Borderlands - 9/10
Borderlands is an enthralling adventure in the fictional futuristic land of Pandora, where crime and savage beasts run riot. Set in a harsh desert location, countless brave mercenaries arrive with a one-way ticket to embark on a dangerous quest to find an elusive Alien Vault- a mythical horde of untold riches hidden somewhere across the vast landscape. The land is sprinkled with a few friendly towns featuring interesting country folk and helpful robots, and choc-full of expendable enemies varying in appearance, abilities and strength.
Players are first greeted by a rusty, fortified bus hurtling across the barren desert filled with some eager new Vault seekers. Ploughing through a dog-like creature known as a ‘skag’ on its way, the bus eventually arrives at a small outpost where a uni-cycling helper robot is waiting to greet the newcomers. This is where players select their protagonist to begin their quest
From left to right: Roland (soldier), Lilith (siren), Mordecai (sharpshooter) and Brick (berserker)
Graphics
The first thing to strike people new to Borderlands is undoubtedly the rather unique graphics the developers have opted for. Rather than going for either realistic or animated imagery, Gearbox Software have opted for a mix of the two in a cel-shaded graphical approach. In an age where first impressions are everything, this was a risky decision, and I must admit it was quite a turnoff for me at first. As the game progresses though, you will soon find yourself so enthralled in the game world that the cel-shading appears almost normal. In fact, it took little time for me to actually grow quite fond of the concept, though never quite grabbed me to the extent that Call of Juarez or GTAIV did with their photo-realistic textures.
Lilith posing with a ClapTrap
Beyond that, the graphics are unremarkably good- there’s no real ‘wow’ moments, but there’s also a lack of any real graphics glitches which is great to see. The creatures in the game are really well designed and even the same species type has a lot of variations (in size, colour and even special effects such as flaming skin or spurting acid). My only gripe here (and it is very minor) is the rare incidence of ‘invisible walls’ that impede vehicular travel beyond where the developers intend them to be driven. I never found myself standing still gazing around in awe like I do in other games, but the graphics are clean, crisp and best of all bug-free.
Gameplay
Gameplay overall in BL is fantastic, and I’m finding it difficult to even pinpoint any areas where it lets itself down. The whole game is pieced together so well that it all feels very natural, without any annoying glitches or clunkiness getting in the way of the fun.
The game plays very much like Fallout 3 with the noticeable exclusion of time-stopping VATS and a greater emphasis on FPS. BL also features a map littered with ‘containers’ to loot for money and equipment, and any killed enemies can also be denuded of their valuable assets. All this looting leads to a natural desire to accumulate the best weapon set available, which can also be aided by spending cash at vending machines.
Containers such as this one can be opened to reveal a supply of ammunition, shields and/or weapons
I think the key to the fluidity and enjoyment is a greater emphasis on ease of play rather than realism, such as in the following points:
• There’s no huge turning circle like in GTA4. The player’s character is very responsive and agile.
• Players can jump super-humanly high, which can be put to great use in the game navigating to sniping spots, secret areas, or attacking a base from a weak point
• Vehicles are well implemented, but there’s also infinite sprint which is great (almost essential even) for traversing the large map where vehicles are not available. BL has also borrowed the ‘fast travel’ concept for moving to distant areas quickly and easily
• Health, shields and even ammo can regenerate over time
• If you die, the game will simply take a percentage of your money and you’ll respawn at the nearest checkpoint, with all previously slain enemies still dead
• The player’s action ability (in Mordecai’s case, a predatory bird) is well balanced- not too strong, but still very useful
• There is just the right level of auto-aim, without going as far as GTA’s lock-on system, but infinitely easier than taking down enemies without using VATS in F3. Skill is still required to target enemies, but there’s none of that frustrating and tedious surgical precision required.
As I said before, I’m actually finding it hard to pick any downsides here, and I just can’t stress enough how well Gearbox have done in making BL fun. It seems so many games have their priorities wrong these days with enjoyable gameplay taking a backseat to high-res graphics and realism, but not in this case.
One criticism I do have is that the story is quite weak. I found myself completely tuning out when NPCs were adding to the story, because it was just of little interest to me and although there were a few minor twists and turns, the objective of the game was always quite simple and one-dimensional: Find the Vault and annihilate everything standing in your way.
A major point that I should add here is the limited free-roaming experience that BL provides. Whilst not strictly linear, the game is not nearly as open as the average free-roaming sandbox title. The game world consists of a number of inter-linked areas, varying in size and terrain, which can be moved between via a lengthy loading screen. In each of these areas the freedom of movement is still somewhat limited, with large rock formations, cliffs, and even the occasional ‘invisible wall’ preventing players from escaping the confines of the map.
