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Jagged Alliance 3:
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LaFontaine, President of the Grand Chien country, has been kidnapped by someone who goes under the name of the Major, leader of the Legion rebel force. Since the President's kidnapping, Grand Chien has been in total chaos under the Legion's rules. Emma, the President's daughter, is desperate to rescue her father and restore order to her country. But for that to happen, she needs money. And as the Legion controls all the diamond mines, she has turned to the Adonis Corporation, which she doesn’t trust, for financial help. That’s where you fit into the picture! She is gathering mercenaries to rescue her father and fight off the Legion in Jagged Alliance 3.

Jagged Alliance 3 is a tactical RPG, turn-based strategy game developed by Haemimont Games and published by THQ Nordic on the 14th of July 2023 on the Steam platform.

I have long been a fan of this series, and due to my current youth, was fortunate enough to see and play the first game of the series when it was released back in 1995. Oh boy, nearly 30 years ago! I remember spending many hours playing it, and then the second game, and now, being given a key of Jagged Alliance 3 to review is a treat. I have been looking forward to playing this game since it was announced; one thing I love in life is the feeling of excitement that tingles all over you, just like it did when you were a little boy or girl. The downside of this feeling of jubilation is that can be rapidly depleted if the product is below your expectation, which is often the case.

Thankfully, Jagged Alliance 3 met all my expectations; it is an absolutely amazing game in every aspect! Before we get into the thick of it, let’s start from the beginning. In my case, and to my great dismay, I totally stuffed up my first playthrough. My second playthrough is tough, but I’m progressing, thank you very much.

At the start of the game, you’ll be given $40,000 which you can spend to recruit your first squad of mercenaries. You can only have six soldiers of fortune per squad. Mercenaries are displayed by categories of experience (recruit, veteran, elite and legendary) and the specific training they have received (medical, mechanical, explosives, all-rounder and marksmanship). Each Mercenary will have a small bio, along with current perks (if any), equipment and ten attributes with a score next to each one (100 being the top score). I appreciate that they kept the presentation of the A.I.M Command Council; you’ll recognise some of the original mercenaries, which is a great touch. Interestingly, while they’ve kept the same voices, they look much younger now than they did 30 years ago (probably a bad case of Benjamin Button's condition).

When you are done, your group will arrive on the small satellite island of Grand Chien, where you will have your first couple of fights as a tutorial and get the hang of the interface. The interface is fabulous, as it is detailed but very simple to use and follow. In addition to the turn-based combat phases, you’ll spend much of your time on the satellite map. The map is displayed as a grid of 20x19 or 380 sectors. You can order your squad(s) to move onto different sectors of the map and take them over, or you can perform other operations when one of your squads is in that sector. Operations will vary if the sector has a village, mine, or port. In such a sector, you’ll be able to train militia, heal or train mercenaries, send a soldier to scout nearby sectors, repair your equipment, produce ammunition (you must have parts for the previous two and powder for the ammunition), and even give some time off to your soldiers if they are tired. You can’t train militia combatants or produce ammunition in other sectors. However, you will occasionally find new operations available in some sectors, but it will depend on who you talk to in that sector, or if it is part of a mission you are trying to complete. If it is a sector that you have taken over from the Legion in combat, whatever equipment you left behind will be automatically be placed in the stash. If you control that sector, the stash will be displayed, but you can only access it when one of your squads is on that square. If you played the previous games, you know the Legion will send troops randomly to try to take back important sectors. You’ll be busy from the get-go.

On top of that, you need to manage your finances and the well-being of your mercenaries. As your initial cash will disappear quickly, you’ll need to take over diamond mines to regenerate cash by selling diamonds (done automatically when you control the sector with a mine). You can intercept diamond shipments from mines controlled by the Legion by attacking them. And I just found another way of regenerating ongoing money, but I’ll let you discover it. What’s important is how you manage the finances. Each mercenary will have their own contract for up to 14 days. You can extend it, but some of these buggers will ask for more money. Now that I have three squads in my current playthrough, I extend contracts every few days. It's hectic!

What I think is super cool is the different environments you’ll be experiencing in the turn-based combat phases. You’ll fight in ports, towns, villages, farms, deserts, forests, outposts, beaches, underground bunkers and more. The Legion has different types of enemy, including hyenas. There may also be wild animals, such as crocodiles, hiding around the corner. Other surprise opponents make their appearance, so be on your toes, soldiers, if you want to keep them. But seriously, the combat phase is just brilliant!

Each of your mercenaries will have several action points per turn. Each action will cost a certain number of points to perform. As this game is based on modern weapons, you can choose where to shoot your enemies (head, torso, groins, hands and feet), and make your shot more precise, inflicting more damage, by increasing the points on that action. But be aware that not all shots will hit their targets, especially if the enemy is taking cover behind walls, rocks or other structures. So, you might be better off executing a couple of actions instead of one. Before pressing the trigger, decide if you want to shoot a single or volley of bullets at your target; your choice will depend on which weapon the mercenary is holding (handgun, sub-machine gun, rifle or machine gun). If a mercenary with a low number on his/her explosive attribute uses a grenade or rocket launcher, expect mishaps. Same thing for deactivating mines or booby traps, so make sure to send the right character to perform these actions.

