Software:Wasteland 3

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Short description: 2020 role-playing video game
Wasteland 3
Wasteland 3 cover art.jpg
Developer(s)inXile Entertainment
Publisher(s)Deep Silver
Director(s)Tim Campbell
Producer(s)Brian Fargo
Kitty Lee
Designer(s)David Rogers
George Ziets
Artist(s)Aaron Meyers
Writer(s)Gavin Jurgens-Fihrye
Nathan Long
Composer(s)Mark Morgan
Mary Ramos
SeriesWasteland
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • August 28, 2020
  • Linux, macOS
  • December 17, 2020
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Wasteland 3 is a role-playing video game developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver. It is a sequel to Wasteland 2 (2014) and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 28, 2020. It was ported to Linux and macOS on December 17, 2020.[1]

Gameplay

Wasteland 3 is a squad-based role-playing video game featuring turn-based combat.[2] Played from an isometric perspective, the game features synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer.[3] In the game, players need to make various choices, which have different impacts on the game's world and the story.[4] The game introduces a vehicle that the players can use to traverse the world. The main campaign can be played cooperatively with another player.[5]

Plot

Wasteland 3 is set in the frozen wastelands of a post-apocalyptic Colorado. The player takes control of two members from Arizona Ranger Team November, who survived after their unit was ambushed while on a mission in Colorado. The two survivors are subsequently forced to work with the local ruler, known as the "Patriarch", in order to earn his support for the Arizona Rangers - after the last game, and the choice between Highpool and Ag Center, the Rangers are struggling to keep order in the face of increasingly severe shortages of food and water.

Once arrived and settled, the rangers are informed by the Patriarch that they are to hunt down and rein in his three heirs, who have gone wild and begun fighting each other to succeed him, as well as fight to preserve his rule over the many settlements and scattered populations that make up Colorado. However, as the story unfolds, the rangers discover the extent of the Patriarch's brutality, and are contacted by Angela Deth (a returning NPC from previous Wasteland games) who asks for their help in sparking a rebellion against the Patriarch. Player must then decide whether to uphold the original bargain or work to free Colorado and potentially endanger the future of Arizona.

Development

Wasteland 3 was announced by inXile Entertainment in September 2016. Wasteland 3 was developed using the Unity game engine. The development team is composed of people who worked on Torment (2017).[6] As with Wasteland 2, inXile chose to crowdfund the development of the game. Unlike their previous Kickstarter projects, inXile chose to use equity crowdfunding service Fig.[7] The crowdfunding campaign launched in October 2016, and concluded a month later with over $3 million raised.[8]

The game was scheduled to launch on Linux, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One in Q4 2019.[3][9] After Xbox Game Studios acquired the company, inXile hired more staff for the game's development and delayed its release date to early 2020.[10] The game's budget was three times more than Wasteland 2. The additional budget was mostly spent on implementing conversational scenes and hiring voice actors.[4] It was delayed again due to inXile's remote working conditions from the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] while the Mac and Linux versions were postponed to an undisclosed date due to developer's "decision to focus Wasteland 3's initial release on Windows 10, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4".[12] The game was eventually ported to Linux and macOS in December 2020.

Two expansions, titled Battle of Steeltown and Cult of the Holy Detonation, were released on June 3, 2021, and October 5, 2021.[13][14]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack received special attention from inXile's Brian Fargo when he hired Mary Ramos,[15][non-primary source needed] known for her work as Quentin Tarantino's music supervisor[16] to create music for Wasteland 3. Inspired by the idea of future civilizations not having context for the meaning or intent of a piece of music or lyrics they might find,[17] the soundtrack includes post-apocalyptic versions of the Welcome Back (Kotter) and Green Acres theme songs, Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", as well as American anthems and bible hymns.[18] Mark Morgan (Wasteland 2, Fallout, Fallout 2) returned to add his unique take on an atmospheric score for the post-apocalypse.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 85/100[19]
PS4: 79/100[20]
XONE: 84/100[21]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EurogamerRecommended[24]
Game Informer8.5/10[28]
GameRevolution8/10 stars[30]
GamesRadar+4/5 stars[26]
Hardcore Gamer9/10[31]
IGN8/10[22]
Jeuxvideo.com15/20[32]
OPM (UK)8/10
PC Gamer (US)84/100[23]
PCGamesN9/10[25]
Push Square8/10 stars[27]
Shacknews9/10[29]
The Guardian3/5 stars[33]

The game received generally positive reviews upon release, getting a score of 85/100 from critics on review aggregator Metacritic.[19] By December 2021, the game had attracted more than 2 million players.[34]

It was nominated for the category of Best Role Playing at The Game Awards 2020,[35] as well as "Role-Playing Game of the Year" at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[36] but lost both to Final Fantasy VII Remake.

