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Borderlands Review

Hybrid heaven?
Plenty of parallels could be made between Borderlands and fellow post-apocalyptic shooter, Fallout 3. But truth be told Gearbox's effort is more like World of Warcraft; mental loot, quests that involve killing things, and boss characters with stupid stats and even stupider names... But where Bethesda leans towards the RPG side of the hybridisation, Gearbox has definitely opted for more FPS.

Watch exclusive Borderlands movies, enter our competition and pre-order the game by visiting our Borderlands game hub.

Borderlands' control scheme, as you'd expect from the veteran developer, feels like a top-notch shooter. On Xbox 360 everything's in the right place. Click the left stick and you'll sprint, click the right and you'll pull out a knife. RB lobs a grenade, Y switches your weapon and A executes a very Halo-eseque floaty jump.

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Shooter fans will get to grips immediately with the familiar set-up then, but as soon as you've nailed your first headshot the game quickly reveals its RPG genes. Shoot a Mad Max-esque enemy and he'll literally bleed numbers, dropping colour-coded weapons, ammo (shaded for rarity, WoW fans) and experience points to feed the ever-present level bar at the bottom of the screen.

Borderlands, though on the surface appears to be a traditional first-person shooter, is about loot, mobs, agro and all the other terms assocciated with an MMO.

Plot-wise, the game takes place on the planet Pandora, a desolate wastelasnd full of bandits, mutants, killer giant ants and the rest of the cast seemingly nicked from id Software's Rage. Right in the middle of the tribal warfare and wild west code of conduct is your character foursome, each with their own unique skill trees and special abilities; there's Mordecai the hunter (sniper), Roland the soldier, Lilith the Siren (who can turn invisible) and Brick the human tank.

Each character has his or her own backstory but together they share a singular goal; to uncover the mysterious alien "Vault" hidden somewhere on Pandora. We think so, anyway - really the plot isn't very clearly presented and is just an excuse to kill Mad Max-style gang bosses (one's even called 'Mad Mel' - see the link?).

Kicking off your adventure is a sort of baptism of fire; running noob quest after noob quest. Barely escaping with your life from the rabid alien dogs you're tasked with killing isn't the most explosive introduction - as is a problem in most RPGs.

But once you've finished a few quests, levelled-up and lobbed the 'lady finger' pistol in the bin, you'll grab your newly-discovered incendiary shotgun, hop behind the wheel of Pandora's answer to a Warthog and send those bastard dogs fleeing for their lives, on fire.

Each class has their own unique skill; the soldier can chuck down a stationary turret, the hunter can call on his trusty hawk companion and Brick can go melee-mental in berserk mode. With each successive level-up you can upgrade these skills along various skill tree paths, opting to bolster your shooting skills, boost you unique ability or simply improve your chances or finding decent loot.

It's here that the first hints of Borderlands' meaty multiplayer focus emerge; exploring Pandora alone is a fun, but in co-op with three mates the campaign is undoubtedly a more enjoyable one.

Locations feel designed with four players in mind. The literally thousands of different combinations your characters can have in their skills and weapon loadout (Borderlands boasts over 750,000 procedurally generated guns, you may have heard) mean you'll have a really moreish time trying to discover the most successful combinations.

The game's main story quests are already pushed quite high in the difficulty department (you can try to storm through the plot but you'll quickly find your puny weapon struggling) but the challenge is bumped even further to accommodate co-op play, with tougher, angrier baddies.

The nature of the WoW-style 'fight through the fortress to the nasty boss character' quests means MMO and FPS players alike are likely to enjoy the challenge. Each class has its own role in the action as hunters move into sniping positions, and Brick charges in swinging to those wide-open areas.

Thanks to the procedural generation system when you open up a dusty chest in a wasteland shack you really don't know what you're going to get. The bazillion guns form a truly immense arsenal, ranging from pistols with scopes, shotguns that shoot bouncing energy balls and even fire-spurting sniper rifles.

The stupid amount of stats include damage, accuracy, fire rate, plus tons of other tweaks including recoil and fire, shock and acid modifiers. On top of that are grenade modifiers (want them to stick, bounce, flame?), shields and class modifiers with enough stats to keep you hunting and swapping until... well, until Aliens Colonial Marines comes out, whenever that might be.

