Wasteland 2

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1217 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 786 out of 1217
  2. Mixed: 209 out of 1217
  3. Negative: 222 out of 1217
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  1. CoreGamer1408
    Dec 17, 2018
    7
    Not as deep a CPRG as Fallout 1/2, but way better party based combat that is a lot of fun. I'd say this was more combat heavy than story rich. Stuck playing the Rangers wasn't a problem. I mostly role play as the good guys anyway. Tactics of Lazer Squad meets a good guy Fallout lite sort of experience for sure.
  2. BlackChurch
    Jan 22, 2017
    5
    Wasteland 2 is not current classic RPG. Unfortunately, developers could not repeat the success of Fallout 2. Too many flaws in this game. Yes, the Wasteland 2 is not perfect and my expectations were too high.
  3. MeritCoba
    Jun 19, 2016
    6
    I usually refrain from mentioning other reviewers, but Alsvha hits it on the head for me so you are invited to read his review. I will add something of my own here.
    Wasteland 2 captured my interest after I was allowed to play it for free for a short while. Frankly, I decided on it for the lack of games to play. This is actually my own problem for I have this rule not to spend money more    I usually refrain from mentioning other reviewers, but Alsvha hits it on the head for me so you are invited to read his review. I will add something of my own here.
    Wasteland 2 captured my interest after I was allowed to play it for free for a short while. Frankly, I decided on it for the lack of games to play. This is actually my own problem for I have this rule not to spend money more than 15 euros on a game unless I am certain I want to have it. The next one I am looking forward to is Cyberpunk 2077.

    Wasteland 2 is positioned as an old school rpg, which is more a sales pitch than anything else. It is old, therefore it is good? Like wine that has matured over time giving us a rich bouquet of flavours? But perhaps it is more an excuse for the vinegar taste it might turn out to be? Perhaps both depending on the situation.

    For me a game is made in the here and now and not in the back and then and although it might have the same features in a way I hope we have progressed somewhat and learned to make things better. But next to that, a good story is a good story as a bad story is bad one. As far as I know the only difference the technology makes, for that is what discerns old from new basically, is in the delivering. And is that not what the sales pitch tries to smooth over?

    So ignoring the old school blurb we can say it resembles games like Blackguards, the 2014 tactical role play game set in a fantasy realm. But Wasteland stresses roleplay more and feels less combat oriented therefore. The world is also more open and allows you to travel about although there are 'guides' and barriers keeping you from spinning of into the wrong direction.

    The game strikes a decent balance between combat and role play, but unfortunately for me I never quite liked it. One way to suck away the fun is the tedious scavenging. The country side is littered with boxes, safes and landmines which you have to discover, examine, disarm, crack, open and empty of the random generated paltry contents. Since ammunition is scare and expensive and well paying jobs are far and in between you are almost required to live of the land and the droppings of your enemies, which is at times unrelated to what weapons they bring to bear and even at times your opponents do not drop anything at all.

    Another annoying feature is to stuff the contents full of items listed as junk, which isn't always junk we are warned over and over so, you carry around a lot of excess baggage just in the offhand chance it might be required for something.

    What I find even more damaging for this game, which is why I liked games like Torment and Baldurs Gate, is that most of your team members have almost no personality. The basic team has non and only a few of your npcs have something of their own mind. Even Blackguards gives more personality to your team members. If this was a deliberate choice than the lack of original personalities ought to be off set by a good combat system. But wasteland doesn't deliver much. It is decent enough, but nothing special or spectacular as it lacks depth.

    What remains is to evaluate the story line. And here Wasteland is the most weak. It has no general story line that draws you in. The stories are fragmented and you feel more like an emergency response team that is running from one unrelated crisis to the next. So yeah, there is the murder of Ace. So yeah, there is the synth tale. So yeah, there are the mutated plants. But it is unrelated and often feels like a distraction for a main plot that has yet to develop.

    Overall the game is decent and works in a fashion, but it lacks a good story line and well develop characters. Ironically that is exactly my criticism for Fallout 4. Perhaps old school and new school have something in common?    … Expand
  4. HandsomeAwkward
    Nov 27, 2015
    5
    Definitely an alright game. Not amazing in any way what-so-ever, but not utterly atrocious as a package. (Though there are individual parts that are atrocious in my opinion, which we will get to).

    The good: It's actually somewhat hard for me to list what I liked about this game, because my opinion is based mostly on what I don't like. I'm a fan of turn-based RPG's, so they all kinda    Definitely an alright game. Not amazing in any way what-so-ever, but not utterly atrocious as a package. (Though there are individual parts that are atrocious in my opinion, which we will get to).

    The good:

    It's actually somewhat hard for me to list what I liked about this game, because my opinion is based mostly on what I don't like. I'm a fan of turn-based RPG's, so they all kinda start out as a perfect 10 for me, and the score goes down as I find things I don't like.

    There's a nice variety of items.

    The map is fairly large.

    The game doesn't look unreasonably bad.

    The combat would be fairly complex if this were 1998.

    The bad:

    The items are all fairly shallow increments on one another. The difference between the M1 Rifle and the M14 is a couple points of damage and a different AP (Action points - the "currency" you spend to perform actions in combat) cost. The difference between the M14 and the famas is another couple points of damage and different AP cost. The difference between the famas and the M16 is more damage and different AP cost. I was never really excited finding a new weapon or item - it always just amounts to "yay, more damage" or "I've already passed this increment" if you've found something below what you have.

