Borderlands Review

By Jim Rossignol Published 20 October, 2009

A diabolical influence.

Version tested: PC

The shooter genre needed this. Elements of role-playing games have been creeping in all over FPS games in the past few years, but in Borderlands it's a wholesale hybridisation. Not, I should point out, in terms of choices, story and consequences - that remains with the likes of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - but with loot, levels, stats, skills and fiddling about in your inventory to max out your character. Gearbox says it's created a role-playing shooter, an RPS (which sounds strangely familiar to my ears), and that means you'll be playing a shooter that feels a lot like, well, like an MMO.

The common touchstone for talking about Borderlands' RPG influence has been Diablo, but I think until the third Diablo game comes out it's probably just as - if not more - valid to mention that Borderlands exhibits a large number of MMO-like characteristics. This feeling is at its strongest in the opening areas of the game, where you're picking up missions, running back and forth across small areas of the map, collecting loot and killing low-level punks and mutant dog-lizard things. Just like most mainstream MMOs, Borderlands takes time to hit its stride, and you're hours in before you really start to appreciate the approach Gearbox has taken. That's not to say it's not an entertaining game from the outset - because it is - just that it really does take time to unload all its tricks and have you revel in them.

There are a couple of reasons for this slow build. One is that you're probably going to play the first bit of the game on your own. And that's fine: single-player in Borderlands is entirely valid, and fun. But the sense remains that there's something missing. This is filled when you start playing co-op, because one of the most obvious mechanisms in the game suddenly makes sense.

'Borderlands' Screenshot 1

They're not wanting a for a good meal, these post-apocalyptic gas-mask types.

That's the "second wind", in which you're granted some time to try and get a kill when you're reduced to zero health. Murder a bad dude and you get back to your feet and continue to fight. However, when you're playing solo this often means you're dying in some corner you've retreated to, with nothing to shoot, or no hope of killing what's in front of you. In co-op, it's the window in which friends rush to your aid and pull you to your feet. It suddenly becomes a sensible idea that boosts the experience for everyone involved. All signs point to co-op.

Co-op is arguably how Borderlands is meant to be played. While the quests in the single-player are adequate to the task of keeping you occupied and entertained, the ludicrous ramping of enemy numbers and power when friends join makes the experience far, far more chaotic, and therefore more entertaining. Being able to keep each other going in that Gears-of-War-buddy-system way means that large fights can roll on without you have to beat a hasty retreat from heavy resistance. The way the game scales, the character types overlapping, means that any number suits the game. Two or three players is just fine, no matter what the task at hand. The soldier character can even act as a healer, shooting health into his team-mates, while plenty of other passive effects from each of the characters boosts the group in various ways.

'Borderlands' Screenshot 2

These giant insects are formidably armoured from the front, and pansies from the back.

With four players, it's a riot, and they can drop in and out as you go. Campaigns are set up so you can get three other people to come in and join your particular quest arc. As the host it's your storyline people will enter, but they still benefit from being there: levels, weapons, and missions collected in the online game transfer back to everyone's single-player game, with anything that's out of your level band simply inaccessible until you've got to a higher level. I suspect playing with strangers might be a bit of a task, mind you, as there's no loot binding, and anyone can pick up anything. So watch out for loot-hoovers.

It's worth noting that playing a high-level game with a low-level chum as sidekick means that you power-level the low-level character. They will, of course, get hammered by the high-level enemies, no matter how much you tweak and add shield capacity to that newbie inventory, but it's a very speedy way to get someone to catch up, and to get their inventory full of new kit.

And this is very much about tweaking in the inventory. Borderlands drops loot like a brain-damaged burglar. The entire world is heaving with money, weapons, health vials, shields, grenade mods and class modules - all of which you have to slot into limited inventory space. You're constantly examining stuff - via handy pop-up dialogues - to see how it compares to this sniper rifle or that sub-machinegun.

You develop favourites as you play, and start to actively seek out particular mixtures. Weapons have a number of variables, including rate of fire, accuracy, reload rate, damage, and various other modifiers, such as whether they deal extra "elemental" damage. That means setting things on fire, corroding stuff, and so on. This loot-gathering becomes compulsive, especially since the possibilities for drops are so vast. You just have to keep searching for that perfect rifle, that suitable shield that happens to heal as you play. (Pro-tip: get that kind of shield.)

The other reason the game picks up after some time investment is that it expands slowly. The starting area is surprisingly large, but you run out of novel things to do rather rapidly. As the game moves into its core hub, the town of Newhaven, you begin to see the true scope of it, and to genuinely need the fast-travel system you've unlocked, and the weaponised buggies that can be procured at outposts across the landscape. Borderlands is a towering slice of gameworld, larger than half a dozen straightforward shooters put together.

The Borderlands world, as you've no doubt already seen, is a kind of science-fiction post-apocalypse. It's an alien world covered with the trash of war and messy colonisation. While the tech level is high, thanks to shadowy space corporations who once exploited the world, the state of things is backward and mangled. It's a world of robots and computers filled with shotgun-toting rednecks and cannibal mutants baying for blood. Gearbox has realised it beautifully, and it's a fantastic place to go adventuring.

By this stage in the review the shooter fans are probably screaming to know what Borderlands is actually like as a shooter. Well, it's a better gun-game than Fallout 3, and that's because it is in many respects an fairly traditional FPS. It's got a Halo-style shield recharge, and whether you hit someone largely depends on your personal skill, although there is some spread and wobble in the different guns, which I presume is defined by the accuracy stat. Headshots do more damage, although it's a "critical" in this case, and that may or may not be a kill depending the other factor the game introduces: level difference.

'Borderlands' Screenshot 3

Brick is what Vinnie Jones will be like when we fire him through space onto another planet.

It's not the case that the game simply levels up with you, although it does to some small degree. Enemies will be higher or lower level than you depending on the area you're in and the mission you are doing. Fighting enemies at a similar or lower level than yourself makes the experience rather like a typical FPS, with enemies taking just a couple of hits to go down. Higher-level or "named" enemies, however, will need to be pumped full of damage to be defeated. It's not realistic, but it is highly entertaining. Weapons feel right: the effects are beautifully moderated so that when you get something more powerful, with a higher rate of fire, you really know about it. Fast-firing bazookas are a near-comedy mode of killing things.

The enemies are generally rather entertaining too, but they do run out of interesting tricks long before the game is finished. The non-human creatures are often boringly straightforward - they have one area you need to aim for to take them down with criticals, and they'll generally just charge at you. Humanoid enemies are rather more challenging, as they will retreat, use cover, and fire at where they last saw you.

There is a modicum of intelligence to them, but it regularly fails, with enemies freezing or failing to use cover in a useful way. They are entertaining to fight, however, especially when you're up against a selection of bandits. These come in a pleasant range of mutated varieties: slow-moving bruisers with heavy machineguns, flaming hatchet-chucking psychos, and nippy little midgets with shotguns that blast them onto their arses.