The system doesn't only compliment the MMO-esque feel of the game, it's essential to it; the thrill of questing and building up your character is amplified by every discovery, plus the mad scramble that follows a defeated boss character tipping his rare loot on ground.

Though you're not going to count nearly a fraction of what's on show, the attention to detail is very impressive and adds a ton of depth to an already massive game, that does a brilliant job of celebrating the fun of RPG character development.

If you open the door expecting Fallout 3 with extra colours, you're likely to be put off by the sometimes dodgy enemy AI (imagine an axe-wielding mercenary standing perfectly still while you shoot him in the face) and the surprisingly poorly presented story.

But overlook-able faults aside, Gearbox has delivered one of meatiest, most wholly satisfying hybrids yet.

computerandvideogames.com
// Overview
Verdict
One of the meatiest and most all-round entertaining shooter-RPG hybrids of the generation - especially in co-op.
Uppers
  Nails shooter elements
  Offers a great sense of character progression
  Fantastic co-op play
  Incredible arsenal
Downers
  Occasionally rubbish enemy AI
  Poorly-presented story
// Screenshots
// Interactive
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Read all 36 commentsPost a Comment
Good score for a no doubt good Game.

Im going to have to pick this up at a later date though, even with all the delays there are still loads of Games i need to get. It will be Crying or Very sad or Very Happy depending on my wallet at the time.
StonecoldMC on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy
The_KFD_Case on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.
ricflair on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy
The_KFD_Case on 21 Oct '09
Got it through the door today and im loving it. Very Happy
Buggs_17 on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes
ted1138 on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes

If you are content to buy the second-rate setup that IW offers with "MW2", then how does my stance interfere with that, Ted? Answer: It doesn't. Now please vacate your bitter self from my vicinity. Cheers.
The_KFD_Case on 21 Oct '09
Got it through the door today and im loving it. Very Happy

Ouh! I'm a bit envious. Smile I'm eagerly awaiting my copy from ShopTo!
The_KFD_Case on 21 Oct '09
Well, it certainly looks like Microsoft is starting to get happy with the Ban hammer. More accounts/consoles are being banned for playing pre-release Borderlands - ah, it's so nice to read those! Seems, all the previews were very positive, so my only worry was that it would turn out like Hellgate, and get big hype that falls flat on it's face.
Chris W on 21 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes

Laughing
voodoo341 on 21 Oct '09
I received my copy on monday and im thoroughly enjoying it. Ive only just levelled up into double figures due to extra hrs at work i picked up (which i wish i hadnt now...!) but its great fun.

I'd like to add that i havnt been banned... yet, though they did say if you have a legit copy then just play away.

If anyone wants some co-op fun with this on the 360 when you get the game, just add me on xbox live Cool
pR!M8 on 21 Oct '09
Why dont you guys just buy MW2 on the 360!? Saves all that messing around with PC's.. Borderlands looks awesome!
afterFran on 21 Oct '09
My copy is in the post and will be delivered today!

WHOOP WHOOP! Hopefully I'll get to finish work early so I can get home to play it. Coming from Shopto too (using UKMail).
MPH on 22 Oct '09
waiting for my copy in the post too. Should give me something to do while sony fix my PS3 which has stopped reading discs. One day fine, the next it won't read a thing. Seems to be a recurring problem with sony hardware, the bloody optical drives always fail.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 22 Oct '09
Why dont you guys just buy MW2 on the 360!? Saves all that messing around with PC's.. Borderlands looks awesome!

It's certainly an option, however I personally tend to detest the clumsy controls for FPS games on console controllers compared to a keyboard and mouse setup. Sure, you can get used to them and after that some of them are quite good all things considered (ex. "Dead Space" and "GoW 2"Wink, but if I can get a FPS for the PC I usually will. Besides, "MW2" will graphically look better on my PC than on my Xbox 360 although I'm confident both will look good. As mentioned, for me it's now about more than just the physical aspects of the game - there's more at stake now.
The_KFD_Case on 22 Oct '09
I have the 360 version and played through a little of it,

Really liked it and I am looking forward to play more.
The graphics are really interesting.
The controls work really well.
Can't wait to have boss fights
shaftymorgan on 22 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes

Laughing

it wasnt actually that funny but i guess you find it funny because of your long running dispute with kfd? what do you think about borderlands?

