Borderlands Review: Cross that border
Borderlands is an fps game developed by gearbox with the intent to integrate an rpg style level up system into the game, or a role playing shooter as they dubbed it. It combines modern fast shooter controls with the diablo style loot collection system and an addicting level up system. Borderlands is set on the planet Pandora, and casts you in the role of 1 of 4 mercenaries searching for a legendary vault said to contain vast wealth or power. You choose from 4 very different characters, each with their own unique abilities. The world is a fallout like wasteland filled with dangerous creatures, raiders and loot. You will get missions in a way not unlike world of warcraft, and you can do this alone or with a group of up to 4 human players. The game attempts to meld some core elements of rpg's with the base gameplay of shooters, and the result is shockingly successful.
The story is not exactly at the centre of Borderlands. You arrive on a bus on Pandora, and you need to find the vault. That is the story really, though there is some interesting lore for those interested in looking, albiet its never explored in the game. Borderlands has a really attractive art style which really sets it out and makes it distinct from any other shooter on the market. Its like a watercolour painting and it looks great. What could have been a big brown world is filled with colour and great little artistic additions. The landscape is broken up into large areas where toy can explore, and this makes the world feel huge while still leaving it open to traversal. There is some background for each selectable character, and the npc's often have fun stories and the lore of Pandora itself is good to see but none if this is well integrated into the core game.
The music in the game is good, but the voice work really shines on some of the more colourful characters. There are many strange characters with questionable level of sanity in this world, and it is their voicing which really characterises them. The game has a great sense of dark humour which really enriches the world and makes it interesting to explore. The crazy characters like Commandant Steele, Crazy Earl, Dr. Zed and T.K. Baha are all really well vocalised and this really helps the characters to play their roles in the game. The guns sound nice, with audible differences in the fire of weapons with subtle enhancement changes between them. The sounds of enemies, both human and wildlife, are equally well done. Skags roar and growl, blood thirsty midgets scream as they charge and yelp when gunned down.
Completing quests for characters will net you loot and experience, allowing you to unlock new abilities, advance in the game and get new weapons. The game has a huge amount of weapons, though many of them differ little from each other. Elemental damage plays a huge role in weapon selection, giving you the option to fire acid at enemies, or fire or even electricity. There are a decent variety of enemies, with the wildlife of the planet being the staple. The game has the conventions of modern shooters while brilliantly integrating the levelling up system that makes this game an addictive one to play. Collecting loot and bigger better weapons, meaningful character progression, a well designed difficulty curve and scaling enemies and smart shooter conventions make Borderlands a really accessible and fun game to play, and you can do it all with up to 3 friends. There are some very impressive boss fights in the game also, though technical issues did detract from some of these encounters.
Speaking of technical issues, there are some here. The games frame rate does drop at points were the action is becoming frantic and many enemies are on screen at once. The AI is also questionable at times, with poor path finding and strategy resulting in some miserably easy kills. These are easy to overlook in a game this fun, and never become overly annoying. The interface can be annoying. Objectives are not always well displayed, and there is no way to trade with other players except just dropping items on the ground, and this cannot be done with money. This can be a problem when playing online with strangers, as there is no guarantee that you won't be screwed and lose an item in return for nothing. These issues do not significantly detract from the experience, but they are a niggling issue that holds the game back from reaching its potential.
The game feels like it was built for co op play. Vehicles can carry more than 1 person, enemies become more powerful when other players join the game, and loot becomes higher quality also. Team play can be really fun and multiplayer works really well in this game, even online. You can duel other human players, and there are even arenas set aside in the world for this purpose. Playing this game with a group of friends is so fun and really improves the experience, clearly being the best way to play the game. Enemies scale really well, and become even more powerful when there are multiple players so the game is not necessarily any easier with a party. Loot drops are also improved and the lengthy campaign can be done completely in co-op.
Borderlands is a really fun shooter which has brilliantly woven rpg elements into its structure. Its co op is fun and great for a group of friends to play together. The enemies are fun to face and varied. The world is large and filled with loot. Leveling up characters can take a long time, and is addictive, adding huge playability to Borderlands. The stylised visuals are very attractive to watch, and make the game very distinctive. The game has a minimal story and some issues but these are not enough to stop it being a great game for a romp, alone or with friends. Borderlands is pure fun to play, and only a lack of core substance and a strong story element along with a selection of bugs hold this game back. Borderlands took me around 25 hours to finish on my first playthrough, and the game has a plethora of great DLC that makes the game even better.
Pros:
- Lots of weapons
- Long campaign
- Good multiplayer game
- Boss fights are impressive in scale
- Lovely art style
- Loot and levelling up are addictively fun
- Great DLC content that meaningfully enhances the game experience
Cons:
- Bare minimal story
- Poor interface that is clunky to use
- Frame rate slows in heavy action
- Odd AI behaviour that gets caught on corners and terrain at times
Wtf:
- The last boss was beaten by standing still and shooting it....repeatedly
Score:
- 7/10
