How well does Wasteland hold up?

[00slash00]

So Wasteland is on sale on GOG ( I expect it will be sold out by the time I post this so this is more for future reference). I've heard a lot about it and the old Fallout games were among my favorite RPGs (I hated the modern fps Fallout games but absolutely adored Fallout 1 and 2). I mean obviously the game won't be visually impressive but if I loved Fallout 1 and 2, which I understand were somewhat inspired by this game, will I likely enjoy Wastland, if I'm playing it now for the first time, or has it aged poorly enough that nostalgia goggles may be required?

 

[BrotherRool]

This is only second-hand experience, but I've heard that Wasteland is incredibly hard to get into now. It's nine years older than Fallout and those are important years (1988 compared to 1997). For some comparison, Wasteland is only six years older than ET.

If you do play it, I've heard that it's one of those games where you're basically expected to draw your own maps on a piece of paper as you go along.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

So Wasteland is on sale on GOG ( I expect it will be sold out by the time I post this so this is more for future reference). I've heard a lot about it and the old Fallout games were among my favorite RPGs (I hated the modern fps Fallout games but absolutely adored Fallout 1 and 2). I mean obviously the game won't be visually impressive but if I loved Fallout 1 and 2, which I understand were somewhat inspired by this game, will I likely enjoy Wastland, if I'm playing it now for the first time, or has it aged poorly enough that nostalgia goggles may be required?

Very different than Fallout. Wasteland might share some tonal qualities with its spiritual successor, but in terms of mechanics it plays more similarly to the Bard's Tale trilogy or the Wizardry games. Combat is abstracted, the graphics are highly minimal, you operate a squad of stat-based "characters" with no actual personality or back stories or individual goals, and most of the story is delivered through text excerpts you'll probably have to find online (at the time the game was made, you read them out of a book that came with the game).

It will require an extreme fortitude for retro gaming.

 

[veloper]

It's an endless string of frequent, random trash-mobs.

There's interesting bits, but 99% of the time you will be going through the motions fighting groups of weak baddies that you can beat by just repeating the basic attack command.

 

[Frezzato]

I watched a review on YouTube, which revealed that upon your character's death you're booted straight back to DOS.

No school like the old school, eh?

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

I watched a review on YouTube, which revealed that upon your character's death you're booted straight back to DOS.

No school like the old school, eh?

pfff and those were the casual games, real hardcore games back then if you character died, your PC would become self-conscious and try to kill you

 

[Bostur]

So Wasteland is on sale on GOG ( I expect it will be sold out by the time I post this so this is more for future reference). I've heard a lot about it and the old Fallout games were among my favorite RPGs (I hated the modern fps Fallout games but absolutely adored Fallout 1 and 2). I mean obviously the game won't be visually impressive but if I loved Fallout 1 and 2, which I understand were somewhat inspired by this game, will I likely enjoy Wastland, if I'm playing it now for the first time, or has it aged poorly enough that nostalgia goggles may be required?

Very different than Fallout. Wasteland might share some tonal qualities with its spiritual successor, but in terms of mechanics it plays more similarly to the Bard's Tale trilogy or the Wizardry games. Combat is abstracted, the graphics are highly minimal, you operate a squad of stat-based "characters" with no actual personality or back stories or individual goals, and most of the story is delivered through text excerpts you'll probably have to find online (at the time the game was made, you read them out of a book that came with the game).

It will require an extreme fortitude for retro gaming.

What Guppy says. I would just like to mention that in the remake the journal entries are actually included in the game as hyperlinks - wooo :-o
It probably doesn't help new players much, but for people who played it back in the days it makes the game a little bit more convenient.

Youtube has some let's plays, I'd highly reccommend that people check those out before buying, because it will take patience, stubbornness and fortitude to enjoy the game.

If you do play it, I've heard that it's one of those games where you're basically expected to draw your own maps on a piece of paper as you go along.

Thats not really needed in Wasteland as much as it were in Bard's Tale or Wizardry. Wasteland is played on a 2D top down map, and it's pretty easy to find your way around. Taking notes however is mandatory, there are quite a few passwords and other hints given, and the game wont remember them for the player.