One of the structures scattered over the vast but restricting Pandora landscape. A sharp eye will note the hidden containers in hard-to-reach places
As for quests, BL offers enough variation to keep it interesting, but never quite reaches the depth and differences in missions that kept GTAIV so exciting and fresh. Most quests are typically RPG in nature, in that the main objective is either to kill or collect (and often a combination of the two). Easier quests involve culling a number of small creatures, searching a certain location for pieces of a weapon that someone has inexplicably broken apart and hidden in hard-to-reach places, or collecting a number of items (eg. crystals). Tougher quests include gladiator-like arena battles, and of course ‘boss’ battles, which are varied in nature but typically too easy. That’s not to say that the enemy is under-powered, but in most situations I found a relatively safe sniping point or tactic which allowed me to take them down with ease. The quests don’t seem repetitive as such, since the variation in bad guys does manage a fair amount of diversity, but they could certainly have used a bit more imagination in quest design. Amongst other things, I would’ve loved to see vehicles play a more prominent role (I know there is actually a race track in one area, a wager-based race would have been fantastic).
Level System
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from playing games over the years, it’s that a leveling system with customisable weapons and armors is a guaranteed winner, and that’s exactly what this addictive title provides.
Experience points are awarded for every kill, mission completed or achievement fulfilled. There are plenty of these achievements to complete, and they offer varying EXP rewards based on their difficulty- Some are quite tough (such as getting a certain number of critical hits, usually headshots) and some are so easy that you’ll find yourself inadvertently completing these as you play through the game (such as firing a certain amount of bullets, running a number of enemies over, etc).
This in-game screenshot shows EXP earned for gunning down a Psycho
As your level increases, so too does your maximum health, damage, and equipment available for use. As with F3 and many other similar titles, a level increase also allows a skill point to be spent on a certain ‘perk’ of choice. The first of these perks unlocks your player’s action skill (a strong skill unique to that character class, such as a temporary automated turret) and each subsequent skill point can be spent on minor upgrades such as faster reloads, more bullet damage, better critical hit ratios, etc.
With each level upgrade comes a skill point to spend on a desired perk, such as these ones specific to Brick
The level cap is set at 50, but even a thorough play through will see players barely pushing level 35, and with EXP required for each level increase growing exponentially you would need to be a committed player to reach the limit. There is a slight balancing issue with the levelling system, in that a battle against an enemy who is one level higher is a very tough assignment, whereas returning later (and a little more battle hardened) should allow you to crush even supposedly tough enemies despite just being several levels higher. The average critters become little more than an annoyance very quickly because they offer little EXP and deal next to no damage, which prompted me to simply ignore them as they nip and bite at my ankles, or use my action skill to take care of them for me.
Unfortunately, once the player reaches about level 35 there appears to be no real challenging enemies to fight. Maybe I just haven’t found them yet, but it becomes increasingly difficult to find ways to earn significant amounts of EXP at higher levels.
Equipment
A much-hyped aspect of BL, the variation in weapons does not disappoint. Players will discover an almost limitless array of weapon variations, centred around the following main classes: assault rifle, shotgun, SMG, RPG, revolver, pistol and sniper rifle. Weapons can be earned from completing particular missions, looting enemies or containers, or buying from weapon-dispensing vending machines. Basic weapon variants consist of raw damage, rate of fire, accuracy and reload speed, with many also featuring scopes and elemental damage, and a select few even possessing rare special abilities. Elemental damage comes in the form of green corrosive acid, fire, explosive bullets and electrically charged rounds. In terms of special abilities, some RPGs may auto-fire six rockets in quick succession or a few simultaneously, some pistols have an unlimited clip size (require no ammo or reloading), some have automatic ammunition regeneration, the list goes on and on. All these features come together in a mish-mash of epic proportions to create an almost infinite number of possible weapon attributes.
A Burning Psycho charging well-equipped protagonists
Other key elements of your equipment include shields, ‘Class Mods’ and grenade variants. Shields vary in their damage resistance and regeneration time, and many even have special defence mechanisms- such as releasing a burst of acid when depleted. Class mods are valuable attachments that can boost your character’s perks or introduce new ones. Unsurprisingly, there are many many combinations of these, and their abilities such as health and ammo regeneration are invaluable (especially in multiplayer). Grenade mods allow ordinary grenades to be given different abilities or characteristics- for example they may acquire corrosive elemental damage, they may turn into ‘bouncing betties’ or sticky grenades, and my personal favourite (‘Transfusion’) converts enemy damage into a slight health boost.
As better weapons, shields and mods are found or bought throughout the game, an endless swap and sell ensues as the perfect equipment set is sought based on your style and preference, and the ease with which they dispense of particular enemies. Carrying capacity is limited though, with just a few slots available at first for all your equipment. Specific side quests can increase this limit, with my current slot capacity being 36 (which, considering I only keep one shield and five weapons, is more than sufficient). Also of note is that the more you use a weapon type, the more proficient you become at using it, decreasing your reload time and increasing the damage associated with all weapons of that class.
