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Wasteland 2

Wasteland 2 (Switch)

InXile's Kickstarter success has taken the leap onto a new platform - the Nintendo Switch.

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Nintendo's portable powerhouse, the Switch, has become a favorite amongst traveling, outdoor-strolling and bed-laying gamers all over the world, and with plenty of third-party titles to go around this generation, it's an absolute joy to bring the hybrid console with you anywhere you go. With gems such as Doom, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and L.A. Noire already available, those seeking a break from the classic in-house games Nintendo are known for have plenty to choose from in almost every genre - and now another one has been added.

InXile's Kickstarter crowdfunded, isometric CRPG Wasteland 2 has officially launched on the platform, and those of you who have missed out on this gem of a game due to a lack of a PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One (and who have a Nintendo Switch lying around at home) are getting your chance to play.

Created by a team led by Interplay (Fallout) founder and mastermind Brian Fargo, this old-school RPG takes the player to the post-nuclear wastelands of California, Arizona, and Nevada as they set out to save the barren world, one quirky mission at a time. The player is, after having either created a team of pre-made characters or set up a team of their own with an extensive amount of customisation options (cosmetics, skill sets, weapons of choice, quirks, cigarette preference - you name it), promoted from wasteland dweller to Desert Ranger (a Texas Ranger-style cop of sorts) by Vargas, the Ranger in charge. Then you're told to go investigate the death of fellow copper and veteran Ace.

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Going back to the character creation, Wasteland 2 has a massive customisation system in place and the choices you make within the game's first couple of minutes in the character creation screen can massively impact how you play the game and what you'll be able to do moving forward. Picking the hard/smart/kiss ass perks unlock alternate dialogue options, sometimes giving you the option to opt out of a tough fight, and putting points into the lockpicking, computer science, brute force, demolitions etc. perks gives the player more options regarding moving around in the game world as well as opening up shortcuts in questlines. Every picked skill makes a difference, and even though this can be overwhelming as a new player, it adds a lot to the game as every playthrough brings a new experience if the player builds their characters differently each time.

Early on in the game - in the first area in which you spawn after starting off - you're introduced to your first optional companion, Angela Deth, one of many eccentric characters you'll meet in the post-apocalypse. Every one of these companions can be recruited, dismissed, or killed depending on what choices you make (we recommend recruiting everyone you come across as the ones you dismiss for lack of space in your party will stroll back home to the Ranger Citadel until you need them again) and the voice acting as well as the writing of said characters is absolutely fantastic, as are the differences in their personalities.

On the subject of characters and personalities, dialogue is the main draw of this deep RPG experience. Every line of dialogue either adds to the side or main storylines, and often the script will make you laugh. As with all other aspects of Wasteland 2's base gameplay, most dialogues have moral choices to be made with set consequences, which may add to the experience for some but take away from more casual players. All of that being said, there's a problem with the dialogue that's maybe not exclusive to the Switch version, but that's definitely more of a problem here than it is for the other consoles or PC. Following the narrative is more important than ever, but the text was tiny on a 55'' TV on Xbox and it's even more of a struggle to read on the Switch, with no option to enlarge it. Have bad eyesight? Listen closely to Wasteland 2's dialogue then, as it'll be tough to stay on track on your quests if you don't know what you're supposed to be doing.

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So, say you miss a dialogue skill check (should have gone with that smart ass perk, huh?), get ready to either get no more information out of the character you were questioning, or alternatively get ready for battle. As in the other versions of the game, combat feels great even on the Nintendo Switch, as these encounters all require tactics, be it lining up a sniper shot after climbing a set of stairs to take down a powerful enemy from above right off the bat, putting an injured ranger in ambush mode behind cover, aiming for a critical headshot or a shot straight in the CPU of an unsuspecting robot, or general tactical positioning. The combat encounters are always really interesting and they're never quite the same, and we were pleasantly surprised by how well the game actually ran on the little hybrid machine as well, since it's a huge game with plenty of content and it felt really fluid except for some rare frame-rate drops.

It's not just the main story, the dialogue, and the combat encounters you have to really pay attention to either, as this is a game that requires your full attention at all times, so beware if you're planning on starting the game up during a hectic time. That being said though, if you do have the time to spare and the motivation to stand by this gem either for the first time ever or as a returning player from another console, it's a great addition to the Nintendo Switch's game vault.

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09 Gamereactor UK
9 / 10
+
Great addition to the Switch third-party bank, Runs really smooth for the most part, Great voice acting, Solid story, Many hours of content.
-
Text on screen is tinier than ever, Some frame-rate issues.
overall score
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Wasteland 2

REVIEW. Written by Mike Holmes

"From time to time the pace drops away, but for the most part this is an enthralling and engaging role-playing game."



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