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. Alsvha
    Sep 21, 2014
    7
    Decent and fun try at Old School RPG - but it lacks serious polish as we're not longer in the old school.

    The game is overall quite fun, it's a nice nostalgic trip back to the days of the Fallouts that were Fallouts and not Oblivion with Guns and Mutants, so if you liked those older games - you'll enjoy this one. However there are many issues; not simply bugs but design decisions and    Decent and fun try at Old School RPG - but it lacks serious polish as we're not longer in the old school.

    The game is overall quite fun, it's a nice nostalgic trip back to the days of the Fallouts that were Fallouts and not Oblivion with Guns and Mutants, so if you liked those older games - you'll enjoy this one.

    However there are many issues; not simply bugs but design decisions and lack of polish, which scar the playability of the game.
    The issues range from combat situations where range is seriously limited on weapons and the enemy can run as far as you can shoot in one turn and hit you on the head with his club, to other combat issues such as how the NPCs seemingly don't run out of ammo yet you loot no ammo from them.
    Other issues are with how skills are used. Instead of simply using the highest skilled PC automatically - you'll have to select him, select the skill, select the object. Might not be an issue the first hundred times, but it gets bore-some as you have to drudge through ever container you can find to stock up and that means using perception, trap/alarm disarm, lock pick/electronic/safe crack and that's likely spread out over multiple characters. Something that was fine in the 90s and 00s, but even though it's an "old school RPG" we do not need all "old school mechanics". Polish and quality of life features came into existence for a reason.
    The dialogue, and levelling up system is also a bit annoying and again - it gets tiresome because you have to do it over and over and over.

    Character creation is what creation is, but the models used aren't that "pretty", so if that's your thing - then it'll cost on the score. It's not for me, so I'm fine with it - but again, I can't help but think that it's 2014 and not 1994. Even if it is a kickstarter game.

    But the game does have that nice "wasteland" feeling, combat and questing is otherwise acceptable, and even though bugs exists - I've not found any to be gamebreaking (yet).
    So as mentioned - if the likes of Fallout 1, 2 and/or Tactics grapped you back then - you're likely to enjoy this game, but a masterpiece of score 10 it is not.

    7 to 8 because is feels and plays as a solid game. I'm properly leaning a bit more towards 7 than 8 now after having played some more hours because the lack of polish is a grinding factor.    … Expand
  2. luc1kjke
    Sep 22, 2014
    5
    This game feels like an appetiser before main dish. I've really tried to enjoy this game(turn-based RPG is very rare bird) but I've continuously felt that something was wrong. So cons:

    - Game focuses too much on opening chests mechanics. You have lots of skills just to open chests. And you're finding plenty of chests. With addition of few points-of-view this makes the game a    This game feels like an appetiser before main dish. I've really tried to enjoy this game(turn-based RPG is very rare bird) but I've continuously felt that something was wrong. So cons:

    - Game focuses too much on opening chests mechanics. You have lots of skills just to open chests. And you're finding plenty of chests. With addition of few points-of-view this makes the game a Chest-Finding-and-Opening-Simulator-2014.
    - Character creator. Its just feels so wrong to see 1990s graphics in a character creation. Literally it's 90s.
    - You can't view your armour in the game since your clothes is how you look like. I'm OK with that but give us a diversity! After playing for 20hr I've found few clothing items most of them looks completely the same(brown-black-gray)
    - Fighting mechanics is VERY basic. You can't even lay down and it's not exactly a cover-based game(in many fights you'll have covers just for 2 members). So other members just crouching. That feels very wrong but that comes from another bad game design decision(see next).
    - You can fire 2 bullets or cover big distance running. So I imagine it's easier to pull a trigger 2 times than run 25 meters? Nope. Both take the same AP amount. So enemy melee will be right before you nose in 1 turn. No point of laying down.
    - One enemy without visible armour can eat a LOT of bullets. And that guy doesn't even have a t-shirt.
    - Dialogs for different NPCs under the same quest line are pretty much the same. "Who is Sergeant Dickson?", "How do you feel about Sergeant Dickson?" - prepare to ask such questions a lot.

    And there's many more unpolished things.

    Pros:
    + Lots of skills and most of them are used frequently.
    + Big maps
    + Attempt to "make it right"
    + Lots of words in dialogs(for those who like reading)

    Overall:
    Unpolished and with horrible 3d(I would much prefer pretty 2D). Why couldn't developer play some classics like Jagged Alliance 2 before making such horrible fighting system?    … Expand
  3. Rosiello
    Sep 22, 2014
    5
    A rather nice game, plagued by a ton of small bad game design decisions. Together those decisions make the game a chore to play, you feel rather limited in your possibilities... and we're talking about an RPG here! Some examples:

    You can't go stealth... it's a shame, but ok I can live with that. Underground locations are quite confusing, piled up with stuff and you can't really    A rather nice game, plagued by a ton of small bad game design decisions. Together those decisions make the game a chore to play, you feel rather limited in your possibilities... and we're talking about an RPG here! Some examples:

    You can't go stealth... it's a shame, but ok I can live with that.