    The map lacks some serious polish. If you aren't aware, basically the game tries to emulate Fallout's map style, but in 3D. The entire thing resembles one big model desert made by a 2nd grader. Just flat, tan, monotone desert floor broken up by mountains - all of which look the same. It leads to some things that break immersion in the modern gamer, such as running into a random encounter of raiders on this flat monotone desert landscape, only to enter the battlefield and find you were travelling through an industrial complex. "An industrial complex?" I ask. "I was literally in the middle of nowhere in a desert with no landmarks. This apparent industrial complex was not on the map." Something that would be acceptable if this were 1998, but the game was released in 2014.

    The graphics are not at all up to par with 2014 standards. This would probably hold up if we were playing in 2003. It's not terrible, not something to really shred the game about in my opinion, but it definitely does take away from the moment at times, realizing how horrible animation quality (there are maybe 4 different reload animations for every weapon in the game, for example) is, how horrible the models are (the weapons and character models especially), and how bad texture quality can be.

    The combat is shallow. After you've experienced your first battle, that's it. You've experienced all the game has to offer in that department. You will fight more enemies with higher health with a bigger squad and better weapons as the game goes on, but as far as mechanics go, it never gets any deeper. It becomes a huge chore to fight enemies, especially coming from a game like XCOM Enemy Unknown which is, in my opinion, the gold standard for how turn-based isometric RNG-based ranged weapon-based combat should be done. In Wasteland 2, you start out with a handful of "skills" to use in combat, and that's it. It doesn't change as the game goes on. In XCOM, you start out with a couple of skills that change the way combat goes, and as the game goes on it gets more and more complex with deeper and deeper skills and augments changing your strategies and how you play. One baseline strategy will work throughout the entire game for Wasteland 2.

    The AI is extremely barebones. There are two types of AI in combat it seems. One will keep distance and take pot-shots, and the other will rush the spot where it can get the best shot off at whatever character it chooses - regardless of the danger it will put itself in. As I stated, it becomes a chore.

    The voice acting is utterly atrocious. Ridiculously bad. I honestly can't stand it at times and I have no idea why others don't comment on this. There is one character at the starting settlement who speaks 100% in yelling, which combined with poor timing and unenlightened dialogue make for a hilarious spectacle, as he tricks me into being harmed by a goat and shouts in his burly man shout "HA-HA-HA HE TOTALLY HEADBUTTED YOUR ASS" and then, after I kill the goat, shouts "WHY DID YOU KILL IT? I LOVED THAT GOAT. YOU GUYS ARE JERKS" without a trace of humor or irony in his voice.

    There are also just miscellaneous other things in the game which simply lack polish and charm. Remember how talking to some characters in Fallout presented you with an animated version of their face? There's nothing like that here. No one to get attached to. No inspired, witty dialogue. No brilliantly crafted environments and no satisfying problems to solve, besides who to shoot first and whether or not you can get away with moving a character into cover closer to the bad guys without initiating combat.

    5/10    … Expand
  5. luciferwez
    Aug 21, 2015
    7
    If you're looking for a challenging and fun 3D version of the Fallout 1/2 combat system, look no further. It has its flaws but overall good and since I love turn-based RPG (which is extremely hard to find) I enjoy playing it.
  6. zmora
    Apr 23, 2015
    6
    Very simple combat, cliche filled story and in my humble opinion way too many things to find, that dont actually mean anything. As in finding some locked, trapped chest behind locked and trapped door hidden in the corner of huuuge ass map should award something more than some pants, 3 bullets and a human leg.
  7. SlightlyOP
    Apr 12, 2015
    7
    Fun game but there are things that bring it down for me. These are just my tastes but I wish it wasn't turn based, I'd prefer just being able to pause combat and issue commands. And the constant weapon jamming is incredibly annoying. I mostly play games for story and though combat can be fun, when I'm playing he game on the easiest difficulty I just want to be able to breeze through theFun game but there are things that bring it down for me. These are just my tastes but I wish it wasn't turn based, I'd prefer just being able to pause combat and issue commands. And the constant weapon jamming is incredibly annoying. I mostly play games for story and though combat can be fun, when I'm playing he game on the easiest difficulty I just want to be able to breeze through the combat, which is not possible in this game. I think many other people though could find this game good. It just doesn't cater well to my tastes.… Expand
  8. eekz
    Mar 27, 2015
    5
    Very controversial feelings. In the beginning the game is very promising but the more you advance the more you feel that something is wrong. While 1st part of the game feels all right, the more you become closer to LA part, the more game feels unfinished and repetitive.
  9. WhatsaUsername
    Mar 17, 2015
    5
    I liked this game when I first started playing it - I really did. So I can understand why the professional reviewers rated it so highly. Unfortunately if they had had more time to play it I think they would have noticed more of its flaws.

    I'm a big fan of turn-based strategy games. Its basically just Fallout 2 with slightly nicer graphics, or so it seemed to begin with. Unfortunately it    I liked this game when I first started playing it - I really did. So I can understand why the professional reviewers rated it so highly. Unfortunately if they had had more time to play it I think they would have noticed more of its flaws.

