Wasteland 2: Director's Cut

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 261 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 178 out of 261
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 261
  3. Negative: 33 out of 261

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  1. iseeall
    Dec 11, 2015
    9
    It's a great RPG/TBS game, and what Fallout 3 should have been. The graphics are pretty good, the music is good also (although it's too Texas-style, I liked the Fallout 1-2 music more and still enjoy listening to it while working). The combat system and character stats system work well, more or less. The initiative system (Disciples 2-style) is pretty good. All non-combat skills are usefulIt's a great RPG/TBS game, and what Fallout 3 should have been. The graphics are pretty good, the music is good also (although it's too Texas-style, I liked the Fallout 1-2 music more and still enjoy listening to it while working). The combat system and character stats system work well, more or less. The initiative system (Disciples 2-style) is pretty good. All non-combat skills are useful which is definitely an improvement over Fallout 2.

    There are a few things I didn't like much, which however are minor and don't break the game:
    - in the beginning of the game melee weapons seem to be the best choice - because of the new "Speed" parameter which allows most melee enemies (and your characters) to reach the enemy in just one turn. Both JA2 and Fallout 2 were more positional games where it would take a few turns to run close up to a camping sniper, and by that time you'd probably be dead already. Here the battles are much less positional, as high-speed characters rush thru the battlefield easily.
    - tons of bad language, and the word "a-s-s" used almost everywhere, even in names of skills. I know they wanted to give this feeling of a "rough" world, but this bad language should have been best limited to some characters and left out of the interface.
    - there is a bit too much humor. Most descriptions of objects in the world have a joke inside, and after you routinely explore a few rooms with a few dozen such objects, it does get stale. Having just a few humorously described objects would would make them stand out more.
    - the overall style of characters has this strange retro punky 80s something look, which is too limiting. I mean, Fallout had much more neutral/realistic setting which felt more believable. But his game even doesn't feel much like a successor of Fallout universe, more like Mad Max: Fury Road movie. The looks of the characters here are just too fancy to feel real in a poor, starving world after nuclear war.

    Though while thinking of this, I probably should keep in mind that this game isn't Fallout 3 but Wasteland 2, and Wasteland was indeed about Texas and rangers. But this inevitably makes the game a bit too USA-centered, too much "God-bless-America-badass" style which the devs might not notice but which definitely alienates players from other parts of the world. Fallout 1-2 felt much more of an international game and more like home even you aren't from the US.

    All that sad, it's still a great game and a great successor to the Fallout/Wasteland series. If you liked Fallout 1/2 you should definitely buy this game.    … Expand
  2. justanhonestguy
    Nov 4, 2016
    8
    ------> Update After Playing for about 40 hours Even better than the first review that follows, with these following changes made:

    The writing is actually pretty good, the quests actually have some thought put into them. The game is rock stable on my Win7/4.3 ghz/GTX750/16 gig system, I can 't get enough and am embarrassed to say how I am glued to the PC on this one. Lots of fun, some    ------> Update After Playing for about 40 hours Even better than the first review that follows, with these following changes made:

    The writing is actually pretty good, the quests actually have some thought put into them. The game is rock stable on my Win7/4.3 ghz/GTX750/16 gig system, I can 't get enough and am embarrassed to say how I am glued to the PC on this one. Lots of fun, some good humor thrown in to the mix, a few nitpicky issues with design but these don't really take too much away from the fun factor..... still rating in the mid to high 80's , just edging upwards from my original review as follows..... P.S. gotta love how friendly fire works for enemies also, some of the dumb ones surpised me by tk'ing their own guys, just enough times to have a laugh. This game provides laughs.

    Wow.... having a total blast with this one and all things considered I'll go into the mid-eighties for scoring.
    Yeah, there are bogus weapon jamming and aiming odds and quirky profanity-inducing mechanics at times, and camera control/in-map orientation could have been done better, but all in all I haven't had this much turn -based fun in a long time.This is reminiscent of the excellent pace and mechanics of JA 2 back in the day The balance is just tough enough on the "normal" or "seasoned" settings to make it a challenge, and perhaps force a reload or two when you blunder over traps or succumb to a ghastly unfair lucky shot from your foe, but not enough to make you quit. This game has the feeling of being designed, written, and play-tested by guys that wanted you to laugh and enjoy the game. I paid $43 CDN for W2DC, and consider it one of my better gaming purchases in recent memory. Like many others, i rebuilt my squad from the ground up after about 2 or 3 hours of gaming, once I learned the ropes of what worked and how.

