Hongweibing

I liked Turtle as well (mostly because he was a fairly cheap decent shot - as long as you didn't need him running around the map too much) - but I think that's completely unlikely. As for Mouse, I was also surprised, but I think that she was a fairly good candidate for a few reasons: first, she has decent stats (with her great agility and dexterity stats she could be a good stealth character that is also affordable) - unlike many of the other mercs from JA1 and DG that were dropped. Second, having appeared in DG only (which, I think, fewer people played, compared to JA1 and JA2), it's easier to tell a new story with her, without her having too much baggage (like those that appeared in all games) - so you gain both nostalgia value, and the feeling of a fresh character. Finally, I think that at least to some extent, it is also a question of representation - you get a woman and (quite likely) a LGBTQ character in one. You're right, thanks for the information, I didn't watch beyond the first two sectors, so as not to spoil too much. Good to see that this great scion of the illustrious Roachburn family is still alive. Agree about Frederick - he was solid, would certainly like to have another chance at playing him, but I've got a feeling that it's not very likely (he's old). Maddog would certainly be a nice addition to MERC, would fit right in. I do hope they will bring back Static. The absence of both Lynx and Buzz is suspicious - worst case scenario, they're both dead, but in the last stream the developers mentioned there being a separated couple and that (at least) one is hirable, but will leave if the (ex)partner gets killed - though I can't imagine that it refers to those two, considering how they hated each other in JA2 (then again, who knows? They liked each other in DG).

Now that we know the identity of almost all mercs in JA3 (see below), thought it would be interesting to return to this topic, and maybe even talk about the dropped JA2 mercs. For the record, I'm pretty sure most won't return, but maybe if the sales are good and the developers decide to make some DLCs, those could be nice options. As for JA1 and DG characters (who were not in JA2), there aren't many who could/would return (e.g. Snake, who I'd like to return to be a thrifty merc commander's bro-version of Shadow, and see his interactions with the latter, unfortunately, was killed off; the aforementioned Hector, who was also a decent merc, was severely injured and is permanently disabled etc.), and among those that could, even fewer I'd like to return. I'd like to see Kelly, Spike, and Boss return - but I don't think that's very likely, and of the three, Kelly being the likeliest to return. I'd also like Vinny to return, but that's very unlikely, since he's in jail. A few more that I could see returning (but doubt they would, and don't really care too much) are: Doc, Leech, Screw, and Rusty. Of these four the first two would make most sense - Doc could be on a humanitarian mission in Grand Chien, while Leech could be shooting animals (maybe as a poacher?). Now, although that's a bit off-topic (but figured it wasn't worth opening a new topic) there are many more potential mercs that were dropped between JA2 and JA3, of these, I'd like to see the following return: From AIM: Lynx, Static, Cliff (seems unlikely, though I liked his character and versatility), Malice, Spider, Bull (would almost always get him, both for the San Mona fight, and as one of the best mules at the game, who could also fight pretty well, while being dirt-cheap). From MERC: Haywire, Razor, Numb, Gaston (would be particularly interesting considering the background of French colonialism), Stogie (the latter two from UB) RPCs (that I could reasonably see becoming mercs and leaving Arulco, so not most of the rebels): Hamous (because of course - someone must spot and shoot all the dogs, as he did in JA2), Iggy, Ira (could go there on a humanitarian mission as well, as she did to Arulco, could also be combined with Doc) And just for everyone's reference, we know of 37 of the 40 mercs in the game: Returning (32 in AIM): Barry Blood Buns Dr. Q Fidel Fox Grizzly Grunty Gus Hitman Ice Igor Ivan Len MD Magic Meltdown Mouse (from Deadly Games) Nails Raider Raven Reaper Red Scope Scully Shadow Sidney Steroid Tex (JA1, DG, and JA2: UB) Thor Vicki Wolf New (4 in AIM, 1 not there): Fauda Kalyna Livewire Omryn Smiley (not in AIM) Plus, there are at least two unconfirmed ones: Bald African guy Biff (unclear whether he is playable)

4/10 - did not see Hamous in the game Seriously, however, perhaps just due to years of (very) poor attempts at creating a worthy JA2 sequel, I'm not quite in the mood for rigorous criticism of each and every aspect, but I find that just about everything seems either good or very good to me: - The level design is gorgeous and also provides for much more variation in combat than the flatlands (with occasional trees) of JA2. The weather is also a new and interesting factor. - The RPG element seems significantly deeper and richer, and there seem to be more side stories. - The mercs have much more dialogue (to think that in JA2 I thought they had a lot of dialogue compared to JA1...). They are also not just differently colored sprites. - Combat maintains a high level of complexity. - AI is not as dumb as it was in JA2 (but let's be honest, most of us don't want the AI to be too smart) - The strategic element seems to be (at least) just as good as in JA2. - The weapon modification system looks very interesting. Sure, there are some problematic, overall minor, aspects as well (and most, if not all have already been mentioned): - The inventory management system chooses convenience over complexity, but I do wish that it could be more weight-based, rather than inventory space being magically created based on one's strength (especially since size does not always equal weight). Plus, the common ammo inventory doesn't make much sense. - The aiming system seems a bit clunky, but I don't think that the aim system of JA2 would work here, certainly when given the new option of aiming at the hands. I guess in the end, it's mostly a matter of getting used to it. - My first impression was that everything, especially the characters, were a bit too cheerful and cartoonish, but the more gameplay I watched the less problematic it seemed (I think it's a bit related to the fact that JA2 was released at a time when many games seemed to be a mix of brown and gray, in large part due to technological limitations, so I may be imposing that standard on JA3). - The lack of animated portraits is noticeable, but I think that having proper unique and detailed 3D models for the characters compensates for that. - The enemy scramble round seems a bit odd, and limits one's options, but honestly, I'm not quite sure whether it applies to all enemies in the sector, or just to those in your line of sight. - There should be an option to enter turn-based mode whenever you wish, and make it the default once you spot an enemy. - The animations could be a bit better streamlined - less fidgety movement of standing characters, and more responsiveness to getting hit, but that seems like simply an unfinished part of the game. - It is unfortunate (though understandable, considering the significantly increased amount of dialogue each merc gets, and the need to create a unique model, not just to recolor a sprite) that they had to reduce the total number of available mercs to just 40 (there are 36 in AIM, so that means you can probably get 4 more in the game itself - still, you lose all the MERC mercs, and 10 AIM mercs, not to mention the Arulco-specific mercs). Maybe they can add a few more in later DLCs or something. By the way, I was surprised to see that they decided to bring back Mouse (of Deadly Games fame) of all pre-JA2 mercs - certainly not an obvious choice, though she was a decent character in DG. And of all the above issues, the combat and animation issues might be addressed by the time of the release or after it (they explicitly said that they intend to adjust things based on post-release feedback), new mercs might appear via DLC, and a new inventory system might be added via modding - and well, for the rest, we'll just have to deal with it. Overall, it seems like the developers managed to maintain the spirit of the franchise, while making some (often necessary) changes, so since that's just about what I wanted from a good sequel (I did not want it to be exactly JA2 but in 3D, but neither did I want it to become an X-COM variation), I'm quite optimistic and looking forward to the game's release.