    Underground locations are quite confusing, piled up with stuff and you can't really understand what's happening down there: the AG center is such a mess you'll have a hard time looking for your own party members amidst all that junk.

    Mobs drop random stuff without logic: a guy shots you with a grenade launcher, you kill him and... you find a shotgun on him.

    Graphics are good for a low budget game, but then you'll find that such graphics are not optimized: sometimes I play with a gaming laptop that runs Assassin's Creed IV at the highest details at a solid 60fps, but I have to play Wasteland 2 with low details.

    But there are more issues at hand.

    I was a backer, but I'm also highly disappointed with the result.    … Expand
  4. bugeric
    Sep 22, 2014
    6
    Its a game with mixed feelings, in short, is its far from what you would expect from the creator of Fallout1,2. Even when you compare it to other small budget kickstarter games such as Divinity Original Sins, it does not deliver half of the fun you would have.

    I played the early access and was expecting the final game is better, but its not. I am very, deeply disappointed. I enjoyed    Its a game with mixed feelings, in short, is its far from what you would expect from the creator of Fallout1,2. Even when you compare it to other small budget kickstarter games such as Divinity Original Sins, it does not deliver half of the fun you would have.

    I played the early access and was expecting the final game is better, but its not. I am very, deeply disappointed.

    I enjoyed the post-apocalypse settings of the game, it has some smart writings.

    However, the graphic is really meh, even for Unity, they are not using it to its full potential I guess. Characters models really hurt my eyes. And it doesnt even change according to the armor you wear.

    Combat is boring and simplified, it just doesnt give you the satisfaction of fallout. Most cases that you are forced to use melee in order to save ammo instead of letting you play the way you want.

    main story is short and often lack of orientation, I really got lost in the railroad nomad camp. Some of the dialog are just too long and does not give you a better insight.

    Gameplay-wise the player perks are redundant such as smart ass, kiss ass and hard ass. Also you need 3 "lock picking" skills to open different boxes is just BS why make a differentiation for Toaster, Safe and locked boxes??
    And I really dont get the part where you can type keywords in a conversation.    … Expand
  5. Enex
    Sep 20, 2014
    6
    I really wanted to like this game, but it's only okay.

    There is no reason to lie to the player, and the critical failure rates are outright lies (as are the success rates for skills). There is no reason for every other box you find to have a bomb strapped to it. That's idiotic. Resources are supposed to be scarce. Where is everyone getting all this TNT? (To safeguard their scrap and    I really wanted to like this game, but it's only okay.

    There is no reason to lie to the player, and the critical failure rates are outright lies (as are the success rates for skills). There is no reason for every other box you find to have a bomb strapped to it. That's idiotic. Resources are supposed to be scarce. Where is everyone getting all this TNT? (To safeguard their scrap and broken gray level junk, no less).

    The game also seems obsessed with wasting the player's time. Skills that you click take a long time to complete, for no gameplay reason but to annoy.

    I strongly suggest anyone reading this review to wait for a sale.    … Expand
  6. LD9000
    Sep 22, 2014
    5
    While this game has a decent story, the RPG mechanics and lack of polish are a turn off in the long run.

    The good: post apocalyptic setting in the southwest US, similar to Fallouts. A group based game, decent story, initially some gameplay choices (which town to save), some hidden caches and encounters on the map. The bad: Initially the bad things arent very obvious, but they start    While this game has a decent story, the RPG mechanics and lack of polish are a turn off in the long run.

    The good: post apocalyptic setting in the southwest US, similar to Fallouts. A group based game, decent story, initially some gameplay choices (which town to save), some hidden caches and encounters on the map.

    The bad: Initially the bad things arent very obvious, but they start to grind at you and after several hours of play they become really apparent.

    RPG system is a joke. Most of the "Attributes" are dump stats, and every single ranger should have 10 int, because it controls skill points per level AND action points, the rest in 4 strength and whatever else in other stat that controls AP. There are no stat checks in dialogues or skill uses. A charisma 1 character with 6 in dialogue skills would pass most dialogue checks. A strength 1 character with 6 brute force will break all fences. The difference between weapon skill of 5 and weapon skill of 6 is about 6%chance to hit and 4% crit chance, which is far more than any other stat will give you.