    More than anything, the fun factor is what did it for me here. Even though there are a couple of balance issues, and an old school patently unfair odds based hit/miss system, at the heart of it it IS just a game, and this one feels just right for my turn-based iso- view squad mapping tastes. I've put in over 20 hours of intense blasting goodness since purchase last week, and no sign of boredom yet.. I simply want to have fun and alleviate boredom with my gaming, and W2DC delivers really well. Good job InXile and 83-85% from me. One of those games that just makes you say :D    … Expand
  3. Aeryx
    Nov 23, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A great old-school RPG experience. Wasteland 2 starts hard if you don't know how to min max characters and what the skills are for. But RPGs that make things too easy are boring, so learning the hard way is more fun. The graphics aren't too bad but they do appear dated. The theme of the game of being a pre-90s apocalypse is very well-executed in the game. The computers, writing and themes match very well. I remember the synth I fought saying that I will not stand a chance against his superior computing power with his 8080 processor running at 3 MHz or something like that. Lines like these are very endearing and fun to read. As for the weapons, they were unrealistic in ammo used but worked as the customizations were helpful. It also is fun in a sense that the game allows you to fail some main quests and deal with the awful consequences. The choice between the Ag Center and Highpool was quite tough and if you fail to save both, the world hates you some more but you can continue to make the world worse. You can also betray characters and even your fellow Rangers, which is a rare thing in today's games. All of these things and more pleasant surprises, mean that even though Wasteland 2 has some shortcomings, it is very fun, especially if you are looking for a game that challenges you the oldschool way. Backing this game in kickstarter was totally worth it.… Expand
  4. sdgdsgsdgs
    Dec 31, 2015
    10
    Beautiful and stylish game. The game is very diverse, there are many characters with unique abilities and a wide variety of weapons. Also, the game is very diverse, and it is huge and stylish gaming world.
  5. Vault-Dweller
    Nov 5, 2015
    10
    A further improvement to an already good game. It has now better balancing, better graphics, better interface and cleaned out most of its bugs.

    Fans of old school rpgs should look no further, Wasteland 2 DC is up until now the best of the kickstarter crpgs!
  6. TheFrostyPen
    Oct 30, 2015
    9
    A very enjoyable game. I ended up quitting the non-Director's Cut during the Train Town mission because I got fed up quick saving and quick loading due to failing all the skill checks. It seems the Director's Cut (DC) hammered out some of those annoyances and tightened up the generally more realistic but overall not fun qualities of the combat, namely shooting your companions far tooA very enjoyable game. I ended up quitting the non-Director's Cut during the Train Town mission because I got fed up quick saving and quick loading due to failing all the skill checks. It seems the Director's Cut (DC) hammered out some of those annoyances and tightened up the generally more realistic but overall not fun qualities of the combat, namely shooting your companions far too often. With DX11 the came looks and feel better graphically. I also am enjoying the story, so far I am about 70% done with the game.

    So in summary the DC is a version of a good game that suffered from being TOO realistic, to reaching a medium that puts game-play first making it an enjoyable and addicting game. I recommend highly.    … Expand
  7. llwk1990
    Nov 29, 2015
    10
    Love the improvements made to an already great game. Better graphics, game mechanics, gameplay, etc.

    This is what I wanted from 'Fallout 3' and beyond. While Bethesda may be going in their own direction, I always loved the old school Fallouts (i.e. Fallout 1 and 2) over the new one.

    inXile has managed to deliver that old school experience that cRPG fans will love. 10/10
  8. TheWaffle
    Feb 23, 2016
    8
    I wrote my first review in haste and frustration. The game has a very steep learning curve, but a deep and engrossing story and in-depth gameplay. Worthwhile for fans of XCOM, RPGs, or any games with punishing and challenging gameplay.

    I would recommend hopping over to Youtube and watching a video or two before you start though, as it's easy to make catastrophic errors early on if you    I wrote my first review in haste and frustration. The game has a very steep learning curve, but a deep and engrossing story and in-depth gameplay. Worthwhile for fans of XCOM, RPGs, or any games with punishing and challenging gameplay.