Nevertheless, the repetition in Borderlands is basically unavoidable, because the game is so long and so huge. While most shooters are over in a few hours, Borderlands demands considerably more time to get through. Despite the pay-off of ultraviolent gun action, it does get grindy, especially in a solo game. I lost track of quite how long it took me, but I'd estimate 30 hours, possibly less. This is enough time to get to the mid-30s, at which point the game is reset at a higher level. It's quite possible, therefore, to keep playing up to the level cap at 50, against a much tougher gameworld. This should allow you to max out the skill trees, which define the focus of the special abilities you exhibit in-game.

There are some other problems too, such as the character design. The four archetypes really aren't different or interesting enough. Sure, they all need to be suitable for single-player, but they're not cut out for classic character status, nor do their powers extend much beyond simply pumping out damage in different ways.

Mordecai, the hunter, has probably the weakest special ability, which is a bird. Initially I found this useful because it deals a significant amount of damage, but as time goes on it seems relatively unimpressive and often fails to connect with a target. I abandoned it and respecced (yes, you can reset talents and spend your skillpoints again, like in an MMO) for a more sniper-focused build.

The soldier character, Roland, has a turret. That alone makes me think that plenty of co-op games are going to see gangs of Rolands (as you can play with any mix of characters) running around together. The turret can pump people's health and ammo back up, as well as acting as cover. Lilith's phase walk, meanwhile, where she becomes a damage-dispensing ghost, is an interesting idea, as you can end up electrocuting and burning people with an hybrid area-of-effect attack. It's an odd mode of play, however, and some players are definitely going to focus on guns.

The one character who genuinely seems to play differently in an entertaining way is Brick, who can smack the living s*** out of anything with his berserk mode. Pump this up as you play and you end up with a close-range punch-monster, or a tank. Either makes for an entertaining mode of play.

'Borderlands' Screenshot 4

Our orange and pink death buggies totally ruled the open roads of Pandora.

I should also mention that I spent most of my review time on the PC version of the game, but also spent some time on Xbox 360. I've played a range of characters across both, and finished the PC campaign with a Mordecai - who I think gets an easy ride on the final levels due to his sniper spec. Anyway, I believe that this review will serve reasonably well for both platforms, as they seem suitably balanced towards their particular control styles.

The PC, obviously, ends up looking a bit better, but it has a few tough edges. There's some menu-weirdness which means that you're expected to use the keyboard some of the time, and the mouse the rest of the time, which results in confusing inconsistency. Hardly a fatal flaw, but it's there. The PC version also needs some voice options (it's always-on, voice-activated only), and if it's not patched within a few weeks of release I'll eat my hat.

Borderlands is unusual, playable, and an artfully violent step in an interesting direction for Gearbox. The story aspect of the game could have been better - I'd love to have seen the role-playing influence extend beyond stats, levels and loot - and the ending is a disappointment. Even so, this should be a favourite game of the year for a huge number of people, since it plugs into gamer impulses at such a fundamental level. We blow things up and collect the goodies. That part, at least, Gearbox has nailed.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
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About Jim Rossignol

Read more articles from Jim by visiting the Jim Rossignol archive page.

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Comments (151) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Pirotic #1 2 years ago

    Was just going to do a search for this review, a lot of american forums are raving about it but I've heard relatively little about it. Not sure an 8/10 is enough to justify purchasing it considering the caliber of the games it's up against this month.

  • the_dudefather #2 2 years ago

    he has a penis on his mask/10

  • CptSupermarket #3 2 years ago

    Sold!

  • miiiguel #4 2 years ago

    I'm late for work, so I only read the last paragraph, and blowing stuff for loot is so my kinda stuff I mibht get this. Now, I'm in a complicated situation I have *lot's* of brand new games to play, I mean, it's getting ridiculous. I wonder how fellow EG'ers who say they need game X to play while game Y doesn't arrive do it ?!
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 10:19

  • ZuluHero #5 2 years ago

    8 is good enough for me. An EG 8 is like a normal 9 or even a 10 these days :p

    Roll on friday :)

  • Yossarian #6 2 years ago

    This has been on and off my radar at different times, and it's obviously good, got a good score, blah blah... but I can't muster up the enthusiasm for games in recent weeks, and this is a casualty.

    Dragon Age will bring me back.

  • Pirotic #7 2 years ago

    It's one of those games where the score is somewhat irrelevant, because I'd rather play an original 8/10 than a 9/10 sequel. But it's pretty hard to justify without a demo, maybe I'm a loot whore who'll love it, maybe I'm not. Not too keen on taking a chance when there are 2 sure-fire hits out this month I know I'll like (if not love).
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 10:22

  • Toothball #8 2 years ago

    Hmm, I have three friends who love roaming through post-apocalyptic wastelands thanks to Fallout. This is starting to sound more interesting than I first thought.

  • lambtron #9 2 years ago

    Cool, was looking forward to this.

  • beastmaster #10 2 years ago

    Sounds like everything I hoped it'd be. Sold!

  • cnlfailure #11 2 years ago

    It's Hellgate.

    And that's a very good thing.

  • neems #12 2 years ago

    Sold.

    Especially as I won't be playing Cod6.

  • Fightclubber #13 2 years ago

    Just looks to empty, for me id need some kind of strong decent story to drag me through the game. Plus after playing Uncharted 2 no game will look the same in my eyes, ive been spoilt like a cheap whore with that game.

  • mingster #14 2 years ago

    Lol i always thought that Newhaven was a post apocalyptic wasteland and this just proves it.

  • Gunzberg #15 2 years ago

    might pick this up once cheap...dragon age with its 80 hours will keep me busy for a long time..by the time I'm done with that, this will have had significant price cut on PC at least

  • darkmorgado #16 2 years ago

    Glad I pre-ordered! I need a good new game since finishing Brutal Legend on the hardest difficulty the same day I bought it (awesome, awesome game but FAR too short and easy).
    This and Dragon Age should see me through to the new year :-)

  • Vortex808 #17 2 years ago

    An 8 is more than good enough for plenty of wasteland scouring, shooting and looting. I'll definitely be getting this now!

  • actionfitz #18 2 years ago

    nice. one to pick up when things get quiet and my wallet recharges.

  • kinky_mong #19 2 years ago

    Sounds good enough for me. A big co-op game is exactly what I need at the moment.

    Out of interest what are the other "big 10 out of 10" games that have been released this month because I've been bored with nothing new to play. I assume Uncharted 2 is one of them but I don't have a PS3 to play it.

  • smernicki #20 2 years ago

    review reads like a fairly solid 8/10, very tempting........

  • cianchristopher #21 2 years ago

    "Borderlands drops loot like a brain-damaged burglar".... That's what I wanted to hear :)

    It sounds like this year's Far Cry 2 to me, a shooter with a different take on the genre that will split fans down the middle! It's come up on my radar over the past month or so (and got me really excited there for a while), but I think I'll leave it until next year!

    Hopefully the mechanics are there, cos after Halo and Call of Duty 4 all other FPS games seem weak in terms of smooth controls!

  • john_silence #22 2 years ago

    I found the review immensely useful. The precise mention of what platform it was played on is very relevant (and as a PC player, of course it felt all the more relevant).
    It sounds like exactly the kind of game I can't stand, though - co-op, MMO, looting, ineffectual shooting mechanics, level-based gameplay, with the possibility of being the low-level guy that joins a game of high-levels and just annoys everybody in good faith. Wow, that's not a game for me, man! I'm paranoid enough as it is.
    Anyway, I'm sure it'll sell well and Gearbox will be merry and that's all for the better because I really can't wait for Colonial Marines.

