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- Full Control
- Full Control
- Full Control
- Full Control
Jagged Alliance: Flashback
Released On: Oct 21, 2014
52
4.2
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
52
10% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
40% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
52
10% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
40% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Jagged Alliance Flashback resurrects the classic game, unfortunately only as a skeleton. I hope that some day the flesh, muscles and soul will be added. [Dec 2014]
Measured against Jagged Alliance 2 – a game with a budget many times that of Flashback – Jagged Alliance: Flashback does a solid face plant. It lacks the depth and personality that made its older sibling the cult hit still played by thousands of gamers to this day.
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 77 User Ratings
4.2
25% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
16% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
60% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 77 User Ratings
4.2
25% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
16% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
60% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
First off, the combat and the overall game experience in this game is really, really good. The AI is competent, the numerous weapons feel powerful and deadly. The environments are interesting and good looking, the portraits and merc personalities are great, the music is excellent and really sets the mood and pacing, and the sound design, especially on the weapons, is meaty and loud, and hits you right in the gut - like firearms are supposed to.
Yes, there are still some rough edges, but these will be ironed out by the developers; updates have been released almost every day since release - based on testing and community feedback.
And yes, some die-hard JA2 1.13 fans have been complaining about Flashback not having the same amount of features as the old games. But this game was never intended to be a clone or a remake of 1.13; that mod has been honed and fine tuned over a period of more than a decade, and the initial budget for Flashback would never be able to incorporate all that. But the core game experience is there. It's solid and fun, and the modding community seems to be really positive about the future potential of making something akin to a modern take of 1.13.
Instead of complaining about missing features, people should be focusing on what this game does well and whether it's a good and fun gaming experience at its core. And it IS! Just look at Shanga's positive review above/below. He was one of the guys behind the JA2 1.13 mod. If HE is positive about the game and its future modding potential, that should count for a lot.
TLDR; If you're looking for a great, tactical, and turn-based experience, this is the game for you. And it will only get better in the future - with both solid developer support and solid modding activity.
I'm giving this a 9 based on the overall game experience combined with the future potential for making that even better through modding.
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I've followed this game since the Kickstarter, and have played on an off during the Steam EA period, seeing it take shape before the final, unfortunately premature, release, due to budget exhaustion.
The game has seen a steady flow of patches and update since then, and the developers have added what was missing from the initial release.
The game is a somewhat lite iteration in the JA genre, focusing first and foremost on getting the tactical combat optimised and returned to the turn-based mode of its elder brothers JA1 and JA2. This comes at the expense of fluff, an elaborate and ultra-rich story/setting and deep character immersion. But this was never within the scope of the project, which seems to have been forgotten by the vast majority of people who casually threw 30 bucks at the KS and expected a remake of JA2. Sadly, these seem to be the most vocal detractors, both evidenced here and at the official steam forums, not to mention some of the "professional" critic reviews, that reek of the same personal hurt feelings and disregard for reality.
Luckily, knowing what was on the table the whole time, I've been able to focus on the strong point of Flashback, which is the tactical combat and the squad-based game play. After all, what good is a shiny box of kittens, if they all turn out to be **** and the box made of poo, beneath the glossy finish?
I'm about 15 hours in so far, and thoroughly enjoying myself. The game start off light on your squad(although this was not the case during some of the EA period), but get gradually harder(tougher, better equipped enemies) the more you progress. Just because you picked up that awesome rifle does not mean you'll dance through without a fight!
CTH and cover system work well, after some patch love, and the recent addition of attachments only expand the possibilities of earning you kills. And the interrupt mechanism is enriching.
The game still has kinks and klonks here and there, but the post-release support has been great and really made this a worthwhile investment.
Good job on the limited budget, FC.
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Everything is reduced to the absolute minimum: character development, story, presentation. Luckily the tense turn-based firefights work well enough to save the game. Nonetheless you’re better off with Wasteland 2.
I should also point out unpleasant visuals, crappy voice-over work, horrendous pathfinding and sloppy UI, but it all simply adds injury to the insult, since, first and foremost, JA: Flashback fails as a tactical strategy game.
A tremendous wasted opportunity for a definitive remake of a legendary turn-based game. Its gameplay fundamentals are solid, the presentation is nice and the combat system is fun enough, but numerous technical problems, performance issues, unfinished and sloppy gameplay and interface elements as well as several other issues tarnish a game that may eventually become quite good with further development and support. Until that happens you are better off waiting.