    I'm a big fan of turn-based strategy games. Its basically just Fallout 2 with slightly nicer graphics, or so it seemed to begin with. Unfortunately it lacks the charm and wit of Fallout 2 whilst still completely ripping off every other aspect of it. In many ways this game is inferior to Fallout 2 in complexity and fun.

    Basically, you have to design a party of 4 rangers (who form your base characters) to begin with and then can add another 3 npc followers to this as you progress. Thats 7 party members in all running around! Way, way too many. Just 4 would have been fine. With 7 members we frequently outnumber the enemy in fights, making the battles feel very one-sided and unfair (in my favour).

    ** When designing your group you must assign them attributes (strength, intelligence etc) and skills (lockpicking, leadership etc). However, for the most part the attributes have absolutely no impact whatsoever on the skills. You can have a character with strength 1 and they will be just as effective at the 'Brute Force' skill as a character with strength 10. It literally makes no difference. The attributes are still important because they determine your combat stats for the rest of the game, but their lack of impact upon the skills is very disappointing.

    ** Also, with the way the game flows you can only really invest each character with around 4-6 skills each (including weapon skills) or you will soon find that they become useless very quickly. So don't count on variety spicing things up.

    ** As people have said before, many of the skills are simply used for opening chests, which you will come across constantly. You can't walk 10 paces without hitting another chest. It seems to be the number 1 hobby in the wastelands.

    ** There are a very limited number of character portraits for the npcs in the game. This means that, while their descriptions will vary greatly in the text, their appearance will not. This becomes very frustrating.

    ** The questions you can ask each npc are incessantly repetitive. "What do you think of ....?" comes up A LOT. You will find yourself asking different people the same questions over and over again and reading almost identical and pointless answers, which gets very, very tedious.

    ** The jokes are not funny. Its actually quite painful how hard they've tried to be funny, but most of the time it just falls flat.

    ** Don't even bother with melee skills. Even with an 80% chance to hit you will still inexplicably miss constantly. With guns this is not the case. Guns are far superior.

    I'm not saying this is a terrible game - its not. If you enjoyed Fallout 2 and don't mind a slightly simplified version of it, then this may well be the game for you. It is still mildly entertaining in certain ways. It is NOT, however, a £40 title by any stretch of the imagination. It is worth £15 at most. If you pay full price for it then you'd better really, really love Fallout 2 a whole lot.    … Expand
  10. Lab_Bitterman
    Mar 9, 2015
    6
    For a while, Wasteland 2 was a nice trip 'back in time' to when Turn-Based Games ruled the roost. It immediately game me that squishy "Aww, I remember all the fun I had with the original X-Com back in '94".

    It possess many of the elements I like in a Turn-Based game, such as 1) Squad formation deployments (ok, only from 1 to 4 units, but that's still a 'squad") 2) RPG-like skill    For a while, Wasteland 2 was a nice trip 'back in time' to when Turn-Based Games ruled the roost. It immediately game me that squishy "Aww, I remember all the fun I had with the original X-Com back in '94".

    It possess many of the elements I like in a Turn-Based game, such as
    1) Squad formation deployments (ok, only from 1 to 4 units, but that's still a 'squad")
    2) RPG-like skill development (remember X-Com? The more you did something, the better you got at it?)
    3) Micromanagement/customization of Squad equipment and appearance
    4) Full control of tactical deployment and execution
    5) The resolution: I could see what the heck I was doing (Sorry Good Old Games, but I need better resolution sometimes ;)

    It's a fun romp through the deserts of Arizona/California in what appears to be a carefully managed "sandbox feeling" approach. You think you can go anywhere and do anything, however you slowly realize you are just riding the rails set out for you. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, everyone could use a little hand-holding after all to learn the ropes, but 30 hours into the game you could let up a bit...

    And that's the thing with this game: after a while things stop making sense.
    1) Certain weapon specializations are less than useful except when considering available ammo. I mean, wielding pistols is cool, but that they are not much faster to use as compared to a squad-level support machine gun
    2) Armour: it's applied rather wonkily. Higher is worse for defending versus energy weapons?....
    3) Controls are a little weird, especially when it comes to skill usage
    4) "Random encounters" is defined as "the same map for the umpteenth time"
    5) Skill development is clunky
    6) The AI is crazy-brilliant or retarded, depends how you look at it
    7) Hardly destructible map
    8) *Insert playability issue you notice next* Etcetera adnauseam.

    After a few missions the fatigue of the grind sets in. That was bearable in good games of the past because something was usually going on in the background that would eventually complete and there would be a noticeable game change (ie: research was complete and you now have "item x" or whatever). But nothing is going on here. It's just "open door/kill everything/close door". Sure, the AI characters are getting stronger but so are you.

    So yes, it's new. But being new it's simply not as good as it's predecessors. It's not even as good as Silent Storm if you ask me and that's a game that's 10 years old already, let alone X-Com & Jagged Alliance. If you're bored, get it and try it. But you're $$ might be better spent getting any of the titles I just mentioned.    … Expand
  11. Noi
    Feb 25, 2015
    7
    I very much anticipated this game as a fallout 1 and 2 fan. The game delivered quite well. But I must say that I was quite disappointed with the lack of variation in combat, it had quite a few bugs and one especially annoying with character movement.

