Wasteland 2 Review

Developed By: InXile Entertainment

Published By: InXile Entertainment

Release Date: September 19 2014

Available For: PC

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After twenty-six years in hiatus, Wasteland is back. The classic RPG series that put post-apocalyptic videogames on the map and served as direct inspiration for the Fallout series has been resurrected, thanks to thousands of backers from Kickstarter and a solid vision from original creator Brian Fargo and his team. An ambitious title, it does a fantastic job of showing gamers that there’s there’s plenty of life left in the ‘classic’ RPG formula, but also drags with it some relics from the past that I’d rather not have been reminded of.

Right off the bat, Wasteland 2 wears its history proudly on its sleeve; the character creation is in-depth and complex, pressing players to create not one, but four ‘Desert Rangers’, self-appointed enforcers of justice trying to bring civility to the chaos of the American Southwest. There are plenty of options, with the first page dedicated to stat and skill allocation, and the second reserved for roleplaying touches such as visual customization and optional written biographies. Some of the offered skills have obvious uses, such as shotguns and lockpicking, while others, including the increasingly memetic ‘toaster repair’, don’t make their value known. The problem with this is that Wasteland 2 can be a punishing game, and there’s almost as many skills with limited or no use as there are reliable ones. Safecracking is an invaluable way to get plenty of currency and gear, but the ability to disable alarms is seemingly purposeless in a game without stealth, where every enemy needs to be dispatched before looting anyways. Being able to disarm traps can save you medpacs and headaches, but Bartering feels like a waste of points; I was rolling in scrap by a quarter of the way through the game without it. On lower difficulties it’s not a huge problem, but when pushing for Ranger or the aptly named ‘Supreme Jerk’ setting, it can be frustrating to find that a promising build simply doesn’t work. It’s equally baffling that statistics don’t affect skills more, too, leaving some of them with very little practical application. Why pump points into Charisma when all of the persuasion skills are completely independent of it?

Using a sniper to draw enemies out of their fortifications is one of many useful tactics.

These issues carry over into combat, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. Those familiar with the recent XCOM: Enemy Unknown or Shadowrun Returns will feel right at home in Wasteland 2‘s isometric, turn-based battles, where the player controls up to seven party members up against the worst robots, mutants, and criminals the post-apocalyptic world has to offer. The UI is a little cluttered, but it’s a small price to pay for how much comprehensive information is on screen, saving players the trouble of having to delve through menus in the middle of a fight. Cover is essential, but also destructible, and generous bonuses to hit chance and range are provided by taking the time to get the high ground advantage. Where things start to falter is that on the scale of ‘tactical’ and ‘RPG’, it leans a little too far in the direction of the latter, especially early in the game. Even if you do everything right, the odds are stacked against you for the first few missions, leading to frustrating reloads. Cleverly flank an enemy raider with your team, and there’s still a pretty good chance that they’ll all miss. I understand that specializing is important, and this problem can be alleviated by dumping all your early skill points into weapons, but it represents a weakness in the game’s design that I found hard to ignore. A large part of roleplaying is being able to immerse yourself in the game, and this falters when I watch my melee specialist whiff three times in a row at point blank and I have to skip out on the tantalizing ‘Smart Ass’ dialogue skill for a few more levels just to make sure I can survive. Luckily, the situation improves vastly by about a third of the way through the game, and the battle system really starts to shine.

These criticisms are the worst I can really level at Wasteland 2. In almost every other respect, it succeeds even beyond the lofty expectations I had when I first found out the game was being made. The plot, following your neophyte squad as they’re tasked with investigating the mysterious murder of a veteran ranger, is expertly penned, yet even it is often outclassed by the fantastic worldbuilding and frequent side quests. From mediating a dispute between a pair of railroad-loving tribes that worship John Henry to trying to cure cancer – no, seriously, you get a quest to cure cancer – there’s no lack of things to do, and the game does a great job of mixing up the places the player visits. Environments are lovingly crafted, and though character models look a bit rough up close, their surroundings are beautiful, ranging from lush jungles to decrepit power plants. Los Angeles is particularly striking, a sprawling haven where manmade structures and rampant nature seem to have compromised.

This will probably be fine.

The wasteland’s factions are numerous and interesting, as well. Technology-worshipping cyborgs, a radio host who preaches such relentless politeness that it crosses the line into outright sociopathy, and strange one-off encounters add personality and often inject much-needed humor into the otherwise viciously dark setting. Voice acting is relatively sparse, but well done when it does show up. It’s a good compromise between letting major characters make an impact while allowing players to chase down lengthy dialogue trees and make difficult decisions that might not be viable if everything was fully voiced. In a similar vein, the game’s music takes an ambient approach, with Mark Morgan, known for composing both Fallout and Planescape: Torment’s soundtracks, in rare form.

Choices are another of Wasteland 2‘s biggest strengths. Right off the bat, the game does an admirable job of emphasizing player agency. Saving one community might mean doom for another, as the Rangers simply can’t be everywhere at once. Granting someone’s dying wish may have unfortunate consequences later. Some decisions are grand in scope, while others are as simple as choosing sides in a single gunfight. What makes them all special is a distinct lack of judgment from the game. Sure, an NPC might chew you out for freeing a prisoner they wanted as part of a deal, but there’s no cliched morality system in place, or even anything equivalent to Fallout‘s Karma system. I found it liberating, and it added a lot to the experience to know that no matter what I did, I’d have only the world to answer to.

Though it sometimes falters on a mechanical level, Wasteland 2 more than makes up for it with a compelling setting, rock-solid plot, and seemingly boundless player freedom. For those who fondly remember the classic RPGs of old, it’s an absolute must-have game, a reminder of what made them stand tall. For those who never had the opportunity or weren’t interested, now’s your chance to see what you missed.