PoE2 2, D:OS2, and WL3: Comparison/Contrasr

Okay, so I got a little grief for necro'ing my original thread twice, plus I thought it would be good to get a poll going on the new games. Last I saw, the old poll's tally favored PoE with 30 votes (46%), D:OS came in 2nd with 26 votes(40%), and WL2 was the laggard with 9 votes (14%). My personal sentiments agreed with rpgwatch's public opinion, as PoE was my favorite, followed by D:OS, and WL2. Please see the other thread for more depth on my thoughts and those of others:

https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1061618077#post1061618077

Now I am curious to hear your opinions on the sequels. What do you think? Right now it's still too early for me to compare PoE2 and WL3, but D:OS2 stands as one of my all-time favorite games. If you haven't already, please vote and share your thoughts!

EDIT: Ugh, I fat-fingered the word "contrast" in the title, please don't judge me.

EDIT 2: That's not the only mistake...might have been a few drinks in when I started this thread (as I said, don't judge me!)

I've not played Wasteland three as of yet, but between the other two there is no contest, Pillars two slays icky Original Sin two.

You're right, OS/2 slays icky Pillars 2. But I probably won't play WL3 for another year so I don't feel real comfortable voting.

About 25 hours into W3 now, which includes playing through Early Access and some tinkering around, so I thought I would give a brief update. So far I love the writing and humor, no surprise there since I am such a huge fan of the original Fallout games. The voice acting is quite nice throughout as well. The combat is vastly improved in my opinion. Weapons feel more impactful and it seems like there are many more tactical options. The world travel map is detailed and impressive when compared to W2.

On these forums I have read some complaints related to game scale and bugginess. I have just finished the Bizarre area, so not sure I can comment too much on the scale, though I am still holding out hope for some other city-like areas (based on the comments I have read, it doesn't sound like there is much more like Colorado Springs). On bugginess…I have noticed quite a bit of jank such as characters walking through walls, getting stuck on objects, sound/music not playing when it seems it should, and certain objects not animating when they should. However, I also haven't had any crashes or game-breaking issues and I can live with these minor issues.

Today I decided to switch things up and streamed it to my tablet using a controller to play (which I have set up Switch-like, with controllers docked on the sides). Typically I much prefer playing these types of games using mouse and keyboard, but actually found the controller to work quite nicely. In fact, using the controller UI made some of my tactical options more obvious (there were some things I could do that I didn't even realize were options and didn't see in the K&M UI) and surprisingly I found myself doing much better in combat with the controller as a result. I can see myself continuing to play the game this way. Btw, it feels like the game was definitely built with this play style in mind ('consolized' if you prefer the derogatory phrasing), though I am actually in favor of the streamlining they have done here when compared to Wasteland 2.

Anyway, so far I do quite like it. The battles definitely have me reminiscing over the good old Fallout days. And I also find myself drawn in, I want to keep experiencing it!

In summary, some rough edges but this game is a lot of fun! Still doubt it passes OS 2 for me, but a massive improvement from W2, in my opinion.

I had the most fun with WL3 so it gets my vote

D:OS2 is probably the only game where I have wished for more trashmobs for me it got tiresome when every figth was a special set-piece and the world just felt totally unbelievable

PoE2 for me. It's my favorite in this new wave of isometric RPGs we've seen. BG2 is still the overall favorite.

About 50 hours into Wasteland 3 now, so thought I would give another update. The more I play, the more I am falling for this game. As before, this game feels soooooooo much like Fallout 1/2, and that nostalgia factor is hitting me hard. I'm not sure if it's that or I just love the setting/gameplay so much, but I do feel pretty addicted right now. The way I am playing Wasteland 3, constantly traveling back and forth from locations, reminds me of a lot of how I played the original Fallouts. Exploring feels treacherous until you have strengthened your Rangers adequately, which is the way all great open world games should be, in my opinion; especially those with a harsh setting such as Wasteland/Fallout.

