been the game I have had the most fun with since portal 2 was released (and I buy a game a week).    … Expand
  25. Stunt
    Feb 11, 2012
    2
    Reading the reviews further helps lock in that they spent more on advertising than they did on the actual game.
    AI is atrocious. Often times you will give orders and sit and curse while your soldiers decide not to shoot. They badly needed testers to play through the game a few times before publishing. You can immediately see all enemy soldiers every mission. This makes stealth completely r    idiculous as you can simply wait for the enemy soldier to randomly look the other way before having your character round the corner and knife them in the back. This game rips off Jagged Alliance 2, but strips down all the flavor that makes the game fun. Lets hope fans can try to crack the game and mod it to make it playable.

    If this game weren't in any way related to the Jagged Alliance franchise I think I would not have the issues I have. The graphical engine isn't terrible and I think that with a another year and some passion about the original game they could have made this into something fun. I also question the amount of money that went into advertising this release and into the good reviews I've been reading that appear to be out of touch with the individuals who actually played the game.

    Before buying this game, go buy Silent Storm. It's graphics are still superior and they actually took the time to flesh the game out. Oh it's also 8 years old.    … Expand
  26. Admiral_Awesome
    Feb 25, 2012
    4
    Frustration. This is the first thing that comes to mind while playing this game. Especially when you fight in buildings (try throwing grenades in buildings). The enemy's are hitting you from impossible angles (for example i got hit with a shotgun which was fired four times out of weapon range), they spot you no matter what you do and they charge right up front. Only thing you need to do is clicking at them repeatedly so your mercs shoot em down while they charge (without taking any cover). If you like this kind of game play (not turn based,etc.) try frozen synapse, its cheaper and way better.… Expand
  27. ThanatosMk2
    Feb 15, 2012
    8
    This is one of the few games in a while that I've played where the tutorial is mandatory. It is mandatory primarily because it is the only way to learn the non-remappable control schema. That being said, once you get going, the game-play is engaging. I started playing after several bugs were already patched, and the devs are patching more every day. Judging the game on its own merits rather than it's predecessors, I can say that this is a solid game on it's own. Hopefully the modding community can get in gear to make the items we miss come back in this iteration.… Expand
  28. BattleXer
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    In my opinion, this game is a rough diamond. As someone who has never played the original JA or JA2 games, I am still aware of the legendary reputation these games bring to the franchise. And thus the level of expectation which the community has towards this third installment.

    However, as a standalone game, not taking into account its heritage, I am immensely enjoying the experience. Game    play reminds me a bit of the Men of War series of games. But with the added depth of a 'persistent' world map, which will feature random counterattacks from the defending forces on Arulco.
    Liberated towns or mines give you daily income, which can be spent on hiring new mercs or better equipment. Enemies drop loot, which can be sold or used to keep your mercs going. Militias can be equipped with guns from your stores to defend your holdings. All this and more makes for a very complex and satisfying game, with levels of interaction and tactical options rarely seen in games these days - mainstream RTS included. And just for trying to bring this experience to a new audience 10 or more years after the originals the developers deserve a 10.

    I do however have to subtract one point from my final rating due to sometimes flaky camera controls, which can be responsible for getting your mercs killed in tight situations. And another for samey, predictable AI, which will send all their goons out in the open and after your squad once one of them is spotted, rather than making use of their well entrenched positions.

    I can see how Fog of War would have made this game an even more intense experience, and it is a shame the devs decided to not include it in the final game. And I am sure that veterans of this series will have many more bones to pick, but JA:BiA as it stands, is head and shoulders above anything in the RTS realm that is currently on offer on the PC. And with patches already coming out 1 day after release, I am sure this game can be polished to an even brighter sheen.    … Expand
  29. kaosushijin
    Feb 16, 2012
    10
    I would ask that anyone who comes to the review section of this game to notice that there are MANY positive reviews, MANY negative reviews, and few in between. This game suffers from the "uncanny valley" of game revivals; It happened to Fallout 3 as well.

