May contain spoilers.
After seeing a rather awesome trailer by the folks at IGN [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmUJrKGN3C0] about some game that also looked rather awesome, I decided to Google this magical type of game. This led me toward an on the spot pre-order. I took a chance, which I prayed to whatever existing higher entity is up there was a good choice. Alright, I'll put you our of your misery. It was a good choice. It was a really good choice.
However, it's not for everyone. It's definately not for everyone. Even though it is indeed a Role Playing Shooter, a term which the game itself actually created [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_shooter#History], it's not necessarily going to appeal to people who like FPSs or RPGs. Although it'll definately help, it's no Call of Duty in terms of FPS or an RPG in terms of Oblivion standards. Infact, if I would have to compare Borderlands to any another game, I'd say it's a little like Mass Effect, but with a little more emphasis on the FPS part of the game.
That might seem like a little bit of an odd choice to people that have played the game. Mass Effect is a big, epic, storyline based action-adventure with a pretty big backstory. Borderlands on the other hand has a slightly Fallout-esque setting that seems to have no real care for it's storyline. However, in terms of gameplay, they're fairly similar. They both have a big emphasis on character statistics, both have a large portion of the gameplay linked to side-quests, but at the same time remain quite linear. It also has alot of similarities to Fallout 3, especially in terms of looting and the free-roaming enviroment, but after playing both games extensively, I still feel that it has a stronger link to Mass Effect. However, something I can not comment on it's comparison to the Diablo series. I haven't played the series myself, but I understand of the comparisons and even critisism in terms of the similarities between the weapons in both Diablo and Borderlands.
Three is a crowd, but four is Skag killing party
Besides from that however, the game is still drastically different from any game that has been linked to the RPS genre. There are lots of reasons why it's different, but when it comes down to it the biggest difference is the presence of online play.
From the start of the game, you're given four players to choose between. In the long run, these characters only have one real difference: Their special ability. Mordecai the Hunter has a nice little pet bird he flings around, Lilith the Siren can "phasewalk" which is far too complicated to go into, Brick who's character class is Himself [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/09/september/brick.jpg] goes into a primal rage and punches alot of stuff, and Roland the Soldier spawns a nice shiny turret that is pretty naff.
Although slightly useless seperately, together the mixture of character classes in online play is really awesome. Four Soldier class players or four Hunter class players are fairly ridiculous together in online play. And that's exactly what the online play is about; Kicking ass with other people who kick ass, and looking good whilst doing it.
This is pretty much the best way I can explain Lilith's power.
But, and this is a big but, don't buy Borderlands if you want some kind of epic, well thought-out storyline or interesting cast members that have amazing backstories. The storyline in Borderlands is absolute rubbish. But before you switch off and skip this paragraph, I have to note that this really is a good thing. Borderlands is specifically a gameplay based game. Although it does indeed have a storyline, you shouldn't care for it. Really your main priority whilst playing the game should be how not to get your ass whooped.
Which brings mean neatly onto my next point: The difficulty. Borderlands itself has no kind of selectable difficulty, or as the IGN trailer puts it "win button". There is no way to instantly destory any challenge from the let-go. The game pretty much forces you to do the sidequests in an effort not to get your weak hiney kicked up and down the main quest's missions. The sidequests lead to a nice set of experience points, which you're going to need if you want to tackle some of the ridiculously difficult levels later on. At the same time however, some sidequests require you to use the rest of the sidequests and even a couple of main quest missions in an effort to complete them.
At the same time however, dying has no kind of real reprocussions. When you die, you lose a percentage of your money. Money however, is easy to get in to get in the world of Pandora so that's no big deal either. And even if you do lose alot of money, you're not going to need it. The most you'll use any of the in-game stores for is to stock up on ammo and grenades, which are extremely cheap anyway.
I'm sorry, did I forget someone?
Now, just to round off my review, a certain character in Borderlands deserves an honorable mention: The Claptrap. The Claptrap is not just a single robot, there are several Claptraps throughout the world of Pandora. Some you meet on your way around cities, some guard little gates to forbidden lands and some are half way through dying and require assistance. Their personalities are usually the same, pretty much ranging from three sets of dialogue they could have.
But, they can dance, really, really well. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1HHmQ1i4I] There is nothing like an escape from Pandora's dark yet wacky setting than standing around for a few seconds and watching one of these little fella's busting out a move or beatboxing.
Score: 7/10
Final Comments: There is so much more I could have spoken about, mountains of stuff infact. This game is really a must have for anyone who enjoys both FPSs and RPGs respectively, and priority purchase for anyone with online play for their respective console/PC. However, if you're looking for a well thought out storyline, it's certain to say Borderlands isn't your game.
Final Comments: There is so much more I could have spoken about, mountains of stuff infact. This game is really a must have for anyone who enjoys both FPSs and RPGs respectively, and priority purchase for anyone with online play for their respective console/PC. However, if you're looking for a well thought out storyline, it's certain to say Borderlands isn't your game.
