Wasteland 3

One of the best Introductory cRPG's
Wasteland 3 is one of the best introductions to the CRPG genre that I can think of as it blends classic role-playing depth with modern accessibility. It has a really fun turn-based tactical combat system which is clearly presented, making it easy for new players to understand positioning, cover, abilities, and party synergy without feeling too overwhelmed.
The dialogue throughout the game is fully voiced and well-written, making narrative decisions feel engaging and meaningful even for those new to CRPG storytelling. There are some annoying bugs that I've ran into which haven't been fixed since release which is incredibly frustrating at times, and the work around is saving consistently.
It has dark humour, memorable companions, and stylish post-apocalyptic setting to help lower the barrier to entry. I feel as such the game never drags because of the number of possible ways to go about dealing with the situation you're presented.
For anyone who has a genuine curiosity about CRPGs but unsure where to start, Wasteland 3 for me is one of the best entry points available - it's deep enough to showcase the genre’s strengths, yet accessible enough to welcome new players. Keep an eye on this for sure!

After 300 hours on my first playthrough I can assure you that this game is a BLAST! Great writing with a TON of true laugh out load moments. I rank this HIGHER than Divinity Original 1 AND 2 but behind Baldurs Gate 3 because that game has so much content.

Highly recommended!

"It's a very good game... if you can play it."
Wasteland 3, well, what can I say? Let me start by saying this was my first introduction to the Wasteland series, and it was quite the ride.
The post-apocalyptic Colorado setting is fantastic, both in concept and execution. Everything is there: the dark humor, the aesthetic, the classic soundtrack, the factions (tribes, gangs), the mutants, the robots, the real-life references/easter eggs, and the underlying political tension. It feels like a lived-in wasteland.
The main story is good, maybe not groundbreaking, but solid. Crucially, your choices genuinely matter. There are points where save-scumming won't save you from the consequences, which is awesome.
The gameplay is where Wasteland 3 truly shines, especially for a CRPG. It avoids the overwhelming bloat common in the genre. It's surprisingly dynamic. The pacing is excellent, one quest naturally leads to another, keeping you constantly progressing through both main and side content. You feel rewarded with steady character and gear progression.
Exploration on the world map and within locations is limited, making loot and exploration fairly light, don't expect the depth of Baldur's Gate 3 or Divinity Original Sin 1/2.
The turn-based tactical combat is good and offers tons of possibilities. Experimenting with different character builds is fun, Lots of viable paths to take your squad.
Due to the dynamic, the game is more addictive than High Mile or Nico Pops... But it's not a bed of roses:
Bug fest, especially in co-op. In my co-op experience, it was often nearly unplayable. We encountered: characters stuck unable to end turns, shots firing but doing nothing, skills failing to activate, characters not moving, characters with infinite AP, enemies refusing to enter combat, bugged animations, save files vanishing, random crashes, crashes at specific points, achievements not unlocking... the list goes on. It made us think to give up several times.
It's also poorly optimized. What's almost worse than the bugs is the lack of clarity. Without a combat log or detailed event history, you often have no idea if something was a bug, a hidden mechanic, or just bad luck. Very frustrating.
The random world map encounters get old fast. Fighting the same groups of Drools on the same maps repeatedly becomes a repetitive.
There's space for a lot of QoL improvements: Squad management is clunky. The in-combat UI is bad, checking enemy statuses or other vital info is difficult. Respeccing characters is expensive, making experimentation or fixing "bad" builds overly punitive.
Verdict: 3.5/5
A fantastic CRPG core experience buried under a mountain of frustrating bugs.
FFO: CRPGs/Tactical RPGs in general, XCOM, Jagged Alliance, Fallout 1 and 2.

Wasteland 3 is truely (in my opinion) a masterpiece. Okay, maybe not perfect but it is a RIDE let me tell you.
Pros:

- Superb world building. For someone who's (at the time of this review) have not played Wasteland 1 or 2. This game does a fantastic job and giving you information even if you don't know the lore to begin with. And no doubt a feast for anyone who's played the previous titles.

- Great writing. Some people view the dialogue as hit and miss, I am a big fan. Sure some of the dialogue can take you out of the experience. But besides few combat lines and some side quest/minor role, the rest of of the writing is pretty solid and definitely got a good belly laughs out of me. Not to mention the item descriptions, all of them have something quipy to say about even the most random thing. Which actually made me pay attention to what I was picking up and wanting to see what the description is. Sometimes its actually a bit informative, though rare.

