Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire
Description official descriptions
Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire is the second standalone expansion of Jagged Alliance 2. It started out as a fan-made modification, and while it has the same storyline and core gameplay as the original, the game introduces the following changes:
- Over 80% of the maps have been modified (210 out of 260), including vegetation, buildings, roads, military facilities, starting positions etc.
- 8 new mercenaries (some original ones were replaced)
- Modified and re-balanced items, gear and weapons bringing it closer to dangerous real-life situations.
- All military facilities have increased defensive capabilities: Added mine fields, fences, snipers, watchtowers, perimeter lighting, and alarms.
- New weapons: USP, Uzi, UMP, MP5A3, Mini-30, HK33, G36, MP7, MSG90, AN-94, RPK, V-94, VAL, VSS.
- Changed difficulty of enemies, in both significant quantity (almost double the number) and quality (AI).
- Arulco's population is now more loyal to the local government, in addition to increased support penalties for civilian deaths.
- Existing weapons’ graphics and sounds have been replaced, aiming for a more realistic approach.
- Militia options have been disabled.
Spellings
- Jagged Alliance 2: Возвращение в Арулько - Russian spelling
- 铁血联盟2:野火 - Simplified Chinese spelling
Groups +
- Commercial mods
- Gameplay feature: Character development - Repetition
- Gameplay feature: Day / night cycle
- Gameplay feature: Fog of war
- Gameplay feature: Simulated Internet
- Gameplay feature: Squad management
- Gameplay feature: Targeting system
- Games involved in legal disputes
- Jagged Alliance series
- Middleware: Bink Video
- Protagonist: Female (option)
- Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System
- Standalone expansions
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Windows version)
18 People
Developer | |
Director of 3rd Party Development | |
Producer | |
Director of Marketing | |
Localization Manager | |
Graphic Design Manager | |
Graphic Design | |
Web Design | |
Senior PR Manager | |
Customer Support | |
President | |
Senior V. P. | |
V. P. Creative Development | |
V. P. Systems | |
Quality Assurance and Additional Programming |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 71% (based on 8 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 15 ratings with 2 reviews)
Improvements? What Improvements?
The Good
Note:
**The Bad**
Did someone mention this was an improvement of JA2 the original game? Same game, same Arulco map, same story. If there was something new worth mentioning that qualifies it to an expansion (instead of a patch) I see it. Probably everyone else didn't see it either, since the same dang bugs are still there (aren't they supposed to fix this already, you wonder?) So is it the same game? Yep.
Same Arulco? Yep.
Same story? Yep.
Same bugs? Yep. Either I'm playing the original JA2 (which I'm sure I'm not, since the main screen has a big "WILDFIRE" written all over it) or I'm missing something? (besides the fact that the enemy AI is more difficult and 90% of doors and chests in the game are locked). What is irritating about this game is that it's an expansion. A stand-alone expansion to be exact. Now from where I come from, stand-alone expansions, hell...expansions are supposed to be different. Different like Europe and Africa different. Still talking about continents but different in that setting. So besides me whining that the gameplay didn't change, the story/plot didn't change, darn it even the dang bugs didn't change, one wonders if this game actually qualifies as an expansion. Actually come to think of it, it shouldn't. No wonder the new developers didn't get paid.... The same bugs from JA2 still exist, but I perceive that more bugs found its way into Wildfire:
**The Bottom Line**
Well, its the first "expansion" game that I played that turned out not to be an expansion but a poor excuse for a patch...and not a very good one at that, considering the bugs. It's still a good game, but mind the bugs. Then again, Arulco IS supposed to be infected with bug-like monsters (Sci-Fi mode). Too bad the developers too it a little too literally.
Windows · by Indra was here (20747) · 2007
Wildfire is really nothing more than a buggy "real world" mod.
The Good
The new weapons are nice. This time around, even your cheap mercs often start with new gear, including some nice weapons, rather than the ol' "two six-shooters" from the original Jagged Alliance 2.
The new storyline is neat, if you thought the original was too comical or something.
Almost, if not all maps have been drastically redone. New tiles also add new strategic elements to the game.
The Bad
Ugh, it's a mod! And a buggy one at that. I, for one, can't even beat Drassen because the game freezes every time I get a headshot, or if I have a certain merc selected and I view a certain area. It doesn't seem to be random lockups, which makes it all the more annoying. If I want to move Steroid here, I can't do that, I have to move someone else FIRST, or the game will freeze.
The new storyline is...well, it's more real, but I didn't care for it. I want to take down a nation's dictator, not rustle with drug cartels.
They just reworked some old dialogue and stuff to fit around their new story. It just...doesn't feel like anything more than a mod. And mods should be free.
The Bottom Line
If you can't get enough JA2, or you're looking for a more real-world mod, this is worth picking up. But until they release some patches for it, it's virtually unplayable.
Windows · by kbmb (415) · 2004
Trivia
Lawsuit
Insolvency issues of Strategy First led to the inability to provide full royalties to developer i-Deal Games Studios for Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire. This prompted i-Deal to take legal action by sending an official Notification of Termination to Strategy First on the grounds of "breach of contract" on 8 June 2004. By 26 July 2004, the contract was formally terminated. No payment or settlement was officially reached by the two companies.
Release
The first release of Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire (version 5.x) was heavily criticized for being bug-plagued. This was due to Strategy First's decision (February 2004) to release the game before quality assurance testing was finalized. Subsequent releases published by Zuxxez/TopWare (versions 6.x) were improved, but the 5.x releases could not be updated.
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Related Sites +
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Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire
Support page in English where you can download the most current patch for the game.
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by kbmb.
Macintosh, Linux added by Plok.
Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Jeanne, Trond Berntsen, Patrick Bregger, Plok.
Game added March 10, 2004. Last modified November 4, 2024.