Wasteland 2 Preview and Interview
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It seems odd in places, almost defiantly archaic in its approach at times, but I don't mean that in a bad way. What's clear is that Fargo and his team have stuck to their guns, that this is most definitely the game that they always wanted to make. As such, Wasteland 2 is a game that will appeal most to the generation that grew up with its predecessor. This is a game born out of a specific time for a fairly specific audience, and, to their credit, inXile are refusing to compromise on that. There are reams and reams of text, with ham-stuffed voice acting only accounting for small amount of the game's incredibly hefty script. Tucked away in the corner of the screen is a persistent journal, constantly adding depth and shade to the proceedings being played out before the player, like a text-adventure being constructed in front of you. Some will no doubt find that offputting, but, to me at least, this is glorious. We have modern aesthetics conveniences afforded by the engine, but the story remains paramount. Context is key -- giving the player enough information to make decisions for themselves, and having the world react accordingly. The custom UI yields nothing that resembles a karma bar or a convenient binary colour-coded system to determine "good" choices from "bad".
"We don't judge morality as developers," says project lead, Chris Keenan. "We let the characters in the game decide." Players have to make decisions based on their own moral compass and the narrative's context, and then the logic of the game will determine the lasting impact of those actions. In the demo we're shown, two settlements are under siege, but you can only save one, and your choice will return to have an impact on the game world later on. You can kill anyone in the game, but once you do, they're gone for good, along with any quests or other things of interest that they might have brought to your attention later on. The Rangers come across a wretchedly ill woman who begs them to kill her. Her husband left weeks before to search for a cure but hasn't returned and she can endure the pain no longer. The Rangers choose to euthanise her this time and, just as luck would have it, the husband returns home shortly afterwards and sets upon the Rangers for murdering his wife. Nobody wins.