If we are to compare the two most similar models, then it should be something like this: https://nanoreview.net/en/laptop-compare/dell-xps-15-9520-2022-vs-asus-tuf-dash-f15-2022?m=b.2_c.2_d.1_g.2_r.2_s.3-and-c.2_d.1_g.2_r.2_s.2 Of course, the comparison is quite limited, because it only shows the specifications "on paper" - and here is where you don't see how the cooling system works. I checked a few tests online, and because the XPS also comes with the more powerful H processor (which is unusual for slim laptops), it will be up to 5-10 degrees (Celsius) hotter on average than the TUF Dash when gaming, still, under normal (non-gaming or otherwise very GPU or CPU intensive) use it should be just fine (even better, probably). So in short, if you're only going to be using it for light gaming occasionally, it should be just fine, as long as you get one with a 3050 or 3050ti (no big difference at this TDP, to be honest). Personally, I'd go for the 15 inch version, but if you're travelling with it a lot, and using it on the go, then maybe the 13 inch version would make more sense (I don't think there is much difference in durability, though perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the 15 inch version should be a bit cheaper - because it is more common).

Dell XPS 15 is great for productivity purposes, and it might be able to deal with light gaming, though as you can see, the cooling system is limited, with minimal ventilation. It should run JA3 if you get a model with a dedicated GPU (the maximum you can get with it is a seriously underclocked RTX 3050ti at 40W TDP, though that should just about suffice for JA3), but it might get pretty hot on longer gaming sessions. Admittedly, that would be a problem with all "productivity" laptops (and with many slim gaming laptops). Yes, the Zephyrus models don't have a camera, sorry, forgot about that. The TUF Dash F15 models, on the other hand, do have cameras, at least in the 2022 models (the 2021 did not have, if I recall correctly). Still, for most purposes except for gaming, Dell XPS 15 is indeed better (again, depends on the specific models being compared), but more expensive.

Try Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, if you're looking for something powerful yet portable, that's probably the best option. There are several options under 1500 USD on Amazon, Bestbuy etc. If you want something slightly cheaper with a larger screen, try Asus TUF Dash 15. Of course, there are plenty of specific models, depending on your location. But generally, you want a Ryzen 7 5xxx or 6xxx or better, or an Intel i7 11th or 12th gen or better (although i9 is an overkill, to be honest), i5 12th gen is also good. Also, get at least 16GB RAM. As far as storage space - up to you, but I wouldn't go for less than 512GB (and would prefer 1TB). As for the GPU, if it's really just light gaming, then even Geforce 3050 or 3050ti should suffice, though I'd invest in a 3060. For the AMD counterparts, probably at least RX 6600S, and preferably RX 6700S. Dell XPS is not a gaming laptop (it is a very good "business" or "productivity" laptop, like a MacBook), so it might not deal too well with the heat generated by a dedicated GPU. In that regard, gaming laptops are better designed for that, though even they have problems.

Good question, I tend to agree with Grim's comment above, though the guy could theoretically be the villain (certainly since stylistically, the cover image harkens back to the cover of the original JA, where you had the villain on the cover). That said, in the second trailer you had a short scene (from 1:00 to 1:03 in the showcase trailer) of four mercs (I can only recognize the new merc Fauda there), and there is also what seems to be an African merc, he might be the guy on the cover, in the sense that he is (probably) African and bald. On the other hand, I do not see facial tattoos on him (though we only see the other side of his face) and he has no headband. And also, since we are talking about the mercs available in JA3 (and since we know from the interview there are supposed to be around 40 of them), I figured a full list of the known mercs to date could be useful to some: Returning: 1 Barry 2 Buns 3 Fidel 4 Grizzly 5 Grunty 6 Hitman 7 Ice 8 Igor 9 Ivan 10 MD 11 Meltdown 12 Raven 13 Red 14 Steroid 15 Tex 16 Vicki 17 Wolf New: 18 Fauda 19 Livewire 20 Omryn 21 Smiley Unconfirmed: 22 Bald African guy 23 Biff (unclear whether he is playable)