    Random encounters - horrendous copy/paste. You will be fighting the SAME group of 3 bandits x11hp each, then 3 bandits at 80-125hp each, then 3 bandits and a dog for a very long time. Random encounters like "Dangerous raiders" pop up every 30 sec on the map, and without having outdoorsman to avoid them, it would be a very frustrating gameplay experience to load them all.

    Each random encounter drops 100% identical loot - no joke, first 38mm semiautomatic, then M4. To add an instult to an injury, each random encounter map is a variation of a "corridor with a single cover object in the middle"- typically one car on a highway, and you are lucky if you can run up to it.

    Enemies do not have levels, they are copy/paste versions of each other, just with different hp - starts at 11-15-20, then rapidly jumps to 80, 125 and 150

    Enemy AI - the worst I've yet to see in a "Tactical RPG" game. There are some nice "tactical" environments in game, but they go to waste because enemies spot you at 25 meters away and instantly aggro everyone within 60 meters or so. The very first turn every single enemy runs point blank to your characters, covering the same 25-30 meters.

    It's ridiculous to see a "Heavy Gunner" slowly stroll across the screen and end up standing 3meters from your sniper. Dreadfulness of AI does not stop there - like in other Unity games, it fails to focus fire a single character, instead a melee monster would run up, bite one character, move, bite another, move, bite another.

    The game does have random Radio banter, but it dies out after 45 min of travelling the map or so, and you are walking over a dead silent map, clicking "Run" to the same random encounters (or farming them for the same items over and over again).

    There are vast jumps in power levels between weapons that use the same ammo. So much in fact, that at any given time your choices of weapons is absolutely certain - you will not be using a 6-10 damage M4 when 14-25 or so Famas becomes available. You will not be using Famas when 30-45 M16 becomes available.

    Do you like Critical Hit mechanics? I do, but on top of critical hits, Wasteland has "Jamming" chance, which ranges between 9%-3% for most guns, so between 5-6 characters, shooting twice a round, it is very likely that at least one of your shooters will have a gun jammed each round, which is ridiculously frustrating after it happens again and again and again and again, ad nauseum.

    Overall the game has potential, but needs another 6 months to be polished.

    PS. It's ridiculous to see a 50$ DLC on day one. I've NEVER seen a 50$ DLC in any game...    … Expand
  7. Bowdown
    Sep 22, 2014
    6
    I did not back this game, I did not wait for it. I haven't even heard about it and its predecessor. But I am a huge fan of quality games of all genres and tactical strategies are no exception. I've noticed this game a few days before its release and was excited to try it out, having read about the Fallout feel and all.

    Well, I was severely disappointed by the game itself. It certainly    I did not back this game, I did not wait for it. I haven't even heard about it and its predecessor. But I am a huge fan of quality games of all genres and tactical strategies are no exception. I've noticed this game a few days before its release and was excited to try it out, having read about the Fallout feel and all.

    Well, I was severely disappointed by the game itself. It certainly has some appealing things, but most of the time it's just boring, slow fights again and again and poor level design. You always have to go back numerous times, picking this and that, hacking, breaking and so on. First couple of hidden chest locations were fun to memorise, but it became really tedious after the count reached 10.

    Now this one is up to personal taste, but I really think that RNG system in hacking/picking locks/disarming alarms/etc. is bad for any gamer who's obsessed with exploration and collecting things. I instantly started abusing quicksave-quickload if I didn't lockpick something successfully. Would be much better if there just was a skill threshold, in my opinion. As soon as your skill was above it, you could lockpick chests of lower level and so on.    … Expand
  8. Siffy
    Sep 20, 2014
    6
    This game is slow in every possible way that a game can be. The maps are too big and empty (putting dozens of (sometimes hidden) locked containers out there is not my understanding of a living world), i.e, there is too much running (and backtracking) around. The fights feel ALWAYS the same. It does not matter whether you are level 1 or level 20 there is no change.On top, there are just toThis game is slow in every possible way that a game can be. The maps are too big and empty (putting dozens of (sometimes hidden) locked containers out there is not my understanding of a living world), i.e, there is too much running (and backtracking) around. The fights feel ALWAYS the same. It does not matter whether you are level 1 or level 20 there is no change.On top, there are just to many of them for no reason but prolong the play time. I am completely disappointed by the combat system and the leveldesign. More content on each map or less maps with the combined content of several maps and a combat system alike to Jagged Alliance 2 or even X-COM would have increased the user experience dramatically. However, some gamereview state that Wasteland 2 is first a RPG and only second a turned based strategy game. Yet, the rpg part cannot convince me either. Skill increase means that your chances increase for lockpicking, hitting, hacking etc. but the gameplay does not change, with exception to dialog based skills. While new weapons do increase the damage output, other loot like new armor (that has an some use other than new looks) does not really exist, similar to Mass Effect 2.
    True, the dialogs are great, the choices have severe impacts which is always nice for multiple playthroughs. But the tedious level design and the unnecessary often and boring fights interrupt the otherwise interesting story or sidequests, which already make my first run unenjoyable.