Jagged Alliance: Flashback looked poor and chaotic just a few months before its debut. The final version looks just as bad. The developers work will get no enthusiasm from gamers. A year and a half ago Full Control studio has asked fans for support on Kickstarter and now they need to explain themselves and fix a very poorly made game.
One shouldn’t be allowed to just cobble together “something Jagged-alliancy”, panting and cursing at every step. Development of an experience like Arulco or Metavira should be approached with a clear head and a clear conscience, otherwise instead of being a holy rite it ends up as a profanation of one of the best games in existence. [Dec 2014, p.68]
First of all this is not Jagged Alliance 3, nor is it a 2014 version of Jagged Alliance 2. It is a prequel to Jagged Alliance (1).
The main focus of the developer seems to have been the tactical combat (and allowing for modding - see below), and the tactical part is pretty solid - I absolutely love the fact that rifles and sniper rifles are less accurate at short range, thereby leaving a niche for handguns and submachineguns in the later game.
The game has a decent selection of weapons, from the lowly .38 revolver to awe inspiring sniper rifles and lmgs. Also a solid attachments system has been added, allowing you to attach scopes, expanded magazines, bipods, duckbills and other stuff to your weapon of choice.
While the graphics are not revolutionary they do look very crisp and show solid craftmanship.
The music is quite catchy and very late 1980s ad while the gunshots are a bit flat, I think that the voice acting is very good and close to the spirit of the two former games.
There is a wide selection of mercenaries to choose from (both new and younger versions of merc from JA and JA2), and I've come accross many personal favorites such as Ice, Ivan, Lynx, Magic, Buzz and even Mike. Also IMP is in so you may design your own custom mercenary.
The game shows amazing modding potential and depending on your ambitions posibilities range from very simple (editing JSON files) to very complex (using Unity3d).ø0
I find myself spending more and more time with Jagged Alliance Flashback, and while it is not perfect and certainly no updated version of JA2, it is a solid game and one of my favorites right now.
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PC
The game suffers from lack of budget like performance issues, bugs and badly implemented game features but it is NOT a SCAM like some people wanna make you believe on the steam forums. For example, the devs announced already a lot of improvements in their upcoming patches like a better weapons dealer, for example. If you want a massive spectacle with fireworks and free candy I'm afraid you won't find it but with some time and patience I'm confident that devs and modders can drastically improve the current state of the game, 6/10 for now !
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PC
Jagged Alliance: Flashback is about 20 hours of enjoyable tactical combat. The quest system, UI, dialogues, shops, are merely at prop state and not on par with anything JA2 wise. Combat, armor and weapon on the other hand are right there at the top.
Do not be fooled by the apparent lack of AI tactics you might encounter during your first fights. As its predecessor, JA:F has at least three groups of enemy, with different tactics and gear. Sometimes those groups can be mixed together, so yes, one "Ellliot" might run with his bare chest towards your guns, but he's just the village idiot sent to scout for the elites hiding behind. And those elites will try to outflank your cover. And rush you out of any comfortable defences you may think you've found. Just because they don't wear yellow, red and black shirts doesn't mean all of Prince's soldiers are ****. You've been warned.
Another amazing layer of this game is the weapon simulation. Albeit still lacking attachments (expected in first free expansion), the weapons are better than in any JA2 game. Maybe not perfectly balanced yet, but including an essential "Holy Grail" element that eluded all developers, including the original JA crew. Full Control managed to code in attributes that control the ENTIRE range of bonuses and penalties a weapon should have.
No longer you are going to throw away your Colt or your MP5 when you get your first AK or your first Dragunov. Nope, you're going to hold on to them and give them names and hold them dear. Because while those cool sniper rifles might give you a lot of fun doing headshots and massive criticals, your humble backup weapon is the one who will save your pretty face from being shot up badly. How so? Full Control coded in an elegant solution that gives high power rifles a nasty close range penalty. So you managed a headshot 10 tiles away with an AWP? Good for you, try that from 1 tile away if you dare. You'll shoot for the moon and be left standing with no action points while the AI laughs and puts 3-4 bullets in your silly head. With his pew pew Smith & Wesson.
