1/2 Assed Review: Borderlands

by Todd "Winin" Edwards

Borderlands hits the sweet spot. For me, Borderlands has pretty much everything right. I can spot lots of bits from other games and movies, so, in a way, it doesn’t have a lot that blows me out of my chair due to newness, but it puts everything together in a unique way. The bottom line is that I’m really digging everything about the solo game, and it keeps me coming back for more. I haven’t been in a multiplaying session yet, so I can’t comment on that.

First: the gameplay. It is a FPS, but you level up, get gear, and do quests like in a RPG. Sounds like Fallout 3? The gameplay feels a lot like Fallout 3. Similar pace. So that means that combat isn’t as frantic and twitchy as your typical FPS. I’m playing through as a sniper, so the pace feels like a good match. It reminds me of my play through of Deus Ex. For loot, the guns and shields are all randomly generated (like the loot in Diablo), so it is fun to just kill and explore and hope for a good drop. When you do get new items, you can spend a few minutes looking over the stats to see if the new stuff is better. Since everyone’s gameplay style differs, there are no clear winners when it comes to gear. At least not at level 12.

Second: the setting. Wastelands sci-fi. I’ve loved this setting ever since my first game of Gamma World. Borderlands feels like a cross between Fallout and Firefly. The story is that you are on an alien planet and something (an AI? an angel?) is guiding you to find a vault containing alien technology. As you go through the short quests, you get more of the story of the planet. At level 12 (out of 50), it is starting to look like something on the planet is driving people mad. But the reapers (or mutants, or whatever they are) aren’t the only Firefly touch. The music is similarly awesome and fits the feel perfectly. Sorta twangy alt rock/country. Like Beck’s Loser. There are brief, freeze-frame cutscenes that introduce you to the NPCs (not unlike the style used in the movie Snatch). All the parts are good, and they blend together really well.

Third: the look. Living comic. You know how Champions Online tried to do the comic look, but (for me) it never really worked? Well Borderlands did it right. And playing this game shows what Champions did wrong. The textures. Here the textures aren’t realistic. They are hand drawn–like the panels in comic books. Champions had realistic textures with black borders. I never liked it. Here the comic book textures and the black borders make it so it looks like a comic when you are standing still, and it still looks that way when you are moving..

Fourth: the multiplayer. Well, I can’t really comment. It is pretty much a pve game, like Left 4 Dead. You can start a game server and hope (or invite) people to join, but it isn’t a mmo. I tried a few times to join games and to start games, but I could never successfully play with anyone. I want to try it, so I’ll keep at it. But in the mean time, the single player is fun. If anyone has a copy of the PC version, send me a PM and we’ll plan a time to play.

Fifth: the annoying. I bought it and play it through Steam, but I have to use Gamespy Arcade to do multiplayer. Wuh? Why can’t I use the friends list and such to start/join games? Seems like a no brainer. The multiplaying lounge is in game, and they built it around Gamespy, so I guess we are stuck with that. Does anyone remember their Gamespy accounts? I didn’t.

If you like wasteland settings and shooter games, you’ll probably like this one. I think it will appeal to people who like Fallout 3. If you want faster action, you might not like it. If you want deeper story lines, you might not like it. But if you don’t mind the pace, and you like the randomness of killing things while hoping for that perfect weapon to drop, you’ll like it. As for the feel, check out the preview videos and lots of other goodies on the site. The game feels a lot like that. I like this one.

So, in the end, I’ll play through the game once, then try out the second playthrough (all the monsters are tougher I think), and keep trying to get into some multiplaying action. I suspect I’ll have to organize out-of-game in order to get the good times rollin’ but hey, that’s what Multiplaying is for.