    I can only recommend this game to fans or people who like mindless grinding and backtracking for about 3/4 of the game just to see some hours of real RPG gameplay. Instead of creating a 50+ game, which game mechanism just don't fit the developers should have focused on a more dense, more capturing world by improving the combat system and reducing the size of the maps.    … Expand
  9. VagrantPeters
    Sep 19, 2014
    8
    Wasteland 2 targets a very specific gamer. If you are old enough or curious enough to have enjoyed the original Wasteland this is a must have. For the vast the majority reading this that don't fit into the former category there is a great game here. However, you must have an affinity to old-school game mechanics and not be afraid to read a lot of text. If that bothers you, or if youWasteland 2 targets a very specific gamer. If you are old enough or curious enough to have enjoyed the original Wasteland this is a must have. For the vast the majority reading this that don't fit into the former category there is a great game here. However, you must have an affinity to old-school game mechanics and not be afraid to read a lot of text. If that bothers you, or if you must have cutting edge graphics you are better off skipping this tile. On the other hand, if you are looking for a deep, engaging and huge RPG to sink your time into (and it will take a lot of your time) your wait is over.

    It's dark, challenging, frustrating at times and completely enjoyable but it's not for everyone. The graphics and sound are passable and the mechanics are antiquated but this game is laser focused on a certain demographic. I feel that this demographic is gamers that are well over 30 and have the time to invest in something like Wasteland 2 - probably why this was only possible through a Kick-starter campaign. I fit this demographic and am having a blast with it. If you fit it as well, you'll be well served by dropping 40 bucks on Steam for this one.

    I'd go as far as 9/10 if the graphic engine was akin to Divinity : Original Sin but I take a point because as good as this game is so far (I have NOT completed it yet, obviously) the graphics leave a bit to be desired.

    I think a lot of reviewers will make mention of Divinity : Original Sin in their review of Wasteland 2 - it just makes sense to compare the two. If you could only play one of the two, as much as it pains me to say it, I would recommend Divinity. It pains me because I adore everything Brian Fargo has done and Wasteland 2 is terrific, but it does suffer a bit in the graphic department. Divinity : Original Sin 9/10 Wasteland 2 8/10.    … Expand
  10. Sp00k
    Sep 27, 2014
    4
    I really gave the game several tries. Most rpg games get me hooked over night, I was literally forcing myself to keep playing this game. It just doesn't feel right.
    - Unreadable messy graphics. You can see that they've spent a lot of time modelling each small detailed object, but overall look of the world is a total pixel mess. Fallout 1 was delivering better picture.
    -Weird game    I really gave the game several tries. Most rpg games get me hooked over night, I was literally forcing myself to keep playing this game. It just doesn't feel right.
    - Unreadable messy graphics. You can see that they've spent a lot of time modelling each small detailed object, but overall look of the world is a total pixel mess. Fallout 1 was delivering better picture.

    -Weird game design. There is indeed tons of dialogues in game but most of them are so boring and nonsense to read. Quests are boring "fed ex boy" running style.

    -Combat system is a complete disaster. Enemy can run up close to a sniper which have started the fight from the maximum 30-40 meters. Sniper can get a dynamite thrown at him in a same 1st turn of the battle.
    No ways to spend more AP for better aid like (Jagged Alliance), no ways to aim to specific parts.
    Yes they've added a head shot feature which turned out completely useless.

    P.S. the most pity fact of all this situation that developers will continue to cry that it is impossible to develop such games due to the lack of support and interest from gamers.
    While other non casual indies with Prison Architect and Minecraft make millions $.    … Expand
  11. Upright1
    Sep 21, 2014
    5
    The game is tedious. It seems like every time shaver the old classics had were removed. There is no fast travel between previously visited areas (will add hours on to completion time). There is no local area map interaction, no point of interest markers, no labels, no "click to view or travel" option. Your local area map is a screenshot. Period.

    The graphics are 10 years old (I'm being    The game is tedious. It seems like every time shaver the old classics had were removed. There is no fast travel between previously visited areas (will add hours on to completion time). There is no local area map interaction, no point of interest markers, no labels, no "click to view or travel" option. Your local area map is a screenshot. Period.

    The graphics are 10 years old (I'm being generous). The character models are ugly as sin and appearance options really are not noticeable while on the map. Open the character screen you'll be greeted by your guy, with forearms that are a foot too long, legs that don't match torso scaling, and head models that remind you that inbreeding is still a thing.