8.5 is a good score and if its cheap i might get this for the PC, anyone know if its on steam?
pishers on 22 Oct '09
I have the 360 version and played through a little of it...

I'm gonna see if Blockbuster has it for rent and pick it up at the weekend if they do. How is the competitive multi-player BTW? I would be more interested in the game if the single-player rewarded you with some intense arena action and teamplay... for instance, it would be cool to do CTF, Conquest, Assault/Defend, etc where you and your friends would work together to get the right skill balance to take into multi-player matches. At the moment it seems like multi-player is a simple one on one affair in an arena with little features?
Chris W on 22 Oct '09

8.5 is a good score and if its cheap i might get this for the PC, anyone know if its on steam?

tis. at 10% off too.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 22 Oct '09


<snip>

8.5 is a good score and if its cheap i might get this for the PC, anyone know if its on steam?

You can buy "Borderlands" on Steam. Apparently it comes without any additional form of DRM beyond Steam itself.
The_KFD_Case on 22 Oct '09

8.5 is a good score and if its cheap i might get this for the PC, anyone know if its on steam?

tis. at 10% off too.

Still doesn't beat ShopTo's price of 19.99 GBP for the PC version! Very Happy

Update: Apparently ShopTo has increased the price to 24.85 quid; it's still a better deal though.

http://www.shopto.net/PC/GAMES/PCBO02-Borderlands.html
The_KFD_Case on 22 Oct '09
guess it depends how impatient you are. My copy of the 360 version should be satt on the matt at home now hopefully. Should of got it sooner but there was a screw up with my payment to thehut and they dragged their feet recitifying it. ah well.

With my PS3 packed off to the menders tomorrow, looks like everything's worked out ok.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 22 Oct '09
guess it depends how impatient you are. My copy of the 360 version should be satt on the matt at home now hopefully. Should of got it sooner but there was a screw up with my payment to thehut and they dragged their feet recitifying it. ah well.

With my PS3 packed off to the menders tomorrow, looks like everything's worked out ok.

Enjoy Monkey, and please do let me/us know what your first impressions are.
The_KFD_Case on 22 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes

If you are content to buy the second-rate setup that IW offers with "MW2", then how does my stance interfere with that, Ted? Answer: It doesn't. Now please vacate your bitter self from my vicinity. Cheers.


A fellow rejector of MW2!?

I LOVE YOU
The Kool Kid on 23 Oct '09
Pffft, how silly are all these boycotters going to feel when they slink back and buy the game a few weeks after launch date…and then get ultrapooned by all the other people who’ve had it since day one! Laughing

I’m not flaming when I state that it is my genuine belief that the large majority are barking and not biting - they will ultimately buy the game whatever!

They are hoping (understandably!) that IW will relent but really it’s all hurt pride and impotence - one sniff of the petition thread says it all…

Bunch of crybabies IMO!

Wink
PS3_fannyboy on 23 Oct '09
Sounds like they've copied CoD4's controls then.
dark_gamer on 23 Oct '09
Edited.
The_KFD_Case on 23 Oct '09
This sounds fantastic! I look forward to receiving my pre-order copy of "Borderlands" for the PC - it should help assuage some of the bitter disappointment at canceling my "MW2" pre-order. This game looks beautiful, seems fun and packs in two of my favourite genres in one. Lemme at it! Very Happy

Why did you cancel MW2 KFD, because of the news from last week?

And forgot to say this game looks great, saw the video on IGN and I must say it wasn't really on my radar before that.

Hi Ric.

