Occasionally here at Player2.net.au we will play something that deserves your attention but probably doesn’t need a full review written for it. Be it DLC for the latest AAA title, a little indie game or even an Android/iOS title. We play these titles for a blockbusting amount of time (2 – 5 hours) and report back to you the reader on what we found. So grab your popcorn and settle in for the latest episode of Blockbuster Gaming.
Blockbuster Gaming – Wasteland 2: Directors Cut
Just over a year ago the successful Kickstarter funded Wasteland 2 hit PC’s everywhere to much acclaim. Featuring cracking turn based RPG action that harkened back to the original game (as well as Fallout 1 &2) Wasteland 2 went on to be a cult hit. So following this success the developers have put together a Director’s cut and what is more they have released it on consoles as well.
There is always a bit of a worry when a PC game, especially one that relies on a mouse so much, is ported to the controller powered consoles. Thankfully the devs have done a great job of bringing all the complexity of the PC version to the consoles. It probably isn’t as elegant as the PC version but it certainly does the job. Instead of hot keys players access powers and abilities through radial menus which is functional if a little fiddly at times. Perhaps the biggest problem with the transition is the camera which can be a bit of a pain to manage, often getting caught up in scenery and buildings. On the PC this wasn’t an issue as all it took was a quick flick of the mouse and everything was once again great but on the console things aren’t so easy to rectify. It is a common occurrence to feel like you are fighting with the camera, especially in indoor locations.
The game has had a fresh coat of paint that has improved the looks significantly with everything looking great on a big screen TV. The game is quite text heavy so thankfully the font size can be enlarged to enable easy reading for those playing on the couch. The game is no system melter in the graphics department but there is a lot to like with the art style suiting the post apocalyptic setting beautifully. The other big improvement is the addition of voice acting for key roles. This makes a dramatic improvement to the game’s immersion as previously to get a grasp of the story pages and pages of text needed to be read. The voice acting is neither outstanding nor terrible, simple serviceable, but its addition shouldn’t be downplayed.
Apart from these changes the game is essentially the same great game released on PC last year. It is a wonderfully unforgiving step back in time to an era that was dominated by turn based gameplay. The story is well written, gameplay is engaging and there is an enormous amount of content to keep players entertained. If you missed this on PC then there is no excuse now (PC players get all of the improvements for free via a patch.) This a great game that should played by anyone with love for the original Fallout games, a fetish for turn based combat or simply the desire to play a classic styled RPG on modern consoles. Even with the recent release of Fallout 4 there is still room for Wasteland 2 in your life so do yourself a favour and don’t miss it.
Matt Hewson