    Whenever a beloved game series is taken over by another developer and it's game mechanics are changed, the fans of the original have n    o way of venting their frustrations except to come to review sites and rate games badly. The problem with this is that some people use these review sites to make purchasing judgments, and there is FAR too much collective bias against games that try to revive old cult classics.

    As to the game itself, it's good. It's difficult if you don't know what you're doing, easy if you do. It's going to take you a day or two to get the hang of things. You might want to restart the game once you get the hang of it. This is one of the best RTS/RPGs in existence right now (still hoping for a worthwhile UFO remake); Please give it a chance and ignore the butthurt babies who want to rate it down out of their spite towards the choices the developers made with game direction.    … Expand
  30. K0O
    Aug 11, 2012
    8
    Very, very addictive. Not as deep and complex as the original (JA2), but nevertheless very good game. There are though many bugs, or at least design flaws, but the overall playing experience is very satisfying. Last patches have lifted the game quality considerably. The difficulty level is sometimes a bit tough, but that's just a challenge!
  31. SimmO
    Feb 14, 2012
    9
    this game is ....... so close to being great, once they iron out the bugs will be even better, one of the best reboots ever having great fun playing this as i did JA 2, if the devs fix the bugs, and listen to the reasnable fans requests it will be even better, great game!
  32. Rattlefinger
    Feb 21, 2012
    7
    First: I played JA2. Second: I loved it. Third: It was a cheating b***ard (don't tell me, that in the middle of the night someone shoots me in the head with a .38 repeatedly, from it's max effective distance, and it's not "cheating". Or when 2 consecutive bursts from an Uzi directed to an enemy 1 (one) step away miss completely....). Maybe JABiA cheats too, but not as hard, and frankly, it needs it. The AI is not too bright, however it could surprise you a few times. Anyway most of the enemies can be eliminated by lure tactics, but when the AI is on the defence, you can count on that it will not send all its men to the slaughter; you have to go in, to finish the job. -- I like this game, although it's far from perfect. Sometimes I experience unexplainable slowdowns, mostly occurring when the roof of a building is removed for a better view. You can't remove the roofs of "distant building" (more than a few feet away...) so it's quite possible, that you can't issue a fire order, even if the enemy is in your mercenary's line of sight. You have to get used to the camera; in my opinion it's movement is too restricted. There are clipping problems, which will not only look weird, but will hinder you: f.e. your mercenary lies behind a cover, but their weapon and hands clip through it, making them a shootable target. Of course you can pull them back a bit, but still, it's annoying. There are problems with issuing orders, especially when you want them to shoot on a moving enemy at close range. They will aim, then state they can't hit the target, turn to face it, aim again, state it's impossible to shoot at it, etc. Especially annoying when they can't finish a single axe-armed guy off, and thanks to it he kindly chops a few of your men to pieces. The militia, in its current form is quite unusable, or should I say, it's not worth investing money, or loot in it, but hey, you have mercs, to defend your territory. -- What I mean to say is that this game has it's own share of problems, _but_ it's still a good, enjoyable game. The graphics are outdated, but it's far from ugly; the sounds and music are good (in my opinion), and when those annoyances mentioned earlier don't make their appearances, the action is quite enjoyable; for me, it has that certain urban warfare feeling with the heavy need to use cover, popping out from behind it just for a few moments, to harass the enemy with a handful of bullets. JABiA is not a genre defining product, it was never meant to be that, but I enjoy playing it. I would give it an 8, were it not for the number of minor, more or less avoidable glitches.… Expand
  33. exiter123
    Feb 18, 2012
    5
    It is game for anybody. It most likely will not interest fans JA2. New players will be confused with a genre in general.
    In game is not present turn-base a mode (and it is one of the basic counters JA), opponents are very silly, balance of the weapon awful (sniper rifles most abruptly!), there is no convenient distribution of subjects both other and other...
    Graphics quality at level of 2005.
  34. LordOsiris
    Feb 19, 2012
    0
    This game should have been a great game. However, they decided to sell "cheat codes" or extra gear as DLC. This is unacceptable for any modern game. I don't want anyone's success in a game based off of how much they paid to play a game. The game would have been great had they not based your starting situation off how much you were going to pay to play. I hope the company that made this goes bankrupt simply based on how they chose to market it.… Expand
  35. goertz1980
    Feb 17, 2012
    4
    My previous rating stands, although I would like to make a couple more comments. I think this game does have potential, but i wish they would have created a new game and not slapped JA on it. Alone (and in a different country), it would have had it's own room to grow. The errors in this though, are pretty terrible. I hope the full version is not as terrible as the demo version, but if it is, I see no joy in playing it. I had only 4 mercs, and it was terrible trying to micromanage the four during a firefight. If you give me a game where I can change formations (line, wedge, column, etc) while at the same time the mercs act like PROFESSIONALs and cover their sector for 360 degree security, that would be pretty neat. Of course, something would need to be done for engaging, like a button to select for fire at will, or only fire when engaged, etc would be even better. In short, they should be able to defend themselves if I'm not looking directly at them. As I mentioned earlier, I would totally buy another JA if they took JA2 and placed it in a different country and just improved some of the key problem areas that have been identified. Why completely revamp the entire game process, when JA2 was such a success? Every attempt to make the game "3D" has not lived up to the hype...Brigade E5 was enjoyable, but it became so monotonous. The missions weren't even worth doing (take this package here, blah blah). I ended up going around the country killing everyone for the combat, and not caring about the end of the game. Just bring back the original JA2 (something like Unfinished Business will work), so I can spend my hard earned money on a quality game. Take BIA back to the shop, fix it, call it something else, and I will buy that as well.… Expand
  36. Kris_
    Feb 16, 2012
    0
    If you're considering on buying this, DONT. This is exactly the kind of product that just tries to abuse a known franchise by making a half-assed sequel.

