Borderlands was released on October 20, 2009 by 2K Games and Gearbox Software. The game is a first person shooter RPG and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.
It has been described as the first attempt at a First Person Shooter Role Playing Game, which is a very successful attempt. You play as one of four character types; the Hunter, Siren, Berserker and Soldier. Who you choose will ultimately affect your special techniques, but that’s it. It doesn’t matter how you kill and destroy as long as you kill and destroy- and there’s a lot to be done.
The story plops you down in the middle of a dangerous, backwater planet know as Pandora. A world of scavengers, deformed psychos and monster rejects from the movie The Relic give the player plenty of foes to contest with. And there are more than enough baddies to keep you busy throughout as you complete over 100 quests in search of the Vault. The legendary Vault is said to contain many treasures and ancient artifacts, and it’s up to you to find it. A mysterious woman guides you on your treasure-hunting journey, contacting you before and after important events that shape the tale.
Unlike Fallout, there is no morality system. This means that every decision you make isn’t judged and used to shape the story and how you play the game. When you shoot that mutated midget who comes out of nowhere, it doesn’t affect the game. Borderlands is strictly a shoot and loot game with, again, a lot of baddies. Depending on the type of character you choose in the beginning, firefights could turn out differently with each specialty.
The graphics in Borderlands are quite appealing to say the least. Everything has a cartoon-y outline to it that makes the environments and characters pop with life. The characters look as though they belong in the world you’re traversing, and they sound like backwoods hillbillies, which also makes them fit. The game has a plethora of weapons to use and upgrade with individual designs and a unique feel to each of them. The developers definitely took the time to polish these features and focus on the details of this title. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that the detail of the environments wouldn’t load right away after a loading screen. This was something I noticed early on, as well as throughout much of my playthrough, but it wasn’t something that hindered my game play.
The controls left me feeling in control and everything was quick and responsive according to my playing style. I found myself able to reload and switch weapons sufficiently in the middle of huge gun battles, and I loved the customization mid-battle. Driving the vehicles is what threw me off since they were too quick for me to actually get a handle. The driving mechanics are reminiscent of Halo, but way too loose for my kind of playing. Again, it wasn’t too much of a hindering factor, as everything else seemed to exceed my expectations.
One aspect of the Borderlands that multiplies the fun tremendously is the ability to gather three of your friends and play the story together. It really shows how much fun you can have when playing with others because it ups the ante on the level of enemies and just how many there are.
For example, one of my friends is a level 14 Hunter, so all of the enemies we faced were leveled accordingly. This helped me level up and use certain weapons and equipment I wouldn’t have been able to use so early on in single player. When looting enemies and crates, it is important to communicate and share weapons, ammunition, and even money if you’re looking to upgrade your weapons or buy health packs. Although, you can choose to ration the supplies between your teammates, or horde everything for yourself. The decision is up to you as your group fights through Sledge’s Safehouse. ;-)
The bottom line is that Borderlands is extremely addicting and had me up until the wee hours of the morning saying, “Okay, one more mission.” Then, the sun rose six missions later and I had no idea where my night went. The replay value is quite high, and the endless customization, missions and enemies will keep you coming back for more. I highly recommend adding this title to your collection. Borderlands gets a 8 out of 10!
Still writing, still believing…
-V
