Bubba
11-03-10, 01:22
As I have just completed this (well, the first playthrough) I thought I'd add another little review :)
A new term has been coined for Borderlands: RPS - Role Playing Shooter. I would kinda disagree with this being the first game to go with this idea, as the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games follow a similar concept - but these games are quite different. While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tries to present a realistic world (pity about the legs!), Borderlands presents a very cartoon-like environment, and is awash with pop-culture references.
If you could imagine S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with the mechanics of Diablo II, but which looked like Fallout 3 through the eyes of a 5 year old you may be getting close. Indeed, much of the games mechanics are very similar to Diablo II - even the weapons are colour coded by rarity, to the extent of using the same colours! You level up by gaining XP for missions & killing opponents, and you recieve a skill point on each level up which lets you advance on a three-pronged skill tree. Going back to an area you have previously visited and your enemies respawn... if you have played Diablo II this may all sound very familiar :)
To be fair the storyline is not the strongest and the ending is - well le't say it competes with Half-Life 2 for the omgwtf effect. But these are only really there to make you explore every inch of the maps, which can be pretty huge. There is a vehicle (with 3 guns), but you find that this is used more for getting from A to B than combat as, well, the guns are the fun part of the game.
Indeed due to how the guns are randomly generated (*cough* Diablo II) there is a possible 17 million different weapons. This is both good and bad, as you occasionaly find a great weapon (dropped by a boss or larger opponent, or in a gun locker), but you have to wade through literaly hundreds of dross weapons to find one better than the one you are using. You also can carry a 'class' modifier, which basically changes levels on the skill tree or adds abilities to your weapons. Again these are random, so finding a good one can be a chore.
Add on to the above the ability to play co-op of up to four players, with the difficulty ramped according to team size, and you end up with a highly enjoyable game. At times it becomes a bit of a grind, but the storyline and comedy elements kept me hooked until I had completed it. Me and a pal are about to play it through as a two-man team, and I must admit I am looking forward to the experience. I can't see it being a game I play through many times, but the 35hrs it took me for the first playthrough shows it has some depth.
In short - worth a try!
B.
A new term has been coined for Borderlands: RPS - Role Playing Shooter. I would kinda disagree with this being the first game to go with this idea, as the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games follow a similar concept - but these games are quite different. While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tries to present a realistic world (pity about the legs!), Borderlands presents a very cartoon-like environment, and is awash with pop-culture references.
If you could imagine S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with the mechanics of Diablo II, but which looked like Fallout 3 through the eyes of a 5 year old you may be getting close. Indeed, much of the games mechanics are very similar to Diablo II - even the weapons are colour coded by rarity, to the extent of using the same colours! You level up by gaining XP for missions & killing opponents, and you recieve a skill point on each level up which lets you advance on a three-pronged skill tree. Going back to an area you have previously visited and your enemies respawn... if you have played Diablo II this may all sound very familiar :)
To be fair the storyline is not the strongest and the ending is - well le't say it competes with Half-Life 2 for the omgwtf effect. But these are only really there to make you explore every inch of the maps, which can be pretty huge. There is a vehicle (with 3 guns), but you find that this is used more for getting from A to B than combat as, well, the guns are the fun part of the game.
Indeed due to how the guns are randomly generated (*cough* Diablo II) there is a possible 17 million different weapons. This is both good and bad, as you occasionaly find a great weapon (dropped by a boss or larger opponent, or in a gun locker), but you have to wade through literaly hundreds of dross weapons to find one better than the one you are using. You also can carry a 'class' modifier, which basically changes levels on the skill tree or adds abilities to your weapons. Again these are random, so finding a good one can be a chore.
Add on to the above the ability to play co-op of up to four players, with the difficulty ramped according to team size, and you end up with a highly enjoyable game. At times it becomes a bit of a grind, but the storyline and comedy elements kept me hooked until I had completed it. Me and a pal are about to play it through as a two-man team, and I must admit I am looking forward to the experience. I can't see it being a game I play through many times, but the 35hrs it took me for the first playthrough shows it has some depth.
In short - worth a try!
B.