    What you will find, is nothing like jagged alliance. You can't even call it "modernized" turn-based strategy. For a free game it might be ok, but it's nowhere near the quality any commercial product should been.

    Verdict: Not Fun At All.
  37. Pudenfuhrer
    Apr 6, 2012
    8
    Straight off the bat, this plays well. The core mechanic works, the gameplay is good. The menu's are nice, hiring mercs has a little video feed complete with dial up tones. There's a lot to like here.
    The Campaign map, and the militia system makes it much more than just linear missions strung together - and I appreciated this. A lot of people are probably letting dissapointment that th    is isn't an all encompassing fantasy wishlist effect their scoring. I have not played Jagged Alliance - but love XCOM etc. Over the years I've played every one of the ever worse buggy XCOM games and quite enjoyed them. What you get here is a SOLID game, maybe a little simpler than the community wanted. But this is a GOOD game - and it deserves more credit for being so.
    Also - this game is so easy to mod. You can change the way the AI responds just by changing a few lines. I made opening doors with a key near silent as an example - as that seemed off - (ie you find the key to get in quietly - so why would it make more noise than just forcing the lock?)
    Modded up - this game gets better and better. The "blue dawn" mod is shaping up nicely as an example to get you started..    … Expand
  38. Novocain
    Jan 29, 2013
    8
    The bugs are really what is holding down this game from becoming a real top game of the genre. Even after several patches (1.13 and counting) they still remain riddled with bugs and some annoying features that could be done better.

    However the action is superb and there is a good selection of characters aswell as equipment to make the game enjoyable. I look forward to trying the stand-a    lone expansion Crossfire soon.

