Sir-Tech (a defunct company which still has a homepage) was known for two series: the classic turn based RPGs of the Wizardry franchise and two installments of Jagged Alliance, a mix of RPG, strategy and tactics. The RPG elements were e.g. hiring and improving mercenaries, who often didn't like each other or were friends with one particular other hired gun. The strategy was about conquering the sectors of an island called Metavira, balancing income by Fallow Trees with the salary of the mercenaries and their equipment, maintaining that equipment, hiring and deploying "cannon fodder" defense forces etc. Most important was the tactical part: turn based combat where you used the abilities of your mercenaries, which became living characters by their strenghts as much as their weaknesses. Ivan, the competent (in anything but the English language) and deadly Russian ex-soldier. Or Speckles, a mechanic who wouldn't hit a house from a two meters distance. In 1994, it was a spectacular hit for hardcore strategy fans, and even today there are various clones and successors in the making, among them Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge by Morphicon (out since March 2008) or Jagged Alliance 3 by Akella (which has skipped to 2009).

Now, Empire Interactive has announced that they will bring the original Jagged Alliance to Nintendo DS. From the first screenshot (we show the two screens side by side, they are really on top of each other on the two DS screens, of course), it really looks like the old game. Which should be okay: Although Jagged Alliance 2 was the superior game because of many more strategic options, more maneuvers in the tactical battles, much more variety in terms of equipment and mercenaries (it's worth playing even today, by the way, and there is a superb unofficial patch improving the experience, follow this link if you're interested). But on a mobile device like the DS, the first Jagged Alliance actually should play better, because it was more limited in graphics, items and so on.

So we're looking forward to a very fun mobile experience -- think of combining harmless objects to form a deadly Molotov cocktail, or improve the toughness of your Kevlar vests, or make your weapons more deadly, or lay mines in front of a guard house. Or have your heavily wounded, favourite merc kill the last enemy of a map with his very last bullet -- only to see him drown in a little river because he's bleeding from too many wounds and passes out. That's what the Jagged Alliance experience is about -- caring for little pixel sprites who do not have the nicest job in the world. Believe us, it will happen to you!

Jagged Alliance DS is currently being developed by Strategy First and Cypron Studios, the release is planned for Fall 2009.