Borderlands
Published by: 2K Games (Take-Two)
Developed by: gearbox software
Genre: RPG Shooter
Reviewed by: Shawn Hendrickson
Gearbox Software is a relative unknown in the gaming world to most people. First developing the Half-Life expansion games (Blue Shift and Opposing Force) they eventually went on to develop the Brothers in Arms series alongside fellow developers Ubisoft and Gameloft. Their latest game, Borderlands is almost certainly a game to bring this company into a more mainstream view.
Borderlands was published by 2K Games and released late October of 2009. Called a “role-playing shooter” the game features both elements of first-person shooters and role-playing games. While the game itself requires the player to walk the world in the gameplay of a first-person shooter, it also has numerous RPG elements such as the ability to level up (drastically increasing weapon damage) and a variety of abilities for the player to use in the game.
Though today’s game market is saturated with ultra-realistic (And processor-burdening) graphics, Borderlands uses a cel-shaded approach that gives the game an overall cartoony feel. This style of graphics is tied into the general feel of the game, which is fairly comedic and awesome. You know the game doesn’t take itself too seriously when one of the bosses is described in-game as “P.S. He’s not your friend.”
The story takes place on the desert world of Pandora, which was populated by colonization ships, drawn by the promise of rich minerals, in an effort to create a society there. However, the planet was quickly discovered to be devoid of any useful resources, and those rich enough to do so abandoned the planet, leaving the rest of the population behind to try and survive on the harsh desert world.
The player takes the role of one of four treasure hunters seeking the mysterious Vault, a place supposedly designed to provide for all needs in a type of Eden in the desert. However, as it quickly turns out, they aren’t the only ones searching for the Vault, and some other factions on the planet will stop at nothing to prevent the player from finding the Vault.
The gameplay in Borderlands is a cross between that in an RPG and a first-person shooter. In general, the player takes a first-person view of his/her gun-toting warrior. Combat is resolved in a typical first-person shooter fashion; there are enemies (Typically bandits or monstrous creatures across the planet) and the player has to use a trusty gun to take care of them. However, just being good at first-person shooters won’t help much. Enemies in the world of Borderlands are tough, and every level up takes the player one step higher on the damage chart. Even a single level can make the difference between dealing 10-20 damage to an opponent and hitting him for close to 100.
In addition to increasing weapon damage, the RPG system allows for the player to pick one of three skill paths for the character to take. Each path typically includes passive abilities that either improve the single active skill (A powerful ability on a cooldown) or allows the character to become better and better at blasting enemies. Even more impressive is that every single skill path (Of which there are 3 each for 4 characters) is entirely unique, adding great replay value to try out different character builds. It also helps that weapon spawns are entirely random, meaning that every playthrough of the game will be different from the last.
The one last thing that needs to be mentioned is the game’s multiplayer system. Despite being an RPG, the game can be played co-op with up to four players online in a seamless manner similar to Left 4 Dead. Though it features long load times, the online portion of the game has almost zero lag, allowing for fast and furious gameplay with a couple of friends.
If I had to pick one thing that this game does poorly, it would have to be that there isn’t much variety in enemies and missions. Enemies basically fall into one of two categories: bandits or beasts. While some are tougher than others, it makes the game feel very much like a grind-fest at times. Because of this lack of variety, a skilled player will be able to kill just about everything from afar with a couple of headshots with a sniper rifle.
Borderlands is definitely worth picking up, even if only for a rental. Its comedic nature along with its addictive gameplay and interesting story make it a fantastic game to give a play through. And if you do plan to purchase it? Well, just be prepared to spend hours trying out every character combination as well as playing the game over the Net with your friends.
Recap:
Borderlands is an excellent title featuring a great amount of laugh-out-loud moments, some interesting (And quite awesome) characters, and an interesting new style of graphics. It also includes a wide variety of guns and addictive gameplay with twelve different character/skill combinations, as well as some amazing online co-op play. Despite its lack of variety in enemy design, it’s definitely a fantastic title to pick up.
Final Score: 09/10 – Fantastic