THE FULL REVIEW CAN BE VIEWED IN IT'S ENTIRETY HERE[www.zeepond.com] AS IT WAS TOO BIG TO POST HERE.

Positives:
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+ Great graphics, animations and sound effects
+ Fun, challenging and addictive
+ Great Jagged Alliance plot
+ World with 380 sectors
+ Good variety of opponents and good AI
+ Easy to upgrade weapons and craft ammo
+ Achievements and trading cards

Negatives:
~~~~~~~~

- I am getting old!

10/10

Jagged Alliance 3 is simply sublime. You can buy this one blindfolded, boss!

Key provided by the developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!

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VanillaBeast: Retro Knock-Out!
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As you might already know by now, I am a big fan of retro games, and that is just because I was born in the 70’s and have seen firsthand the evolution of gaming. Interestingly, when I reflect on the era, I wasn’t as into it as I am now in my fifties. It is a sentimental feeling, and I appreciate even more what the developers were trying to achieve with the means at their disposal back then. The first ever boxing game I played was on the Atari 2600 console, but the one I played the most in my youth was Punch Out on the Nintendo. So, when I saw VanillaBeast: Retro Knock-Out and received a Steam key, I was very eager to give it a go!

VanillaBeast: Retro Knock-Out is a boxing pixeled arcade game developed and self-published by Vanilla Gaming Company on the 29th of July 2023 on the Steam platform.

The cheeky tone of the game is set in the presentation, and it is quite right that they “have no shame”. Oh no - surely not, I thought while quietly chuckling to myself Mutley-style. Yes, this is one of those games. And I must say that I like it, I like it a lot! It’s the little things that set the tone, like taking the famous character “Rocky” and replacing the first letter of his name with the third letter (think about it). Or Madison Square Gardens where the word Square has been changed to Bare (what a garden that would be!), and plenty of others. Regarding the story illustrations, they are presented as a comic book, and some images are a bit . . . let’s say raunchy. And no, they're not pixelated. It is a fun and well-thought-out parody, and to be honest, it is refreshing.

So, you will play Vanilla Beast, who was spotted by a braveheart with a heavy Scottish accent, after Vanilla lands a right-left-right combination after an argument at a cabaret. And from that point, it will be all up to you to get Vanilla to the top of the three biggest boxing competitions, known as the VBF, VBA and VBC. Each of these championships has 10 fighters to face. The first eight of each championship will need to be unlocked so you can fight the contender (the ninth fighter) and then the champion. You’ll start on the VBF, and when you win the title, you unlock VBA, and it is the same jazz for the next one. But you can re-fight any of the boxers you have already unlocked at any given time.

Before a fight, you’ll be at Vanilla’s apartment, where you can access a few things. You can read a few tips to help understand how the game works, see the unlocked story illustrations and Nickey (Vanilla chick) cards, statistics or have a go at your routine training. There are three types of training sessions. The first is punching bags, in which you replicate a combination of punches and feints. The second is to catch a chicken as fast as possible, and the third is to beat a shark! Yes, you are on the front of a boat, punching a shark in the face. All three training sessions have a specific reward, and you have to train before every fight. I am a big fan of the shark training session because you receive two power punches to start your next fight with as a bonus. But for that to happen, you have to defeat the shark, of course.

The first eight matches of each championship are decided in five rounds, and the contender and champion fight in seven rounds. What I like about this game is that each opponent that I have faced has given a subtle signal before throwing a punch or a combination of punches; it could be a different body movement, showing their teeth, closing their eyes etc. And what I really like is that the pattern or combination of punches changes from one round to the next; I have seen this with all the opponents I have faced so far. Actually, my next fight is for the VBA belt, so at this stage I have fought 19. Well, 20 if I include the fight with Nickey where you have to TKO a famous Southern American Colonel Sand . . . dune (oh, that bloke). So yes, you have to learn their combinations for each round. And that can be quite frustrating at times, especially when it takes you several goes to defeat an opponent. And let’s face it, as good as Vanilla is at boxing, some fights will see you going through all rounds, and the only way to win is by a points decision (one tip - make sure to read the advice of your Scottish coach before each round; it might be helpful).

Vanilla can perform various actions: punches to the opponent's head and body, power punches, feint and block punches. The timing is imperative in this game, and it is crucial that the control inputs are right. And they are very good indeed, but it will take you quite some time to master the controls. It is a challenging but fair and rewarding game, and it will appeal to boxing fans, retro gamers and newcomers.

Good pixel graphics and soundtrack. Awesome voice-overs, and the game runs really well. VanillaBeast: Retro Knock-Out successfully reflects that gaming era with its challenges, and adds its own unique touch with surprising raunchiness and humour. The price point is fair, as the game has plenty of replayability. Definitely a knock-out for me.

Positives:
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+ Good artwork, story and soundtrack
+ Cartoon illustrations (story)
+ 30 different boxers with their own patterns per round
+ Fun and challenging
+ You’ll get plenty of giggles
+ Achievements

Negatives:
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- No trading cards as yet
- Can be frustrating at times

VanillaBeast: Retro Knock-Out is definitely a Knock-Out!

9/10

Key provided by the developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!

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