    Story was good and overall the game was enjoyable.
  12. nomemory
    Feb 22, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Some people say this is a brilliant Fallout 2 sequel that will be bringing back memories from an era of gaming long forgotten.

    The biggest problem with this game is not the combat (which is at most mediocre, and becomes boring to soon), or the graphics that look a little outdated, but the RPG elements that are shallow. Is this even an RPG game ?

    You won't feel any real connection to your character. There is little customization, and you decisions don't really matter in the world.

    You feel no connection to your party. The characters in your party lack real backstories and are in no way memorable. You don't real care about them as long as they hit the enemies. They don't react to your decisions (btw, are there any real decisions ?!) and they don't interact with the world.

    Other problem is the lack of replayability. In theory you have plenty of customization and skills in which to invest your skill points, but in the end you will have to do the same party build if you want to finish the game. Also, there is no synergy between your skills. All you have to do is to disperse the skill points in way you cover everything.

    I am glad the game was short because I was bored pretty quickly.

    Mediocrity is the keyword to describe Wasteland 2.    … Expand
  13. Damascus
    Feb 16, 2015
    5
    Wasteland 2 is unfortunately a booring game. Four critical flaws make it so.

    First, it doesen't really capture the post-apocalyptic feel. The sounds aren't haunting and lonely enough, the people you meet doesen't have character enough, the narrative doesen't emphasise it enough, and the world is more absurd than gritty. Second, the story doesen't grip me. It's bland and seems    Wasteland 2 is unfortunately a booring game. Four critical flaws make it so.

    First, it doesen't really capture the post-apocalyptic feel. The sounds aren't haunting and lonely enough, the people you meet doesen't have character enough, the narrative doesen't emphasise it enough, and the world is more absurd than gritty.

    Second, the story doesen't grip me. It's bland and seems uninspired, more like a backdrop for laying down lead than anything else. It fails to motivate me, making leveling and shooting the only motivation to keep playing.

    Thirdly, because the game fails to convey the feel and story of the wasteland, each new area is just a hub for more generic tasks. Exploring in this game just means finding another safe to crack, another lock to fiddle with and another bandit to shoot. In other words, exprloring is booring.

    Fourth, the leveling is also booring. The formula is too easy, has too little crunch, too little character and feels kinda pointless. Once you figure out that the only thing that matters from character creation is action points, initiative and skillpoints, you realize that the best party consist of 4 clones, with some small ajustments to one of them to make sure you have good range of sight. There is almost no correlation between stats and skill, meaning you can pin any skill on any character with the same effect. This is ok if you don't want to make character building a focus, but it also removes character building as a motivation to play on. Further, this game reward not spending your skillpoints until you really need them, which makes the treshhold for each level completely irrelevant.

    In contrast, Fallout 1 and 2 was the opposite in all of the above, and it's what made them shine imo.

    So I'm halfway into the game. I don't really care about what just happened in Arizona and I don't care about what's gonna happen in California. Why should I keep playing? I don't care about what happens the next level. The story ain't gonna improve. The feel ain't gonna improve. I don't care about shooting my gun just once more or opening just one more lock or disarming just one more trap. I've had my fill of generic tasks, and I'm just boored.    … Expand
  14. therob91
    Jan 30, 2015
    5
    Its a solid game, but doesn't really have much character building through dialogue. The whole point of dialogue trees is that they let you manipulate the flow of the conversation and express your character through methods other than combat. This speech system does not do that(which is possibly the greatest advantage that this style of RPG should have over large voice acted games - you canIts a solid game, but doesn't really have much character building through dialogue. The whole point of dialogue trees is that they let you manipulate the flow of the conversation and express your character through methods other than combat. This speech system does not do that(which is possibly the greatest advantage that this style of RPG should have over large voice acted games - you can easily code more words and choices for a relatively low price.) Actions are largely pretty obvious and/or option A option B feeling rather than feeling like a real world choice. Essentially choices just feel more "game-ey" than some of the great RPGs like Fallout or KOTOR. Stats are largely not as important as they should be. UI and non combat controls could use some serious sprucing up, there is no need to copy the problems of yesteryear when making a throwback game. Still played to the end and enjoyed it, won't be going back though. Almost feels more like an eastern style RPG in western style RPG clothing(Final Fantasy with a post nuclear setting and some text trees that are about as useful as just watching a cutscene.) If you are just aching for an RPG and you don't feel like playing some of the other greats again its a nice change of pace. DO NOT expect a Fallout style game.… Expand
  15. Loler13gr
    Jan 28, 2015
    7
    A good old-shcool RPG which will please the series fans and the hardcore RPG players but may seem a little too hard to the new ones. The survival aspect of the game ties in perfectly with the RPG and strategic elements and offers an experience which can only be matched by a heavily moded Fallout game. Do give it a shot but know it takes a little more patience than other games. OtherwiseA good old-shcool RPG which will please the series fans and the hardcore RPG players but may seem a little too hard to the new ones. The survival aspect of the game ties in perfectly with the RPG and strategic elements and offers an experience which can only be matched by a heavily moded Fallout game. Do give it a shot but know it takes a little more patience than other games. Otherwise you can always play Original Sin.… Expand
  16. TSTINKERS
    Dec 29, 2014
    6
    OK. this game is not a 10 to everyone giving it a 10. I played it all the way through, 120hrs... so... it is definately OK. But... the battles are terrible. The RPG and quests and going around talking etc. is perfect. The only thing missing (and it is a big thing) because it's 50% of the game, is the battles with enemies. With Jagged Alliance 2 you could creep around, every shotOK. this game is not a 10 to everyone giving it a 10. I played it all the way through, 120hrs... so... it is definately OK. But... the battles are terrible. The RPG and quests and going around talking etc. is perfect. The only thing missing (and it is a big thing) because it's 50% of the game, is the battles with enemies. With Jagged Alliance 2 you could creep around, every shot counted, if someone was injured they were out for a while, ammo was scarce., there weren't crates every 5 steps you take, if you found a crate it was actually exciting and it would have a ton of stuff instead of 3 bullets. So... this game is basically not polished. When you go to switch your gun for a gernade to throw the gun suddenly unloads all the bullets. Just weird stuff like that. With Jagged Alliance 2 if you walked around the corner and you were 2 feet from an enemy, if they hit you close range with a pistol you'd be dead. With Wasteland a pistol shot from close range is like a slap on the wrist.

