Borderlands

Developer - Gearbox Software.
Publisher - 2K Games.
Release Date - October 20th, 2009.
Platform(s) - Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.
Reviewed On - Microsoft Windows.


Introduction

SPOILER WARNING! You have been warned.

Borderlands is mostly famous for its in-depth story-telling skills, as it brings you through the journey to find the 'Vault', which, in the end, is just a big monster who wants to kill you. The game is also famous for its insane loot system, which includes thousands of weapons with different elemental effects for each weapon. If you play through all of the missions (including side-quests), you'll get an insanely powerful weapon, that is, for a good chunk of the game, the Dove. One of its positives is the fact it has unlimited ammo, so you can fire away without worrying about not having ammunition for your weapon. But that's a topic we'll cover later. The game also features four pieces of 'downloadable' content, adding more story into the game. There's even a Zombie story DLC! Sit back, and relax, because Borderlands has a lot to offer for fans of First-Person-Shooters and RPG games.


Gameplay

LAST WARNING - SPOILER WARNING!

Throughout the game, you'll come across plenty of quests to keep you occupied for the 40+ hours you'll spend playing the game, if it's your first time. There are also a variety of weapons you can acquire, making playing the game over and over again increasingly fun, since the loot-dropping system is definitely random. There are vehicles in the game, but they're not what you expect. The controls for the vehicles are a little wonky, that is, if you're coming into the Borderlands franchise. That definitely takes some time to get used to, but it's not really a hassle. Whenever you kill a boss, they usually drop a unique weapon, and they have different elemental abilities, as well as certain improvements to your character. You can also find ultra-rare shields to assist you in staying alive longer to kill that last enemy in the Circle of Slaughter, which is a round-based arena where you kill enemies and get rewarded for completing the three rounds. There are so many things to talk about, gameplay wise, but we're going to keep it simple.


Graphics

If you take a look at the rest of the Borderlands series (Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel), you'll come to realize this game looks like a nightmare. Although the game did release back in 2009, they could've had a final sit-down to talk about how they want the game to look. Overall, the game came out looking like a child's game, but with blood, and gore, in a good way.

'Borderlands' is not very famous for the graphics, but they'll do.

Replayability


Like stated before, this game features tons of quests, weapons to collect, shields to collect, etc., so the replayability is definitely high for this game.


Should You Play?

This is definitely a must-play for fans of the FPS/RPG genres, even if you're not really a fan of the mentioned genres. You'll find yourself immersed into the game within minutes, with its quirky comedic lines, along with its action-packed content.

Overall Score - 8 / 10

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