Villains
I’ve already alluded to the variation in enemy units in this game, and I think it’s worth going into a bit more detail. Bad guys come in two main forms- human bandits, or savage animals. Not only do enemies of the same class often differ in their preferred weapon and level, but there are occasionally semi-boss types with special elemental abilities or ‘badass’ units that are significantly stronger (and more ghastly) than their minions.
Bosses provide tough opposition with their sheer size and strength
Humans
Human enemies come in many shapes and sizes, from shotgun-wielding midgets to steroid-munching brutes. Later in the game, players will also come across heavily armoured infantry with high tech weapons and special abilities such as turret placement. The badass form of these infantry wield large shields that leave almost no weak point. Targeting any body part other than their head will cause no damage, meaning several accurate shots or tactical use of elemental damage and your action skill are required to take them out. My personal favourite human opponent would undoubtedly be the Psycho class. These insane hockey-mask wearing madmen come charging with their axe drawn, with little regard for their well-being. In fact, they will not hesitate to pull out a grenade and come running at the player in suicide-bomber fashion, with a maniacal laugh to boot. The most common human enemy takes the form of a criminal wanderer with weak armor and an assault rifle or shotgun, who can also occasionally be found riding around in vehicles with mounted machine guns.
Villains can be found cruising the flats preying on unsuspecting victims
Other
From dog-like skags to tall alien guardians, the creatures of Borderlands never cease to surprise and threaten players of any level. Nine main species exist, the main ones are as follows:
• Skags: Burrow-dwelling little savages that bark and growl
• Spider-ants: As the name suggests, these are a cross between spiders and ants, with strong shells but a vulnerable abdomen
• Rakk- Very annoying screeching flying creatures that swoop in packs, inflicting significant damage and are terribly difficult to target and kill
• Guardians: Tall, intriguing and glowing, these Vault protectors are strong and agile aliens that use large scythes or energy weapons to protect the Vault’s contents
Spider-ants erupt from the ground and attack in numbers
Overall, the AI isn’t bad, but it’s not fantastic. Human enemies will actively seek cover and alert others to your presence, as well as aiming for any explosive barrels you may be near. Whether intentional or by chance, animals seem to be adept at flanking the player as well.
There were, however, several times where I noticed some pretty tough Guardians coming to get me, but in their excitement they strafed a little too far and disappeared off the edge of a cliff! Sniping from distance will also occasionally cause no alarm to bad guys, human or otherwise, who stand patiently while you pick them off one by one with your rifle.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode in BL consists of co-op only. You and up to 3 others team up to help complete the host’s quests (or just mess around!), with bad guys strengthened according to how many players are in the game. Experience and cash rewards are shared around, but ammo and equipment are kept by the looting player. This inevitably results in selfish hoarding by one or more of the players, meaning others (who tend to do most of the shooting) are left with little loot and may even find themselves out of ammunition. Players joining lower-level games will find the going very easy, destroying enemies with negligible injury to themselves; and the opposite is true for beginners.
Duels can be initiated between two players by way of a melee attack. The two players involved then fight to the death in a relatively meaningless and chaotic 1v1 battle.
Take on the villains of Pandora with up to 3 friends in Co-Op mode
Unfortunately, and as with many other games, BL multiplayer is not immune from lag. Despite only minor, it soon becomes impossible to take out agile critters with the usual mix of reflexes and accuracy. I was forced to abandon my sniper rifle and opt for a bullet-spraying SMG or shotgun to have any success. Another significant issue is that of the aforementioned loot-hoarding, causing other players to be left empty handed both in terms of rewards and ammunition. If you get that lonely feeling playing solo, and insist on multiplayer,, then I’d recommend just 1 or 2 mature friends with headsets- should be a blast.
Summary
BL sacrifices realism in many departments for an enjoyable gaming experience, which proves to be an exceptionally good trade-off. It’s truly an incredibly fun game, and the leveling system and variation in equipment create an addictive and enthralling adventure. I highly recommend this, one of the best PS3 games to date.
Graphics- 9
Definitely different, but Gearbox manage to pull it off. I’d still prefer realistic textures, but the guns, effects and characters are still impressive with a noticeable lack of any graphics glitches.
Sound- 8.5
I’m not one to care that much about sound, but I must admit it’s quite good. Enemy war cries have an eerie and frightening element, and guns have many different sound effects. Gunfights in 5.1 surround had me looking over my shoulder on more than one occasion!
Gameplay- 9.5
Absolutely fantastic. Brilliant, addictive and...I’m lost for superlatives. Missions maybe lacked a little creativity, but that’s barely a blight on a game that knows how to focus on fun.
Longevity- 8.5
The story mode is reasonably long, with plenty of side quests to help level up and improve your skills. Unfortunately, a very easy multiplayer game or further play throughs is the only way to extend its life beyond the main quest
Multiplayer- 7
In the right conditions, multiplayer can be a ball. Leveling imbalances and lag can ruin the experience though, as well as selfish players (though I’m divided as to whether that’s the game’s fault or not)
OVERALL: 9/10
Chuz
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