On the edge of the galaxy lies the planet Pandora which once offered a hope for prosperity and a better life to the human colonists who ventured there. Things however have not worked out as planned and the lack of natural resources needed to sustain a civilzation has turned the planet into a lawless frontier. The one hope left is a recently discovered ancient alien Vault that is rumored to contain untold secrets and riches, as well as powerful alien technology just waiting for the right person to discover.
Game Details
- Title: Borderlands
- Genre: First Person Shooter w/ RPG Elements
- Theme: Sci-Fi
- ESRB Rating: M for Mature
- Publisher: 2K Games
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Game Modes: Single player, multiplayer co-op
- Pros: Excellent mix of RPG elements without sacrificing FPS game play; Tons of weapons, equipment, levels and more; Huge game world with hours of game play
- Cons: Game play can become repetitive; Underwhelming finish
Role Playing Shooter (RPS)
In Borderlands players take on the role of one of four characters who, like many others, have come to Pandora searching for, among other things, the riches rumored to be in the Vault. Before trying to attempt this however, they'll first need to pick up some weapons, equipment, and most importantly experience. Labeled by developer Gearbox Software and a Role Playing Shooter, Borderlands contains all the hallmarks of a first person shooter with in-depth role playing elements. This includes experience, leveling, skills, and abilities that enables the player to customize the characters to their liking. The gamble to add this much RPG elements to a FPS pays off and works excellent without sacrificing the action packed nature of a FPS.
Welcome to Pandora
To me the world of Pandora had a post-apocalyptic, almost Mad Max or Fallout like, feel to it. Everything had this worn out and weathered look with settlements appearing to be the rusty remnants of a civilization. A civilization now populated by thieves, bandits and mutant alien creatures. The graphics in Borderlands are quite unique and have comic book or cartoon-ish look to them which only adds to the post-apocalyptic feel. The story in Borderlands does take some time get going but never did if feel as though you there was nothing to do or you were aimlessly wandering. The first few hours of play seemed to be spent getting acclimated to the world and getting over the "kid in the candy store" mentality. There are so many things to investigate, items to pick up and weapons to compare that you'll want to check everything before moving on. As the game progresses and due to your limited inventory space you'll become familiar with what is necessary to pick/investigate and what's not.Borderlands' Cast of Characters
There are four different characters to choose from in Borderlands, each with their own set of skill and abilities that can be mixed and matched to provide a level of character customization seen mostly in computer RPGs. (hence the labeling of the game as a Role Playing Shooter). Each of the four characters also has their own unique back story and three skill trees to choose from. Borderlands even allows you to reallocate your skill points if you're character isn't turning out how you envisioned. The four characters include Lilith "The Siren", Mordecai "The Hunter", Brick, and Roland "The Soldier". Each character has their unique strengths and weaknesses but for the most part the skills and abilities surround one basic premise. To cause damage.
Lilith's main ability is known as phase walk which allows her to become invisible and move incredibly fast. Mordecai has the ability to send out a bird/bat like creature know as Bloodwing to attack enemies. Brick uses brute force to get his way, with a Berserk ability he can pummel an enemy while protecting himself from damage and regenerating his health. Finally there is Roland who can deploy a gun turret that automatically fires upon enemies while providing a shield for cover.
Missions & Quests
The missions and side quests can be quite rewarding in Borderlands and allows characters to score all sorts of loot and weapons to help them accomplish the game's main objective. I was a little skeptical when reading the pre-release press about Borderlands and the "bazillion guns" available but after playing the game my skepticism was proved wrong as there's a virtual limitless supply of guns. Guns of all different shapes and sizes; scores of different pistols, machine guns, rifles, shotguns, bazookas that vary based on rate of fire, accuracy, damage and more.