    I have not played the previous JA-games, however I have played & enjoyed other titles in the genre such as XCom-series, SWAT 2, Fallout Tactics..    … Expand
  39. dapac
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    A lot of people are disappointing by this game, and I understand their perspective. I`ve been a long time fan of JA, finished it back when there were no mods, and even installed it again a month ago, with version 1.13, which is AMAZING. Now, the topic here is back in Action. At first, I didn`t want to buy the game, the lack of fog of war was making the game pretty unplayable, and the interface in general didn`t seem polished enough. Later on, I got into reading about it, getting more information about the company, and my mark of 10 is given in context of the bigger picture I`ve come to see:

    1. I bought the game, JABIA, when I saw patch 1.13, especially because of the major improvements the devs brought since launch. 2. A team of 12 people was working on JABIA, and I think they managed to accomplish amazing things together. 3. some of the original game mechanics are very difficult to remake into a 3d game from a development standpoint, even though fans "expect them" to be there

    If Blizzard released this game, with all the resources they had, my mark would be much lower, but I believe in this development team, think they have great potential ahead of them given enough resources, as well as if they change their business plan a bit to be more reactive to fans and critics feedback.

    Looking forward for more productions of JA,

    All the best,
    Alex    … Expand
  40. tijauna
    Feb 13, 2012
    9
    it is getting more and more obvious. you can stick all these paid or "young and inexperienced" reviews up your a...

    if you know what you want you should definitely give this game a try. this is one of the truest reboots ever.