  • Nephirion #23 2 years ago

    I have bought games based on eg review and have found them to be innacurate at best, still this does look fairly interesting at least.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 10:43

  • jim1975 #24 2 years ago

    will buy this for sure. but will wait till its £20. plenty to play till then

  • spiny #25 2 years ago

    Jim - is the game a resource hog, super efficient 60fps-o-thon or middling?

  • Nephirion #26 2 years ago

    @ jim1975

    Its £19.99 on PC which from the review it seems is the superior version

  • kendoji #27 2 years ago

    Tempting, but I just don't know if I have time for this sort of thing. Especially with Forza 3 and Dragon Age coming as well...

  • guernican #28 2 years ago

    "I'm late for work, so I only read the last paragraph, and blowing stuff for loot is so my kinda stuff"

    Ah, so even the oldest profession likes an RPG.

    This and Dragon Age for me, and (I suspect) goodbye girlfriend.

  • StooMonster #29 2 years ago

    ZuluHero: 8 is good enough for me. An EG 8 is like a normal 9 or even a 10 these days :p

    In those crappy sites where 7 is a terrible game and nothing scores as low as a 6, and even mediocre titles get 8? Eurogamer and EDGE are the only places (I know of) with decent scoring systems.

    This does look good, but I really want to finish Fallout 3 before starting this -- I know, I know, moaning about huge pile of purchased but barely started games is a common theme in my posts.

  • Widge #30 2 years ago

    "blowing stuff for loot is so my kinda stuff"

    :o

  • Whizzo #31 2 years ago

    Played the 360 version most of last night after a particularly early delivery from an online retailer and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot. I'm looking forward to playing it in co-op with friends when it becomes more widely available.

    It should have "Hellgate but not shit" as a cover blurb.
    Edited by 2 at 20/10/09 @ 10:56

  • geeza2020 #32 2 years ago

    Bah, cant afford this at the moment, despite it being quite tempting. Its just too close to too many other games i want at the moment. After i have finished Fallout 3 GOTY, MW2, L4D2, Dragon Age, Braid, TrialsHD, Battlefield 1943 and Oblivion i might get this. Sooo, next christmas then.

  • darkmorgado #33 2 years ago

    Whizzo, which retailer? I think I might be buying my games from them in future!

  • ZuluHero #34 2 years ago

    @StooMonster

    On EG in the old days an 8 would have been a 9 or10. Even a 6 on EG is usually worth playing (as it would have 'normally' been a 7/8)

    I wasn't dissing the scoring system at all, merely a comment on how times have changed.

    /Remembers when all this used to be fields :)

    It’s slightly ironic that you mention EG and EDGE in the same breath though... ;)

  • Whizzo #35 2 years ago

    which retailer? Zavvi, no idea how they got stock so early (it was sent on Friday) but presumably they posted it as soon as they got it because of the upcoming Royal Mail strikes. They've never been as quick as that in the past so I'd not use it as a guideline for future pre-orders.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #36 2 years ago

    Lovely review. This sounds right up my street. Multiplayer mayhem FTW

  • groovychainsaw #37 2 years ago

    I got this last night (thanks to early, strike-avoiding dispatch!) and it's brilliant. On the xbox , played the first couple of hours spilt screen with a friend. It takes a little while to get going, but once you start picking up loot, levelling up and shopping at the frequent retail kiosks, its brilliantly compulsive.

    Gunplay is much better than it looked on the videos too, against similar level creatures, its satisfying and impactful, headshots can genuinely take out most creatures in one hit (with gibs!) if you have the right weapon and skills. The controls are very halo-feeling (and I mean that in a good way), and there is real decision making around what gun you want to use, you can feel the impact of a less accurate gun straight away, in that you have to close down the enemies quickly to ensure the spread of bullets hits them etc. It seems very good, and at the moment (playing co-op ..) this is closer to a 9 for me than an 8....

  • M_of_the_sys #38 2 years ago

    @miiiguel

    "and blowing stuff for loot is so my kinda stuff

    Erm... o.O

    Edit: Damn you Widge! *shakes angry fist*
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 11:20

  • muscleblade #39 2 years ago

    I knew i would be getting this. Need to finish Brutal Legend first. Then i need to finish this in time for MW2 wich i need to finish in time for L4D2 then we have AC2 and Tekken 6 before Mass Effect 2 arrives. A month after that Bioshock 2 and Lost Planet 2 is on the shelves. I just have to ignore Dragon Age even if it gets 9s and 10s all over.

  • andywilkie35 #40 2 years ago

    Can't wait, hope this gets posted today

  • JayKwon #41 2 years ago

    Nice, I'm certainly gonna buy it with some friends. I'm gonna love the 4 player co-op. The graphics are lovely as well.

    No Cod MW2 for me then. This year is the year of the 3 B's for me. Batman, Brütal Legend and Borderlands that is.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 11:25

  • StooMonster #42 2 years ago

    @ZuluHero: ah, I see what you mean by "normal" now. And I wasn't dissing you, just sites/magazines with crappy scoring policies (unfortunately most of them).

  • muscleblade #43 2 years ago

    @JayKwon

    You have some very nice Bs there imo.

    Dropping MW2 is not an option for me though as its GOTY for sure. AC2 is probaly ace also.

  • JayKwon #44 2 years ago

    @ muscleblade, well thank you =P. MW2 stays on my list though, just don't have that much money and time to buy all on release. Lucky I don't have to worry about a community who will be walking away, since COD has been one of the most populair series online ^_^. Looking @ your gaminglist though, you'll be busy the upcoming months ghehe.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 11:38

  • Hypercube #45 2 years ago

    This might seem like a stupid question, but can you play co-op with someone on 360 if you're playing it on PC?

    I would prefer to get this on my PC (I much prefer mouse n keyboard for shooty stuff) but my friend will almost certainly get it on his 360. It would be fun if we could co-op, but I doubt that's possible.

  • Trikk #46 2 years ago

    Enjoy grinding bandits from level 2 to 20, emptying whole mags into a single enemy without any visual feedback.

  • thedaveeyres #47 2 years ago

    Sold! My doubts about this from reading the preview have been assuaged.

    Now if I could just slow down time so I had chance to play all these wonderful christmas games...
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 11:41

  • Dr_Salvador84 #48 2 years ago

    I've just pre-ordered this. Anyone looking for a spot of Borderlands co-op can add me.

    Dr_Salvador84 (PSN_ID)

  • ZuluHero #49 2 years ago

    @Hypercube

    Good question and same here. I've pretty much decided to get this on 360, so if you do the same i'll play with you. Seems like the tyoe of game where you are going to need lots of friends :)

  • mkreku #50 2 years ago

    Hmm, it doesn't say much about the world, this review, other than that it's huge. Is it also free?

    Anyhow, 8 is good enough for me. I'll be picking this up. I am almost done with my second playthrough of Risen so I think another action RPG suits me just fine.

  • Dave52 #51 2 years ago

    This is the Christmas Game preordered for my son (Fallout 3 last year).