    So... basically... this game is not a classic. It doesn't suck, but it isn't a classic. If they thought out the fighting as much as they thought out the RPG, yes, it definitely had a chance.    … Expand
  17. PowerGamer
    Nov 26, 2014
    6
    Boring, Boring,

    I was looking forward to trying this game. Hell, I'm one of the original Fallout 1 programmers. I knew Brian Fargo of course because he was the president of the company, and probably knew some of the people that worked on this game; including many that elevated their participation with Fallout but in fact had little to do with it. Doesn't change my opinion of the    Boring, Boring,

    I was looking forward to trying this game.

    Hell, I'm one of the original Fallout 1 programmers.
    I knew Brian Fargo of course because he was the president of the company,
    and probably knew some of the people that worked on this game; including many that elevated their participation with Fallout but in fact had little to do with it.
    Doesn't change my opinion of the game however..

    I put so many hours into the game. Fun at times, but frankly the majority of the time it's just slow, dull and boring.

    Furthermore it was hard to progress as it was hard to tell where anything important was at.
    The wacky map setup didn't help it either. The map always faces relative North, but then you can spin the camera around so you can be facing any direction. It's too bad this wasn't shown with some kind of circle, and, or cone shape et al. I had to switch between rotating the view camera around to into into orientation with the map to figure out where I was on it.

    Kind of cool to go back to an old style, but then if a game is not good it's not going to help, just making things worse. A 1990's style, done worse.
    It sat on my hard drive for months now, it was time to uninstall it knowing I wasn't coming back.

    P.S. It looks like their are shills making +10 reviews. Look at some of them. This is the one and only game they made a review for. Go figure..    … Expand
  18. Ludo79
    Nov 19, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fallout fan since the beginning, I got disappointed by the unfinished game mechanics (horrible looting, very boring displacement and repetitive operations), but also disappointed by the unpolished adventure aspect. Most of the time you just go there, find the target, activate the dialog or kill it, then come back and get the XP. Most of the story is just lacking the adventure and the poetry that Fallout 1, 2 and 3 were proposing and your team is just bursting through badgers, raiders and robots most of the time.
    Added to this is a lack of finish in the end game, which is a real pity since the game is quite short in content. When you wander for the first time through the Santa Fe Base, and only cross a few creatures and crappy crates for the whole map, you just feel like the developers didn't have time to complete a real map like what they did in the first part (High Pool, Ag Center, the Prison) Nothing to do there ? And this feeling is coming more and more often as you get closer to the end.
    What is really sad is that they lost most of their sense of humor and story-telling : the last part of the game is just a straightforward fight ... till the great blow.
    The last - but not the least - failure in this project is the re playability, in my opinion.
    All Fallout games -and all good games by the way - were a real joy to replay. Wasteland 2 has it that you must play the game a certain way to optimize XP learning, DPS (assault rifle is the best) and companion encounters. I played it in "hard" and discovered most of the game ; I'm finishing it in "Full Jerk" now.. it's quite easy and very very predictable. I'll finish it for the second time, and that's all.    … Expand
  19. c3p
    Nov 11, 2014
    7
    Like Shadowrun it's awesome if you're a fan of the genre.
    Then you will be blindly in love and can overlook graphic and balancing issues. It's your 9.5/10 and you love it!
    If you are only mildly interested in the genre it's a tough deal. You should read up on the Internet before playing on how to make your character "not suck" and you'll have to be willing to spend 20-30 hours until    Like Shadowrun it's awesome if you're a fan of the genre.
    Then you will be blindly in love and can overlook graphic and balancing issues. It's your 9.5/10 and you love it!

    If you are only mildly interested in the genre it's a tough deal. You should read up on the Internet before playing on how to make your character "not suck" and you'll have to be willing to spend 20-30 hours until you really can enjoy it. I'm not sure everyone has that time or wants to invest it.