    additionally "back in action" is technically flawless and preforms very well beside from most AAA titles today.
  41. Baronz
    Feb 14, 2012
    5
    Despite the poor AI and the lack of the fog of war, i quite like the game. I really don't want to play turn based games anymore and this is a good alternative.
    However the interface and the management of the inventory is awful. You have to manually go to every militia in the town to give them weapons, and you need to pick up every single loot after every battle. This is very annoying after     a battle with 45 soldiers.. it takes half an hour just to loot everything.… Expand
  42. Diaord
    Feb 11, 2012
    7
    This game is an interesting experience, it provides the player with the kind of game-play that is oft ignored or unheard of in modern gaming. The game has a sense of tactics that many RTS games eschew in favour of faced based game-play. The game provides an interesting set of characters and a sometimes humorous set of Easter eggs. In addition, it seems the writers decided to bypass copyright law by mixing names, like the hallowed SAM-AF and the Klock 18. Finally, the game provides a half-decent [not completely decent] UI that ranges from intelligent in some areas and even enlightened, to completely idiotic in others. There is a lot to be said for this game. It has its flaws and it has its pros. Among the many flaws of this game are the huge amount of system-crashing bugs one will experience when playing the game, which effectively limits the employability of the game with their continual and common occurrence.… Expand
  43. octohead
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    This game is very original and interesting, it provides you with challenge and mostly with fun. The huge amount of characters, weapons, missions and enemies makes things even better. It gives you many ways of approach, either a silent sniper approach, or burst in with the assault rifle and shoot everything on sight. The Commander mode is the most fun, the tactical options are huge. Every mission rewards you with daily money or accesses to other missions. I haven't played the old Jagged Alliance games, but this game is fun indeed, and I recommend it to all tactical strategy games.… Expand
  44. Skyy
    Feb 11, 2012
    5
    The biggest problem of this game is it's name. The original Jagged Alliance 2 is just such a big and popular game that it's incredibly hard to compete with, especially if you make a remake and remove most of the critical gameplay elements. While not being a bad tactics game, Jagged Alliance Back in Action is a mere shadow of JA2, with lots of problems ranging from horrible controls, awful character images, removal of almost all tactial-map features and more.… Expand
  45. Goztec
    Feb 11, 2012
    4
    As a successor to JA2 I find this game to be a total fail not worth the name of the franchise. Game lacks of many, reaaally many features that made the game enjoyable ( check for this list on developers forum ). The game mechanics are dumbed down so hard that every single fight looks the same. Game is released with no thought about later gameplay ( imagine u have to micromanage every item by running your character to pick it up, run around again to deliver it somewhere - yup no convenient sector inventory, after capturing 4 or 5 locations ( about 20 of them in a game) and having 4 or more ( becouse the militia is hopeless and even with best kevlars/rifles they get wiped out by a smaller force of axe armed AI to capture and hold more locations you will need at least 8 ) mercs it becomes a serious issue, last time it took time 30 mins JUST to manage items in captured territory - barracks ), hell u cant even manage inventory of your mercs during they journey on world map - thats totally ignorant and bad. NO FOW - you can see every enemy on the map from the beginning, no comment on this one...
    To be honest the list goes on and on, check this out on developers forum or steam platform... For me the game is only a quick cash grab , after many hours ( got 20 hours already) Iam really fed up with this. The only cure for the game is the modding scene but the devs clearly state they won't help at any means...    … Expand
  46. Flashman
    Feb 11, 2012
    2
    This game is infuriating and sub-standard for so many reasons. It's riddled with bugs and seemingly inexplicable phenomena. To name but a few: I've had mercs spotted through walls, enemies alerted to a mercs presence for no apparent reason (yes I understand the stealth mechanics), enemy AI is appalling (you can eliminate a building full of enemies but just running a merc around the perimeter of the building, thus alerting the enemies, and then shooting them all as they come out of the door), the game is riddled with typos (e.g. some of the mercs have a trait called 'though', which is obviously meant to be 'tough'), the voices acting is poor and annoying (who honestly wants to have their merc scream the same phrase over and over again every time you select them?), the towns are lifeless and dull (filled with aimlessly wandering NPCs who interact with nothing, they remind me of playing Ultima). There's also myriad other infuriating gameplay problems, such as when you stealth melee someone in crouch mode, you inexplicably change to run mode after the kill, which means if you move, you automatically alert everyone in the area to your presence), NPCs also have a tendency to block you into confined spaces (I've had a merc stuck in a garage for an entire mission because a child decided to sit on the floor in the only exit and refused to move). Dialogue is appalling and the sub-quests uninteresting. Combat is unfulfilling and tedious (the rag-doll bodies are about the most satisfying part) and generally consists of endlessly having to reload whilst you try and make-up for the non-sensical mechanics (e.g. tell a merc to shoot an enemy that is running towards them, and if the enemy passes out of sight for a second (e.g. to run around a tree) the order is cancelled and your merc generally ends up dying unless you continually re-tell him to shoot the target. Other problems elevate the game to the height of tedium (why, for example, when buying and selling items can you not just cycle through the various mercs, rather than having to individually move each merc to the vendor?). The game feels like an unfinished b-movie. You might overlook these things if it were £10 (but even then it'd annoy the hell out of you) but for £30 you expect a game to have proper A.I., a user-friendly interface and acceptable game mechanics. Back in Action has none of these. It is a franchise that has clearly not moved on since the last decade, which is a shame, because I really wanted to enjoy it.… Expand
  47. sin-avatar
    Feb 11, 2012
    4
    I don't mind converting turn based game into rts based one. But result which i can see in this game is pretty ... lame. First this game is just remake of Jagged Alliance - laptop menus, plot, even mercenaries names. That is ok for me (yep - that is NOT why i am given this game 4/10). Developers team made a few mistakes:
    1. No fog of war (not even in options) - so you ALWAYS know where is     your enemy. You can't be ambushed.
    2. Destruct-able environment - you can place c4 only on walls who marked by developers - that is irritating. You can destroy some concrete walls but unable to even scratch some wall buildings.
    3. Weapon modifiers - you have some gun and want attach silencer and optical scope? You can't - you have to choose 1 modifier.
    4. No penalty for wounds. As long as doctor can revive him(her) - your mercenary can be good as new in no time.
    5. Sometimes you merc "can't make the shot" ... without reason.
    Those "mistakes" i can remember right away, maybe there is couple more in long run. But even this amount is enough for me.

    Maybe developers tried - but i don't believe in it. For me it seems as they trying just to get some easy cash. Game lack too much of detail which made game of this genre enjoyable. Hell, i can remember X-COM apocalypse (you can use similar real-time based control mode instead of turn based one), but at least in 1997 i had fully destructible environment and buildings with multiple floors.