- Character creation. The attributes, skills, and perks is where the character creation shines. A slew of different ways to create different classes. There is no set class like some RPGs but rather an open ended character progression system. Typically you have to match some attributes with some skills, like ranged weapons with awareness and melee with strength. Though if you are paying attention to the descriptions again you should be able to put two and two together to make something good. Most perks actually feel like they are evolving your character's playstyle. There is only a few perks that bump up damage, the rest give you new mechanics for whichever skill that perk is in. One of my favourates is having the Serial Killer quirk that gives +3 action points on a kill once per turn. Then the Trigger Happy perk from the automatic guns skill which gives another +3 action points on a kill. So once I set up a gun with a mod to reduce action point cost of each shot. If my character gets A kill they can shoot again twice, use quickslot items, or move spaces. On top the stormer perk which after moving 5 tiles let you attack for free, and Reckless which gives a +15% damage boost when not in cover. This turns my regular SMG guy into a one man hit squad killing 3-4 enemies before his turn is up. Sorry, I had to cement this build here because it is delightfully fun.

Cons:

- Subpar character customization. Though the cosmetics are a bit lackluster in terms of variety though the armor choices make up mostly for it. Just don't expect a Baldur's Gate 3 level of character customisation.
- A few bugs and glitches. There are a few bugs that can make the experience a little less palatable. Like sometimes UI imputs both in and out of combat sometimes don't imput correctly thus having to press them twice or the a tab you opened can close if you click off it/moved your mouse off it. Not sure how it happens but a few times the game locks your movement to hold at the end of combat. Which basically means when you just click to go to a location the game instead takes it as a hold so it locks your character to walk towards your cursor. Reloading locks your game, but closing and reopening the game fixes it. Lets hope you quicksave regularly.
- Difficulty. To be honest, kinda tooting my own horn here. But I finished the game on Ranger(hard) difficulty with thinking I did the whole game on Seasoned(normal). Supreme Jerk (extreme) I will try sometime, but that will need some willpower. So I will say if you want a casual experience do Seasoned rather than Rookie(easy). If you want a little more kick and bite to your combat encounters do Ranger. Only do Supreme Jerk once you've completed the game once. I doubt with dealing less damge and taking more damage will be as forgiving as Ranger difficulty. Ranger is a good challenge without busting your balls too much.
- No fanbase. Careful with being attached to this game. As there is literally no one talking about this game anymore. Truely is a shame because there is so much good stuff here but it's mostly swept under the rug. Maybe if this wasn't a isometric and a turn based RTS game it might have gathered a bigger audience. But with the rise of something like Baldur's Gate 3 I have hope that this game gets a sequel or at least a remaster so it can stir up a fanbase. Beggars can't be choosers so even if its a handful, im happy.

That's about it, I know this was a read and a half but if you read this far thank you. If you skipped the yapping and want a summary. Game good, worth money, go play.
And remember...
"Born a man"
"Died a Desert Ranger"

Yes! This is the closest thing you will get to a modern Fallout turn-based game. 10/10

The base game is really good. They re-tooled some of the baffling things about Wasteland 2, and basically every aspect of the game is better. Decisions feel impactful, the combat is kind of XCOM-y, and the goofiness is still very present.
I was genuinely conflicted about how to handle the main quest.
That said...
The DLCs are poop. They add frustrating mechanics and have little impact on the main game. They're these weird enclosed areas you get trapped in until you can check off the boxes and move on with the game.

The Wasteland franchise... somewhere in-between, Fallout was birthed from Wasteland's limb, lifeless body and completely outgrew the mother game from whence it hellspawned. And thus, Wasteland was forgotten despite WL3 carrying forward everything that made Fallout great in the first place. Wasteland 3 is a blast. Don't sleep on it!
I was shocked by how good it is. I wasn't part of the Kickstarter campaign and yet remain convinced this must have delivered on almost everything it promised. It's raucous fun, campy as hell, combat is hugely improved from Wasteland 2 (or so I hear) and super enjoyable, speaking as a big isometric RPG fan. The story is good, player decisions actually matter and the character designs have a recognizability to them that I thought lost to the 90ies (yeah, I'm that old). In fact, the way players can solve missions differently reminds me of ye olden golden Deus Ex, holy grail among games, at least to a degree. That's a big honor to bestow. The music is great. The whole game is a labor of love, even around its rougher edges this shows.
On a tangent, it's also refreshing to see an apocalyptic setting in the cold north that isn't Eastern-European and gives you slav boi depression.
You will like this if you liked...
- Fallout New Vegas (EXPLICITLY New Vegas! Fallout in general doesn't count. Peak knows peak.)
- Any game made by Obsidian, really
- The Mel Gibson Mad Max movies (Wasteland has cartoonishly evil factions reminiscent of the gangs, Fallout can be disappointing faction-wise)
- XCOM
- Any game that features a vehicle that's also, somehow, a character.
Fun fact: I was blown away by the cynical product placements in the game. You can eat Snickers. There's something so audaciously funny and arrogant about the fact the developers just put it there because you can't really copyright the word.