  • costa_k #52 2 years ago

    A good FPS with a solid coop.But there are people who still enjoy a good fragfest.W8... only 2 vs 2 competitive multiplayer?No team deathmatch?I wonder why there is no mention about it in the review.Just like Op Flashpoint a few days ago,I start to wonder if EG does not bother mentioning the poor multiplayer aspect of games that advertise in their site.

  • groovychainsaw #53 2 years ago

    @mreku - so far, almost completely free roaming, slightly instanced (some of the main quest-line areas requiring unlocking), to the extent where you can 'wander off' in a warcraft style and end up in an area where the bad guys are 10 levels higher than you and kill you in a couple of shots (although much like warcraft, you can get a lot of xp if you can isolate just one and whittle him down slowly... which is always a nice challenge to mix things up... ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 12:06

  • septimus #54 2 years ago

    The next few months are going to be expensive...

  • ChaK #55 2 years ago

    better than ODST then?










    Sorry I think none did it yet, which is a shame :o

  • menage #56 2 years ago

    Meh, If the single player was worth the time I might try some co-op on the side. But I hate matching game agendas so I'll pass.

    There's so much more SP gaming to be had than to be bother with this, even though I really like the look and idea of it. I'll play Uncharted 2 if I really want something online.

  • Xerx3s #57 2 years ago

    "This is the Christmas Game preordered for my son (Fallout 3 last year). "

    I take it that your son is 18+?

  • JayG #58 2 years ago

    Look's very interesting, wasn't for Dragon Age would definately pick it up. I like the added emphasis on different platforms in recent reviews too. Ironically, if the PC version hadn't had been delayed would have gotten it to tide me over till Nov.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 12:27

  • mkreku #59 2 years ago

    @groovychainsaw: Oohh, sounds great! Thanks for the update!

  • Murbal #60 2 years ago

    @ Xerx3s - 19+ if he got Fallout last year ;-)

  • JusticeMoses #61 2 years ago

    @ Xerxes and Murbal - isn't it a similar situation to age restricted films? Can't buy them if you are under age but if someone presents you with them you are well within the law to play/watch them. Unless you are simply making the point that they may not be suitable for a young boy, in which case, carry on...

  • Beano #62 2 years ago

    "he has a penis on his mask/10 "

    LOL... wow ... I just nocticed that :D

    I wonder if the designers didn't see that?...

  • ZuluHero #63 2 years ago

    @Beano

    Yeah. And once you see it you can't un-see it :/

    @mem

    Funny, i was thinking the same thing about Forza actually ;)
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 12:44

  • Miths #64 2 years ago

    An 8 was more or less what I was hoping for with this game - I'll definitely pick this up Friday.
    I'm still a little concerned about the singleplayer experience. One of the other reviews I've read today went as far as saying that it was occasionally boring and aggravating, and a couple of others definitely also seemed to suggest that co-op is the way to play this game.
    Not really an option for those of us who don't have any gamer friends - and the "first come, first served" loot system doesn't exactly sound like the best recipe for playing with random strangers (which I've never found particularly inspiring in co-op games anyway).

    Then again, for all I know those reviews might have been written by people who also can't imagine soloing in MMORPGs, and I've been doing that - and usually enjoying it - 99% of the time in all the MMOs I've been playing over the last decade.

  • Mongoose #65 2 years ago

    Really good review, addressed all my concerns.

  • sneetch #66 2 years ago

    @ Xerxes and Murbal

    I imagine that Dave52 is in a far better position to judge whether or not his son is mature enough to play this game than any of us as he actually knows his son. Physical age itself isn't a good indicator of that: you don't get a big maturity boost on the day of your 18th birthday after all.

    Back in the day, I was in a CS clan with a 14 year old who was more mature than most of the 20-something year-olds in the clan. We didn't know how old he was until they added voice comms to Steam (which tells you how long ago that was). He's probably 20-something now, damn I feel old.

  • Beano #67 2 years ago

    "Yeah. And once you see it you can't un-see it :/ "

    A bit like the Lionhead logo :D

    Groinhead...
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 12:55

  • JensonJet #68 2 years ago

    The feature this game seems to have missed out on is customising the appearance of your character.

    Many games have appearance customisation and I'm pretty sure most gamers are happy to spend time, and ultimately enjoy the gaming experience more for the fact it's their character, not some off-the-shelf generic tough guy or girl. This would have also given everyone's character a different personality and made co-op gaming a little more interesting.

    Gearbox boast about a million or whatever gun combinations. I'm not impressed. It's just stats and numbers with the guns all looking a little different. Had they allowed us to change the appearance of our characters I would have been impressed, and probably have bought the game.

  • ZuluHero #69 2 years ago

    @Beano

    Will you please stop doing that! :)

  • TruWari3r #70 2 years ago

    Ah yeah, will be picking this up and waiting with Dragon Age which I read it's 80-100 hours on a single playthrough with ONE class (out of 5), there's DLC on day 1 of release and it will be getting regular DLC on a two year plan.

    that's just too much time for me to spend on 1 game, especially since I don't play games with a pc (ps3 &360) but the pc version has the best camera angle.

    Borderlands, Ratchet & Clank, GTA Gay Tony, MW2, AC2, L4D2, God of War collection (import)

    next spring

    Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Bioshock 2, Alan Wake, God of War 3

    while all the time I'll be playing MW2 mp I guess and building up a massive backlog :)

  • BobsUncle #71 2 years ago

    "you can 'wander off' in a warcraft style and end up in an area where the bad guys are 10 levels higher than you and kill you in a couple of shots (although much like warcraft, you can get a lot of xp if you can isolate just one and whittle him down slowly... which is always a nice challenge to mix things up"

    And I did exactly that, I walked into the shock cave mission not realising it was intended for level 15 and I was level 10. I killed a few Lv.15 crab things with grenades and wondered why my weapon skill was levelling up so quick. Then I kept getting killed so I gave up and left the area.

    By the way, if you kill a creature with a grenade the weapon you're currently holding actually gets the upgrade points, worth remembering if you need to level up the sniper rifle but can't get enough kills. Just select the rifle and start lobbing!

  • groovychainsaw #72 2 years ago

    @ JensonJet - You can customise your colours? ;-)

    But seriously, one thing that has impressed me is the variety in the guns is more than skin deep (or stat deep). The guns are made up of many different components, and whilst the pistols can look fairly similar and you get several models looking samey (barring colour differences there's not many components in a pistol), a new SMg or assault rifle could mean a completely different scope, barrels, stock etc. all appearing on the screen in front of you and is a real replacement for seeing the armour on your char in a typical MMO (and considering this is first person, not thirdperson, the gun is the key difference in your character...). I found it quite geeky and cool every time i got a new gun, especially when my mate picked up a sniper rifle that had some sort of weird oval scope on it that was steampunky and brilliant-looking.

  • muscleblade #73 2 years ago

    "you can 'wander off' in a warcraft style and end up in an area where the bad guys are 10 levels higher than you and kill you in a couple of shots (although much like warcraft, you can get a lot of xp if you can isolate just one and whittle him down slowly... which is always a nice challenge to mix things up"


    Now i want the game even more.

