 ASHLEE (Penthouse Pet)
PRESENTATION
When I switched Borderlands on for the first time, I thought, “Wow, these graphics kick arse!” The game manages to combine a degree of realism with awesome, unique cell artwork, as if you’re in some kind of futuristic comic book or 1980s-style cartoon. I was impressed with the original game design and the humour amongst all the carnage and gunfire—the deluded ramblings of Tannis, graphic threats of violence from Psychos, and the hilariously arrogant cries of victory whenever you score a particularly good hit on a bad guy.
GAMEPLAY
It’s like a combination of Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto. You’ll spend your time completing missions in exchange for money, weapons and experience points, taking down a whole lot of enemies on the way. The missions do get a little bit repetitive, but Borderlands is more about statistical improvement and weapon acquisition than an in-depth storyline. Also, there is barely any penalty for ‘respawning’. You can run carelessly into a boss monster fight, firing huge guns hammer and tongs, and once you die, you simply respawn. Harsher penalties would make players think a little harder about their attack strategies, but since there are none: go for it!
MULTI-PLAYER/CO-OP
Borderlands is definitely best played with friends. When you kill an enemy, assorted rainbow-coloured loot flies from his corpse, and as it’s first come, first served, you need to play with people you trust to get a fair share of the rare and valuable items. I liked how when one player gets experience points, the other does, too, meaning you remain around the same level, preventing one player from getting significantly more powerful. Although I had fun playing on my own, it became much more fun and challenging when my boyfriend and I played Borderlands together.
VERDICT
One of the best multi-player games I’ve played (especially in the first-person shooter genre). If you like guns, violence, and maxing out your stats, then Borderlands is the game for you!
Four stars.
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 DAVE (Not a Penthouse Pet)
PRESENTATION
There are very few titles with such a stark visual style of vibrant colours set against a desolate background, and the cell-shaded comic-book approach came about quite by accident, with renderers tinkering with various visuals before settling on this ocular orgy. Sounds are scarce outside of skirmishes, and this helps with the immersion, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the vicious comments made by Mordecai as he popped a headshot or set Bloodwing off to decapitate an enemy, declaring: “Someone’s gonna get a treat”, as he swoops in to lop off a head.
GAMEPLAY
The developers describe Borderlands thus: “If an FPS and RPG had a baby…” And they’re not wrong. The game provides all of the frantic action that you would expect from Call of Duty, with a rewarding (if not particularly deep) levelling-up system similar to Fallout 3. As you cap your way across Pandora, a shower of stats and items rains from attacked/downed foes, littering the ground around them. You’ll discover a bevy of randomly generated guns, with literally millions of death-dealers to add to your arsenal. Inevitably, you’ll edge into the next mission in hope of that mega-rare shotgun or sniper rifle to round out your collection.
MULTI-PLAYER/CO-OP
As fun as it is on your own, with a few mates, Borderlands is off the chain. Supporting split-screen co-op play for two, or drop in/drop out online play for up to four, I found the whole experience to be a hoot, with minimal lag, even during boss battles. Each character’s skills come into play, and a more balanced approach will work in your favour, with tougher enemies scaled to the number of players, plus you can keep all the cash, weapons and XP when you leave, and use it in your single-player campaign…genius!
VERDICT
On your own, Borderlands is an absolute blast; grab a couple of buddies online and it’s a goddamned riot. Plus, any game with a tribute achievement set to ‘I’m on a Boat’ by The Lonely Island is a winner in my book.
Four and a half stars.
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January 20th, 2010 on 10:10 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ashlee Adams, Mary. Mary said: RT @ashleeadams: http://www.australianpenthouse.com.au/8945/game-review-borderlands/ Check out my Borderlands review for Australian Pent … [...]