    The basic mechanics are okay. The game is very hipster~ish, in that it wants to be complicated just for the sake of being complicated. Hardcore fans will like it. Kickstarters will either madly love or burn with loathing. The Average Joe? Meh.    … Expand
  12. Pablosdog
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    Wasteland 2 has the dna of it's ancestor Wasteland 1. It pulls no punches, and it promises nothing else but delivering an old-school rpg(which to me is a real rpg but nonetheless) set in a dark and unforgiving universe. Minor bug aside,the game delivers on amazing content. That RwMW guy has no idea what he's taking about,and if you go in expecting a game like fallout 3, well, there's someWasteland 2 has the dna of it's ancestor Wasteland 1. It pulls no punches, and it promises nothing else but delivering an old-school rpg(which to me is a real rpg but nonetheless) set in a dark and unforgiving universe. Minor bug aside,the game delivers on amazing content. That RwMW guy has no idea what he's taking about,and if you go in expecting a game like fallout 3, well, there's some really awesome land I want to sell you.… Expand
  13. Arcturus519
    Sep 21, 2014
    5
    What can I saw, the myth the legand is here..finally a good turn based combat game! Guns, swords, high explosives, locks, combats, exploration...

    So where do I start first of all, I think whomever designed this game needs to sit down in front of Jagged Alliance (1 or 2), or many of the other GOOD turn based strategy combat games for a solid week or 2. It is appallingly apparent they did    What can I saw, the myth the legand is here..finally a good turn based combat game! Guns, swords, high explosives, locks, combats, exploration...

    So where do I start first of all, I think whomever designed this game needs to sit down in front of Jagged Alliance (1 or 2), or many of the other GOOD turn based strategy combat games for a solid week or 2. It is appallingly apparent they did not. Mistake that were made 20 years ago, are coming back to haunt this genre once again and it is infuriating.

    Destructible cover, in a cover based game, CHECK
    Unable to aim at the destructible cover, UNCHECK, and cancelled the previous thing they did good
    Cover mechanics, as like they went into a grade school and got the kids there to help them design it, simplistic and as a result terrible, no bonuses for stand near cover or inbetween cover, only if you are actively ducking behind the cover, no 25% for partial, and as far as I could tell no better than 50%, or worse than 50%. As mentioned before I had a piece of cover get shot and destroyed (a wood box), and that was neat but unable to actually aim at the box (with a 70% chance to hit, and instead forced to aim at a 20% behind the box is insulting).
    No lying down, to shoot/aim/cover, especially say what you might want to do from a rooftop.

    Loading ammo in my secondary weapon?! Who would want to do that that's dangerous just leaving weapons loaded!! Seriously, this belongs in a beta bug category, weapons in primary slot are auto loaded (so they thought of it), weapons equipped secondary aren't loaded. How was this not spotted and fixed the first day of the Alpha?!?

    They make other spotted design choices that although I don't agree with 100% myself I won't fault them for, healing while time passes moving overland, or the ability to camp and heal some, was removed/never put in. Ok fine, only way to heal is to buy all the shops in the game out of healing equipment, guess it forces you to spend all your hard earned money.

    The apparent lack of if one of your main 4 dies, to go back and recruit a new main character, play the rest of the game with more NPC's I suppose, or just quicksave more often.. (sigh). No-one find a game fun that you have to quicksave before every combat, because then you don't live with bad luck or bad choices, because once your forced to reload once, then you start to use it twice and 3 times, and next thing you know it's a crutch/habit you're using all the time and it makes the game boring and silly.

    Overall the game appears to have some story in it, and what not that is enjoyable, the meat and potatoes of the game the turn based fighting however, just devolves into a quicksaved slugfest where you don't give a **** because if someone dies, you reload and get luckier next time.

    Overall score 5/5, maybe worth getting on sale.    … Expand
  14. Darkeus
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    Isometric RPG's are back. If you have fond memories of the original Wasteland or Fallout 1 & 2 then this game is up your alley. The combat is solid, the writing is great and the atmosphere is immersive. Wandering the desert and looking death in the eye has never been so fun.

    Not the best looking character models and graphics but this is so minor. Buy this game! Does have some bugs but    Isometric RPG's are back. If you have fond memories of the original Wasteland or Fallout 1 & 2 then this game is up your alley. The combat is solid, the writing is great and the atmosphere is immersive. Wandering the desert and looking death in the eye has never been so fun.

    Not the best looking character models and graphics but this is so minor. Buy this game! Does have some bugs but nothing game breaking. Mostly minor annoyances.    … Expand
  15. Omika_pearl
    Sep 23, 2014
    3
    It's my own fault for reading only positive reviews and being seduced by the constant references to Fallout by users and major review sites. That combined with the general air of positivity at the game's release caused me to by the game on impulse, since I absolutely loved Fallout 1 & 2.