  • JensonJet #74 2 years ago

    costa_k,

    I assume you feel ripped off too with that piece of sh*te game Operation Flashpoint. In reality I don't think Eurogamer had a chance to find out how crap multiplayer or online co-op was. In fact I don't think any online review had a chance to check out that side of the game... clever, sneaky, bast@rd Codemasters.


    groovychainsaw,
    Come on, changing the colour of your character's pretty weak compared to the customisation seen in most recent games. I just think it's a missed opportunity. And the fact is nearly everyone loves customising games to suit themselves, and full character appearance customisation is always winner... you either love it, or it's easily ignored.

    As reviews feel it's unimportant to mention, could anyone tell me about the framerate. Is it 30 or 60? A 60 framerate game is a much more interesting prospect. 60fps makes fast, accurate shooting far easier, and a game more enjoyable to play. If it's only 30, then it's just another shooter for me.

    MrED209
    I know it's frustrating finding new co-op players, but given a bit of time you can find some really good co-op players on XBL. I'll admit most gamers are terrible co-op players. They play for themselves and see the rest of team as an inconvenience. But within a few days you will inevitably meet a bunch of people that communicate, work within a team, listen and consider other's strategies, etc. I call it 'fishing', and it's often frustrating and annoying as hell waiting for a decent co-op gamer to turn up.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 13:21

  • el_pollo_diablo #75 2 years ago

    Am I the only person who finds this game a turn-off visually?
    I don't have a problem with other stylised games, but there's something just a bit... ugly about this one.

  • groovychainsaw #76 2 years ago

    @Jenson - I'm not the best judge, but I would say its almost certainly 30fps (although I've only played split--screen so far). Given the accuracy of the guns is a stat in itself though, its not quite a 'twitch' shooter like unreal tournament. Like i said before, I'd liken it to something a bit more like halo in terms of a little aim assist etc.
    Having said that, if you are a crack shot and have an accurate gun, headshots are genuinely rewarding, with as much as 10x damage close up with a shotgun on the 'criticals' mentioned in the review.

    Also - the colour thing was a bit of a joke. I agree there is not really any char customisation :-)
    Edited by 2 at 20/10/09 @ 13:28

  • Boomerang #77 2 years ago

    "This is enough time to get to the mid-30s, at which point the game is reset at a higher level."

    Can someone explain this please?

  • ZuluHero #78 2 years ago

    @Boomerang

    hard mode perhaps?

  • Ged42 #79 2 years ago

    87 Bazillion guns!...

    Gotta get 'em all >:D

  • darkmorgado #80 2 years ago

    @Boomerang,

    I am guessing that it means your character has reached lvl 30 by the end of the game, and there is then a "new game plus" option that ups the difficulty and level of the mobs, but also brings better loot, similar to things like Diablo

  • groovychainsaw #81 2 years ago

    Boomerang, i think (and I obviously haven't completed it yet - only lvl 7!) its like a 'new game +' option, where you start with all your loot, levels etc., and all the bad guys start at your level (30ish) and you fight through again. It's a slightly artificial way of extending the game, but if the first playthrough is fun (and takes ~30 hours anyway!), and it means more loot then it could be compelling... ?

    Edit: Gah! Darkmorgado, damn your swift typings!
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 13:47

  • darkmorgado #82 2 years ago

    Looks like they got the looting bit right then. One of the reasons I love MMOs and RPGs in general is knowing that there's a better bit of loot around the corner, and the oddly compelling "tick tick tick" of numbers filling up the screen as you gain experience, score damage, etc.
    I wonder if they eventually release DLC that has raid-like quests similar to WoW.

  • darkmorgado #83 2 years ago

    Does anyone read the reviews on here and try to come up with ideas for bylines had the score been different?

    Like, "BOREDerlands" or "Borderline" if it got a low score.

  • groovychainsaw #84 2 years ago

    'Bordering on greatness' for a 9/10 (my score at the moment for this game, slightly rubbish tagline i suspect... the +/- rating will tell me - instant feedback!)

  • BobbyDeNiro #85 2 years ago

    I could do with something different and new, this looks good but it is disheartening to read that the game seems to be designed with co-op in mind. So many games seem this way now, I don't mind co-op but really wish the single player was given priority or equal footing at least.

  • PlugMonkey #86 2 years ago

    I could really do with some demos. I don't know whether to get his on PC or Xbox.

  • ZuluHero #87 2 years ago

    @BobbyDeNiro

    To me it sounds like it has equal measures of both. If I can't find any friends to play with me, I can still make progress on my own and still have fun. Its not a gamebreaker.

  • SlackMaster #88 2 years ago

    This game never really jumped out at me as a must purchase and I still have so much to get through as well as possibly getting Dragon Age.

  • darc #89 2 years ago

    The graphics look a little weird to me. Heavy outlines a la cel-shading seem redundant with the heavily saturated and shadowed 3D models.

    Might be one of those games you have to see in motion to really appreciate.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 15:06

  • Ace_McCloud #90 2 years ago

    Split screen co-op has me sold on this.

    Baldur's gate and Halo are my two favourite co-op games. If bungie add some of this to the single player campaign of Halo: Reach I'll be placing my pre-order even earlier.

  • Boomerang #91 2 years ago

    To answer my own question after reading the IGN review:

    The game lets you start over using the same character, bringing along all your experience, skill setups, items, unlocked inventory space -- everything but your quest progress. The good news is upon restarting the world powers up around you, meaning starting level enemies are right near your level and the items they drop are given a boost.

    Cool :)

  • UncleLou #92 2 years ago

    Still dont fancy this and think it will be one of those overrated games like fallout3 where the game is rewarded points for its scope and over ambitions rather than excecution and polish

    Weird. If anything, games seem to get overrated for mere polish these days. I am much more interested in scope and ambition.

  • kangarootoo #93 2 years ago

    @costa_k

    For a game whose focus is co-op multiplayer, a lack of competetive multiplyer options is not really a poor multiplayer aspect. You might as well critisise Burnout for its lack of realistic tyre physics.

  • Boomerang #94 2 years ago

    @Ace_McCloud
    "Split screen co-op has me sold on this..... If bungie add some of this to the single player campaign of Halo: Reach I'll be placing my pre-order even earlier. "

    I'm sure if you ask them nicely enough, they'll add it in for you!

  • layleeloo #95 2 years ago

    So if they say the "think" it is meant to be played cop op and gets an 8, what about folk like me who certainly wont be playing this co op? Would it only get a 6? Not that the score bothers me but it would be nice to know a proper opinion for those of us who wont play co op

  • ZuluHero #96 2 years ago

    @layleeloo

    You've got to rate a game as a sum of all its parts. Can you imagine how messy reviews would get trying to cater for everyone? I would say that it’s pretty clear there is an emphasis on Co-op, as well as being very playable as a single player game. There is something to be gleamed from both.

    But I have to wonder that if you have to ask or if you are concerned that maybe this one isn't for you?
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 17:29

  • Xerx3s #97 2 years ago

    sneetch: Maybe so but the general rule of thumb is that parents will buy anything for their kids, regardless of age restriction, followed by "DOOM 2 PLAYER AXE MURDERS WHOLE TOWN!" on the six o'clock news.

