Wasteland 2 Reviews
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is a fine role-playing game. It's immersive and detail oriented when it comes to the story. The turn-based combat and environments are built to appeal to your inner strategist. It's a great option for those who are looking for more turn-based strategy games on the Nintendo Switch.
Like the post-apocalyptic wasteland in which it is set, Wasteland 2 is unforgiving, but unlike a real apocalypse, it's a blast to experience.
An old school RPG that you can really sink your teeth into. There are hours of combat and questing to be had, and with a little more presentational polish, Wasteland 2 could've been something really special.
Wasteland 2 is a game which appeals to a rather narrowly-defined set of gamers, but seems to deliver all the features and concepts that role-playing post-apocalyptic fans are interested in, which means that it can provide them with hundreds of hours of enjoyment.
But when it's working correctly, Wasteland 2 is stellar. The tactical combat is pretty standard, but challenging and only occasionally overwhelming (those are essential moments, to me). Learning to deal with everything that goes wrong as you wander the wastes is a thrill that makes it all the more satisfying when a plan actually does come together. Wasteland 2 is a Real Game, bro.
I have no doubt that Wasteland 2 is going to become another classic alongside it's forbears and provide gamers with hours upon hours of RPG entertainment. Fans of both isometric strategy and in depth RPG's are going to love this game.
It still has great potential. Judging from our experience though, it seems that a lot of that potential has been wasted and a great bulk of the game crumbles under the weight of technical issues, which are all packed into a visually outdated game. High quality visuals can be substituted in favor of complex gameplay and fine storytelling. While the atmosphere can be great from time to time, on the whole, we just missed the post-apocalyptic sci-fi flavored ambience that's heavily incorporated into games like Fallout.
As much negativity as Kickstarter has been saddled with over the past year, I feel reassured that good things can come of it thanks to this game here. Though Divinity and Shadowrun were also big successes that were funded through Kickstarter, it almost felt for a while there that Wasteland would get lost in their shadow. That thankfully isn't the case, since in this gamer's opinion, Wasteland 2 is a much bigger and more varied CRPG than either of those two titles. Fargo & Co should be proud of what they have here, and I sincerely hope that the market allows them to make a Wasteland 3.
While inXile make a big point on the menu screen about not trying to squeeze players with DLC and other money-making ploys, Wasteland 2 is currently as full-price as it gets. But it feels like something you should be able to pick up for a fraction of the price. For the nostalgia buzz from playing through a bunch of vaguely familiar plot ideas set in a radiation-scoured wilderness, I would counsel waiting until the price drops a little before investing your time and money in this. Sorry Brian - see you in a quarter of a century for the next one.
For those waiting since the original Wasteland, good on you for keeping your hopes up this long; it's finally paid off. To everyone else, while it might be a little too old-school RPG for some of you, I'd say give it a try anyway. The involved writing and story design more than make up for any shortcomings in graphical fidelity. See you in the desert, ranger.
There's a level of roughness here that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed by after such a long development time. For every smartly written sequence with vibrant locations and characters, there's an aimless fetch quest or an overlong combat section. Oddly enough, despite the content added in Wasteland 2's extra year of production, I think the game could have benefited from being cut down, edited to emphasise the best bits and get rid of some of the clutter. I like Wasteland 2, I really do, but I can't help but think it's not quite the masterpiece we were promised.
Brilliant stuff.
It's a wonderfully old-school RPG, something fans of a bygone era can use to scratch that nostalgic itch and new gamers can use to acquaint themselves with how things once were.
Wasteland 2 certainly knows its audience and I slightly get the feeling it's relying on this for its awareness. As an actual game however, it doesn't feel fresh or new and only seems to stand out due to its theme of being set in the post-apocalypse.
Overall, Wasteland 2 has stayed true to its premise, and deserves a place alongside Divinity: Original Sin as one of the best cRPGs of its era. Immersive and intriguing, the game balances risk and reward; pushing the player to the limits of their inventory and capabilities time and time again; like only the best survival games can.
Wasteland 2 Kickstarter backers will get what they paid for plus a few glitches they didn't. The game doesn't live up to its ambitions in a number of places, most notably the dialogue system.
There are between fifty and seventy hours of gameplay in Wasteland 2 for those willing to invest in its world, explore each new area fully and complete each available mission. That we were happy to do just that is testament to the brilliant design, engaging storyline and immersive combat of inXile's world. Brian Fargo and his team have excelled here, and it leaves us with one remaining question - if Wasteland 2 is this good, what can we look forward to with the forthcoming Torment: Tides of Numenara?
Sprawling, addictive, and finding a potent balance between suspense and fun, Wasteland 2 fits great in any PC gamer's collection.
In Wasteland 2, InXile has a classical RPG that will vindicate its early supporters on Kickstarter.
Wasteland 2 is huge. It's not just the massive map, but the number of stories and the myriad ways they can play out. Though some moments left me disappointed, I always left the game eager to return. Inventive solutions to tricky standoffs, my failure to save a life, a silly line of text spotted in the corner of my eye - those are the things that stuck with me every time I pressed "quit".