I canceled my pre-order of "MW2" last night after reading through numerous posts, for and against, the petition. I had already signed the petition as an act of solidarity with the PC gamers scene and to show my dissatisfaction with IW/Activision. However, one post finally tipped the scales for me and I decided that despite being interested in "MW2" primarily for the single player campaign, the fundamental values at stake here outweigh my short term gaming desire. Many companies generally only recognize one type of vote - the money vote. They aren't democratic institutions and at the end of the day your influence only goes as far as your cash in that world (hence the power of stockholders, and at times customers too if they become organized enough and grow large enough). I may only be one "vote" or voice, yet I am one of many and when we speak out in unison the noise from the collective bellow becomes increasingly difficult to ignore by those who desire our money.

"Borderlands" does look bloody brilliant though, doesn't it?! Very Happy

FFS, would ye just get layed, or something..... Rolling Eyes

If you are content to buy the second-rate setup that IW offers with "MW2", then how does my stance interfere with that, Ted? Answer: It doesn't. Now please vacate your bitter self from my vicinity. Cheers.


A fellow rejector of MW2!?

I LOVE YOU

Right back at ya! Very Happy
The_KFD_Case on 23 Oct '09
Pffft, how silly are all these boycotters going to feel when they slink back and buy the game a few weeks after launch date…and then get ultrapooned by all the other people who’ve had it since day one! Laughing

I’m not flaming when I state that it is my genuine belief that the large majority are barking and not biting - they will ultimately buy the game whatever!

They are hoping (understandably!) that IW will relent but really it’s all hurt pride and impotence - one sniff of the petition thread says it all…

Bunch of crybabies IMO!

Wink

If I were to buy "MW2" it would be for the single player campaign, so the multi-player aspect you raise does not enter the equation in that aspect. Furthermore, last time I checked practice can overcome what you described. Wink

If the game isn't tied to an online activation, then I might buy it second hand down the line when it's low in price. That way Activision and IW do not benefit directly from my money. Very Happy The same goes for "Borderlands" after the latest s**tstorm broke. If I buy that game it will likely be a cheap, second hand copy of it for the Xbox 360 since it completely avoids the lame SecuROM the PC version comes with and doesn't reward the scum who are responsible for this.
The_KFD_Case on 23 Oct '09
Wasn't aiming that message solely at you dude, was just poking a bit of fun! Very Happy

That said, buying it on the 360 instead of the pc is surely a perfect example of somebody cutting off their nose to spite their face!

It won't look half as good on the 360 and you'll still be forced to use the matchmaking system if you want to take online - which let's face it you probably will!
PS3_fannyboy on 23 Oct '09
Wasn't aiming that message solely at you dude, was just poking a bit of fun! Very Happy

That said, buying it on the 360 instead of the pc is surely a perfect example of somebody cutting off their nose to spite their face!

It won't look half as good on the 360 and you'll still be forced to use the matchmaking system if you want to take online - which let's face it you probably will!

Hehe! Not to worry, I didn't take it as a personal dig at me. You're damn right I'm feeling spiteful! I'm tired of being treated like a leper by various companies because I prefer to play certain games on the PC. If they want to screw me over, I'll screw them right back. I will make sure that my money does not directly contribute to keeping this particular beastly approach alive. Apparently they won't learn the lesson with the apple, so now it's time for the rod.

Btw, I tried the MP for "CoD4" once for a few minutes after I completed the SP campaign. I haven't been back since, so I can easily see myself forego the MP for "MW2", especially if it's on the Xbox 360 which I have yet to connect to the 'net. Laughing
The_KFD_Case on 23 Oct '09
I've been playing all night long and it felt like the first time I played Diablo. The "ding" sound when your special ability is up is almost as satysfing as the "glup-glup" sound of the potions in Diablo. Firts game in the last years that's actually fun to play, with that "one more run" feel that leads to a purple new weapon and/or a few hours more of sleepless reckless carnage. Can´t wait to try some co-op gaming later today. Seriously, give it a try.
newtoneprods on 24 Oct '09
Sounds like fun Newton. I'd love to experience it for myself, but I swore an oath to myself that I would not knowingly support DRM schemes like the one that can be found in the PC version of "Borderlands". Thus I just canceled my pre-order. That's both "Borderlands" and "MW2" down in the space of just two days. Instead I've now opted to pick up Valve's "L4D2". Way to go numbskulls. Your "anti-piracy" features (which have yet to stop pirates, let it be pointed out) have just cost you two sales and I'm not alone. Absolute morons. In any other industry the chimps making these decisions would be fired, and rightfully so.

