Posted January 09, 2009
Maybe not as good as the real thing, but it's close!
While I was studying, this is the game that stopped me from attending my classes. I lived and breathed this game for about 2 years non-stop and when I could no longer get it to work, I was more than a little sad. Seriously, I nearly cried. For years after, I longed to hear Trevor's voice warning me that he needed "bung a bandage" on a wound or Fox letting me know that "we did 'em all!". When Wildfire came out, I was overjoyed.... until I played it.
Wildfire did nothing more than destroy a marvellous game and turn it into a travesty. The game play was 'Improved' to a monstrous level that made it all but impossible to get anything done. I tried to like it, I really did but it was just terrible. They plugged in too much realism. If I wanted to play a game where I couldn't hit anything and died mysteriously after taking a single hit, I'd have gone back to Counter Strike.
All of these sad memories are behind me now though. GOG have released my soul with this glorious incarnation of JA2. This is exactly the game I remember from my days as a student. It's not complete;y without blemish, but that's not really a problem. One of the two is that the game crashes AFTER you quit the game... not what I'd really call a problem. I'm quitting anyhow, so who cares? The other issue is a little more serious and that's that my long suffering girlfriend now has to put up with me chaining myself to my computer for a couple of hours each night to play and then listen to another half hour of me raving on (sometimes incoherently) about the "wicked awesome stuff that I just pulled off!". It's sure to drive her crazy if she doesn't start playing it soon too.
On the whole. It's awesome. Play it!
While I was studying, this is the game that stopped me from attending my classes. I lived and breathed this game for about 2 years non-stop and when I could no longer get it to work, I was more than a little sad. Seriously, I nearly cried. For years after, I longed to hear Trevor's voice warning me that he needed "bung a bandage" on a wound or Fox letting me know that "we did 'em all!". When Wildfire came out, I was overjoyed.... until I played it.
Wildfire did nothing more than destroy a marvellous game and turn it into a travesty. The game play was 'Improved' to a monstrous level that made it all but impossible to get anything done. I tried to like it, I really did but it was just terrible. They plugged in too much realism. If I wanted to play a game where I couldn't hit anything and died mysteriously after taking a single hit, I'd have gone back to Counter Strike.
All of these sad memories are behind me now though. GOG have released my soul with this glorious incarnation of JA2. This is exactly the game I remember from my days as a student. It's not complete;y without blemish, but that's not really a problem. One of the two is that the game crashes AFTER you quit the game... not what I'd really call a problem. I'm quitting anyhow, so who cares? The other issue is a little more serious and that's that my long suffering girlfriend now has to put up with me chaining myself to my computer for a couple of hours each night to play and then listen to another half hour of me raving on (sometimes incoherently) about the "wicked awesome stuff that I just pulled off!". It's sure to drive her crazy if she doesn't start playing it soon too.
On the whole. It's awesome. Play it!