I agree with just about all the features listed by Hendrix earlier, but there are two main features I would single out as being the absolute minimum required by me to make JA3 worthy of the name:
1. Merc and NPC Characterisation
OK, the characters in JA2 were stereotypes but they were well crafted stereotypes. Their bits of dialogue were were well written to reflect their personalities. Who could forget Fox saying “That was worth bending over for,” as she picked up some useful piece of loot, or Len telling you that he couldn’t extend his contract because he was going off on an RV trip with his wife? Allied to the writing was the absolutely excellent voice acting. The result was a very immersive game peopled by characters you could really relate to and it was something that made JA2 so special. The humor in JA2 was built into the characters and I’m just a bit concerned that JA3 ends up trying to be too jokey. I notice in the announcement trailer that when Ivan shoots the marauder, the guys says: “Uh - that hurt”, like that’s the sort of thing someone would say when they’ve just had a bullet put through them. Please devs, try to keep it real. If you’re going down that route with JA3 you may as well bring in dragons and zombies.
2. Strategic Freedom
Side quests are fine and well worth having in the game, as long as they remain optional. The great thing about JA2 was that you were given the single overall objective of overthrowing Dedrianna and it was up to you how you went about it. Playing the game was like writing a new story every time you played it. Too many games today are quest straightjacketed: you gotta do this to gain that before you can do that other thing. JA3 must allow you the ability to develop your own strategy and your own route to achieving the final goal.
I can understand the concerns some people have about JA3 become a bit of an XCOM clone and I hope the designers don’t take the easy route of just lifting stuff from XCOM. The original Jagged Alliance games were innovative, and it would be great to see some surprising new features that none of us are expecting. I can’t suggest what they should be because then they wouldn’t be a surprise!