  • trip919 #98 2 years ago

    I totally knew this was going to get an 8! I’m working on some next level Nostradamus shit!

    Dragon Age – 8
    Assassins Creed 2 – 9

    Lottery numbers will be forthcoming.

  • ZuluHero #99 2 years ago

    @trip919

    You have those numbers the wrong way around there. ;)

  • Hydrogene #100 2 years ago

    Gearbox took the most annoying and most artificial aspects of all MMOs, (looting and levelling, stupid game mechanism invented to keep you playing and playing for hours without having to write a good story) and blended them with the most common game type, the FPS. I wonder how that could be original... I hope I'm wrong, as at least the visual style IS original.

  • byakuya83 #101 2 years ago

    I've read the review but I don't get it. Is there a story to follow and an ending to it all? Starting out the review mentions typical MMO style quests but nothing more. I've never played STALKER that is referred to so that comparison means nothing to me.

    The review mentions that the initial area is gradually increased and the scope is quite large but is there much variety in the environments as you venture further in the game? The videos I've seen were all set in deserts and caves. I hope there are urban and/or industrial areas as well.

    I've read about the impressive range of weapons but how do they differ and how are they obtained? From what I've read they're simply dropped by dead enemies and the variation is more due to available ammo types and varying levels of stats. Which I hope isn't the full extent of the game.


    EDIT
    Just watched the Gametrailers video review which filled a lot of the gaps in this review.

    Review left a lot of unanswered questions about the game for me, unfortunately.
    Edited by 2 at 20/10/09 @ 20:38

  • citizen36 #102 2 years ago

    Was really looking forward to this, but sadly, due to the gimped southpaw control scheme, will have to pass. I know the vast majority of console gamers couldn't give a toss, but what is the deal with non-customisable controls in fps games? I can just about cope with fire on LT and reversed driving controls in Far Cry 2, but this looks much faster paced and therefore a potential nightmare. Why am I cursed, as a right handed person, with having the Goldeneye 'southpaw' scheme hardwired into my brain?
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/09 @ 20:45

  • PlugMonkey #103 2 years ago

    I know the vast majority of console gamers couldn't give a toss, but what is the deal with non-customisable controls in fps games?

    What, what, WHAT? Which way round is 'southpaw'? Who doesn't care about customisable controls in FPS games?! Is that true?

    Looking increasingly like a PC purchase, and increasingly likely I'm going to have to wait for some demos to come out. I struggle with FPSs on consoles as it is, if I can't set up the controls as I like them it sounds like absolute hell.

  • shotgun44 #104 2 years ago

    Really, really want this but first pay day isn't til next Thursday and I just bought Uncharted 2, Kings Field IV, Demon's Souls and Too Human... I think I can probably postpone Too human for the moment. Loot-fests are definitely my kinda thing!

  • JusticeMoses #105 2 years ago

    @ Citizen36 - I don't understand what you are saying? Are you right-handed but prefer to play with a left-handed control scheme because of Goldeneye, is that what you're saying? I'm sure I've heard that the controls are nigh on identical to Call of Duty, how is that a poor control scheme? And I think I'm correct in saying that there are multiple control schemes you can choose from, perhaps someone who has the game can confirm the controls for you.

  • des #106 2 years ago

    Now this is a fun game,much better than overhyped dribble that is filling the headlines...get it
    Extremely fun when solo and it literally explodes with friends.





  • TRUTH #107 2 years ago

    Looks good - need a Diablo fps - this is it!

    Game Informer 9.25 out of 10
    Gametrailers 8.4 out of 10
    TeamXbox 9 out of 10
    1UP B+
    Giant Bomb 4 out of 5
    Games Radar 8 out of 10
    Planet Xbox 360 8.6 out of 10
    IGN 8.8 out of 10
    O.Xbox Magazine 8.5 out of 10 85.00%
    Edited by 2 at 20/10/09 @ 21:53

  • citizen36 #108 2 years ago

    @ JusticeMoses

    I searched the controls. Found them on justin.tv. 5 options, only one of which is southpaw. Triggers are swapped, as is driving control. It just isn't fun driving with the right stick, or firing with LT. We are being presented with one alternative option which will suit very few people. Open up the options. Jebus... years in development..I have been following it for at least 18 months..and now...sorry. The game is only fun if the player is immersed. Immerse the player. Do not frustrate the player.

  • Mr.DNA #109 2 years ago

    Every last one of my friends are the type of casual gamers who play COD 4 and Pro Evolution Soccer and very little else. Needless to say, I will not be buying this game. Shame, because I think I'd quite like it, but the single-player experience doesn't sound very fulfilling.

  • SpikeMarshall #110 2 years ago

    Not a big fan of the way this article is written. The author is clearly salivating all over himself to try and emphasize the stronger points of the game, and giving short shrift to some very obvious problems. "OH, IT'S MEANT FOR TEH CO-OP, THEN NO NEED TO MENTION TEH GIMPED SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN FOR MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE." Almost none of the review is devoted to describing the world and whether the game is engrossing as a whole, and there's way too much palaver about the addictive nature and opportunites for mayhem when playing with friends.

    The game's graphics look awful, as does the frame-rate. I would have appreciated more discussion of the technical aspects of the title.

    MAHRUMPH.

  • stryker1121 #111 2 years ago

    GameSpy's the only site that really lauded the single-player gameplay...i too am not online and reading thru all the co-op love in a half-dozen other reviews is a bummer when this is just the kind of title I'd enjoy. I'm still gonna give it a go in the next couple of days via rent, but I will not be buying this. With the amount of AAA multiplayer titles out there, it would good to see reviewers give separate scores for single and multi, as those can be two distinct experiences.

  • man.the.king #112 2 years ago

    Not sure if others like it, but I liked the cel-shaded look of Prince Of Persia, and am glad that this game has the same look. Don't have the cash right now but might pick this up for my PS3 at a later date.

  • Dave52 #113 2 years ago

    For those worried about my son's mental health - don't worry he'll be fine, but thanks for the concern (and the parenting advice).

    Did someone say this has split-screen co-op..? Can we confirm this...?

  • Trikk #114 2 years ago

    Notice how any comment that doesn't give mindless praise to the game is down-voted. This karma system is the most clever thing Eurogamer has ever done. Their fanboys (or maybe editorial staff) weed out any criticism or dissenting opinion, emphasizing the score EG has settled on.

    I've watched about an hour or two of streamed Borderlands gameplay and killing the same rats or bandits over and over again from level 2 to level 15 to level 27 is completely ridiculous. I guess with the popularity of games like Aion, grind has made its return to the gaming scene, but I consider it a step backwards.

  • groovychainsaw #115 2 years ago

    @Dave52 - Split screen co-op is definitely in, and good, as I've played it that way for 2 nights now.

    @Trikk, you WATCHED 2 hours of gameplay and found it repetitive!? I would say a large part of that is down to watching it, it is a game after all. Although, admittedly, the character models are similar/palette swaps for a lot of the early bad guys, there is a great deal of strategic variety in approching bandits who have shotguns or sniper rifles (obviously they can carry any other weapon you can imagine in this game, that just the extremes of their approach), midgets with assault rifles or hatchets (which they throw at you which scared the crap out of me when it first happened!) and even the dogs have varied attack patterns, some leaping, others holding back and spitting corrosive acid. Not to mention the swarms of flying Rakk (probably the most fun flying enemy to fight I've seen for a long while in a shooter). I know I'm evangelising, but playing split screen with my wife, this is my favourite game I've played this year (or at least shared with Demon's Souls!)