And wait, it's not over yet. Weapons now have actual muzzle velocity and damage drop-off factors. Meaning you can actually simulate the difference between a 5.56×45mmNATO bullet and and a 7.62x39mm bullet like never before. Yes, your M16 will be more accurate over longer ranges than your AK-47. But your AK-47 will still smash through the enemy body armor and do massive damage, while that tiny 5.56 might not.
And finally, the cherry on the top. Burst fire and full-auto fire. Yes, the devs are yet to finely tune these modes, but boy... they're fun as they are. Because this is a 3d environment. And there are material resistances simulated. And yes, a bullet can fly through 2-3 enemies if coming from a high power rifles or close enough range. Ever heard about Spray-and-Pray? Well, now you'll feel like those prayers are finally heard. Just wait for that ideal clump of enemies trying to rush on you. And let it rip from your RPK machine gun... You never witnessed the power of a LMG like you're about to see in JA:F.
And again, if they catch you at close range and you're 1 vs 4, that LMG won't save you. You will cry if you threw away your trusty Uzi or MP5, that sweet, lower damage and such low AP backup weapon.
So you see, this is what Full Control delivered. And this is where those KS funds went into. It was clear they won't have the funds to make ALL dreams come true. And they had to make a choice. Do we release the game with pretty UI graphics, nice RPG stuff and stupid combat? Or viceversa? I for one I am glad they took combat first.
That doesn't mean better graphics, nicer UI and more JA2 features won't come. They will. For the patient. If played JA2 for eye candy and because you liked to explore and role play, do not buy JA:F yet. Give it a few months until it's ready for you.
If you played JA2 because it was the best squad based TBS ever made, you're very close to getting the best game in this franchise. For you, Full Control is working full steam (no pun intended) to add the finishing touches to an already solid experience: attachments, AP/HE ammo, proper shotguns, overall fine-tuning of the weapons and final bugfixing of stealth systems. When the later part is ready, you will see why JA:F has view cones, night/dusk/dawn LoS penalties and an integrated hearing system. Ironman mode, M5P with silencer, anyone?
I'd give JA:F 7.5 now just because they brought combat in the JA franchise to a whole new level. The day they finish adding all the promised features, this game won't need my review anyway, it will be a straight 10 on everyone 's mind.
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PC
The game feels and looks unfinished. Lots has been promised, not much made it in to release. I just don´t get why I see 8 and 9 point reviews here stating that the developer has promised to put things in. A game has to be judged as it is at the time of its release, and in its current form, it is simply neither good, feature-complete or fun. I wish it was different, but thats how it is.
The graphics are ok, not stunning or anything near it, but ok. What really is a huge turn-off for me is the complete fail at user interface and polishing. (Beside the lack of features and soul). Why forcing people into a click orgy nowadays? For example, I don´t want to click stance buttons to peek out of cover and go back in cover EVERYTIME I shoot at someone. Smooth gameplay is important, and **** annoys me with it´s controls and UI its just not fun for me. Enemy AI is A but not I. Really, they are just no challenge.
Sigh. I could go on writing negatively on this, but really, I just want to sum it up: Put Flashback and JA2 side by side and see whats more fun. Why is it so hard to learn from Silent Storm, X-Com and the likes and see what was good and successful with gamers recently?
Maybe things change in the near or distant future, but right now I suggest to wait if and how this game develops before buying this at the full price.
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PC
TL/DR: Just buy and play the original Jagged Alliance 2 with the community patch.
The devs are trying to fix the issues with the game and have addressed most of the seriious flaws of the initial release and i respect that, but its still not a game i would pay 30 Euros for when alternatives are cheaper and better.
Pro:
* Graphics are quite ok
* Moddability
* Devs fixing issues with the game
Contra:
* Lacking Content and Immersion
* Feels dumbed down
* Too expensive for its content (30 Euro on Steam at the moment)
* Overall not better than a 15 year old game which they tried to reinvent and can be bought for 20 Euro on Steam
* Developer feels treated unfairly and begs for positive reviews and on top of that calls users giving negative reviews "a small rabid core group" when they should have not released a bug-ridden game in the first place
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PC
Summary Jagged Alliance: Flashback is a tactical turn-based action game where you control and maintain squads of mercenaries off and on the battlefield.
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Oct 21, 2014
Developer:
- Full Control
Publisher: Full Control
Genres:
