You are a mercenary. A hunter for the fabled vault. Within this vault lies alien technology and secrets that bring the promise of fame, power, and glory. And this vault is hidden somewhere on the barren planet of Pandora, which lies on the edge of the galaxy, a place where only the strong survive.
So begins the story of Borderlands, the newest game from Gearbox Software. This game, released for the PC, PS3, and 360 puts you in the role of one of four mercenaries in search of the fabled vault. Each mercenary has unique powers and abilities to help them in their quest, ranging from deploying an automatic turret and shield, to using a bird of prey to attack your enemies.
I greatly anticipated the arrival of this game, I looked forward to its 4 player co-op, its "bagillions" of guns, its unique blend of the first person shooter and skill system. Did it live up to my expectations? In short, yes. In long, yyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeessssssssssss.
A major selling and advertising point of the game was its huge variety of guns. It advertises it has "bagillions" of guns, although I don't know exactly how many guns that is, I can attest to it being a very big number. In general, there are several different classes of weapons, and each weapon uses the same ammo. There are rifles, SMGs, shotguns, sniper rifles, missile launchers, pistols, and revolvers. The secret of this huge variety of weapons and items is that the game randomly generates the the stats for each weapon. While this allows for a huge range of how the weapons perform, you won't notice much variety in the actual models used in the game to represent the weapons. While it is not small, you will not be able to tell the difference visually between all the weapons. But it is quick and easy to look at the stats for each weapon, and the game does have a built-in compare function, so you can look at the stats for two different weapons side-by-side. Some weapons have a elemental damage attached to them also. For example, some weapons have a chance to set enemies on fire, or electrocute them. This also introduces the need to plan ahead and make smart decisions about what weapons you will use against different enemies. Because some enemies are immune to some elemental attacks.
The enemies in the game, I must say, are not as varied as they could be, but there are lots of variants on the same enemies. Skags (a dog-like creature) come in many varieties, including those that shoot poison spit, and breathe fire. The other main enemies are the bandits, and they range from the somewhat comical Midget Bandits to the hulking psychos.
All the enemies are unleveled in relation to the player, unlike other games such as Oblivion. This means that the same enemies that could easily kill the player at the beginning of the game will become cannon fodder the higher level the player gets. But as the player progresses, and new areas are unlocked, more dangerous enemies are introduced, again challenging the player.
One of my favorite parts of the game is the loot dropped when you kill enemies. Each time you kill an enemy, a random assortment of loot, ranging from cash to guns to ammo are dropped. This is the player's main source of income, and the source of the best guns you can find. Normally, the harder the enemy, the better the loot dropped, with boss characters dropping the best loot.
The distinct art style must also be mentioned, and it is arguably the most distinctive feature of the game. Resembling a cartoon, the style only helps to set the game apart, and adds to the lighthearted atmosphere present in the game. Plus, it is a welcome break from the gritty realism that pervades many shooters these days.
My only complaint is getting the multiplayer to work, while it is fairly simple, most games nowadays don't require you to do it. Basically, to play online, you have to open up your router page and forward several ports. And it says nothing about this in the manual that comes with the game. So, be sure to check on the internet to find out how and what ports to forward!
Overall, if you like FPS/RPG hybrids like Fallout 3, then you will not be disappointed, it has a few minor problems, but a great game.
So begins the story of Borderlands, the newest game from Gearbox Software. This game, released for the PC, PS3, and 360 puts you in the role of one of four mercenaries in search of the fabled vault. Each mercenary has unique powers and abilities to help them in their quest, ranging from deploying an automatic turret and shield, to using a bird of prey to attack your enemies.
I greatly anticipated the arrival of this game, I looked forward to its 4 player co-op, its "bagillions" of guns, its unique blend of the first person shooter and skill system. Did it live up to my expectations? In short, yes. In long, yyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeessssssssssss.
A major selling and advertising point of the game was its huge variety of guns. It advertises it has "bagillions" of guns, although I don't know exactly how many guns that is, I can attest to it being a very big number. In general, there are several different classes of weapons, and each weapon uses the same ammo. There are rifles, SMGs, shotguns, sniper rifles, missile launchers, pistols, and revolvers. The secret of this huge variety of weapons and items is that the game randomly generates the the stats for each weapon. While this allows for a huge range of how the weapons perform, you won't notice much variety in the actual models used in the game to represent the weapons. While it is not small, you will not be able to tell the difference visually between all the weapons. But it is quick and easy to look at the stats for each weapon, and the game does have a built-in compare function, so you can look at the stats for two different weapons side-by-side. Some weapons have a elemental damage attached to them also. For example, some weapons have a chance to set enemies on fire, or electrocute them. This also introduces the need to plan ahead and make smart decisions about what weapons you will use against different enemies. Because some enemies are immune to some elemental attacks.
The enemies in the game, I must say, are not as varied as they could be, but there are lots of variants on the same enemies. Skags (a dog-like creature) come in many varieties, including those that shoot poison spit, and breathe fire. The other main enemies are the bandits, and they range from the somewhat comical Midget Bandits to the hulking psychos.
All the enemies are unleveled in relation to the player, unlike other games such as Oblivion. This means that the same enemies that could easily kill the player at the beginning of the game will become cannon fodder the higher level the player gets. But as the player progresses, and new areas are unlocked, more dangerous enemies are introduced, again challenging the player.
One of my favorite parts of the game is the loot dropped when you kill enemies. Each time you kill an enemy, a random assortment of loot, ranging from cash to guns to ammo are dropped. This is the player's main source of income, and the source of the best guns you can find. Normally, the harder the enemy, the better the loot dropped, with boss characters dropping the best loot.
The distinct art style must also be mentioned, and it is arguably the most distinctive feature of the game. Resembling a cartoon, the style only helps to set the game apart, and adds to the lighthearted atmosphere present in the game. Plus, it is a welcome break from the gritty realism that pervades many shooters these days.
My only complaint is getting the multiplayer to work, while it is fairly simple, most games nowadays don't require you to do it. Basically, to play online, you have to open up your router page and forward several ports. And it says nothing about this in the manual that comes with the game. So, be sure to check on the internet to find out how and what ports to forward!
Overall, if you like FPS/RPG hybrids like Fallout 3, then you will not be disappointed, it has a few minor problems, but a great game.
