A year and a day since I signed up for GOG. Seems an auspicious time to get active on the forum.

So, there's this website called Hardcore Gaming 101. Great website, does retrospectives on lesser known older games aimed at the "core" gaming crowd. So you won't find an article on Zelda or Baldur's Gate, but there is an amazing article on the Ultima series and Shin Megami Tensei.

The site has recently launched a new podcast: Game Club 19XX. They're playing older games through blind, without the support of the internet or strategy guides. What they do have is other players. The organizers claim that they're trying to recapture the feeling of playing games in the 80s and 90s, when you had friends, chatroom buddies and your brain as your tools to get through a game.

As you might have guessed from my not so clever title, the current game is Wasteland, AKA Fallout 0. I'm planning on starting my own playthrough this Friday, and I figured that since these people are playing good old games I should try and bring this to the attention of the forum goers here.

Here's the Wasteland thread, for those interested in observing or signing up.

Before I go, I do have one question. Toaster repair: Good skill or greatest skill?

Someone tell me, does EA not own Wasteland?

Brian Fargo's company InXile acquired the license in 03. Don't know where they're going with it though since nothing's come of it.

Thanks for the link. Would love to have the original Wasteland on GOG, never got to play it.

Didn't it came out for iPhone or another mobile platform? Or was it Bard's Tale?

The problem I have with the "playing without a guide" thing: http://www.cyberroach.com/vidbook/us.htm

When I was a kid, we always went to the kid with the subscription to Nintendo Power for help. There were also in-depth guides, as well as a tip line you could call that would give you a walkthrough. While the idea of relying just on other people for information/assistance seems like a fun premise... it just wasn't the case in reality back then.

Oh yeah, the idea of a "guideless" playthrough really isn't possible. After all, some people have played the game before. But the point is to recapture that kind of game playing, and letting the game actually surprise you.

There were talks about making sequel/remake about 2 years ago but it got quiet ( i think only some concept art was shown) as for the page thanks for the link I may visit and read about some games I played years ago.

Can you talk a little about Wasteland? I never played, and I heard Fallout (wich I love) is it's spiritual sequel. So I'm a bit interested. :p

Thanks, CymTyr and danteveli!

Wasteland was created with the engine that created the original A Bard's Tale. You control a group of 4 Wasteland Rangers and go from town to town in California, Nevada, and parts of Arizona if memory serves. There were areas where if you went into them you suffered radiation and could die, and technically you could go to the later towns in the beginning of the game, but you'd get roflstomped.

It was the first game to get rated PG-13 due to its graphic portrayal of killing your enemies (think text more than images) and was a game that taught you many valuable life lessons and had multiple options for resolving each problem you faced.

It was the only game of its kind that was so complete in what it was and did I've ever played, and it was my first RPG. Understandably, I have some rose tinted glasses on, but it's my favorite pc game of all time.

The water chip was idea from Wasteland. Whole game is also rpg in post-nuclear setting I remember in Fallout games there were some nods with name and quests to this one. You should probably see some video on youtube to check how the game looks (I mind you its pretty old - I remember it looked like Final Fantasy) also there was some sort of sequel or something like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNlRrXnOR0&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL75727C78EA8DD98D

Apparently, before Fallout, Wasteland had another unofficial sequal called Fountain of dreams, although its not that great by all accounts - If Wastland is Fallout 0 what that then? Fallout 0.5?
Interestingly Mobygames groups these 2 and all the Fallout games into a group called 'Wasteland universe' I guess that's just them being weird though, can't image that works cannonically...

This reminded me of this brilliant article.

Very VERY interesting article.

That is absolutely brilliant.

It belonged to Interplay back in 2000 or so. Not sure who has it now. I have a copy still, yeehaw! The Bard's Tale one was based on the 2004 XBox Bard's Tale remake. Akalabeth (Ultima 0) came out for iOS at one point. The most recent copy of Wasteland in retail was the Interplay's 10 Year Anthology Classic Collection from 2000 or so.

Ah, here we go: http://www.amazon.com/Interplays-Year-Anthology-Classic-Collection-Pc/dp/B000K5782S/ref=pd_sim_sbs_vg_1