First perceptions make Borderlands seem like your standard first-person shooter, and it kind of is - The usual control scheme, killing enemies set-up). But the more you play, delving deeper into a fantastical world of bloodthirsty creatures, brutal mercenaries and safeguarding raiders, the more it becomes clear - It, in a way, is NOT a first-person shooter - Well, certainly not the usual type. Don't go into this expecting a linear, objective-strict test of your trigger finger with a thousand identical soldiers in your path for the ultimate emperor who seeks power; don't expect armored spartans and space fights in ships. But if you expect the "unexpected", chances are your going to be all the more enticed. Borderlands is a great experience, with a huge, semi-open world to explore, thousands of enemies in sprawling locations and hundreds of thousands of guns. Yes, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. It is a highly-accessible shooter, and reaching the level cap never felt better. Again, and unfortunately, with every energized shooter comes a price, but they are not frequent enough to spoil the fun here. It is highly recommended, and may surprise the Call of Duty soldier in you.
It's a very streamlined experience; a very easy-to-learn, hard-to-master. From the outset, your fresh off the bus (boat, as it were in GTA, but here it is the not-so American Dream, among other damns) where you picked one of four unique mercenaries prior. There is Mordecai, the Hunter specialized in Sniper weaponry; Brick, the Berserker who specializes in his fists (damn powerful at that); Lilith, the Siren useful with corrosive weapons; and Roland, the Soldier specializing in the standard rifles and soldier weaponry. They are great set-ups, each with unique abilities, chief among them "Action Skills" - A power that, depending on the class, acts as an ally or a magic spell. For example, Roland's Action skill is a turret, Mordecai's Bloodwing (a bird-like creature), Lilith's is Phasewalk (Invisibility and increased speed on unsuspecting enemies) and Brick's is Berserk, a sixty-second outburst of momentous maniacal damage. All are useful for different situations.
Its variety that Borderlands' strong suit. Without it, this would definitely being a standard FPS. However, this is an RPG shooter, but don't worry, it isn't a superficial shooter with shoehorned role-playing elements. This is a killer shooter will full-on RPG features - 50 levels (61 in the Game of the Year Edition in Secret Armory DLC) to reach, hundreds of skill points to acquire and attributes that affect the gameplay. There are many different weapon elements, namely incendiary, shock, corrosive and explosive. There are also "weapon proficiences" so that you gain more damage with the type of weapon you level up.
The visuals in Borderlands are impressive, with great lighting and an attractive, cel-shaded style akin to games like Fear Effect or No More Heroes. When exploring, the game opens up, especially later on in the game, to big, sprawling vistas with huge structures and towers reminiscent of canyons and pitfalls. The character animations are also very impressive, with enemy AI dying very realistically; their limbs falling apart from gunfire, and their movement human-like. This also works in tandem with the good smoke and water physics. It would have been nice to see full destructible environments, given the size and scope of the areas, but it's still easy on the eyes. Not all things are perfect though. There are framerate issues throughout big battles, especially the Rakk Hive battle toward the end of the game, and the gameplay definitely suffers during these times. There is also some slowdown when loading an environment, and the textures can range from good to downright bad. The pop-in is present though tolerable, and sometimes the player can get stuck in posts, fences and other rocks and ledges.
The sound effects are good and the soundtrack is awesome. The voice acting is strong, with witty dialogue and some great, in-game writing to compliment the humour of the game - and humour is a great part of Borderlands. It's sense of style and wit is contributed by, all in all, the cute and devious Claptraps. These are robotic AI allies that serve as informants for new bounty board missions and new NPCs to seek. They add charm to the game, especially when they dance and shout.
There are vehicles too, although they mainly serve as a quick-point to travel. They can be used in battle though, and are quite effective.
The gunplay is mostly good, though it can often be weak. The aiming can be off and the targeting, especially on the vehicle, can be frustrating. It can sometimes take five rocket launcher shots to kill soldiers, and on top of that, the AI ranges from lenient to brutal. For example, the raiders in Fyrestone are generously easy, yet the Lance soldiers in Old Haven are especially tough, their firepower and numbers frequently overwhelming. It's also infuriating to have your aim thrown heavily off when receiving damage; potential stopping power interrupted by precise shooting. Maybe it's a learning process, but its a major annoyance.
The multiplayer, however, is spectacular. Four players can join via co-op or online - The latter being wholly recommended. It's fun to strategize sharing loot and raiding different areas of Pandora, and satisfying to take on the Rakk Hive in a group of four.
The story is also forgettable, with major plot points being lost amidst interesting quests, and sticking out like a sore thumb in big encounters. I would have liked to have seen some more character development from the Guardian Angel, as she is an intriguing character.
Aside from the iffy textures and occasional bugs, and the weak gunplay and boss battles, Borderlands is enjoyable fare. Looting has never been more addicting, hunting raiders and skags never more satisfying and kicking Pandora butt never more rewarding. A highly recommended game that any player can enjoy, although the above flaws will remain.
Overall - 8/10
It's a very streamlined experience; a very easy-to-learn, hard-to-master. From the outset, your fresh off the bus (boat, as it were in GTA, but here it is the not-so American Dream, among other damns) where you picked one of four unique mercenaries prior. There is Mordecai, the Hunter specialized in Sniper weaponry; Brick, the Berserker who specializes in his fists (damn powerful at that); Lilith, the Siren useful with corrosive weapons; and Roland, the Soldier specializing in the standard rifles and soldier weaponry. They are great set-ups, each with unique abilities, chief among them "Action Skills" - A power that, depending on the class, acts as an ally or a magic spell. For example, Roland's Action skill is a turret, Mordecai's Bloodwing (a bird-like creature), Lilith's is Phasewalk (Invisibility and increased speed on unsuspecting enemies) and Brick's is Berserk, a sixty-second outburst of momentous maniacal damage. All are useful for different situations.
Its variety that Borderlands' strong suit. Without it, this would definitely being a standard FPS. However, this is an RPG shooter, but don't worry, it isn't a superficial shooter with shoehorned role-playing elements. This is a killer shooter will full-on RPG features - 50 levels (61 in the Game of the Year Edition in Secret Armory DLC) to reach, hundreds of skill points to acquire and attributes that affect the gameplay. There are many different weapon elements, namely incendiary, shock, corrosive and explosive. There are also "weapon proficiences" so that you gain more damage with the type of weapon you level up.
The visuals in Borderlands are impressive, with great lighting and an attractive, cel-shaded style akin to games like Fear Effect or No More Heroes. When exploring, the game opens up, especially later on in the game, to big, sprawling vistas with huge structures and towers reminiscent of canyons and pitfalls. The character animations are also very impressive, with enemy AI dying very realistically; their limbs falling apart from gunfire, and their movement human-like. This also works in tandem with the good smoke and water physics. It would have been nice to see full destructible environments, given the size and scope of the areas, but it's still easy on the eyes. Not all things are perfect though. There are framerate issues throughout big battles, especially the Rakk Hive battle toward the end of the game, and the gameplay definitely suffers during these times. There is also some slowdown when loading an environment, and the textures can range from good to downright bad. The pop-in is present though tolerable, and sometimes the player can get stuck in posts, fences and other rocks and ledges.
The sound effects are good and the soundtrack is awesome. The voice acting is strong, with witty dialogue and some great, in-game writing to compliment the humour of the game - and humour is a great part of Borderlands. It's sense of style and wit is contributed by, all in all, the cute and devious Claptraps. These are robotic AI allies that serve as informants for new bounty board missions and new NPCs to seek. They add charm to the game, especially when they dance and shout.
There are vehicles too, although they mainly serve as a quick-point to travel. They can be used in battle though, and are quite effective.
The gunplay is mostly good, though it can often be weak. The aiming can be off and the targeting, especially on the vehicle, can be frustrating. It can sometimes take five rocket launcher shots to kill soldiers, and on top of that, the AI ranges from lenient to brutal. For example, the raiders in Fyrestone are generously easy, yet the Lance soldiers in Old Haven are especially tough, their firepower and numbers frequently overwhelming. It's also infuriating to have your aim thrown heavily off when receiving damage; potential stopping power interrupted by precise shooting. Maybe it's a learning process, but its a major annoyance.
The multiplayer, however, is spectacular. Four players can join via co-op or online - The latter being wholly recommended. It's fun to strategize sharing loot and raiding different areas of Pandora, and satisfying to take on the Rakk Hive in a group of four.
The story is also forgettable, with major plot points being lost amidst interesting quests, and sticking out like a sore thumb in big encounters. I would have liked to have seen some more character development from the Guardian Angel, as she is an intriguing character.
Aside from the iffy textures and occasional bugs, and the weak gunplay and boss battles, Borderlands is enjoyable fare. Looting has never been more addicting, hunting raiders and skags never more satisfying and kicking Pandora butt never more rewarding. A highly recommended game that any player can enjoy, although the above flaws will remain.
Overall - 8/10