    I would recommend hopping over to Youtube and watching a video or two before you start though, as it's easy to make catastrophic errors early on if you don't know what you're doing (even on easier difficulties) and there were functions that I did not recognize until several hours into the game. You may have to scrub your first game a couple hours in, but it improves once your get your bearings.    … Expand
  9. Chilliast
    May 3, 2017
    8
    A convincing world in a fun game, but not without bugs.

    Pros 1) Plausible world- the wasteland is a brutal, unforgiving place. Getting happy endings to quests is hard. Usually there are compromises involved, sometimes you can't get a compromise at all. I think this makes the game very realistic. 2) A fresh breath of air by looking backwards. This type of game had almost gone extinct.    A convincing world in a fun game, but not without bugs.

    Pros
    1) Plausible world- the wasteland is a brutal, unforgiving place. Getting happy endings to quests is hard. Usually there are compromises involved, sometimes you can't get a compromise at all. I think this makes the game very realistic.
    2) A fresh breath of air by looking backwards. This type of game had almost gone extinct.
    3) Hard choices- few black and white resolutions. Good outcomes to quests are difficult to pull and rely on a confluence of circumstances. More than often than not, solutions will be one-sided.
    4) Black humour and really funny situations that do not disrupt the overall tone.
    5) Interesting story. It's full of cliches, but somehow the writers made it look fresh.

    Cons
    1) Poor optimisation. This game almost melted by graphics card as it was hitting 70+ degrees. For the kind of graphics we are talking about, it shouldn't have such steep requirements.
    2) Many, many bugs. As of this writing the patched "Director's Cut" contains bugs that hinder gameplay. For example:
    -Percentages do not reflect reality. A weapon with a 2% jam chance, in reality jams far more often.
    -Some lines of sight are not working. People can shoot through walls.
    -Some camera bugs. Camera freezing in place. Weird automatic angles obscuring vision.
    3) Slightly unpolished look. Some of the character models could have been more refined. Combat mechanics feel a bit clunky.

    In summary: a fun game. I think maybe they should have cut a few areas and focused more on polishing it. On the other hand, the budget was not big and the engineering team was tiny (only 6 engineers?) They did ok with what they had.    … Expand
  10. Armis
    Nov 8, 2015
    8
    I've played through both the original Wasteland 2 and the newly released Director's Cut. I can't say as I noticed much of a difference between the two. The original one did most everything competently. The combat was fine, the character development was OK, if a bit underwhelming. The story was passable, but not exactly earth-shattering. All in all, it was good, not great. Worth playing.I've played through both the original Wasteland 2 and the newly released Director's Cut. I can't say as I noticed much of a difference between the two. The original one did most everything competently. The combat was fine, the character development was OK, if a bit underwhelming. The story was passable, but not exactly earth-shattering. All in all, it was good, not great. Worth playing.

    Also, the song that plays when you get to the New Citadel still cracks me up..    … Expand
  11. atalhaderici
    Nov 11, 2015
    10
    Great old school RPG - LOVE IT!!!

    I enjoyed it. Don't expect it to be Fallout 2.5 though.

    True oldschool Fallout feeling. The developers keep making huge updates, the dlcs are free. From such a small budget they made an amazing game.
  12. sumelf
    Nov 2, 2016
    10
    I thought I became old and that's why no games give me chills or overjoy and then Wasteland 2 came out. Now I know that I'm not old and I can enjoy games as I did in my childhood, but publishers and game developers are **** **** who make **** (not always, but often. There are always some cool new games).

    Wasteland 2 gave me chills and I played it 133hrs, but I'm over 60%-70% of game yet.
  13. Mxm0
    Mar 24, 2018
    9
    This game deserves around a 8.75 I think. The critics got it right.

    The combat system and the way characters move around tiles feels clunky, and there aren't enough stealth options. The game not hold your hand enough with some things, while it has a really good tutorial tab on the right, I found myself making choices to character development that stuffed me up a little.. The short    This game deserves around a 8.75 I think. The critics got it right.

    The combat system and the way characters move around tiles feels clunky, and there aren't enough stealth options.

    The game not hold your hand enough with some things, while it has a really good tutorial tab on the right, I found myself making choices to character development that stuffed me up a little..