    To conclude: a very slow game with many small issues that could have been solved better, but if you're willing to overlook these it's a diamond you won't find anywhere else!    … Expand
  20. jvanheerikhuize
    Oct 31, 2014
    5
    $2,933,252 which isn't a great budget for game creation, but manageble. However with the experience of the core team involved this could have become something. This game is complete **** Built on Unity?! Every single random encounter is the same, vastness is nowhere to be found, a toaster as a gimmick. Where did the dollars go? Some sketches, a POC, or did it disappear? a kind FU, waste of$2,933,252 which isn't a great budget for game creation, but manageble. However with the experience of the core team involved this could have become something. This game is complete **** Built on Unity?! Every single random encounter is the same, vastness is nowhere to be found, a toaster as a gimmick. Where did the dollars go? Some sketches, a POC, or did it disappear? a kind FU, waste of time and land!… Expand
  21. ScienceAdvisor
    Oct 25, 2014
    5
    Even with all the horrible reviews from credible sources (aka not the ones claiming this is 10/10 Pure Gold, Game of the Century), I was unprepared for exactly how vapid the game design is. When I eventually got into a shooting in Highpool (start of the game) and all the NPC could see and shoot through solid objects, it was the end for me. This is nothing more than a time waster,Even with all the horrible reviews from credible sources (aka not the ones claiming this is 10/10 Pure Gold, Game of the Century), I was unprepared for exactly how vapid the game design is. When I eventually got into a shooting in Highpool (start of the game) and all the NPC could see and shoot through solid objects, it was the end for me. This is nothing more than a time waster, without any of the compelling gameplay or story that should have accompanied it. How this came from the person behind Fallout 1 & 2 is astounding. How any credible reviewer could have given it a high score simply indicates that they only played the first 30 minutes and wrote the review based on that.

    One thing I did notice is the lack of quality in the textures, models, and level design. This all suggests that a large portion of the money raised for this was funneled elsewhere (most likely Tides of Numenera). Glad I was just playing a friends copy or this would be sent back for a refund. If this is the best Fargo could do for such a pivotal title in restarting his career, Tides will likely be a disappointment as well.    … Expand
  22. Lauranda
    Oct 24, 2014
    7
    The original Wasteland holds up as one of my favorite games of all time, so when I stumbled upon the kickstarter for this more than 2 decades later, I jumped on it...and then had to wait another 2+ years in anticipation. I probably would give it a 6, but it gets a bonus point for the nostalgia.

    Wastleland 2 definitely brought back memories of the original, but it did get a bit tedious.    The original Wasteland holds up as one of my favorite games of all time, so when I stumbled upon the kickstarter for this more than 2 decades later, I jumped on it...and then had to wait another 2+ years in anticipation. I probably would give it a 6, but it gets a bonus point for the nostalgia.

    Wastleland 2 definitely brought back memories of the original, but it did get a bit tedious. Kill the baddies, sell/salvage the extra loot to free up encumbrance, buy more ammo, repeat. I can also see how it could be tough going without having read up on how to make a party before starting off. You definitely want to understand the CLASSIC system before you start and do not spread skill points too thin.

    Multiple ways to solve problems (and decisions affecting the side stories) was nice.

    I had no problem with the graphics. They are a nice mix of modern meshed with old-school (if you are a young'un, don't expect top of the line HD stuff here).

    The story was a little shallow, but it was very similar to the original (which I think was a nod to it). I also thought the final battle was a bit of a let down.

    One thing I did notice (or rather did not notice) was the lack of bugs. I know this is one of the reasons Fargo and company extended the deadline...they wanted it perfect. I can say I never had an issue whatsoever with anything going haywire.

    Overall I liked it, but it could have had a little more story and a little less monotony. Perhaps a Wasteland 3 will get the score up in the 9-10 range.    … Expand
  23. rawhide1970
    Oct 16, 2014
    7
    This is a good top down RPG tactical combat game. Character creation can be a little overwhelming at first, but I consider that to be a good thing. The storyline is good and the combat mechanics are done very well. Haven't finished it yet, but there seems to be plenty of content. Cons: I'm not convinced the weapons are balanced very well, and some of the abilities don't come into playThis is a good top down RPG tactical combat game. Character creation can be a little overwhelming at first, but I consider that to be a good thing. The storyline is good and the combat mechanics are done very well. Haven't finished it yet, but there seems to be plenty of content. Cons: I'm not convinced the weapons are balanced very well, and some of the abilities don't come into play often enough to justify putting points into them.… Expand
  24. haplok
    Oct 8, 2014
    6
    Yeah, actually it could be a 7/10, but the second half is very buggy.

    Well, first the good: I like the graphics. Weapon models in particular are nice. Though kill animations could be more varied/weapon dependant. You get to control 7 characters. It has turn-based combat with a cool Combat Initiative system. Oh and it has a GREAT atmosphere. Not so good: Its full of plotholes.    Yeah, actually it could be a 7/10, but the second half is very buggy.

    Well, first the good:
    I like the graphics. Weapon models in particular are nice. Though kill animations could be more varied/weapon dependant.
    You get to control 7 characters. It has turn-based combat with a cool Combat Initiative system.
    Oh and it has a GREAT atmosphere.

    Not so good:
    Its full of plotholes. Like if Rangers spent the last 15 years strenghtening their ranks and fortifying their position, how could they NOT secure their nearby respective water and food supply towns.
    Combat system is kinda simplistic. Flanking doesn't work well, as cover provides full 180 degree frontal protection. And you get the cover accuracy bonus even against enemies behind you... Ranged enemies run into melee range and want to hug you. You can't target and disable different body parts (there's only "headshot", which cannot score a critical hit). The critical hit system is pretty basic. Weapon ranges are pretty pathetic, especially for sniper rifles.
    There are no Perks/Talents/Feats!
    There are many redundant skills, such as Field Medic and Surgeon.

