Darren S
ClioSport Club Member
I never, ever thought I'd get to see the day that this might happen. :hail:
Those people in late 1988/early '89 fortunate enough to own a Commodore 64 with a 5.25" disk drive - may have stumbled across a game made by Interplay and published by a much smaller EA (back then). Wasteland was also released on PC - and to those that bought it - it represented a new standard in RPGs. Combining a near future, post WW3 America - it blended together the Mad-Max 'feel' set in the backdrop of the Nevada desert - with some very sinister goings on. In essence, it was the great-grandad to Fallout 3 - and as I've mentioned before - quite a few references to the original Wasteland can be seen in that Bethesda game.
I signed up to YahooGroups approximately eight or so years ago - and found a small, yet active community (read : nostalgic geeks - all in their early to mid 30s and older!) - who discussed the Wasteland game, it's impact and fond memories of playing it through. Some extremely talented members peeled back the layers and code of what the Interplay staff managed nearly two-and-a-half decades ago - and even then were amazed at what they achieved with such little hardware power. I for one remember nearly crippling my mock GCSEs due to this game alone. It was like nothing else before it - probably similar in impact to the way that sci-fi film buffs may have felt just after leaving their local cinema in 1977..... having just spent the last couple of hours watching Star Wars.
Nine months of trying out all character combinations and storylines saw me reach the end of what was simply an epic experience. To this day, the Wasteland 'event' still tops my own personal chart in over 31-years of playing computer games and despite the abortive follow ups - Meantime and the Fountain of Dreams - a true Wasteland successor was never released.
Fast forward then to 2012 and through the powers of Facebook - some fans set out to track the original Wasteland team down. Brian Fargo, Michael Stackpole, Alan Pavlish, Ken St. Andre, Liz Danforth (to name but a few) were badgered to sign up and answer questions not only about the original game - but that ever elusive (and often rumoured) follow up game.
Now between them, they have committed themselves to releasing Wasteland 2. Seriously, I am sat here at the keyboard grinning like a pillock at the mere thought of it! To get one or two of the original team together would be a feat in itself. But the fact that nearly all the head-honchos have joined in a quarter-of-a-century later, is as humbling as it is exciting. These guys want to see a sequel just as much as I do. And for that they have my respect and backing.
I'm actively going to help them with it - especially as it's principally a community-led project anyway. I've pledged $100 to the pot already and will happily give more if needs be. Money no object, I'd be pumping in the top bracket of $10,000!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2
But I am realistic. Nostalgia is a great blurring device of the truth. What was epic in the past - should in many cases remain there. History is littered with 'oh dears' where there was no need for a follow up. No need to continue a story that had already reached a fitting and worthwhile conclusion. I am not expecting anything even approaching the production values of Skyrim - the budget and staffing levels simply are not there to attempt that. What I am expecting however, is a glimmer of that co-operative genius that made itself so evident in the first game. Something that makes me smile. A little bit of dialogue or speech that makes you think - and pulls you further into the story.
I'm normally a half-glass-full type of person. But my own personal wants/wishes and hopes for this game are so far off the chart, that I'm switching tact and going for the glass being half empty. If its average - then all well and good. If it great, then I'll be buzzing. You know what, even if it fails - at least they've tried. Can we realistically ask for anything more?
I simply cannot fecking wait.
Ranger D - (aged 14 again)
Those people in late 1988/early '89 fortunate enough to own a Commodore 64 with a 5.25" disk drive - may have stumbled across a game made by Interplay and published by a much smaller EA (back then). Wasteland was also released on PC - and to those that bought it - it represented a new standard in RPGs. Combining a near future, post WW3 America - it blended together the Mad-Max 'feel' set in the backdrop of the Nevada desert - with some very sinister goings on. In essence, it was the great-grandad to Fallout 3 - and as I've mentioned before - quite a few references to the original Wasteland can be seen in that Bethesda game.
I signed up to YahooGroups approximately eight or so years ago - and found a small, yet active community (read : nostalgic geeks - all in their early to mid 30s and older!) - who discussed the Wasteland game, it's impact and fond memories of playing it through. Some extremely talented members peeled back the layers and code of what the Interplay staff managed nearly two-and-a-half decades ago - and even then were amazed at what they achieved with such little hardware power. I for one remember nearly crippling my mock GCSEs due to this game alone. It was like nothing else before it - probably similar in impact to the way that sci-fi film buffs may have felt just after leaving their local cinema in 1977..... having just spent the last couple of hours watching Star Wars.
Nine months of trying out all character combinations and storylines saw me reach the end of what was simply an epic experience. To this day, the Wasteland 'event' still tops my own personal chart in over 31-years of playing computer games and despite the abortive follow ups - Meantime and the Fountain of Dreams - a true Wasteland successor was never released.
Fast forward then to 2012 and through the powers of Facebook - some fans set out to track the original Wasteland team down. Brian Fargo, Michael Stackpole, Alan Pavlish, Ken St. Andre, Liz Danforth (to name but a few) were badgered to sign up and answer questions not only about the original game - but that ever elusive (and often rumoured) follow up game.
Now between them, they have committed themselves to releasing Wasteland 2. Seriously, I am sat here at the keyboard grinning like a pillock at the mere thought of it! To get one or two of the original team together would be a feat in itself. But the fact that nearly all the head-honchos have joined in a quarter-of-a-century later, is as humbling as it is exciting. These guys want to see a sequel just as much as I do. And for that they have my respect and backing.
I'm actively going to help them with it - especially as it's principally a community-led project anyway. I've pledged $100 to the pot already and will happily give more if needs be. Money no object, I'd be pumping in the top bracket of $10,000!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2
But I am realistic. Nostalgia is a great blurring device of the truth. What was epic in the past - should in many cases remain there. History is littered with 'oh dears' where there was no need for a follow up. No need to continue a story that had already reached a fitting and worthwhile conclusion. I am not expecting anything even approaching the production values of Skyrim - the budget and staffing levels simply are not there to attempt that. What I am expecting however, is a glimmer of that co-operative genius that made itself so evident in the first game. Something that makes me smile. A little bit of dialogue or speech that makes you think - and pulls you further into the story.
I'm normally a half-glass-full type of person. But my own personal wants/wishes and hopes for this game are so far off the chart, that I'm switching tact and going for the glass being half empty. If its average - then all well and good. If it great, then I'll be buzzing. You know what, even if it fails - at least they've tried. Can we realistically ask for anything more?
I simply cannot fecking wait.
Ranger D - (aged 14 again)
