Wasteland 2: Director's Cut Reviews
All in all, while Wasteland 2: Director's Cut for the Nintendo Switch gives you a new way to experience the post-apocalyptic desert, it's far from the best option thanks to its poor presentation.
Hardcore strategy RPG fans might find something to like here, but chances are you own a PC and have already checked out Wasteland 2. A frustratingly unfair combat system and gaudy graphics leave much to be desired.
Overall, at least on the Switch, I could not get into Wasteland 2. Clunky controls combined with performance issues kept holding me back from even getting pasts the oddness that ranged combat could often have. I hope to revisit this soon upon a PC, but in the meantime, I'm feeling disappointed because it has been a title that I've been looking forward to for a long while and after reading Nick and especially Robert's reviews, I had expected to be blown away.
The Nintendo Switch lacks in titles that fit a gaming niche as the one Wasteland 2 fills. Yes, there are RPGs on the system, but the mixture between the tactical combat gameplay and the extensive RPG story is a small category of games. Given how much possibility Wasteland 2: Director's Cut has, I think it's a solid title. What detracts from the game are the gameplay issues, awkward camera controls, and the unfortunate visuals. Players willing to put the time in and overlook these flaws will find an intensely rich game, but I'm just not sure everyone is willing to do that on a system that continues to gain new titles.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on Switch is a missed opportunity. While the underlying systems and crunchy combat are enjoyable – and it just about works as a portable experience – a steady list of irritations make an unqualified recommendation impossible. There's a solid foundation of gritty turn-based combat with some great writing, but a stubborn camera, disappointing performance and a lack of quality-of-life enhancements means the PC ‘master race' take this round.
Proof that big thinking PC-based RPGs can totally work on pads, and how not to implement the weighty interfaces that come alongside them - but trudge through this and there's much to love.
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut is an extremely in-depth RPG. It has so much wonderful world building that you can’t help but be enticed despite some issues with the combat system, a general lack of direction, and some messy UI components. The many issues that the game had originally as well have been patched up. So, this port manages to be a worthwhile experience, despite some issues players may have with the game.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is a sprawling adventure, and it never fails to be engaging and the game world is an interesting place to be. The combat can get samey and the range of enemies is not massively varied but the required strategy and different approaches to fights kept us coming back for more. The sense of accomplishment when you take out a superior force by the clever use of cover is very gratifying, and helps to increase the game's longevity. We've put a good number of hours into this over the course of this review and can honestly say that we've barely scratched the surface. If you have even a slight interest in post-apocalyptic games, we don't think you'll be disappointed here.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut places a tremendous emphasis on your choices and offers a thrilling adventure set in a completely unjust world. When it comes to the Nintendo Switch version, there are technical issues, ranging from the load times to the frame rate, that it is not the smoothest experience out of all the platforms.
All in all, it is a fun, complex, comprehensive RPG, even on the PS4, warts and all- just know what you are getting into, and scale your expectations accordingly.
Wasteland 2 Director's Cut is, at the minute, somewhat of a disappointment for consoles. The wonder and sense of exploration it was attempting is severely diminished because the controls, and the bugs make it hard to enjoy. Hopefully this can be fixed in future releases, but at the time of writing, Wasteland 2 is just shy of being really worth playing.
Wasteland 2 is an excellent game, but at the same time does nothing particularly new or ground-breaking within the RPG genre. It's easy to see why PC gamers have become so enamoured with it, yet it's hard to imagine Wasteland garnering the same appeal on consoles. Despite inXile's valiant effort in bringing the game to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it never feels quite at home.
An old school computer role-playing game is a rare sight on consoles, but this unofficial predecessor to Fallout is more than just a nostalgia-fuelled curio.
Wasteland 2 is quickly becoming a modern classic – and deservedly so. If you have not played this game, you really owe it to yourself to give it a shot. But some usability issues on the Switch might not make it the best choice for newcomers to a game that some already find difficult to parse. This version of Wasteland 2 is serviceable, but not ideal.
If you can get past the UI and control issues, then by all means, get Wasteland 2: Director's Cut on PlayStation 4. It offers up hours of engrossing and strategic gameplay, and is probably worth the $60 if you're a fan of old-school RPGs. However, if you have a decent PC, then I recommend getting it on there – it'll be a better optimized experience.
When it comes to SRPGs, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut offers a rewarding survival-based campaign that'll delight hardcore fans of the genre.
There are minor nit-picks about the combat initiation leaving you exposed to attacks and the RNG being frustrating at times, but it does not impact or hamper the combat too much. Not something a quick reload can fix anyway. Wasteland 2 is a pleasant mix of genres when you combine a game like Baldur's Gate feel for adventure and XCOM's combat it goes together surprisingly well. If you are a fan of the old school genre of RPG games and you miss the intricacies of classic RPG's and you are in the market for a bit more depth in your game than the more contemporary RPGs released today then you should definitely check out Wasteland 2 Director's Cut on Playstation 4. With more than 80 hours of gameplay, Wastelands 2: The Director's cut is a challenging but ultimately rewarding adventure you don't want to miss out on.
What it comes down to in the end is that Wasteland 2 is an excellent RPG that plays completely differently than anything else on the system. The degree of control you have over dictating the skills and perks tied to each of your squad members goes far beyond what can be done in other titles and though this can be overwhelming it also guarantees that nobody is likely to experience the game in quite the same way. Just understand that this is a bit of a compromised experience, and while the developers have done an admirable job of trying to make it as viable as possible on the Switch the interface can be cumbersome at times and even aggravating. However, if you thirst to explore a post-Apocalyptic world and all of the challenges and violence that can entail it’s still well worth checking out.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is a great game, but it's not for everyone due to its steep learning curve
A rough gem that is not only a great game in its own right but also acts as the perfect hype generator for Fallout 4.