Wasteland 2 Reviews
Worth it if you're willing to put up with a lot of rough fallout.
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.
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wasted and a great bulk of the game crumbles under the weight of technical issues, which are all packed into a visually outdated game.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.
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.
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.
Wasteland 2 is a wonderful post-apocalyptic classic RPG romp through the radioactive dunes of Arizona and California. The game is unabashedly old school with its lack of hand-holding and harsh scenarios.
It's a little too zealous in its old school approach, but this is still a great computer role-playing game and a welcome, if unofficial, part of the Fallout family.
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.
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.
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.
Wasteland 2 is exactly what fans of the franchise were hoping to get: a well polished, old-school RPG. Minor issues aside, this should be considered a must play for fans of the genre, and for newcomers who are trying to see what all of the fuss was about.
It's clear from the critical mass of backers that this style of adventure left a lasting impact on the previous generation of gamers, and now that Wasteland 2 has delivered on its promise, this underserved genre seems poised to capture the imaginations of a new generation.
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".
In Wasteland 2, InXile has a classical RPG that will vindicate its early supporters on Kickstarter.
When looking at Wasteland 2 from the outside, it doesn't look like anything special. However, once you get stuck in and persevere through the initial confusion of combat and little direction you are given, there is a gem to be found here. I began my travels in the wasteland with bitterness, desperately wanting to play something else, but eventually, I started to crave playing the game more and more. The skill system makes every squad member useful, and combat can be a rewarding experience, despite particular issues it can sometimes have. The game has an alluringly addictive quality that makes you want to keep playing and strengthen your ranger squad, even if it does look a bit rough around the edges. It may not be flashy and appeal to everyone, but those who do give it a shot will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Wasteland 2 might be daunting to newcomers, then, but its a sequel that successfully captures the strategic depth and black humor of the original. Brian Fargo and his team at InXile have delivered a quintessential role-playing experience with infinite possibilities.
Wasteland 2 is a warm return to the RPGs of yesteryear. To quests that take hours to complete, to traps in every corridor, to desperate item foraging in light of dwindling ammo supplies. It's not a classic of its genre, but it is ultimately a beacon of hope for a certain style of RPG – the video game pen and paper style – that many thought had been lost in more recent years.
Wasteland 2 is a return to an old-school kind of role-playing experience, which means that it isnt' simple or easy, but it grabs your attention nonetheless. See what it takes to survive in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world.
I know I said I didn't have fun with the game, but that's because it was almost too much for me to bear during a holiday season. But for the gamer who wants to settle in for a really long ride with a well-written, lovingly crafted, difficult game set in a solid post-apocalyptic world, Wasteland 2 is great.
Wasteland 2 is an expansive game that demands to be replayed again and again to get the best out of it. While a lot of the detailed mechanics feel somewhat archaic, they're not going to hold back dedicated players who want to micromanage and really role play their group of characters. It has all of the familiar elements and even if some aspects of its presentation are not quite up to modern standards, its design and gameplay are timeless and welcome.