  • ZuluHero #116 2 years ago

    @Trikk

    I think you'll find that’s because every negative criticism or dissenting opinion isn't giving an objective reason why the game is bad, often cobbled with comparisons drawn to other games in a bid to just gripe and moan.

    Take your Aion comparison for example, was that needed? Do you know enough about both to even draw that conclusion, or are you basing it on hearsay and "watching footage"?

    I won’t mark you down, though, I’ll wait for other ‘fanboys’ to do that…
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 09:32

  • JusticeMoses #117 2 years ago

    @ Trikk - they tend to be negatively voted for their sweeping observations such as yours. I've seen plenty of footage from those levels with different enemies being fought. Of course, you do fight more skags and bandits than other things but there are major variations within those groups anyway. People may complain about the enemy repetition but I can't really think of a game where you don't fight the same set of guys over and over. Take Uncharted 2 (the game du jour) you fight the same set of mercenaries from start to finish (with only one other set of enemies ever popping up) but I never saw that be remarked on for having the same enemies. Admittedly it is a much shorter game than Borderlands but then surely that just shows how much gameplay you get with Borderlands?

  • costa_k #118 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    I don't expect every game to have a CTF mode,but when was the last time you played a FPS without some short of Team Deathmatch?I realy can't think of any,Borderland must be the world's first.I appreciate that many don't play online,but the fact is that that from every FPS competitive online gameplay is expected (and offered).
    And as far as the EG review goes,it's a strange omission,considering that in the past other games (like Assault on dark Athena) were critisised extensively for their sub par online multiplayer.

  • UncleLou #119 2 years ago

    But it's not your standard FPS. It's a loot/levelling game. I for one am glad they didn't waste valuable development time on a gamemode that - as you yourself point out - is in every other game anyhow.


    I don't expect every game to have a CTF mode,but when was the last time you played a FPS without some short of Team Deathmatch?

    Bioshock.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 11:15

  • groovychainsaw #120 2 years ago

    Yeah, competitive multiplayer is overrated anyway, its usually just a very slight variation on an existing shooter, and there's enough of those about. It's not like they are going to pull any genuinely competitive players away from MW2, are they? Waste of development time. Proper co-op campaign play (online and split-screen) gives them the advantage over many (if not most of) their rivals and therefore makes more sense to polish.

  • Dave52 #121 2 years ago

    @GrooveyChainsaw: "I know I'm evangelising, but playing split screen with my wife, this is my favourite game I've played this year"

    Excellent, couch co-op it is then, thanks for the info. We have two PS3s in the house, but we've only got game duplicates of COD4 and KZ2, I have ordered 2 copies of CODMW2 for Christmas though (1 for me, 1 for my son - but don't tell him). I've been playing Sacred2 with my wife recently, she's very into the Baulders Gate type of stuff. I've just ordered Dragon Age: Origins for her...
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 12:34

  • costa_k #122 2 years ago

    @UncleLou

    You are right.A criminal omission that won't happen with the sequel...

  • spookyzombie #123 2 years ago

    This game is excellent. I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait to try the coop side of things when others on my friend list pick it up on Friday. 9/10 for me so far.

  • UncleLou #124 2 years ago

    @UncleLou

    You are right.A criminal omission that won't happen with the sequel...

    Unfortunately, yes. Because people blindly cry for mp modes even if they will clearly be bolted on, and everyone will have forgotten about it a month after release. I'd rather see them concentrate all their efforts on a great single-player game.

  • CalmBlueOcean #125 2 years ago

    "I don't know anyobdy on Live and I'm not interested in playing with EG people really, as I don't really know them."

    Reap the benefits of 5 years of posting negative whiney crap on this site :p

  • costa_k #126 2 years ago

    @UncleLou

    Is that so?Or maybe the other way round?A single player game will be finished in a matter of 4-5 days max,and then will find its way to a second hand store or simply gather dust.Unless there is a multiplayer mode...you only need to check how many thousands still play CoD or Halo (two examples that are also great in single player).

  • UncleLou #127 2 years ago

    Well, thanks for proving my point. Because Halo and CoD are the two FPS mp games that still get played a lot. Now do me a favour and look how many people play Condemned 2 online...

    Really entirely beyone me why you think every game needs a me-too mp mode. I am finding it downright absurd, to be honest. There's also the well-known fact that only a tiny minority of gamers plays multiplayer games in the first place.

  • Les #128 2 years ago

    "Really entirely beyone me why you think every game needs a me-too mp mode. I am finding it downright absurd, to be honest. There's also the well-known fact that only a tiny minority of gamers plays multiplayer games in the first place."

    Indeed.

    Unfortunately, that tiny minority is overrepresented here and tends to think the rest of the world is like them...

    The other sad part is that game reviewers typically are part of that minority as well and tend to overemphasize the relative value of mp modes in their review scores. And as publishers are addicted to metacritic these days, that puts pressure on the developers to spend resources on a feature that will be ignored by most.

  • Gecks #129 2 years ago

    competive deathmatch in a game like this is a waste of time because unless it's a primary focus (COD, H3, etc) then it will inevitably be underdeveloped. sure, include some kind of deathmatch as a curio if you want (which seems to be the case with borderlands), but lets not dress it up as quake 3. co-op i'm all for, though - you don't care about the usual weapon balancing and control issues when you're playing against the AI with your mates.

    i don't have a whole lot of sympathy for those who get irked that "a lot" (really?) of games are focusing (or at least diverting development time to) co-op modes. some of us have friends on The Internet and a decent co-op game is fried gold. i mean, it's not as if there's a paucity of decent single player FPS's out there anyway.
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/09 @ 12:33

  • costa_k #130 2 years ago

    @Les
    People who play online are less than those who don't,but definately not a ''tiny minority''.Games like WoW or Battlefield wouldn't exist if that was the case.
    I would never expect from the next Super Mario to offer multiplayer,but it's been a good few years now that FPS have standard such modes (and yes,Bioshock is the exception of the rule).Personaly I find it a lot more interesting and challenging to shoot against a human oponent instead of some stupid (or occasionaly clever) AI bot,but ofcourse we all have the right to be different.IMO opinion multiplayer is an integral part of many game categories,and in certain games (like Forza 3 proves),a lot more important than the offline.

  • TRUTH #131 2 years ago

    If you got both consoles PS3/XB360 - I suggest the 360 version, due to better framerates esp during a lot of action onscreen.

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=9-mEVvlRfWA

  • makeamazing #132 2 years ago

    Playing the Ps3 version and except for some pop-up at the very beginning of the level, graphics are nice and performance is great... the graphic style is really different and colourful.

