Wasteland 3 - Review @ Gameffine

Gameffine has reviewed Wasteland 3:

Wasteland 3 Review :: Six Desert Rangers Walk into a Bar

I love inXile Entertainment, no questions asked. inXile founder Brian Fargo is a monumental figure in the RPG scene whose contributions to the genre cannot be understated. I've played all of their games starting with The Bard's Tale 16 years ago. Even though none of their RPGs - Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, or The Bard's Tale IV quite hit the sweet spot, their passion for the genre is clear. I was always hopeful that, given the sufficient budget, resources, and time, they could pull off a real gem. A successful crowdfunding campaign, the acquisition by Microsoft, and with Deep Silver acting as the publisher, Wasteland 3 looked like inXile's best shot to make it big. Being a long-time Wasteland fan, and one who enjoyed Wasteland 2 immensely despite the terrible second half, I was all up for it. 65 hours and 1.5 playthroughs later, here are my thoughts on Wasteland 3.

[…]

Real Talk

Wasteland 3 is, in essence, an improved version of its predecessor. The writing, quests, and combat have been improved and polished upon by a large margin but there are a few design choices that stick out like a sore thumb. Technical issues, broken co-op, and a bloated UI hold the game back from its true potential. The game doesn't break any new ground but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, at a time when RPGs are defying tried and tired tropes to provide a fresh experience, you wish there was more inXile could have done with the increased budget and resources. So, If you're a die-hard fan or someone trying to get into CRPGs, Wasteland 3 is an easy buy with some caveats. Those on the fence can try the game out on Xbox Game Pass or wait for the developers to patch out the issues.

Score: 7.8/10

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@yemeth I agree with everything you wrote. Another good review.

65 hours and 1.5 playthroughs later, here are my thoughts on Wasteland 3.

Nice one Jay.

Ah…. and people wonder why independent reviewers are better than giant gaming sites that spend 30 minutes reviewing early access preview material and balancing that against how much advertising revenue the publishers provided.

Well, I do agree with the review overall, but I guess I'm lucky. I don't have a top-of-the-line rig but with all graphics settings at the highest, I've never seen any kind of fps drops. It has, however, froze up twice while loading a saved game (from within the game). But 2 in 65 hours of play ain't bad, and at least the save wasn't corrupted.

Glad you guys liked the review
I kept annoying Brian Fargo on Twitter regarding some of the QoL changes and hopefully they'll patch out the issues soon.

Originally Posted by yemeth
I kept annoying Brian Fargo on Twitter regarding some of the QoL changes and hopefully they'll patch out the issues soon.

Oh please, keep doing that

…bloated UI…

Searching for "bloated" within the review und comparing this to my experience I would describe the UI as too minimal, not "bloated". Strange wording for the UX within this review.

Originally Posted by Kylex
Searching for "bloated" within the review und comparing this to my experience I would describe the UI as too minimal, not "bloated". Strange wording for the UX within this review.

I have yet to see a game come out and not have its UI criticized. It's just one of those things people are never happy with.

Originally Posted by Kylex
Searching for "bloated" within the review und comparing this to my experience I would describe the UI as too minimal, not "bloated". Strange wording for the UX within this review.

The UI is not just the HUD, it includes the inventory, the upgrade, journal, and stats screen as well. Imo they're designed with controllers in mind and just a hassle to navigate. Not to mention the 1 sec micro-lag every time you go to a new screen. I prefer a more compact UI that shows me all the info I need in less mouse clicks. In fact, I think WL2 had a much better inventory and stats screen.

Looks like a fair review. Like always I am going to wait until they patch out most of these kinks and hopefully add a bit of polish. And who knows, there might even be a small expansion on the cards given the success it has been so far.

Yemeth, I also liked your other balanced and fair reviews including the Mortal Shell one. Thanks for your hard work.

Originally Posted by SpoonFULL
Yemeth, I also liked your other balanced and fair reviews including the Mortal Shell one. Thanks for your hard work.

Thank you for the kind words

Originally Posted by bjon045
Looks like a fair review. Like always I am going to wait until they patch out most of these kinks and hopefully add a bit of polish. And who knows, there might even be a small expansion on the cards given the success it has been so far.

I heard there are some content updates on the way but they are prioritizing the bugfixes

Oh look, a review I can agree with, with a score I can agree with.

Good job. (Obviously because I agree with it!).

Someone give the music director an award
I’m in love with the sound design of Wasteland 3. Pretty much every dialogue is voice acted – and this even applies to the random chitchat between NPCs. While the quality of the voiceovers varies between characters, it’s always a pleasure to play a fully voice-acted RPG. Wasteland 3 also uses covers of several classic licensed songs during key sequences and this is something that adds an epic feeling to combat encounters. Repelling enemy attacks alongside a gigantic statue of Donald Reagan while “America the Beautiful” blasts in full volume in the background or chilling to the game’s rendition of “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” while sharing questionable meat with a group of cannibals adds a layer of the sublime to the game.

I loved the music in those scenes. It was really a nice touch !

Have to agree the music fit the setting this time.

Ugh.. that first track is god-awful. Is that actually in the game?

The rest seem like pretty good BGM.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Ugh.. that first track is god-awful. Is that actually in the game?

Yes most of the songs will play at a boss fight, or on the overland map.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Ugh.. that first track is god-awful. Is that actually in the game?

The rest seem like pretty good BGM.

Matter of taste, I guess. I love the first track. It plays early on when you fight a gang called the Dorseys.

The music during key battles is pretty amazing I agree, very immersive in a way, and well fitting in most cases. Funny that to me too that first song together with "America the Beautiful" were by far the worst of them all. Felt so immersion breaking and generally dull and boring compared to most others. I think Blood of the Lamb is my favourite.

One thing I'll be thankful for to Wasteland 3, besides the fact that was a good game that was held back by how unpolished and buggy it was, is that it allowed me to explore MS Store to try out some pearls like The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Mistover, Dragon Quest XI or Disgaea 4 Complete, which are all pretty amazing games that had gone under my radar probably out of being busy with something else when they released. I've bookmarked them all and playing them one by one now while I await for other stuff to release, and it's being a treat.

This may have been one of the best £1 I ever spent, and likely will translate into extending the sub for at least one more month.