    The BAD:
    The attributes are weak, have very little impact on gameplay. The difference between 1 and 10 in Coordination or Luck attributes provides less to-hit bonus/critical chance then 1-2 weapon skill ranks.
    Skills are entirely severed from the attributes and function in a void. A Strenght 1 character will be just as good in the "Brute Force" skill, as a Str 10 body-builder. The skillschecks get progressively tougher in this game (regardless of what the skillcheck concern), only maximum skill ranks count. Which means that you designate some skills to each character in the start andalways onlyraise these skills. Level ups are monotonous, as you only get some hp and a few skill points which may or may not be enough to raise one of your chosen skills. It could just as well be automatic.
    The loor is entirely randomized. It seems in Arizona it was raining booby-trapped safes and boxes with master locks, as they are scattered everywhere, regardless if their location makes sense or not. Unfortunately they contain mostly useless, random junk.
    Armor is useless. The system is pathetic and actually it may be harmfull in the second half of the game.    … Expand
  25. Emrah
    Oct 6, 2014
    6
    This is definitely not a Fallout game that many of us have been waiting for. If you're a fan of Fallout 1 and 2, do not believe the polygon quote that you see on Steam. "I loved the old Fallout 1 and 2, Wasteland 2 makes me feel like I never stopped playing".

    The game is essentially a glorified Fallout tactics, with very minor RPG elements tossed it. Now if you ignore that, the game    This is definitely not a Fallout game that many of us have been waiting for. If you're a fan of Fallout 1 and 2, do not believe the polygon quote that you see on Steam. "I loved the old Fallout 1 and 2, Wasteland 2 makes me feel like I never stopped playing".

    The game is essentially a glorified Fallout tactics, with very minor RPG elements tossed it.

    Now if you ignore that, the game itself isn't... that bad, but it's certainly not an amazing game either.    … Expand
  26. Draegnar
    Oct 6, 2014
    6
    Wasteland 2 could be a great game but right now (October 6, 2014) it is rigged with too many bugs and balancing issues. IMHO, this games was not ready for full release.

    Pros: - The post-apocalyptic feeling is great. - Dialogues and story are well written. - The huge amount of references and nods to the 80s is rather enjoyable. - Old-school cRPG are so rare nowadays and Wasteland 1    Wasteland 2 could be a great game but right now (October 6, 2014) it is rigged with too many bugs and balancing issues. IMHO, this games was not ready for full release.

    Pros:
    - The post-apocalyptic feeling is great.
    - Dialogues and story are well written.
    - The huge amount of references and nods to the 80s is rather enjoyable.
    - Old-school cRPG are so rare nowadays and Wasteland 1 was always one of my favourite.

    Cons;
    - So many fights and so little strategy involved, enemy AI is meh...
    - Lack of meaningful choices: open-ended quests are uncommon and mostly leads to flavor-only consequences.
    - A lot of skills feel redundant and artificial (there's 5 different skills for unlocking things, 3 for persuasive dialog,...).
    - Current attributes balance promotes character builds with 2 to 4 dump stats.
    - Ranged weapon balance is terrible: Assault rifles are OP, Sniper and SMG are OK, there's only one good Energy weapon in the entire game, the rest is garbage.
    - There's too much randomness in loot and skill success, savescumming will lead you anywhere.
    - UI is clunky and not user-friendly, too much wasted time in skill usage delays,...
    - Poor optimisation. For example, any activated alarm makes the game unplayable because of lag.
    - After first patch, there's still lots of bugged quests, combat related and inventory management issues (clicking dragging an item fail 2 times out of 3),...

    The most serious issues of Wasteland 2 comes from really bad design choices (randomness, artificial skills, balancing issues,...). This game seriously needs a huge re-balancing patch (or modding tools) to live up to its expectations.    … Expand
  27. binmaze
    Oct 5, 2014
    6
    A mixed bag you got here. I like "Choose and take the consequences." aspect of quests.
    I really do. It is one of the best in that aspect.
    But other than that, it is not up to expectations. Most of all, the combat is way too boring. Can you believe it? It is no better than the text combat of original Wasteland which was made nearly 30 years ago. No, it's worse, because it is    A mixed bag you got here. I like "Choose and take the consequences." aspect of quests.
    I really do. It is one of the best in that aspect.

    But other than that, it is not up to expectations.

    Most of all, the combat is way too boring. Can you believe it? It is no better than the text combat of original Wasteland which was made nearly 30 years ago.

    No, it's worse, because it is slower.
    What is worse, you have to repeat it endlessly.

    And the skills.
    There are bunch of pointless skills and it requires you to use it over and over and over and over and over and over again. Oh god, I cannot overemphasize how boring it is.

    And there is no creativity of what so ever in using skill.
    Just a sickening amount of grinding.

    You may think it's not really a problem. But it is.
    It takes too much time just to pick a lock on a random box, or to open a door.