    That mistake is on me. I'm not denying that. But people, please, PLEASE stop comparing this    It's my own fault for reading only positive reviews and being seduced by the constant references to Fallout by users and major review sites. That combined with the general air of positivity at the game's release caused me to by the game on impulse, since I absolutely loved Fallout 1 & 2.

    That mistake is on me. I'm not denying that.

    But people, please, PLEASE stop comparing this game to Fallout 1 & 2. Please stop saying things like it's "the true Fallout 3."

    It's not. It's not even close. It lacks any and all of Fallout's whimsical charm, it forces you to create a squad at the beginning instead of striking out on a lonely, eerie struggle.

    Moreover, the game feels like it's high on its own supply. Overhyped, oversold, generally just not ideal for someone who wants an original Fallout experience. There's a big difference between this super serious, staid setting and the wacky retro-future of Fallout.

    Honestly, this is like a better verison of Fallout: Tactics at the end of the day. I'm not saying this is a bad game, it's just extremely misleading to compare it to the original Fallout titles. It is NOT like them. No traits, no perks, no color or humor. Not enough attribute and skill points at the beginning for an individual character, since you're supposed to make four. There's no room for character development or finding your own identity. The very first conversation, I'm pushed into saying "sir" constantly and being a military recruit. Maybe I don't WANT to join the rangers.

    Maybe I want to just run out into the wilderness or find a city hub and just make my own path - like I did in Fallout.

    I realize everyone is different. But part of the reason I loved Fallout was that my companions had their own minds and I didn't have to micromanage them constantly. It ended up creating hilarious (and sometimes awful) situations in which my companions surprised me in combat. Overall, it was more immersive (to me) because I was focused entirely on my own character, instead of mysteriously mind-controlling a group.

    Overall, it's hard to say whether or not I recommend the game. I know some people will love it. But I can't get over the vast disappointment after I was lead to believe, from literally everyone, that this is like Fallout. It's not. Fallout, in my opinion, is way more fun. Mechanically, aesthetically, and otherwise.

    Just one woman's point of view. Take it or leave it.    … Expand
  16. Booeyww
    Sep 22, 2014
    6
    Wasteland 2 has the potential to be a great game. The character design has depth and the idea of team building and skill management is excellent. I only wish that the game is more polished. From the awkward camera angles to a lack of quest aid the player the game is quite frustrating to play especially for newer players.
  17. Juberberry
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    An excellent homage to the original Wasteland and a very enjoyable experience in its own right. To those comparing this to Fallout 3 - you're doing it wrong.
  18. BobTheSCV
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    The second big release in the kickstarted-funded renaissance of old-school CRPGs (the first one being Divinity: Original Sin). And what a glorious release it is!

    It's like Fallout 1 and XCOM got married and had a baby. Some people will probably hear that and expect the baby of Fallout 3 and Mass Effect. They will be sorely disappointed. But that is fine. It's an old-school type CRPG.    The second big release in the kickstarted-funded renaissance of old-school CRPGs (the first one being Divinity: Original Sin). And what a glorious release it is!

    It's like Fallout 1 and XCOM got married and had a baby. Some people will probably hear that and expect the baby of Fallout 3 and Mass Effect. They will be sorely disappointed. But that is fine. It's an old-school type CRPG. The genre isn't for everyone. It doesn't hold hands or kiss away boo-boos. It's hard. It punishes your mistakes. It forces you to read a lot, and to think even more. It's an acquired taste, but one worth acquiring.

    So far, I've described any old-school CRPG What sets Wasteland 2 apart--and you won't notice it until you either replay the game or reload an older save game--this game diverges A LOT. You're not stuck on a railroad where at best you get to occasionally select between the GoodGuy™ and EvilDoer™ dialogue option but none of that matters because you end up doing roughly the same thing none the less. Instead, your actions (or lack thereof) have very real consequences, leading to very different experiences of the game.

