Posted July 22, 2011
"It must be either a TURN-BASED strategy or an RPG game."
Why must it be either? Why can't it be BOTH simultaneously? That's why I'm voting for Jagged Alliance 2, the turn-based tactical/strategy RPG, with a great story.
As you know, I've given this a lot of thought, and unlike some of the other tactical RPGs, the strategic element here is particularly strong. You have very limited resources, especially on the higher difficulty settings, to defend and hold territory, which you need in order to keep your merc characters paid and in service so they can be part of the tactical game. Time and resource management on the macro level is key to this game, like you have to decide whether to split the team to defending territory or capturing a new area, where to allocate militia, coordinating a strike from multiple directions etc. These strategic level decisions translate into tactical advantages, like whether you have backup or its a night op etc. You don't really see this level of play except in 4X type games.
On the tactical side of things, I have to say that JA2 battles are always unique because of the different entry points, terrain, and the somewhat randomized nature of enemy movements. This means that it always feels fresh, and there's never only one way to clear a map. Snipe the guards from afar, cut the wires at the back and sneak in with a knife... The only drawback is that only combat is turn-based, so you have to set up your troops in position in real time before combat initiates, which can be quite tricky if you have a large squad.
On the RPG side, I'd say the storyline is pretty interesting and quite different from the usual High Fantasy setting. It has a lot more of a Fallout feel to it. Unfortunately this isn't Planescape Torment, I wouldn't expect huge storyline twists and turns here, it's fairly straightforward stuff. It is fairly non-linear, the game lets you pick your own path towards the end, so in that sense there's more roleplaying in this game than most RPGs.
I'd say you can't go wrong with JA2. There are other games I'd recommend too, but there you go.
Why must it be either? Why can't it be BOTH simultaneously? That's why I'm voting for Jagged Alliance 2, the turn-based tactical/strategy RPG, with a great story.
As you know, I've given this a lot of thought, and unlike some of the other tactical RPGs, the strategic element here is particularly strong. You have very limited resources, especially on the higher difficulty settings, to defend and hold territory, which you need in order to keep your merc characters paid and in service so they can be part of the tactical game. Time and resource management on the macro level is key to this game, like you have to decide whether to split the team to defending territory or capturing a new area, where to allocate militia, coordinating a strike from multiple directions etc. These strategic level decisions translate into tactical advantages, like whether you have backup or its a night op etc. You don't really see this level of play except in 4X type games.
On the tactical side of things, I have to say that JA2 battles are always unique because of the different entry points, terrain, and the somewhat randomized nature of enemy movements. This means that it always feels fresh, and there's never only one way to clear a map. Snipe the guards from afar, cut the wires at the back and sneak in with a knife... The only drawback is that only combat is turn-based, so you have to set up your troops in position in real time before combat initiates, which can be quite tricky if you have a large squad.
On the RPG side, I'd say the storyline is pretty interesting and quite different from the usual High Fantasy setting. It has a lot more of a Fallout feel to it. Unfortunately this isn't Planescape Torment, I wouldn't expect huge storyline twists and turns here, it's fairly straightforward stuff. It is fairly non-linear, the game lets you pick your own path towards the end, so in that sense there's more roleplaying in this game than most RPGs.
I'd say you can't go wrong with JA2. There are other games I'd recommend too, but there you go.