    This game should be heavily reworked or modded to make it worth buying. In result i recommend you buy JA2 and get 1.13 patch for example - you get much more (yep that is not 2012 graphic and it is turn based, but it cost less and it is better). I did.    … Expand
  48. berowe
    Feb 12, 2012
    9
    This is a very entertaining squad-based tactical action game. It allows for strategy, planning, and management without sacrificing action and pacing. You lead your heavily-armed squad as it carves its way through heavy resistance across the detailed 3D locations of Arulco. The main strength of this game is the Plan & Go feature. This allows you to pause the game at any time and issue detailed orders to your squad. These orders range from movement commands-- stances, facings-- to combat commands-- targeting specific enemies and specific body parts, throwing grenades. These waypoints can then be linked (synced) resulting in coordinated maneuvers and take-downs. Once the mode is exited the game un-pauses and your mercenaries carry out their orders as you watch the carnage. If something changes, simply press the space-bar, go back into the P&Go mode and adjust your tactic to the new situation. This system allows the best of both worlds: Old-school turn based aficionados (like myself) don't need to fear an RTS click-fest that our arthritic fingers can't keep up with. Young-pup BF3 lovers get the pacing, action, and exploding ragdolls that they love. Everybody wins. It's like Rainbow 6 (the original), with a birds-eye view of your troops and the ability to make on-the-fly corrections to your plan. In what other tactical sim can you actually plan a detailed breach and clear and watch the AI carry it out? The tenets of squad-based warfare actually work in this game.

    If you're looking for Jagged Alliance 2; this isn't it. If that fact automatically makes the game awful, that's fine, but I didn't buy it looking for its predecessor. The fans of 2-decade-old turn based games feel that their X-Com's and JA2's are becoming extinct. They are angry with developers who can't or won't fund their (admittedly unprofitable) type of game, and some of them have taken to trashing this game ever since the announcement that it wouldn't be turn-based, and that their precious mercenary characters would have new portraits...

    The game is not without bugs, it is coming from a small production team and lacks some polish. However, I have been able to easily overlook the bugs, inconsistencies and quirks of the game because it is far better than any of the recent X-Com knock-offs, and it is fun.    … Expand
  49. Darkway
    Feb 12, 2012
    8
    I was a big fan of JA2 and played it endlessly. And I expected to dislike this game. But...I am actually really enjoying it. Sure, there are elements from JA2 that could have been included, and there are annoying issues which need to be fixed. But to be honest a lot of the criticism is exaggerated...and there is a lot that this games does BETTER than JA2 did - I think the strategy map, for example, is much better designed in this game. And, lets be realistic about this - this game shows a lot of potential, and if it sells well the developers will hopefully be supported in producing an even better addition to this genre. For now though, I am really enjoying another trip around Arulco.… Expand
  50. modboy84
    Feb 14, 2012
    7
    For as many reasons this game upsets me it also makes me happy. The biggest disappointment was the lack of custom character generation. This was an integral part of Jagged Alliance 2 as it affected the balance of your mercenary squad to a point where you could not only control it by having money but by having a character generated to your spec. There is a lot to speak good about though, you have the characters and the story you loved from Jagged Alliance 2 but the play style is different. It's different in a way that makes it more challenging, and makes you want to plan your infiltrations better. I liked Jagged Alliance & Jagged Alliance 2 dearly even though this isn't an exact remake it still hits an enjoyable note. Don't expect a true to life remake if you decide to try this, the turn based aspect is gone and replaced by a pause,think-and-move style. Overall the voice acting could be better, the AI could be better and they could definitely add IMP back. I would recommend giving this game a try if you haven't already.… Expand
  51. Aquariumterror
    Feb 16, 2012
    8
    No Way! They used to take a 13 year old game and put it into 2012 with some cool new things (Plan&Go) - but left a lot of cool features from the original (SciFi mode, Create-your-own-soldier, Crafting) - But it is a good game which takes me to Aruclo for more than 20 hours and I am still fascinated and explore everything.
  52. voyagersat
    Feb 16, 2012
    2
    a shadow of its former self .The game lacks alot of things 1)F.O.W 2)stealth (when you are outside a building the enemies always looking at your position) 3)ambidexterity (no merc can use 2 pistols at once or 2 knives 4)no action button (open,close door etc)
    4)items cannot be seing (you must be very carefully where the items drop) 5)cabinets and such are only fixed (you cant use any drawer     or any cabinet) 6)weapon attachments are out of reality (i managed to attach a 10x telescope to a machinegun !!!!!? + tha only 1 attachment can be attach) 7)only the medics can heal you cant even try to do it 8)the positions of your mercs are fixed and many many more
    result = Its a good try BUT there is no connection to the REAL jagged alliance 2 ...too bad i had many hopes !!!!    … Expand
  53. madcat75
    Feb 19, 2012
    5
    As much as I love the first two Jagged Alliance games there is no way that a game this bad can be compared to them, the AI is stupid, the pathfinding awful and the graphics are not much better than JA2, I played this in the end using a trainer I gave my mercs 100 in everything and the best weapons and armour and even then 6 of my mercs were taken out by 1 enemy because I didnt tell them to attack him, even on guard they will only guard in the direction you tel them too.

