History VideoGame / Wasteland

An enhanced version of the original ''Wasteland'' with smoothed out depixelized graphics, optional music, voice-overs and an integrated paragraph book has been released on UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution sites (including UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and [[Website/GogDotCom GOG.com]]) in order to coincide with the release of its 2014 sequel, ''VideoGame/Wasteland2''. A full remastered version with [=3D=] graphics, mouse controls, and illustrated cutscenes[[note]]despite these fancy graphical and UI upgrades, the game plays pretty much identically to the original version; despite being built on an entirely new code base, in gameplay terms it feels very much a ''remaster'' and not a remake[[/note]] was released on February 25, 2020, a few months prior to the third entry in the series, ''VideoGame/Wasteland3''.

See also ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', the series' SpiritualSuccessor.

* VideoGameRemake: ''Wasteland Remastered'', released in early 2020, is a complete overhaul of the game, with more modernized graphics, interface, and presentation, while still maintaining the art style and basic gameplay of the original. It now looks like a high-production value modern Indie game rather than a product of the 1980's. It also adds a new ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''-style MultipleEndings epilogue that sums up the fate of the various major locations your actions have affected, and ties into ''Wasteland 2''.

* CloningBlues: If you take the time to learn the associated skills, you can clone any of your party members. This can be used either to replace them if they fall in battle or to outfit your team with a carbon copy of your toughest Ranger to increase the team's overall ferocity.

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Finster believes that with the nuclear holocaust, humanity has proven to be bad stewards of the earth, so he is wiping them out it to start over. The [=PCs=] are just in his way.]]
* ApocalypticLog: A number are found and related in the Paragraphs, including actual logbooks from [[spoiler: the Sleeper Base.]]
* ArtificialStupidity: Recruited Party Members are only under a small amount of control by the player. Often they refuse to take orders, [[LiteralMinded or take them too well.]] They also can't tell between friendly and non-friendly [=NPCs=].

* BloodyHilarious: Due to the graphical limitations of the game, the results of combat were described rather poetically, resulting in enemies being "[[LudicrousGibs turned into chunky meat kibble]]", "reduced to an undertaker's nightmare" or "[[PinkMist blown into a fine red mist]]".

** The [[spoiler: Night Terror in Finster's Mind Maze.]] [[SkippableBoss Thankfully, he's avoidable.]] Many late game enemies are grinds unless the party is equipped with energy weapons.
** Finster Leviathan, fought at the end of [[spoiler: the Mind Maze]], has considerably more health than any other enemy in the game (except for the Night Terror), and is essentially the game's ClimaxBoss. However, his lack of armor makes him quite beatable, with full auto fire shredding him quite quickly.

** In Vegas, Fat Freddy asks the Rangers to kill Faran Brygo for his Onyx Ring. If you end up honoring his wishes, however, [[spoiler: he and his gang double-cross you once you report back to him, resulting in another long and messy gunfight.]]
* TheGambler: Dan Citrine's skills qualify him as one. [[spoiler: You can also discover that he was only captured by Ugly John's gang to retrieve a stash of money.]] The same goes for Mort. You can also be one by adding in points for the Gambling skill.
* GangOfBullies: The kids in Highpool who laugh at your troop of hardened soldiers falling on some slippery rocks. [[VideogameCrueltyPotential You can kill them]] if you choose to, although everyone hates you for it and it results in the town becoming deserted.
** [[spoiler: Turns out this was the canon path, as the townsfolk in Highpool in ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland 2}}'' are ''still'' pissed off at the last group of Rangers who came through town and shot up a bunch of kids. '''15 years later'''.]]

--> '''Matthias''': Ah, honesty at last. You hound me because I threaten your status as the alpha wolves of Arizona, just as you hound all others who defy you. At least you're honest enough to admit that it has nothing to do with humanity, or morals, or civilization. Your gang hates my gang, and that's that.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll: IQ. The higher it is the more and better skills you get access to. You pretty much want to start everyone with as high an IQ as possible.

* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: [[spoiler: Finster's virtual reality.]]

* PhotoprotoneutronTorpedo: The ion beamer, meson cannon and proton ax.

* RPGsEqualCombat: While most of your experience will come from combat, successfully using noncombat skills can earn experience as well. In at least one place this can be abused for [[GameBreaker infinite experience]].

* SavingTheWorld: Your ultimate goal is to [[spoiler:destroy Base Cochise to stop Finster from exterminating mankind.]]
* SequenceBreaking: There's a town [[spoiler: Savage Village]] you can't get into without a password, but if you know the password from somewhere else you can arm yourself with assault rifles very early in the game.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: If you choose to accept Fat Freddy's offer to kill Faran Brygo, he will initially reward you $1000 to spend on his casino. Once you get into Brygo's hideout and answer the two correct passwords, choosing to attack him will result in a long game of cat-and-mouse while fending off his goons in the process. When you finally get to him, he will attack you for one last stand. Once he's dead, he leaves an Onyx Ring. Showing Fat Freddy the ring will cause him to double-cross you and order his goons to kill you, engaging in yet another long gunfight.]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Being written in late 1980s, the setting's technology is largely based on what was available then -- floppy discs, advanced mainframe computers, no desktops on them and so on.

* AnAxeToGrind: The Proton Ax, found in a deserted building guarded by one of the game's most powerful enemies. It's the most powerful melee weapon in the game, capable of [[BloodyHilarious reducing enemies to a chunky red salsa.]]

* GunsAreWorthless: During the first half of the game a decent Brawling skill lets you deal way more damage; later the party reaches Las Vegas and finds assault rifles. The [[AnAxeToGrind Proton Axe]] is still a valid alternative until the end of the game, though.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Being created in 1988, the game world is an aftermath of USA-Soviet nuclear exchange from 1997, with Cold War getting hot.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: In the endgame, Matthias eventually asks Team Echo why they'vecontinued to chase him down and oppose him, despite the constant risk to their lives. If they answer that [[JustDoingMyJob it's because he's an enemy of the Rangers,]] he'll invoke this trope.

* BettingMiniGame: The casinos in Vegas provide these. Naturally, they generally do nothing but drain your cash.

* DumpStat: Charisma. It affects almost nothing of any value, whereas other stats can be game-changers if balanced correctly.

* NoSell: Armor with a high AC rating will shrug off attacks from weaker enemies without your character taking damage. Be aware that stronger enemies will be able to [[ArmorPiercingAttack bypass your armor with better weaponry or melee attacks]] unless your armor's AC rating is higher than their damage ratings. Power armor, for example, will laugh off any attempt to scratch it from just about any enemy in the game outside of the robots and defenses at Base Cochise.

* TheGambler: Dan Citrine's skills qualify him as one. [[spoiler: You can also discover that he was only captured by Ugly John's gang to retrieve a stash of money.]] The same goes for Mort. You can also be one by adding in points for the Gambling skill.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential / WouldHurtAChild: It is possible for the player to wipe out the town of Highpool, which is populated almost entirely by children.

* AIIsACrapshoot: AI research goes pretty badly awry, [[spoiler: and is hinted to have caused the nuclear holocaust in the first place.]] Notably, the game's main villains are a robot army [[spoiler: commanded by an insane Cyborg and an ancient Military AI.]]

Celebrated on several sites, most notably at the [[http://wasteland.rockdud.net Ranger HQ Grid]], which, as well as info about the game has some surprisingly good FanFic.