    The short review is that, Brian Fargo has come out shooting with a deep, long, and nuanced RPG, and if he doesn't retire too soon, his next game or the one after it will be one of the best RPGS ever made, don't retire yet Brian, your getting close to gold here.    … Expand
  14. Joewashere
    Aug 8, 2019
    9
    When Wasteland 2 got released in 2014 after an extraordinarily successful Kickstarter campaign and a long winded development process with several delays, it unfortunately failed to live up to its expectations. However, Inxile released a revamped Directors Cut version which fixed many of the base game's flaws and is now a really fun mix between Fallout 1 and regular combat oriented turnWhen Wasteland 2 got released in 2014 after an extraordinarily successful Kickstarter campaign and a long winded development process with several delays, it unfortunately failed to live up to its expectations. However, Inxile released a revamped Directors Cut version which fixed many of the base game's flaws and is now a really fun mix between Fallout 1 and regular combat oriented turn based S-Rpgs like X-Com or Jagged Alliance.
    The game is more linear and structured as its spiritual successors, but also a much larger one and you could even say that the different setpieces contain as much branching game progression as other rpgs in total. The different paths to solve a quest each pose various skill checks, though you can pass most of them easily if you skill your squad appropriately.
    The writing is decent and like Fallout filled with references and over the top trash movie charm like in Mad Max, Badlands or Solarbabies. The combat is fun, the itemization works, the perk system leads to some pretty interesting and unique play-styles, the quests are well crafted and filled with interesting C&C. A true classic.    … Expand
  15. angryassdrummer
    May 30, 2017
    9
    as a fan of both the Fallout series and Xcom reboots, this game was perfect for me! probably too slow paced for the average millennial gamer, but the startegy in the combat along with the engrossing story & settings was enough for me to spend well over 100 hours and counting in the game
  16. ChoicestGames
    May 29, 2020
    8
    Wasteland 2 hearkens back to the great Interplay CRPGs of the late 1990s such as Fallout and Baldur's Gate while serving its purpose as a bona fide sequel to the original Wasteland released decades ago. Like the CRPGs of yesteryear, Wasteland 2 benefits from having many locations to explore, lots of weapons to experiment with and offering the player decisions that have a major impact onWasteland 2 hearkens back to the great Interplay CRPGs of the late 1990s such as Fallout and Baldur's Gate while serving its purpose as a bona fide sequel to the original Wasteland released decades ago. Like the CRPGs of yesteryear, Wasteland 2 benefits from having many locations to explore, lots of weapons to experiment with and offering the player decisions that have a major impact on the storyline. The game also has a whole bunch of silly, yet entertaining pop culture references and a very fitting soundtrack thanks to the talents of Fallout composer Mark Morgan. The game does have flaws such as its lack of character portraits, unforgiving combat, questionable skill trees, as well a few bugs, but they don't detract from what is a solid and enjoyable post-apocalyptic romp through the Southwestern United States. Recommended.… Expand
  17. mahina
    Jan 5, 2020
    10
    This is my first game in this genre and I am very pleased. I really like the setting of characters and game play mechanics
  18. ENERGONX
    Mar 19, 2022
    8
    Un juego muy entretenido , como los primeros fallout. muy recomendable!
    No se mas que puedo decir!
  19. toxyk
    Jan 10, 2019
    8
    Juego muy bueno, de corte clasico. Me ha gustado mucho, pero la historia, siendo pasable, nunca me ha conseguido enganchar del todo
  20. Babutto
    Apr 23, 2019
    9
    Awesome game.
    When I was playing it was like Fallout Tactics but in another dimension with Rangers. You have to carefully plan characters' level ups, talking skills are useful, many quests have many solutions. The story is nice and overall impression is solid.
    I spent several days playing it and do not regret it. The only negative part is hit chance. Sometimes characters have 80-90% and    Awesome game.
    When I was playing it was like Fallout Tactics but in another dimension with Rangers. You have to carefully plan characters' level ups, talking skills are useful, many quests have many solutions. The story is nice and overall impression is solid.
    I spent several days playing it and do not regret it.
    The only negative part is hit chance. Sometimes characters have 80-90% and they miss too often (2 out of 5 times). Also battle system is not quite balanced, most of the weapons require higher action points rate that is impossible to have without cheating, or you have to fight a lot to finally gain extra point for speed and so on.    … Expand
