Hey how’s it going guys! Welcome to our
review of Wasteland 3, available on PC, PS4
and Xbox One. We’re going to tell you everything
you need to know before you play, but before
I do, make sure to hit subscribe and the notification
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The Wasteland series has an interesting history.
The post-apocalyptic isometric tactical RPG
started life in 1988, released by Interplay
Studios, headed by Brian Fargo. When Fargo
couldn’t get the rights to make a sequel,
he would go on to make a spiritual successor
- a little known game called Fallout. That’s
why it was all very cyclical when his new
company inXile developed Wasteland 2 in 2014,
citing it as ‘their Fallout’. Now in 2020,
they’re releasing Wasteland 3, the sequel
to the spiritual successor to Fallout, which
was the spiritual successor to Wasteland.
Yeah, I’m confused too.
Anyway, Wasteland 3 picks up where its predecessor
left off, starring you as the last survivor
of a Ranger Squad. Set in the frozen wasteland
of Colorado, it’s a brand new setting for
the series, and promises to introduce plenty
of new role playing and action encounters.
But with a rich (albeit confusing pedigree),
and a tonne of hype behind it, is Wasteland
3 any good? Watch on to find out...
Firstly, you don’t need to have any previous
knowledge of the series to dive into Wasteland
3. Unlike many supposed modern RPGs, that
give you the illusion of choice while still
guiding you down a fixed path, this is a true
role playing experience. You make up the story
as you go along, with a level of freedom just
not seen nowadays.
There’s a lot of emphasis on game altering
decisions. You often have to choose if someone
lives or dies, and rich, deep conversation
trees can throw your campaign in wildly different
directions. In fact, the developers claim
that certain choices will mean you miss thousands
of lines of dialogue, which I’m all for;
role playing is all about getting in the mindset
of your characters, not being a completionist.
It just adds to the sense that this is a living,
breathing world.
And this immersion begins when you make your
character. Although there aren’t an exceptionally
great deal of cosmetic options, there’s
a lot of choice and variation when it comes
to attributes and skills. Interestingly these
can have both positive and negative effects,
and go a long way in making your character
feel like your own.
This immersion begins when you make your character,
and although there aren’t a great deal of
cosmetic options, there’s lots of choice
of attributes and skills. These provide both
positive and negative effects and help to
make the character feel like your own.
It’s also worth noting that like the Fallout
and Wasteland games of old, there’s some
hilariously dark comedy littered throughout
the game. It’s deftly weaved into the experience,
adding some levity to the snowy hellscape
without descending into parody.
Now, depending on the way you approach the
game, a lot of your playtime may be in combat.
If you’ve played a game of this ilk before,
you’ll know what to expect. Everything is
set into rounds and phases, meaning you have
to be smart, rather than gungho. Most of the
action is ranged, so finding cover is essential,
although you will have a few close quarter
options at your disposal when things get more
personal. But the combat gets really fun once
you get to know your enemies. You’ll have
to get crafty to exploit their weaknesses
and surroundings, and there’s fewer things
more satisfying than when a plan all comes
together.
What’s more, it’s vital you get acquainted
with your squad to make sure they’re used
effectively. Each member will have their own
perks and abilities to help you out, and when
they work as a unit, it’s a thing of beauty.
You don’t have to go it alone this time
either, this is the first game in the series
to feature multiplayer. I really liked that
you can drop in and out, swapping between
single and multiplayer whenever it suits,
meaning you don’t always have to align schedules
to keep the story going.
But with a game this deep, it can be hard
enough remembering all your own stats, let
alone your team’s.q Fortunately, if you
select your whole squad and ask them to complete
a task, the game will automatically select
the best member for the job. A nice touch
meaning you don’t have to remember everyone’s
skillset.
Beyond the gameplay, this is one pretty game,
something that can’t be said for a lot of
other titles in the genre. It makes good use
of lighting to add depth and character to
what might otherwise be an ugly world, and
it achieves it all without distracting from
the action on screen.
To wrap up, Wasteland 3 most certainly lives
up to the hype. It offers a deep, old school
roleplaying experience with enough modern
updates to keep it feeling fresh and vital.
There’s so much choice and variation that
it warrants plenty of replays, and I’m already
looking forward to trying it out again to
see what I missed the first time around.
Of course, it’s going to be niche, but for
people looking for a little bit more meat
to their experience, Wasteland remains the
OG king.
But what did you think of Wasteland 3? Let
us know in the comments below and don’t
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next time!