The weight of the decisions is also another great element of the game. A good example occurred recently for me with the Gippers. I loved the odd quirkiness of this faction and originally thought I wanted to support them in a claim for CO dominance. That is until they proved to be disingenuous in regards to their intentions with Valor. I ended up eradicating the entire camp as a result. That choice was made with mixed emotions, but I did not feel I could stand for such deceit.

Customization in the game is also great. I really feel the ownership over my Ranger squad, both in traits/skills and look/feel. I don't believe it has quite the range of armor looks as OS 2 provided, but there is a lot of other ways in which you can make your squad your own.

A note on combat: I believe the combat in OS 2 is second to none (one of its greatest strengths). However, one way in which I think Wasteland 3 is better when it comes to combat is with how all enemies move at once. The combat is fine-tuned to be tactical, yet I have not experienced any battles that were overly long or drawn out. In contrast, I can recall several battles in OS 2 that literally took hours to play out. While that was fun, it was also defeating when I could feel the tide turn against me, but knew it would be a slow grind to ultimate death in another 40 minutes or so. In fact, I believe W3 is streamlined in all the right ways, really. Inventory is shared, encumbrance is not an issue. Some may like that for realism, but I much prefer this style.

Could Wasteland 3 be a big upset in "Round 2"? Well, as I have said, I consider OS 2 to be one of the G.O.A.T. cRPG's, and it is certainly more polished. I would be remiss not to mention more bugs I have encountered in W3, which include freezing/delaying during dialogs and animations not working when moving characters (this happens regularly with Scotchmo). I may have needed to re-load once or twice as a result, but so far haven't run into anything that has caused me to lose significant progress. That said, I have to admit that I am really, really enjoying this game. It may end up being very close.

POE2 for me, easy vote!

TLDR - OS 2 and Wasteland 3 are probably my favorite RPG's of the last decade (since New Vegas and Dragon Age: Origins, probably), and I heartily recommend both, but these are also very different games.

I finished Wasteland 3 this morning and am in a proper place to give a comparison between it and Original Sin 2. I'm just going to make a list of different traits and detail the two games.

Quick Facts

Game Length (Main + Extra, from howlongtobeat.com)
OS 2: 97 hrs
W3: 51 hrs

Metacritic Score
OS 2: 94
W3: 85

Steam user reviews
OS 2: 95%
W3: 80%

Personal Numbers

Hours played (according to Steam)
OS2: 172
W3: 77

Game Progress
OS 2: 85%
W3: 100%

I had a game bug out near endgame of OS2, so never actually completed (though this was primarily my fault as I loaded it full of mods and at some point they must have become incompatible). I restarted after release of the Definitive Edition for another playthrough. I am familiar with the game's endings, however, and don't think the comparison will be impacted.

Personal comps

Story: OS 2

OS 2 weaves a more epic tale. However, this really may come down to personal taste. Wasteland is a little more straightforward in its core story, but the game's design is more about how you choose to tackle that story.

Graphics: OS 2

Wasteland 3 vastly improved graphics from W2 and I think the game looks great. That said, OS 2 is gorgeous and despite W3's enhancements, it still has the advantage here.

Music: Push

Both of these games have some incredible music, but they take very different approaches. OS 2 has some remarkable orchestral music. I recall a well of emotion as the "Rivellon" theme began to play as my party entered Act 2. Remarkably beautiful song that I remember listening to on repeat as I worked a few times. W3, on the other hand, has this quirky, unique soundtrack of mostly folksy western renditions of popular songs from the 80's and earlier decades. This music was incredibly well done and its placement in the game really enhanced certain encounters.

Content: OS 2

OS 2 is longer. OS 2 has more quests and a great variety of them.

Reactivity: W3

I don't think OS 2 is a slouch in this regard by any means, however it certainly feels like W3 has much more expansive branching.

Replayability: W3

I'm giving the nod to W3 here for the above reason, though at the moment my overall hours count is much higher for OS 2. One advantage OS 2 has is with companions (listed below) as your experience will vary drastically by who you select to compose your party early in the game.

Companions: OS 2

The companions are pretty cool in W3, but they don't share the depth that the companions of OS 2 have. OS 2 just has more options for ways to interact, unique quest lines, relationship-building, etc.