    If it had been an adventure game(combats and skills stripped off), it would have been better.
    But as an RPG, it is not a masterpiece they promised.
    It is just an ok game.    … Expand
  28. deettis
    Oct 4, 2014
    6
    Come on people, be honest with your reviews and try to hold on to your objectivity even if you're a kickstarter backer. I LOVE old school RPGs and I'm very excited that someone skilled is bringing them back. However, if an old school RPG, "a spiritual successor" of many games, is a simplified version of a game relesed FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, something has gone very, very wrong.

    The combat    Come on people, be honest with your reviews and try to hold on to your objectivity even if you're a kickstarter backer. I LOVE old school RPGs and I'm very excited that someone skilled is bringing them back. However, if an old school RPG, "a spiritual successor" of many games, is a simplified version of a game relesed FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, something has gone very, very wrong.

    The combat system of WL2 has almost no tactical aspects in it and the rules and physics of a gunfight have are not from this world. The cover system was a nice try to bring some tactics in to the game, but the logic of it is just silly.

    I wish it all had gone perfectly and we could've witnessed a cinderella story of gaming, but it did not go that well in all honesty. I'm sorry to say that this game is far to simplified and stupid for me to keep my interest in it and it only made me more hungry for a good turn based RPG.

    Please, my fellow gamers, be honest with your reviews, you're doing a disservice for the devs and to our whole community by praising a mediocre game. Wasteland 2 is a 10? Seriously? What is the far more versatile FO2 then, a 12?    … Expand
  29. mweagle
    Oct 2, 2014
    7
    I can be very short about this one.

    The good: - Nice tactical combat with multiple characters that allows for a very versatile gameplay. - A lot of variety in the maps. - Solid quests, if you excluse some in the first half of the game. - Loads of stuff in the game. - Some nice humor and references in the game. - Nice RPG elements and the game gives you a lot of freedom to build    I can be very short about this one.

    The good:
    - Nice tactical combat with multiple characters that allows for a very versatile gameplay.
    - A lot of variety in the maps.
    - Solid quests, if you excluse some in the first half of the game.
    - Loads of stuff in the game.
    - Some nice humor and references in the game.
    - Nice RPG elements and the game gives you a lot of freedom to build and develop your characters.
    - No quests-a-la-follow-the-marker-marker-marker-marker.

    The bad:
    - Bugs bugs bugs bugs.
    - 1% Jam rate on a HMG and it still jams every gunfight...
    - Bad introduction to the game, nothing is explained so you are destined to make some wrong character creation errors. Although the game lets you figure stuff out yourself, some info about some crucial things (gameplay/gamemechanic wise)would be nice.
    - Every single thing is percentage/stat based. Sure, you can get 100%, but every single thing, from combat to lockpicking, to breaking walls to hacking computers is chance-based, with the occasion of a critical failure, making the objective perma-useless. Very annoying and a lot of quick-loading because of this. Should not be necessary.    … Expand
  30. 123456
    Oct 1, 2014
    7
    As a veteran of Fallout and Fallout 2 I was looking forward to this game. Generally it is disappointing because combat is the worst thing about this game. After playing around 10 hours I have been frustrated by it a number of times.

    Ammo is scarce and PC's miss most of their shots unless you spend heavily in combat skills, which means you neglect the massive number of other useful    As a veteran of Fallout and Fallout 2 I was looking forward to this game. Generally it is disappointing because combat is the worst thing about this game. After playing around 10 hours I have been frustrated by it a number of times.

    Ammo is scarce and PC's miss most of their shots unless you spend heavily in combat skills, which means you neglect the massive number of other useful skills which make up parts of the game which are actually fun. Melee weapons beyond a nail board seem to be completely forgotten.

    Most of the fights, save a few, seem to be standoffs with little in the way of tactical cover, rather two teams blasting at each other until one crew dies. This is a major let down. Even setting up ambushes becomes a tedious tip-toe forward trying not to aggro the enemy, who can run at you like Usain Bolt and get into melee range on their first turn. There is no kind of CC or even debuffs.

    Loot is randomly generated apart from medical supplies and some mobs. You can easily get starved of one type of ammo so the pressure is on throughout the game to conserve as much as you can.

    The story is quite good so far, with a hard choice early on with real consequences. The dialogue is well acted and written, although sometimes you will want to turn the radio transmitter spam off so you can actually focus on your story.

    The "isometric" (3D) view is great, although the graphics in general lack a real polish, looking much like the first "Dawn of War" game which came out 10 years ago this month. The maps are exactly like the old Fallout games or even New Vegas, mostly brown but with some fun variations on the theme. The sizes are fine and walking them does not take too long. Loading times between maps were around 10-15 seconds for me. I have not found any bugs.

    There is a lot to like about this game, and like Divinity Original Sin its probably more fun with a guide on how to set your party up (which I think is a really lame thing). The combat is tiresome but the dramatic parts are good and the environment is what you would probably want. I don't think it is worth £30, if you liked fallout wait for it to be £20.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best PC Game of 2014
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
24
#24 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. DarkStation
    Nov 25, 2014
    80
    Wasteland 2, for the most part, provides everything that its Kickstarter backers and fans of the genre are looking for.
    Read full review
  2. RPGamer
    Nov 13, 2014
    60
    If you're a fan of this style of game and have played the best recent releases, look behind you. Because that's where Wasteland 2 is going to be.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 12, 2014
    100
    The epitome of old-school that doesn't reek of decay. There are a few bumps along the road, but oh, is it a road worth taking. [Issue#246]
See all critic reviews »