    The lack of a way to change formation, the so called tutorial that teaches you next to nothing ( shows you othing about things to do with the main ma, doesnt tell you how to give militia weapons etc) and the so called 'stealth' aspect is a joke no matter what you do you can crawl and sneak your way to the enemy but there are times you tell your men to shoot someone ad they run towards him and hug him, also it doesnt help that the enemy sometimes have xray vision and supre accuracy, the delay between giving an firing order and them shooting is laughable, told them to fire once and took them 20 seconds to shoot and by that time the enemy had wiped out 5 of my squad.

    I am in agreement with the rest of the reviews here that this should have either been released at a different name or in coming patches be fixed so that you can actually play the game without screaming at your monitor at how stupid your mercs are.    … Expand
  54. Lailonn
    Feb 28, 2012
    8
    First of all don't look at this game as remake. It's new game only based on locations/story of original JA. It's different - sth like Commandos or Fallout Tactics - and that doesn't make it bad!! It's still a solid tactic game with a lot of fun. Most bugs are already patched so negative reviews should be "upgraded".

    Graphics - good as for tactic game and detailed enough to know that enemy     is using sniper rifle and that there is a pistol on the ground next to wall. That's more than you need to plan and fight your battles! DX11 and ultra details are no needed.

    Sounds - average. Mercs voice acting could and should be better but since they don't talk too much i can ignore this. Weapons sounds like in game from 2000r. but still acceptable. For sure the worst part of this game.

    Game play - real time action + active pause is good for dynamic battles. I don't miss FOG but it will be added in patch soon(for fans). I could even accept that you can climb only where DEVs let you and blow up only where they let you. The only thing that i'm angry about is AI. You must do everything manually because mercs wont even turn back if they are getting hits from behind. The same zombie AI for Militia which is useless for almost anything(promised to be patched) but what is strange "great" Ai of enemy soldiers. They can see and hear almost everything + they are rushing like hell so keep a fast shooting gun near you ;)

    After 40h of playing(75% of game for me) still funny and interesting, that's why i don't regret buying this game and that's why 8/10 from me :)    … Expand
  55. Smool
    Mar 23, 2012
    8
    I had not played the previous JA games, but came to this game from the UFO:After-series, drawn by the promise of another Plan-and-Go tactical shooter. I enjoyed it a great deal, especially the unique characters and voice talent (hard to find in current indie games) and found that it in general was an improvement, but it's not without it's rough edges. I would say that if you know you already like tactical RPG's and deep strategy, either turn-based or Plan-and-Go, I would go for it without hesitation. If you are unsure about the genre, this one has a learning curve and poor documentation (though a friendly community forum) and you might be better off starting with the UFO: After series and working up to it.

