Wasteland 2 Review Roundup #3
More reviews for Wasteland 2 rounded up after the break.
PCGamesN, 8.
Text constantly streams forth, typed out on an infinite paper scroll on the right of the UI. It’s rich, sharp and amusing in a way that doesn’t seem out of place even in this bleak world. Sometimes it’s even a bit poetic. The last thing you expect when you “examine” a series of corpses is cheeky alliteration.
Wacky is not a word I’d usually ascribe to post-apocalyptic hellholes, but the shoe fits here. Nintendo Powergloves turn up as loot, giant bunnies and gun-swallowing toads are not uncommon enemies and there’s an order of mad monks who protect themselves by detonating nuclear grenades strapped to their bodies. I also got far too much enjoyment out of a mission where the Rangers have to hunt down and collect shit. Feces. Poo.
Gizorama, 4.5/5.
What makes Wasteland 2 great, is that with each click, there is a feeling of accomplishment. It throws rewards at you, and you will eagerly rake them in, even when the reward just consists of cow dung and a bag of marbles. Inventory management is not an issue for the most part of the game, so you will happily grab and sell everything on your path to afford those rare and precious bullets.
Whenever you aren’t busy rushing for loot, there are levels to gain and skill points to spend on a large variety of skills, reaching from toaster fixing to animal whispering. These all come in handy at some point in the game, but it is to be advised to have your squad complement each other in that aspect. The only reason to have two lock-pickers in your squad would be in case one of them dies, and that would toughen your journey a lot.
Destructoid, 8.
It’s the type of game that sticks with the “dice rolls in the background” mechanic and there will be times when you have a 99% chance to succeed and you’ll still fail. There are separate skills for lock picking, safe cracking, and bypassing alarms. That’s been part and parcel of the genre for years so if that kind of thing doesn’t put you off, you’re going to enjoy your time here.
Wasteland 2 is an expansive game that demands to be replayed again and again to get the best out of it. While a lot of the detailed mechanics feel somewhat archaic, they’re not going to hold back dedicated players who want to micromanage and really role play their group of characters. It has all of the familiar elements and even if some aspects of its presentation are not quite up to modern standards, its design and gameplay are timeless and welcome.
IGN, 8.4.
What voice work there is in Wasteland 2 is wisely put to effective use. A memorable early quest forces you to choose to save either the inhabitants of Hightown or the Ag Center, for instance, and you’ll have to listen to the tragic fate of the town you didn’t choose over the radio. The voice work in such cases is uncommonly good; in fact, it’s rather disturbing. It’s also just a preamble to the stuff you’ll hear once your group advances to places filled with the oh-so-proper factions like the “Mannerites” in California, and they help to emphasize that your choices have meaning and that there’s a world that exists beyond the immediate action in front of you. Something always needs doing, and there’s always a sense that you’ve let somebody down in this harsh landscape. When the 50-hour journey is over, these choices are what’s most memorable about Wasteland 2.
GamesBeat, 9.
I noticed that Wasteland 2 has more destructible environment elements than the last few XCOM games. Everything even remotely flammable can be used to your benefit or disadvantage. The enemy AI is quite intuitive; if your squad is standing next to a barrel, the enemy will throw a grenade and wipe you all of the face of the Earth.
What makes the combat in Wasteland 2 stand out is the potentially high price of every battle. As I said in my hands-on preview, Wasteland 2 teaches players about its combat system by killing them repeatedly. I had to learn fast what to do and what not to do to ensure the survival of my squad, and I faced losses.
(…)
I assumed that Wasteland 2 was like any other game in that squad members could be resurrected somehow or new members could be recruited in their place.
No. When they die, you just have a smaller squad now. Recruitment opportunities are extremely rare, and they have to be unlocked by your actions. If you are a jerk, NPCs may not join you.
Stevivor, 7
Worlds Factory, 93
Something Awful, 9
Sydney Morning Herald Digital Life
Videogamer.com, 6
BritGaming, 4/5
Metro, 7
GameTrailers, 8.6
Eurogamer.de, 9 (German)
Gameblog, 4.5/5 (French)
JeuxVideo, 17/20 (French)
Interia Gry, 7 (Polish)
3DJeugos, 8 (Spanish)
MeriStation, 8 (Spanish)
Riot Pixels, 78% (Russian)
GameReactor Sverige, 8 (Swedish)
Ragequit.gr, 94 (Greek)
You can also find some pre-review and quick look content from sites still preparing their reviews:
PCGames(German) is keeping a test diary,
Kotaku reports on their first 20 hours,
Giant Bomb has a quick look and
Polygon looks at some of the easter eggs in the game.
