Wasteland 2 - Preview Roundup

For the most part Wasteland 2 excites me. What is on offer is enjoyable and returns to a particular brand of gaming that I am increasingly fond of. It's a classic CRPG awoken from cryosleep in the year 2014. It isn't finished, and it is costly, but here's to hoping Brian Fargo and his excellent team of veterans manage to pull this one off.

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Wasteland 2 also highlights the problem with the new "Early Access" culture that's rapidly becoming de rigeur. What's on offer here, for a rather premium price, is the opportunity to get involved with a fraction of what the main game will become, in a state of supreme undress. First impressions can often count for a lot, and if you're someone who values that first playthrough highly, then I'd suggest holding off on handing over money just yet. There plenty of old-school charm here, but it's tempered with old-school frustrations too, and wrapped up in a bundle that would actually struggle to earn an alpha tag under normal circumstances. More than anything, the "Early Access beta" simply affirms the direction of Fargo's 25-year vision at this point. For some, that will be enough; for others, there's nothing wrong with holding off for a few months and waiting for opening night rather than settling for snippets of rehearsals.

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The final impression we have of the early access for Wasteland 2 after several hours of play is that it showcases the start of a very promising game that needs a lot of work. Performance was uneven and the limited amount of content (30% is the number everyone is running with) left the world feeling a bit empty. These can and will probably be fixed by release but we found lack of tutorial is a bit troubling. The game drops you off running with not so much of a how to do leaving players to reference a quick reference card for keybinds in an attempt to figure the game out. This is how things tended to be handled in the old days and is considered hardcore but might end up driving away players that prefer the pampered approach. That would be a shame considering Wasteland 2 looks to bring classic pc gaming to a new generation.

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rjshae said:

Hurray for those who wait!

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