    The graphics, UI and sound effects can occasionally be a bit rough around the edges, but it doesn't honestly detract too much from the game. Also worth noting is the quality of the ambient music/sounds, greatly adds to the atmosphere of the game.    … Expand
  19. phimseto
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    A bit rough around the edges, but that's to be expected with such a small team and on such an amazingly limited budget. I expect the game's post-launch support to address that. A better way to say it is that the game is a miracle considering the depth of its content and given its small team and minuscule budget. I still have a bit to go, but I have seen enough content and played aroundA bit rough around the edges, but that's to be expected with such a small team and on such an amazingly limited budget. I expect the game's post-launch support to address that. A better way to say it is that the game is a miracle considering the depth of its content and given its small team and minuscule budget. I still have a bit to go, but I have seen enough content and played around with the game's system enough to rate this an absolute success. If you enjoy CRPGs, this is a "can't miss" for you.… Expand
  20. onetime40
    Sep 25, 2014
    0
    I revised my score from a 4 to a 1 (after digging through the game-code)

    1. Attribute system is a joke. Take for example charisma, there is no difference from a charisma 1 player to a charisma 10 player (this does not affect dialogue options or anything else you would expect). All it does is change the radius of your "leadership" skill (which you need to spec into) and how much XP you    I revised my score from a 4 to a 1 (after digging through the game-code)

    1. Attribute system is a joke. Take for example charisma, there is no difference from a charisma 1 player to a charisma 10 player (this does not affect dialogue options or anything else you would expect). All it does is change the radius of your "leadership" skill (which you need to spec into) and how much XP you gain. Other attributes are plagued with the same problem. They are "dump" stats, the only one you need to focus on is intelligence as it affects your Action Points and Skill Points, and then coordination if you want to use guns or strength if you want to melee, everything else can be set at 1, because they don't actually do anything substantial (unlike fallout)

    2. Mechanics are broken, things like "initiative" don't actually do anything.

    3. Combat is broken, the enemies are programmed to rush your characters. When one is alerted, everyone near him will then run all the way across the map and stand next to you to attack (every single time and on their first turn, it's how they were coded)

    4. Random events are broken. You will get attacked when wondering the map, except it is always the same fight !! you will be fighting the same 3 enemies on the same map in each random event. At higher levels, you will get a "feral dog" added to the fight. They will have the same items on them which only changes with your level.

    5. Skill system is horrendous. You are juggling back and forth between characters for simple progression. The perception skill for example is not passive (or tied with an attribute), you need to spec into it as a skill. Then you need to activate that skill on a character and use them to search an area, that's when you change over to someone who can disarm traps and then unlock gates or safe crack etc. You are doing this all the time, especially if you didnt max intelligence as you just wont have the skill points to invest in skills.

    Those are some of the major problems with combat and technical skills, then you have the conversional skills, there are 3 of them and they all do the same thing (just with different words). The outcome of each conversational option is coded the same. There are no "dialogue trees", your options dont change how the conversion will play out. You simply click the "next" button to get the next piece of information, and if you have a conversational skill, you could get some extra loot / text to read or avoid combat. Remember the attribute system is a joke? You can have a charisma 1 player who is the smoothest sweet talker in the wasteland because they maxed sweet talking (with all those skills points they got from intelligence), while a charisma 10 player will have no skills to invest in anything and as such, cant pass any conversional checks. It's the complete opposite to Fallout.

    6. Graphics. I can go back and play Fallout 1, 2 and Tactics. They look good and are well animated. Wasteland's graphics are cheap and most importantly, poorly animated (look half finished) Things such as armor don't even change. What you create at the start is how you will look.

    7. In Fallout, your actions changed events in the game. Your dialogue options changed things. In this game, you are just reading a novel in each city and then have some badly programmed combat sequences, rinse and repeat.

    8. Dead-lifeless world. In fallout (baldurs gate etc) you felt like you were in a world. You had interesting NPCs that could join you, there were amazing cities to explore etc. In this game, you are one person (spread out across 4 different people) and you simply go from map to map, read the novel provided and then complete the combat sequence. There is no life or character to the cities or people in them. I can still remember lines and characters from fallout etc, because they had life in them. This game is DEAD and hollow inside. There is some "radio banter" as you travel the wasteland which livens things up, but that stops after about 30 minutes on the map, and then it is just silence. Read the novel, do the combat sequence.

