Wasteland 2
A turn-based, party-based RPG set in a post-nuclear wasteland.
Wasteland 2 is a post-apocalyptic role-playing game that came out in 2014. It was made by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver. As the follow-up to the 1988 game Wasteland, it got its funding through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Originally set for an October 2013 release, it was delayed and eventually launched for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in September 2014. A year later, in October 2015, an upgraded version called Wasteland 2: Director's Cut came out, adding support for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Its sequel, Wasteland 3, arrived on August 28, 2020.
The game uses a semi-overhead view with a camera you can rotate. Combat is turn-based and tactical, and you control a party of characters. Your group can hold up to seven members: four that you design yourself and up to three non-player characters (NPCs). Your own characters are highly customizable—you pick their stats, skills, and appearance, giving each a unique feel. The NPCs who join you have their own personalities, motivations, opinions, and goals.
The story takes place in an alternate history where a nuclear war broke out between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1998, triggered by a cluster of meteors hitting Earth. On the day of the disaster, a company of U.S. Army Engineers was building bridges in the southwestern desert, near some small survivalist communities and a newly built federal death row prison with light industrial facilities. The soldiers took shelter in the prison, kicked out the inmates, and soon invited nearby survivalists to join them. Over the years, they formed the Desert Rangers, modeled after the Texas and Arizona Rangers, to help survivors in the desert and beyond.
The game starts fifteen years after the original Wasteland (which was set in 2087). The Rangers now control the former Guardian Citadel, which used to house crazy technology-worshipping monks (the Guardians) until the Rangers wiped them out. A veteran ranger named Ace is found dead, showing signs of violence. This troubles General Vargas, the Desert Rangers' leader. Just days earlier, Vargas had sent Ace to investigate a strange radio signal that talks about "man and machine becoming one" and threatens to attack and destroy the Rangers. You take control of a squad of new rangers, tasked with finding out who killed Ace and why, and finishing Ace's original mission.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Wasteland 2
- Developer
- inXile Entertainment
- Publisher
- Deep Silver · JP: Spike Chunsoft
- Director
- Matthew Findley · Chris Keenan
- Producer
- Montgomery Markland
- Programmer
- John Alvarado · Dan Jenkins · Jason Jacobitz · Chris Wiedel
- Artist
- Michael Kaufman
- Writer
- Nathan Long
- Composer
- Mark Morgan
- Engine
- Unity
- Series
- Wasteland
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Wasteland 2 is set in an alternate history timeline where a nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union occurred in 1998, sparked by an impact event involving a cluster of meteors. On the day of the cataclysm, a company of U.S. Army Engineers sought shelter in a federal death row prison, expelled the inmates, and invited nearby survivalists to join them. Years later, they formed the Desert Rangers, inspired by the Texas and Arizona Rangers, to help survivors in the desert and beyond. The game begins fifteen years after the events of the original Wasteland, with the Rangers now occupying the former Guardian Citadel after wiping out the technology-worshipping monks who lived there. The story starts with the funeral of Ace, a Ranger killed while investigating a strange radio signal. The player controls a squad of newly recruited rangers tasked with solving Ace's murder and completing his mission.
Reader's Guide
Wasteland 2 is notable as a successful crowdfunded sequel to a classic 1988 role-playing game, demonstrating the viability of Kickstarter for reviving older game franchises. Its gameplay features a semi-overhead rotatable camera, turn-based tactical combat, and a party of up to seven characters—four player-designed and up to three non-player characters. The player characters are highly customizable, while NPCs have distinct personalities and agendas. The plot involves a complex narrative spanning Arizona and Los Angeles, with the Rangers investigating a signal that leads to a conspiracy involving synths (AI-equipped synthetic humans) and former Guardians planning to revive a malevolent AI. The game forces moral choices, such as deciding which community to save between Highpool and the Ag Center, with consequences that affect allies and story progression. Its enhanced Director's Cut expanded the game to additional platforms, and a sequel, Wasteland 3, was released in 2020.
Did You Know?
- Wasteland 2 was successfully crowdfunded through Kickstarter.
- The game's original release date of October 2013 was postponed to September 2014.
- The enhanced Director's Cut was released in October 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
- The game is set in an alternate history where a nuclear war began in 1998 after a meteor impact.
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