Jagged Alliance 2

This game was released in 1999 for the PC.
One of the best games of its type. It's a tactical role-playing game much like Fallout 1 and 2. Makes use of a gridded world map for travel and isometric tactical screen for encounters.

The world map.

What a mess.

It is great because of the non-linear story, you can go anywhere any time you want. You might get your bum handed to you if you try to go too far too fast but that's part of the fun right? Choice, it's a great thing to have and you have a lot of freedom of choice in this game.

BOOM!

Ok the setting of the game is this: You are contacted by the deposed ruler of a small nation and given some start-up funds to hire and outfit some mercenaries. You are then to get rid of the current leader and ex-wife of the man hiring you by any means necessary. So you end up teaming up with rebel forces to free the people and restore the rightful ruler.

Give us freedom.

There are a lot of random encounters in this game and interesting people with some humorous dialogue to meet and possibly kill. There can even be some friendly chatter or deadly rivalry between the mercs you hire.
If you do choose to help the people they will help you in return if you liberate their villages and then you can hire and train guards who will try to defend those towns.

Blue dots are hired guards.

And there are 2 modes of transportation other than walking everywhere but they take a bit of doing to get.

The "truck".

The "Chopper".

It's a great old game and it's cheap over at GOG.