References

  1. "Wasteland 3 Now Available for Mac & Linux". https://www.inxile-entertainment.com/amp/wasteland-3-now-available-for-mac-linux?__twitter_impression=true. [yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  2. O'Connor, Alice (September 28, 2016). "Wasteland 3 Announced, Crowdfunding Once Again". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/28/wasteland-3-announced-crowdfunding-once-again/. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 28, 2016). "inXile announces Wasteland 3 - and it's got multiplayer". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-09-28-inxile-announces-wasteland-3-and-its-got-multiplayer. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Campbell, Colin (August 21, 2019). "Wasteland 3 is a prettier, more polished post-apocalypse". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/21/20825708/wasteland-3-pc-ps4-xbox-one-preview-gameplay-combat. 
  5. Horti, Samuel (January 24, 2020). "Wasteland 3: everything we know". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/wasteland-3-everything-we-know/. 
  6. Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 10, 2016). "An early look at Wasteland 3 gameplay". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-10-05-an-early-look-at-wasteland-3-gameplay. 
  7. Jeremy Peel (October 27, 2016). "Wasteland 3's Brian Fargo on ditching Kickstarter: "I'm good at knowing what the winds of change are up to"". PCGamesN. https://www.pcgamesn.com/wasteland-3/brian-fargo-inxile-kickstarter-interview. 
  8. inXile Entertainment (October 5, 2016). "Wasteland 3". Fig. https://www.fig.co/campaigns/wasteland-3. 
  9. Caldwell, Brendan (October 5, 2016). "Snowy Wasteland 3 Launches Crowdfunding On Fig". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/10/05/snowy-wasteland-3-launches-crowdfunding-on-fig/. 
  10. Brown, Fraser (June 12, 2019). "Wasteland 3 is coming next spring". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/wasteland-3-release-date/. 
  11. Minotti, Mike (March 31, 2020). "Wasteland 3 delayed to August 28". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/31/wasteland-3-delayed-to-august-28/. 
  12. "Wasteland 3 Beta Improvements + Mac & Linux Delay". 16 July 2020. https://steamcommunity.com/games/719040/announcements/detail/2716184589236767651. 
  13. Yin-Poole, Wesley (April 15, 2021). "Wasteland 3's first expansion is The Battle of Steeltown". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-04-15-wasteland-3s-first-expansion-is-the-battle-of-steeltown. 
  14. Yin-Poole, Wesley (August 25, 2021). "Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation is the last DLC for the game". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-08-25-wasteland-3-cult-of-the-holy-detonation-is-the-last-dlc-for-the-game. 
  15. Fargo, Brian (September 9, 2019). "I spoke recently about hiring Mary Ramos as a music supervisor on Wasteland 3 for the vocal tracks." (in en). https://twitter.com/brianfargo/status/1171117747809349632. 
  16. "Mary Ramos IMDb". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0708719/. 
  17. "Brian Fargo & Mary Ramos Interview: Wasteland 3" (in en-US). 2020-08-31. https://screenrant.com/wasteland-3-brian-fargo-mary-ramos-interview/. 
  18. "Wasteland 3 - Digital Deluxe on Steam" (in en). https://store.steampowered.com/app/1382210/Wasteland_3__Digital_Deluxe/. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Wasteland 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/wasteland-3/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  20. "Wasteland 3 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/wasteland-3/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. 
  21. "Wasteland 3 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/wasteland-3/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one. 
  22. Johnson, Leif (27 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/wasteland-3-review. 
  23. Macgregor, Jody (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review". https://www.pcgamer.com/wasteland-3-review/. 
  24. Yin-Poole, Wesley (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review: a devilish satire of post-apocalyptic America". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-08-26-wasteland-3-review-a-devilish-satire-of-post-apocalyptic-america. 
  25. Lees, Gina (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review – brilliantly bloody". https://www.pcgamesn.com/wasteland-3/review. 
  26. King, Andrew (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review: "A terrifically executed RPG that rewards player investment"". https://www.gamesradar.com/wasteland-3-review/. 
  27. Ramsey, Robert (4 September 2020). "Wasteland 3 Review (PS4)". https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/wasteland_3. 
  28. Tack, Daniel (27 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 Review – A Cold Day In Hell". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/review/wasteland-3/wasteland-3-review-a-cold-day-in-hell. Retrieved 24 October 2021. 
  29. Hawkins, Josh (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review: One hell of a nuclear payload". https://www.shacknews.com/article/119969/wasteland-3-review-one-hell-of-a-nuclear-payload. 
  30. Faulkner, Jason (26 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 Review". https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/657188-wasteland-3-review-ps4-pc-xbox-one. 
  31. Soto, Fran (27 August 2020). "Review: Wasteland 3". https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-wasteland-3/385608/. 
  32. Jeuxvideo.com, Journalist (27 August 2020). "Wasteland 3 review". https://www.jeuxvideo.com/test/1278601/wasteland-3-une-viree-reussie-mais-classique-dans-le-c-rpg-post-appo.htm. 
  33. Lane, Rick (3 September 2020). "Wasteland 3 review: time to make the post-apocalypse great again?". https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/sep/03/wasteland-3-review-action-role-playing-games. 
  34. Boddy, Zachery (December 7, 2021). "Wasteland 3 has officially crossed over 2 million players". Windows Central. https://www.windowscentral.com/wasteland-3-2-million-players-announcement. 
  35. Tassi, Paul (December 11, 2020). "Here's The Game Awards 2020 Winners List with a Near-Total 'Last Of Us' Sweep". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/12/11/heres-the-game-awards-2020-winner-list-with-a-near-total-last-of-us-sweep/. 
  36. "2021 Awards Category Details Role-Playing Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2021&idGameAwardType=123. 

External links