    I am enjoying the game, but i can see it might get repetative quickly for some people. There is alot of loot drop picks, and the missions are basically go from A to B, talk to someone, shoot/kill someone/find a part. Those who love loot dropping games and like FPS games, will probably love this game. At times I get "ah this is boring walking/going all this way" but then there will be a little cut scene or style thing they have done which makes you want to carry on. For me I will be giving it back after playing it for a couple of days, and will be getting it towards the end of the year/new year me thinks. For me 7/10, but fans of this type of game/style I would say a high 7 or low 8.

  • RedSparrows #133 2 years ago

    On the subject of 'all FPS need competitive MP!' - Borderlands is a loot whore game. I don't know why people don't get this.

    Also, Halo is so damn good I don't NEED to play another game - same for people who love CoD, I imagine.

  • EmiliasHorse #134 2 years ago

    FPS Diablo, Loot/Levelling, Hellgate ..... Stuff.

    Having just completed Too Human I am in the market for another loot em up. Want this so much I will have to slip Forza 3 down the list.

  • smurphs #135 2 years ago

    Went for Forza 3 but chose this instead. Very addictive gameplay, very happy with my choice. Note though, make sure you sign in before you play as it won't prompt you to when it's time to save. I've just lost 3 hours of playtime because of this. Aaargh!!!!!

  • bratmandu #136 2 years ago

    Wasn't on my radar till I read the reviews and seen the videos -

    Traded in a few games for it, now I can't stop playing,

    must..have..more..loot.

    Also, this is still pretty excellent in split screen - the game doesn't stop when ur in menus, etc. so you can happilly play along with someone else, and not get annoyed with menu pause, common to split screen games. Means if no-ones online I can get my housemate to back me up, and he can level his character and buy and trade when in my game, without disrupting my progress.
    Edited by 2 at 25/10/09 @ 21:32

  • GamesConnoisseur #137 2 years ago

    This game is indeed fun in a retro kind of way.... Think Diablo crossed with Halo and MMO, with emphasis on 'just one more level up' and 'oh I so want that bigger gun to replace my yesterday's one'.

    I got myself up to level 20 and in the class of Hunter, which I could use class mods to change emphasis (Assassin, Sniper or Survivor) and some areas are so hard that I was able to wade through only when having toughings myself up enough. Tonight I invited my level 4 mate for online co op and he got up to level 9 after numerous painful deaths but greatfun in Mad Max driving and gunning partnering session.

    He got hisself a few of deadly useful loots to bring home and said it was worth it, fun both in SP and MP, sure some of youses may not like the game, I know I certainly might not just from watching vids and stills!!
    Edited by 1 at 25/10/09 @ 23:54

  • Les #138 2 years ago

    Though I've got more than enough on the shelves, I'm interested in getting this eventually. Just finished Mirror's Edge this weekend and I was wondering if anybody knows if they've adopted some of Mirror's Edge presentational tricks in this game to give the 'character' more weight.

    Booted up Half-Life 2 this weekend to see how that played after experiencing ME and I must say it felt very, very floaty all of a sudden.

  • muscleblade #139 2 years ago

    Borderlands gets better as you get further into it and i love have they use the achievements/trophies in the game that just keeps you going. Great stuff. Among the top five games of the year so far for me.

  • neems #140 2 years ago

    There is a difference between 'sub-par multiplayer' and 'no multiplayer'. The former is bad, the latter is a design choice. I love online shooters - but I see no utility in hastily bolted on multiplayer components. Apparently neither do Gearbox.

    Do many people play Stalker online?

  • siro #141 2 years ago

    I got a feeling this game will hit the extreme bargain bins in no time. Prolly less than 15 pounds before Christmas.

  • UncleLou #142 2 years ago

    I got a feeling this game will hit the extreme bargain bins in no time. Prolly less than 15 pounds before Christmas.

    Seeing how it seems to sell like hotcakes already, with an ever-growing positive word of mouth from gamers on top of the already pretty good reviews, I am finding that rather unlikely. The game is not even on the shelves here, but on extra palettes. This isn't marketed, nor perceived, as some secret underground game, but as one of the handful of major pre-Christmas games. Time will tell. :)

  • bratmandu #143 2 years ago

    'I got a feeling this game will hit the extreme bargain bins in no time. Prolly less than 15 pounds before Christmas. '

    Hard to say, this is like a sleeper hit - I don't think the majority of people expected this to be much cop, but it is in fact, a belter of a game. Grinding in games like Warcraft can be tedious - but leveling and looting in Borderlands is like that 30 seconds of fun kind of gameplay from Halo. Every random firefight is different and cool, get someone in for co-op and it's even better. I'm currently level 21 and am just starting to find really cool weapons, like sniper rifles that set people on fire.

  • Geordiemp #144 2 years ago

    Has this game got much swearing in and can it be turned off as an option ?

    Cant stand listening to lots of bad language just because some developer things makes his game cool ....

  • bratmandu #145 2 years ago

    @ Geordiemp

    So, shooting in the face and screams of death = OK

    Saying 'willy' - no thanks!

    Has your TV got a volume button?

  • EmiliasHorse #146 2 years ago

    Picked up a copy yesterday and played until I was lvl17 before I had to stop for the night. Can honestly say it was the most enjoyable first session play of any game in recent memory.

  • goondocks74 #147 2 years ago

    I love the game! has very few irritations - couldn't put it down when I bought it. had to go to work with only 4 hrs sleep!

    Fallout 3 is still better IMO, but this game ticks all the right boxes.

  • Fightclubber #148 2 years ago

    Picked this up today and i shitting well love it. I thought the basic premise of shooting lots of shit and picking up loot without a decent story to back it up would lose me.
    But the game is beyond additive, with really decent simple rpg elements and no fucking around in 400 menu screens like most games of this kind.
    If gearbox managed to sort a decent story for the game it would be classic, but as it is its just fooking good

  • metalangel #149 2 years ago

    Extended play reveals the co-op is more than a bit broken. The levels are so harsh (three or more levels above you? It'll kill you almost instantly. You're more than three above it? You can breathe on it to kill it) that:
    -you need to ensure you play with the same people, and never play the game unless you're with them, as otherwise the game bitches that you're too far ahead/behind in the story
    -likewise, if you accidentally tag along with a few higher level friends you'll come back to your own playthrough with a character who's far too powerful both in terms of abilities and equipment. My level 11 Siren tagged along with level 26 Hunters and Berserkers for a bit. When she got back to her own game (just after getting access to vehicles, so real early on) she had super guns, super abilities, and just waltzed through crowds of enemies picking them off with two shots each.

  • Cordite #150 2 years ago

    This game has taken me completely by surprise. I didn't like the look of it in vids or screenshots but it is stunning when played. The combat is very enjoyable, the weapons a blast & the way you can seamlessly switch from singleplayer to multi is a revelation.

    I have not been so gripped by a game in years.
    The only problem I have is that damn voice-activated mic system and I've had to abandon MP games cos of awful feedback from other gamers. Hopefully it'll be patched soon.

    This is the gaming highlight of this and many other years for me.

  • Highwayman #151 2 years ago

    replay factor and co-op play is this games biggest selling point 10/10 It's damn side more fun than most of the over hyped FPS including CODMW2, Bioshock 2 and Aliens vs Predator. The only game as good in the last year is Left for Dead 2.
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/10 @ 18:56