Wasteland 2

[Mr March]

Official Website for InXile Entertainment
https://wasteland.inxile-entertainment.com/

I know we have a few old school PC gamers on the forums that played through games like X-COM and the Wing Commander series. But I'm curious if there are any fans of the original Fallout and Fallout 2 video games who might be playing Wasteland 2. This long separated sequel was just released this past week on Steam. I've got about 10 hours into it so far and I'm curious what other fans think of this game. For those who don't know, Wasteland 2 is the result of a very successful kickstarter campaign that raised over $3 million dollars for a $900k project goal. The game is also made by former Interplay staff that worked on both the original Wasteland back in 1988, Fallout in 1997 and the early Fallout sequels before Bethesda took over in the late 2000s. Project lead Brian Fargo is running the show once again, Michael Stackpole (yes, the same) returns to the world he wrote in the first game to write this sequel and a bunch of Fallout veterans are also here, including Mark Morgan scoring.

So far, I'm really enjoying the game. Unlike the single player in the first two Fallout games, in Wasteland 2 you play a group of four characters just like in the original Wasteland. However just like Fallout, character creation is a deep, thoughtful process that requires you to think carefully about your choices and sacrifice a lot of options to ensure you can build a few core skills. I've already restarted the game once after learning the hard way how to properly balance my team and build a complimentary party of characters. But the time spent building characters is really worth it and can result in some very effective players even at low levels. Plenty of opportunity for personalization of your characters exist in the game, though sadly the visual customization is not up to the level of something like X-COM Enemy Unknown. The world of Wasteland 2 is beautifully rendered in glorious detail and feautres a perfect color palette instantly recognizable to old school Fallout fans. The writing is again excellent, with plenty of fun dark humor and vibrant characters for meaningful interactions. The combat is just as bloody and graphic as it was back in the old games, perhaps even moreso here because of the vastly improved game engine. Most important of all, the game is once again a complex and detailed game world that never penalizes you for playing the game your own way. There is no "right" type of character that will penalize you for not choosing to use them; instead choosing certain skills will open parts of the game world to you just as other parts of the game world will be closed off to you for lacking certain skills. I'm curious if Wasteland 2 can be played without combat if you choose the right kind of character just as it was in Fallout. Worth finding out

There are a few criticisms I have. I think a lot of my love for this game is due to my affection for the type of gameplay Wasteland 2 offers. In many ways it plays much like the old Wasteland and Fallout/Fallout 2 video games, but with many improvements. Yet - for all it's graphical and modern gameplay improvements - the game also suffers some really retro concepts in both game design and interface. I think the most noticeable design drawbacks is a lack of what I call "quality of life" features where simply the menu system and HMI of the game lacks all the features one would expect in a modern game. I wouldn't go so far as to call the game interface dated since it is an improvement over games of decades past. BUT...there are many little things - like lacking a zoom feature in character creation or a proper mouse rotation in the tactical map - that just irk me. They really seem out of place in a current title and draw attention to how little we think of these "standard features" until they aren't there.

Nonetheless, I'm being quickly drawn into this game and have spent almost as much time out of the game learning how to build a good character than actually in game playing. That might turn off certain gamers, but Wasteland 2 is my kind of in-depth entertainment that rewards your time investment. Being rewarded for your patience, I've no problem spending lots of time in this world. I can't wait to see what is around the next corner.

Any one else here on MW playing this game and have some experiences or opinions?

Edited September 27, 2014 by Mr March

[CoreyD]

I've been playing it for the past week or so. Loving it so far. I was also a huge fan of the old Fallout 1 and 2 games, so this isn't far off from the mark.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Sweet-an official sequel, definitely checking it out.

[Kyp Durron]

Been playing it myself, I remember playing the original Wasteland back in the day when it came out.

[Mr March]

I got about 26 hours into the game already. Thoroughly addicted

[MacrossJunkie]

I played the original Wasteland a long long time ago and loved it. Played through all the Fallout games released on PC as well. I have WL2, but haven't had much time to play it yet unfortunately. I like that they carried over the rangers from the first game. Seeing their names brought back some nostalgia.

[Warmaker]

I have this game also. I never played Wasteland 1 but I have done the entire Fallout series. I know the guy that made Wasteland 2 happen was part of the first as well as Fallout 1.

I am enjoying the game, it's setting. It's a very old school, 1990's RPG compared to what the norm is, and I do appreciate it. I'm having flashbacks from playing Fallout 1 & 2, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ammo is precious, resources are scant. I'm counting bullets, wondering if I have enough to get back to Ranger Citadel without having to come down to using melee weapons.

I am kind of annoyed that Ambush cannot be set until you're already in combat, which kind of defeats the main intent of what setting up an ambush is. So when you begin engagement, you fire the first shot, then next thing you know, the enemy team gets more actions in before your 2nd squad member does anything. Also, it would be nice to know if a terrain feature will provide cover BEFORE going into combat.

Side note: I've been on other boards and there seems to be a bit of confusion on what Wasteland 2 is all about. For an old school RPG fan, I get it. However, the promotionals and previews for Wasteland 2 makes heavy mention of Fallout. Which is both correct but also good and bad. Correct in that the guy leading Fallout 1 and Wasteland 2 was the same guy. Good in that both franchises have their shared origins with that same guy. Bad however in that the repeated mention of Fallout with Wasteland brings in a lot of guys with expectations of what Wasteland 2 should be like. Simply put, Fallout fandom is roughly divided into 2 general parts. Old school Fallout 1 & 2 with the turn based, isometric views. Wasteland 2 shared a closer design lineage with these. Then there's the newer fans that came in with Fallout 3 and New Vegas, in the transition with Bethesda and 3D, FPS. The latter is where some of the grumbling is about, which I find kind of amusing. Going into Wasteland 2 expecting a sort of Fallout 3 / New Vegas experience despite all the screenshots of Wasteland 2 looking nothing at all like FO3.

Anyways, I am enjoying Wasteland 2. Even on Normal you have to be savvy with your supplies. There's also the locales where the game is telling you, "You may want to come back later" after some leveling and new gear.

[Mr March]

Good points Warmaker.

It does have an old school design and style to it for sure. Sometimes the design and gameplay is old school to such a degree that it is a the detriment to the game. But It's also clearly a labor of love and I cannot deny how much I am enjoying it, warts and all.

I agree that I too had so much "Fallout" on my mind, that I was thoroughly disappointed by the beginning of the game upon first load up. The feel of the game is far more "Wasteland" and far less "Fallout" than I thought I wanted upon initial play. I consciously knew the two were separate and that this western-style team-of-rangers "Wasteland" was going to feel very different from the single-character Mad-Max style "Fallout" series. But in the back of my mind, my subconscious wanted; "War...war never changes". But I'm now up to 26 hours into the game and I don't want it any other way than what it is.

I'm finding assault rifle ammo rare and pistol ammo plentiful. Next time I play I'm going to make sure no more than one person is using an assault rifle. I'll mix up the weapons a lot more between characters. I'm finding a melee character absolutely essential.