If I end up playing "Borderlands" it will either be a pirated version of the PC version, or a deeply discounted second-hand version of the Xbox 360 version so they don't get any profit from me. Yes, I said P-I-R-A-C-Y! Ooouuh! I don't f**king care about their bulls**t rules anymore (which are not actual law in a number of instances despite companies pulling off a very good attempt at making it appear so). If I'm going to have a bigger hassle than the pirates and they think I'm going to pay for that dubious "pleasure" then they've got another thing coming!
The_KFD_Case on 24 Oct '09
Decided to rent this last night for the weekend on the 360, and had a lot of fun playing so far - only scratched the surface of the game maps mind; and the first hour is slow for weapon drops, but after that the ball gets rolling and things got interesting. I'm currently playing as Mordecai, specialising in pistols and sniper rifles which is great in itself... however, every once in a while the game just drops some incredibly bizarre firepower in your lap - for instance, at the moment I have a revolver that deals more damage than your average rocket launcher!

TBH though, the shooting does feel a lot like Call of Duty (however, the jumping is high and floaty like Halo?), not as smooth, but the sensitivity is there and the button layout is nearly identical: L3 sprint, R3 męlée, L2 iron sights or scope, RB grenades, B duck, A jump, X reload, Y switch weapons. I kind of wish there was a demo because a lot of people are sceptical. It probably isn't for everyone, as the game is really an FPS Diablo - enemies re-spawn on some kind of timer, some faster than others.

For instance, you can walk the same map and clear the same enemies over and over and over again. But you get those shiny toys that drop to the grounds, and you look forward to anything other than white text on a drop. The four character classes are simple, with only one active ability each (LB), but the skill trees are reasonably large adding many passive abilities. It's simple, but fun, and the gun-play is pretty nice. AI is rudimentary, but the fun is in the numbers and frenetic situations when you are outnumbered or outgunned. So far it wasn't too hard, but I have only scratched the surface of the game, exploring a little way outside the main town, and briefly into a new map - so, I think there should be considerably more territory yet to cover.

Now I wouldn't want to be the one to say "rush out and buy it" though, as that is a dangerous recommendation to make to anyone especially those who really enjoyed the likes of Fallout 3 and Fable II as this really isn't in the same league; but... if you can pick it up cheaper than Ł30, and you fancy something that's going to keep you entertained for weeks, then this is the one to go for. I've played this a fair bit in the last two days, and like I mentioned at the top of the post, barely feel like I've scratched the surface.
Chris W on 24 Oct '09
As someone that found the combat in Fallout the weakest part of the experience I've been waiting for a game that has a more of a bias towards FPS controls.

Borderlands controls and shooting action feels perfect for me, it's just a shame that the world, the story and the attention to detail is nowhere near that of Fallout 3.

It's a shame as the basics are there for an amazing game but the lack of ambition results in a merely good to very good game. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying it, I knew what to expect from the reviews I read and I still can recommend it as an evolution on Phantasy Star Online when it comes to console MMO lites.

I would've liked to seen an extra year to make this the Fallout beater it could have been.

Go into it with the right expectations and it is a hell of a lot of fun.
ledickolas on 25 Oct '09
been playing it for a couple of days now and i'm inclined to agree with the previous comments. To an extent. I loved Fallout3, however I am also loving borderlands.To compare it to Fallout is a cowards move as apart from the camera postition and the perchant for bandits. the two have very little in common. I'd say it's closer to Diablo or Too Human( underrated gem IMO but thats another topic entirely).

As a shooter its solid and fun. the times when you get overwhelmed are frantic but not to the point of irritation. There is a definate sense of progression in the game. as you get new guns and abilities. You will notice, tough fights give you a sense of achievement afterwards. And atching someones head explode never seems to get tiresome.

Its arcade like and fun. Not deep on plot, but its there if you read between the lines.(a little like left for dead) speculating about pandora and its inhabitants is way more fun anyway.

In short don't compare it to fallout and you'll have a blast.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 26 Oct '09
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