    This game is smoke and mirrors. That's how it was coded. It's like one of those cheap Chinese "warcraft" clones that you see from time to time.    … Expand
  21. Insef
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    Pure old-school RPG experience!
    Chargen is horrible although, they really should make hi-res version of all characters for inventory/char-gen window. But it's so unimportant, when you understand, that you gonna play WASTELAND!
    When I was a boy - my first PC game was Fallout 1. Now I have kids of my own - and I'm proud that I can show them Wasteland 2. My score is 10 - really 9, but due    Pure old-school RPG experience!
    Chargen is horrible although, they really should make hi-res version of all characters for inventory/char-gen window. But it's so unimportant, when you understand, that you gonna play WASTELAND!
    When I was a boy - my first PC game was Fallout 1. Now I have kids of my own - and I'm proud that I can show them Wasteland 2.
    My score is 10 - really 9, but due to this '2-score-newbie' I put 10)
    Good luck Brian Fargo - buy yourself another Ferrari - You really deserve it)    … Expand
  22. Bagraman
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    Finally a true post-apocalyptic game here. Yes there are bugs, but hopefully they patch it quickly. I played Alpha to release now, and I highly recommend the game. it’s worth your attention
  23. 00titus
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    It is pretty simple, if you have memories of spending hours in front of a glowing computer screen trying to prevent dog meat from committing suicide, you will love this game. If on the other hand, you are only familiar with fallout since it was an fps you will very likely be unhappy with the game. As an old school fan myself I really could not have asked for more!
  24. ardoc
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    I thought it would be impossible for a better RPG than Divinity Original Sin to come out this year. Boy was I wrong. Both games are spectacular, but I felt the party mechanics were better in Wasteland 2. Add to that the compelling storylines, massive locations, and sprawling length of the game, and this is clearly a game that should be on everyone's radar. The combat was simple but tense,I thought it would be impossible for a better RPG than Divinity Original Sin to come out this year. Boy was I wrong. Both games are spectacular, but I felt the party mechanics were better in Wasteland 2. Add to that the compelling storylines, massive locations, and sprawling length of the game, and this is clearly a game that should be on everyone's radar. The combat was simple but tense, very effective. It is reminiscent of the XCOM enemy unknown in it's simplicity and potential for disaster. The factions were a blast to get to know, and there are certainly moments as memorable as Fallout 3's underground vampire cult, society of ghouls, or mutant village. Some of the factions were shockingly original. Overall, this is a game that I had a blast playing. I would recommend it to any fan of the original Wasteland games, any Fallout games, or any crpgs. There's something here for everyone.… Expand
  25. RealQi
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    Born into high expectations, raised into legendary status. Straight up: If you like games in general, you should not waste a second and buy this. No, seriously, stop reading, click on "add to cart" and spend your money.

    This is the best game of its kind for todays expectations. Period.

    Have a nice day.
  26. krakusek
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    Great RPG..
    I've played only for 4 hours... but I feel that this game will keep me interested for lot of hours :)
    I'm trying to receive as much as it's possible from this game.
  27. mech
    Sep 20, 2014
    8
    This one is simple: if you are looking for a modern, cinematic RPG experience like Mass Effect or The Witcher, this is not the game you want.

    What this is is pretty much Fallout 3 if it hadn't gone the "Oblivion with guns" way. If you like old RPGs like the original Fallouts or Baldur's Gate, you'll probably enjoy it.
  28. noramlymumt
    Sep 20, 2014
    10
    Great game !!!!! I love the fight, humor, characters it's like spiritual son of Fallout 1 and 2

    great great Crpg here you can obiously buy it, patchs comming !
  29. Oddzball
    Sep 19, 2014
    9
    Good game. I backed this early on, and then left it the hell alone until they were pretty much done with it. I find the gameplay and combat to be solid with good options and tactics. The game is a bit slow to start, and the story takes a bit of time to ramp up, but once it does, it definitely gets exciting.

    I would say the game is comparable to something like the new XCOM games, or    Good game. I backed this early on, and then left it the hell alone until they were pretty much done with it. I find the gameplay and combat to be solid with good options and tactics. The game is a bit slow to start, and the story takes a bit of time to ramp up, but once it does, it definitely gets exciting.

    I would say the game is comparable to something like the new XCOM games, or Fallout Tactics. So if you like those sorts of games, this is for you. LOT of options for character creation, and huge replay value as a lot of what you do can significant alter the plot of the game later on.

    I gave it a 9/10 for really only one reason. The character model graphics are awful. I mean really... really awful... I just don't understand why they couldn't have put a bit more effort into them. But then again, Gameplay>Graphics so, enjoy. Maybe someone will come out with a mod that makes the character models not suck.    … Expand
  30. dlopatnikov
    Sep 21, 2014
    10
    World've gone mad. Abomination of a game Diablo III got critic score of 90 and 8.1 user score and wonderful and clever old school RPG Wasteland 2 just 79 and 7.2! WTF?! Hell with critics, but user score of 7.2? What’s wrong with you people?! The game is excellent. Clever script, dark humor, exploration, great battles, sweet sense of nostalgia in every gameplay second. Fallout, Arcanum,World've gone mad. Abomination of a game Diablo III got critic score of 90 and 8.1 user score and wonderful and clever old school RPG Wasteland 2 just 79 and 7.2! WTF?! Hell with critics, but user score of 7.2? What’s wrong with you people?! The game is excellent. Clever script, dark humor, exploration, great battles, sweet sense of nostalgia in every gameplay second. Fallout, Arcanum, Jagged Alliance, Planescape were true masterpieces. And now we have Wasteland 2. Thank god for that.… 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]
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