    The plus's are a reasonably comepelling story, and an interesting (though fixed) map that is different from Zone-to-Zone maps common in the XCOM tradition, a well thought out Plan-and-Go features. Cons are fidgety pathing (in crowded or cluttered settings, Plan-and-Go becomes "Plan-and-Babysit"), simplified / unrealistic weapons properties (weapons which use different ammo from what the actual weapon in the real world does, holographic sights that increase the aiming accuracy of sniper rifles, etc), and the lack of good item inventory management tools that leave the player spending game time sorting spoils.

    Another feature is that it's hard, and punishes conservative play. Without spoiling, I would just say that a player should be mentally prepared to take territory and lose it again rather than protect a small territory to the death.    … Expand
  56. BleedingQuasar
    Apr 2, 2012
    10
    Great game. Good game play. The familiar story is a little tired but they told us about that before the game was released. The game is as advertised.
  57. badbug
    Apr 27, 2012
    0
    omg what a **** retarded game, I wonder if the creators of this **** ever tested their own game'?! Graphic sux, sound is weak, even in simple mode its imba as hell, all the good stuff of the original version is out and the gaylordstuff they keep. Steam give me my money back!!! All players should get payed before they get it!!! -,-
  58. Karolus
    May 14, 2012
    7
    Used to play XComs and original Jagged Alliance 1,2 games. This one (patched to 1.13) is not bad one. Quite entertaining in fact. I would say it keeps the level of unmodded J.A. - playable but not exceptional.
    Graphics and controls are the bright sides. Pitty you cannot jump and climb the roofs , the AI is not stellar and targettig feels sometimes unfinished (especialy with sniper rifle)


    Hoping for further improvements and mods.    … Expand
  59. aWolf
    Aug 3, 2012
    9
    As a fan of the original game, I was quite skeptic to this remake, especially after seeing the metacritic score... But I gave it a try a few months after launch, and it's quite good! I can't say how it was at launch, but now there are very few bugs so it's totally playable.
    It's hard enough without being frustrating, worthy of the jagged alliance name :)
  60. Silentstorm5
    Sep 13, 2012
    7
    When this game came out, I was not a fan, it was riddled with bugs and game-play errors. These have for the most part been fixed, but there are still some major issues that need to be addressed: The learning curve is extreme, you go from fighting guys with fire axes to heavily armed assault squads with insane accuracy, but I could overlook all of that, IF you could repair armor. In the end this game just doesn't live up to the jagged alliance series we expect ,but the game in-itself is a decent and I do enjoy playing it (For the most part).… Expand
  61. medith007
    Apr 5, 2013
    7
    I suggest you to try the demo first. If you like it, you will enjoy the rest of the game. If you don't, then leave it. For me, I've played through until the end and this means something to me. Even the well-reviewed games like Assassin's Creed, I was not able to see the ending. There's no eye candy and it has an issue with A.I. Managing inventory is somewhat a chore and missions can be repetitious. But I liked this game. It felt like Commandos to me. Can be frustrated but quite enjoyable if you like this kind of game.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 35
  3. Negative: 4 out of 35
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    May 16, 2012
    55
    Ignore Back in Action and just buy Jagged Alliance 2 to cherish the original version of a great game. Then again, if graphics are so important to you, go ahead and buy Back in Action- you might enjoy it but you will have paid four times more, for an inferior product. [May 2012]
  2. Worth Playing
    Apr 10, 2012
    67
    As you manage your squads and try to take down the Queen's men in Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, you can't help but feel that the game could have been a lot more. The open premise really works and allows for you to tackle nearly any obstacle in the game as you see fit. The game is fun, but it has a lot of baggage and head-scratchingly rough edges that dull the enjoyment. The title does a passable job of bringing the Jagged Alliance series back to life, but it's not as good as it could've been, and it doesn't live up to the legacy of its predecessors.
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  3. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    50
    The real-time combat isn't the problem; it's everything else, which was done with a depth and confidence 13 years ago that this reimagining lacks. [Apr 2012, p.54]
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