The LV. Cap: Borderlands Review
Developed by Gearbox, Borderlands is the mad scientist mixing of RPG elements and FPS elements to create something called “Role Playing Shooter,” which was coined by 2k Games and Gearbox. This title is not far off that it brings both fans of RPG’s and FPS’s together to create an experience shared by all. With Borderlands being one of the most sought out after games on release day, could it be a sign that this game is truly a sleeper hit or just a disaster waiting to happen? Find out below!
Borderlands
Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
1 Player Story/ 4 Player Story Co-op
Developer: Gearbox
Publisher: 2k Games
ESRB: M for Mature/PEGI 18/MA 15+
Price: $59.99 / $49.99 (PC)
Loved It
What is that Graphics Engine Called: Borderlands has a unique style it, but a rewarding stlye. You all might have seen it time from time in commercials and in news articles posted on the web. This style, also coined by Gearbox, is called “Concept Art Style.” This is a style that brings the concept art drawn by the team to life in the game, instead of some variation of it. Think of it as a mix between a cartoon and cell shading, for example the recent game Prince of Persia. The “graphics” are a pro because it is a nice fresh look for a game instead of the “realism” and “high-definition” we get so often, its almost a mix of both with an added touch of cartoon. Borderlands also utilizes the Unreal 3 Engine to bring the spattastic gore to your screen. That brings me to my next part, the graphics make the game HILARIOUS! Nearly every time you blow up a midget, yes a psycho midget, he explodes into millions of pieces. This may be my sadistic side but it makes for fun time. Not to mention almost every death is pretty rewarding in the end, visually that is. Needless to say the graphics for Borderlands are a breath of fresh air in the current generation of games we have.
Loot, loot, and more loot: You know that RPG aspect I kinda mentioned earlier in this review? Yeah this is where it kick’s in. The loot, what can I say about the loot in Borderlands? There is a lot of it, almost too much but this is not thing. Through out the advertising campaign and in interviews 2K Games toted that there would be over “2 Bazillion” weapons, they were not lying…at all. Nearly every “drop” by an enemy you kill has a weapon and or ammunition for your disposal. But the kicker is that nearly ever weapon that is dropped is a unique weapon you will probably never see again. This brings in the fun, because no matter how great the gun you are holding is there will always be a better on for you to find.
I Send Thy On A Quest: This is another RPG aspect that Gearbox incorporated into the game. There are enough side quests in Borderlands to keep you busy for at least a few hours. Just like any decent RPG there are the side quests that have you act as a errand boy or make you collect items for no known reason, Borderlands is no exception to this. Along the side quests you have a main story quest you follow that leads you through several cities throughout the game. What makes this a pro is that the quests are all fun and involved some enemies that are not so easily dispatched. They also meld very well with the first person shooter aspects to create game play that is truly entertaining and enjoyable.
I Am Special: I am special, I am special. Yes I am, yes I am! Special indeed, because each character in the game has a special “ability” they can preform after hitting level 5. These abilities range from character to character from a killer bird to a killer turret that can only be compared to a TF2 turret. These individual abilities are powerful life savers and can score you some killer kills. The only exception to these is the Sirens special ability. As of now it is broken, but Gearbox and 2K Games have stated that they will be fixing it, so no biggie for now. Not only are the abilities cool but they help pound the fact that this game is not any regular shooter but an role playing shooter. Each ability also has the chance to be upgraded with different buffers and strengths. It is a nice addition to the game and helps break the “gun-only” mentality most shooters have now days.
Strength In Numbers: Lastly I wanted to quickly mention the 4 Player Co-op feature Borderlands has. This is probably one of the coolest features the game has. The ability to play the WHOLE story with your buddies is something amazement to me. The last game I personally played 4 player Co-op on was Halo 3: ODST and that was fun at best. But the experience of Borderlands is further enhanced when you have 3 of your buddies fighting next to your side. You are able to use any character you have created, be it your single player character or a freshly created one, to fight with your friends. There is also a small feature with-in the Co-op game play where you can “Duel” with your buddy, so pretty much duke it out until you win. The money distributed evenly throughout the team so there is not fighting over it. However the loot, the weapons and ammo, is first come first serve basis, which makes for an interesting time. Not only that but the more people you have on your team the tougher the enemies get and the harder time you have playing, which makes for great game play and teamwork. The loot drops are also 10 times better while playing with your buddies making that loot rush that more hectic. So in the end the 4 player Co-op is a definitive reason to check this game out, it is serious fun.
Issues
Where Is My Storage?: First issue I have is the storage. I have heard from many buddies of mine that there needs to be a place to store your stuff. Basically there is a lot of loot, copious amounts to be exact , and it would be nice if there was a storage other than your back pack that you could store stuff and use later. Some the items are cool and you really don’t want to sell them to make room in your back pack, so it would only be natural to have some sort of storage.
We’re loosing frames Captain!: Another issue is the frame rate. Through my play through, I have had some frame rate issue and another staff writer, Chris “Ace”, has had the game freeze on him while playing. Also textures not loading after transitioning through one city to another is a an occurring problem as well. These can be rather annoying and frustrating while you are in the middle of a fire fight or fighting one of the colossal bosses in the game. Easy fix and hopefully patched soon, but very…very annoying.
Déjà Vu: This is the biggest problem I had during my entire experience with Borderlands. For over a bazillion weapons, they sure do all look the same. Many of the weapon load outs can be different with an elemental or damage aspect tacked on to it but the gun can look the same as a level 1 or 2 gun. This may be the curse of having this many weapons in one game. I’m sure no developer is going to go through over bazillion guns and make unique designs for each. Maybe I’m just nit picking. Still it would have been a nice to seem more of a variety of weapon pallets, it sure would lessen that “déjà vu” feeling.
Final Thoughts: Borderlands is an amazing video game experience shared by all who play it. The very thought process of Gearbox’s game designers is seen throughout the game everything from the sheer amount of weapons to the bandit filled wastelands of Pandora. This was a game that hit silently and sold out within a day of releasing making it nearly impossible to find. This is a testament of how great of a game play experience Borderlands provides while still remaining fun and entertaining. So my final verdict on the game its a strong BUY, it is worth every penny. For you “rating” savvy people Borderlands gets an 4 out of 5 stars, which is about the equivalent to an 80% or so
PS: For those who have played it, what do you all think of Borderlands thus far?
2 Responses to “The LV. Cap: Borderlands Review”
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NK Flickr!
Art style reminds me of Champions especially the desert zone. Looks interesting but not sure if I will pick it up with L4D2 on the way. FFFFFFFFFFFF I need MUNNIEZ
I love this game. I need X-mas to swing by already so I can get me some games!