Characters: Push

Both games are populated with extremely memorable NPC's.

World Building: OS 2

The world of OS 2 feels more lived in and realistic. W3's various settlements don't really feel much like authentic cities, more like they are populated by essential characters and a few guards. In contrast, OS 2 cities have children playing in the streets. The OS 2 world is also jam packed with content. That said, cruising around in the Kodiak through the wastes of Colorado is still satisfying.

Setting: W3

I love the quirky Wasteland world, but definitely have an affinity for post-apocalyptic settings. Original Sin 2 is more of a traditional fantasy world, though it has substantial lore behind it and some unique traits within it.

Quest Quality: OS 2

OS 2 just has more, and more variety of oddball quests. Wasteland 3 is no slouch in this regard, however, and the aforementioned branching quests probably have slightly greater depth.

Writing: Push

OS 2 VASTLY improved its writing from the original game. Despite a more serious tone overall, it retains some of the silly humor that is a staple of Larian (I actually like this, personally). W3 is populated with oddball humor and a variety of pop culture references.

Combat: Slight advantage to OS 2

Both are turn-based. I probably prefer the speed and flavor (modern weaponry) of W3 if I'm being honest. However, I think OS 2 has some more variety, is slightly more tactical, and I found the environmental interaction to be a lot of fun.

Variety: Push

Both have extremely interesting and unique worlds/characters (as previously touched on). From a customization perspective, OS 2 probably has more unique looks and is more loot-tastic overall. However, W3 provides you a lot of options to customize your characters, modify weapons, provide unique looks. From a character-building perspective, OS 2 probably also has more overall options, but for W3, the interplay between attributes and skills is also interesting. Watching the ranger base evolve over time based on your decisions/recruits is also fun.

Polish: OS 2

Not much comparison between these two. OS 2 has the definitive edition, but even the original version felt quite more polished to me. I didn't experience anything game-breaking in W3, but did see quite a bit of funkiness.

Overall

I have to acknowledge that if I am trying to be objective, that the advantage here should go to OS 2. But this is my review, and my personal tastes prefer the W3 setting, the story reactivity, and all the pop culture references. I'm going to call this a push. If someone were to tell me they wanted to play one of the two but could only pick one at the moment, right now I would recommend for that person to pick Original Sin 2, since it is the more refined/complete product (probably cheaper now too). W3 will improve over time in this regard, however, and I hope it gets some awesome DLC content. InExile surpassed my expectations in this round, serious kudos to them!

I will work on getting a playthrough of POE 2 going next, add them to my comparison/contrast once I have put enough into it to start making judgments. POE was my favorite from the previous iterations, and I have been pleasantly surprised to hear that many of you like POE2 the most of these three. I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares!

Random extra note on the comparison between these two. I really feel like once W3 has its own definitive edition, this is basically a matter of whether you preferred Fallout or Baldur's Gate 15-20 years ago.

I wish that all game reviews are as succinct and concise as rossrjensen's review/comparison.

I haven't played any of them but D:OS2 and I didn't care for it at all. If battles last longer than a minute or two, I get bored.

SpoonFULL said:

I wish that all game reviews are as succinct and concise as rossrjensen's review/comparison.

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You, sir, are a prince. Thank you for reading my drivel.

Honestly, I would just love to hear more direct comparisons between great games. Sometimes it seems great games get buried in reviews for elements others might not be bothered by.

crpgnut said:

I haven't played any of them but D:OS2 and I didn't care for it at all. If battles last longer than a minute or two, I get bored.

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If I recall correctly, you love Elder Scrolls games? But also don't like twitch-based games? Is that right or am I mixing things up?

If those are accurate, neither are great fits, but W3 is much faster paced and would be a better combat fit. I didn't think I would, but ended up liking the combat quite a bit, personally.

crpgnut said:

I haven't played any of them but D:OS2 and I didn't care for it at all. If battles last longer than a minute or two, I get bored.

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Just play the games like I do on casual, easy, or story mode. Then you have easier battles that don't become a time sink. It was a godsend for Original Sin 2.