  21. Cristoteror
    Nov 27, 2022
    8
    Great game, didn't like some parts of the outcome mechanics. Love them goats.
  22. bobglob
    Jul 25, 2020
    10
    this is a love letter to all of the OG fallout fans out there
    if you finished fallout 1-2 years ago and still have that itch for more
    this will definitely put that itch to rest
    totally worth a buy and with a sequel right around the corner this is the best time to pick up this masterpiece!
  23. ewenr
    Jun 29, 2020
    8
    What an unexpected gem of a game this turned out to be. So much depth and role playing possibilities across your squad. Exciting combat and exploration in my favourite game world scenario (Post Apocalyptic). What's not to like. Gimme Wasteland 3 right now please...
  24. oxpxd
    Nov 23, 2022
    10
    Perfect game. That's the Fallout 3 we deserved and we've got. Unfortunately, not many people know about this masterpiece
  25. ErayTellezi
    Nov 17, 2020
    9
    Fallout serisinin ilham kaynağı ve atası Wasteland'in ilkinden 25 yıl sonra çıkmış devam oyununu oynadım. Turn based combatı, izometrik bakış açısı ve epey derin rpg öğeleriyle benim için oldukça yeni ve hoş bir deneyimdi. Post-apokaliptik ve mahvolmuş dünyada düzen ve adaleti sağlama konusu ve robot içermesiyle beni baştan itibaren yakaladı. Ana hikaye mükemmel değil ama gittiğimiz herFallout serisinin ilham kaynağı ve atası Wasteland'in ilkinden 25 yıl sonra çıkmış devam oyununu oynadım. Turn based combatı, izometrik bakış açısı ve epey derin rpg öğeleriyle benim için oldukça yeni ve hoş bir deneyimdi. Post-apokaliptik ve mahvolmuş dünyada düzen ve adaleti sağlama konusu ve robot içermesiyle beni baştan itibaren yakaladı. Ana hikaye mükemmel değil ama gittiğimiz her şehrin kendi iç dinamiği ve onları etkileyebilme olanağımız epey ayrıntılı şekilde ele alınmış. Hastalıktan kırılan şehirler, silahlı dibi tarikatların yönettiği şehirler, kan davasının mahvettiği yerler, incelikle çözülmesi gereken mevzular... Bir kere olayları çözmenin ve görevleri yapmanın birden fazla yolu var. Hepsi de farklı skiller istiyor. Skill sistemi de epey ayrıntılı ve nispeten eşit güçte ayarlanmış. Yarattığı dünyasının çekiciliği ve oynamayı öğrenmesinin kolaylığı neticesinde 90 saat gömdüm.… Expand
  26. Khiladi85
    Sep 30, 2020
    9
    Like: Story, Plots, Pace, Fights and ending.
    Dislikes: Screaming sheep, one random encounter map that was not navigable. Cannot exit combat by walking away, have to kill all enemies.
    You start as a recruit and end as the boss fighter. In between you navigate a post apocalyptic world that is inhabited with people and animals struggling to survive in the same world. The achievements felt    Like: Story, Plots, Pace, Fights and ending.
    Dislikes: Screaming sheep, one random encounter map that was not navigable. Cannot exit combat by walking away, have to kill all enemies.
    You start as a recruit and end as the boss fighter. In between you navigate a post apocalyptic world that is inhabited with people and animals struggling to survive in the same world. The achievements felt earned. The story is very different from the fallout universe. The NPC's are more involved with the world they live in. Not specific to this game but using handguns / assault rifles / sniper rifles in combat did not feel that different from one another (unlike commando series). The story probably did not have that much impact because you knew from the beginning that you were headed for a major fight or showdown, quests and side quests felt more like a distraction.    … Expand
  27. apokalipto
    Aug 18, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  28. Woolee
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    this is a love letter to all of the OG fallout fans out there
    if you finished fallout 1-2 years ago and still have that itch for more
  29. UrchinChieftain
    Aug 30, 2023
    8
    The game provides interesting and different experiences, even compared to Fallout, It is immersive, and at least at the beginning of the game, it feels that your decisions matter, By the end this feeling fades, but it is still a really good experience.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2016
    90
    This is how the only true heir to the old Fallout games should have looked from day one! [13/2015, p.70]
  2. COGconnected
    Oct 25, 2015
    85
    In the end, Wasteland 2 is good, it’s fun, and there is a ton of content. But it’s not that different, or newly ‘cut’, than it was a year ago.
    Read full review
  3. Digital Chumps
    Oct 15, 2015
    90
    Director's Cut is the right term for this release; Fargo and the crew at InXile have combed through both the finer details and the high-level ones of Wasteland 2, fixing, tweaking, and adding to take it from great to excellent.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »