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<div style="float: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/borderlands_box_art.jpg" border="0"></div>Borderlands
Release Date: October 26th, 2009
Reviewed On: PC (Also available for the PS3 and Xbox 360)
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
ESRB Rating: M (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language)
PEGI Rating: 18
OFLC Rating: MA 15+
Borderlands, the result of when an FPS and RPG have a baby. At least, that is how Gearbox is billing the game in its aggressive ad campaign on television. But really, what is it? An RPG? Sure, the game has many aspects of one. I would go as far to say it's an RPG with a real-time shooter combat system. However, somebody at 2K marketing didn't think that would sell it, it seems.
So how does the game stand as a co-op shooter? The game seems to have drawn inspiration from some of the best around when it comes to its combat system. A fairly simple drop in/drop out system: once the player has the proper ports opened, joining a friend or a friend join you a fairly simple procedure using the Gamespy backend. However currently crashing/freezing issues with the browser are plaguing users trying to find public games.
That does not mean the game can not currently be enjoyed with friends, which is how I would suggest the game be played anyway. Borderlands should have an instant attraction for any gamer craving co-op action. But does the game have enough to draw in the crowd for an extended stay on the dusty lands of Pandora?
What? No, not you! Get back here and finish reading!
Story:
Welcome to Pandora, a rundown frontier "western" style planet with a secret to uncover. Starting as any one of the four personas (which work the same as "classes") you set off to uncover what this "Alien Vault" is. Along the way, you'll meet some interesting characters (Quest NPCs) who further you along the way, as well as bosses who always seem to have something you want. For those that want it, the story is there to be read, watched and enjoyed as it unfolds before you. However, like most RPGs it is also easy to just skip the dialog and read the quest details (warning, be careful who you play with as they might rush you right past the story).
Gameplay:
The self proclaimed FPS/RPG, Borderlands claims to give you FPS action with RPG character progression. And they do deliver. For convenience' sake I will split this section into the basic areas that make up the gameplay as a whole. Action, Questing, Weapons and Vehicles.
Action
Combat feels ripped right out of any number of shooters on the market (albeit with Borderlands own unique take on weapons) and a very Halo-esque health/shield system. The only thing that will look odd to an FPS player here, is when you shoot and connect, numbers showing damage show up over the heads of your target like an RPG. What does all of that mean? Well like an RPG when you do enough damage with certain weapons, your skill with them goes up, as well as the level of your character allowing you to access more equipment and upgrades as well as the ability to use it more efficiently.
Peppered with the usual assortment of explosive (or corrosive) barrels, enemies with different variations, and Bosses both enormous (Skagzilla) and tiny (King Wee Wee), Borderlands offers you a very enjoyable shooter that can be enjoyed solo or with up to three other players.
Questing
Now, what sets Borderlands apart from being just another co-op shooter (do we have enough of those?) is the mission structure. Say goodbye to your standard path, and say hello to NPCs who must be interacted with, and side quests off the beaten path. Welcome to the other RPG aspect of Borderlands. Looking ripped from an Epic RPG or MMORPG, everything you would expect from such is provided. Maps with markers, a quest journal, slightly hidden areas, towns, colorful NPCs to populate them, and last but not least, the NPCs have triggered dialogs and quests. The only negative is the fact that these NPC's do not move and feel more like static objects than actual living characters in within the environment.
A double dose of Clap Trap
Anybody familiar with any type of RPG will feel instantly at home with what is laid out before them, but for a newcomer to the RPG genre, a few things will be confusing. You don't tend to have just one objective at a time like an FPS, but many quests that you pick up along the way, and Borderlands will only show you one in the HUD with the player having to select which one that is from his quest journal. Sadly, I didn't notice any sort of tutorial that would help players new to this system become accustomed to it.
Weapons
One of the key features listed for Borderlands is the huge amount of weapons available. These weapons come in the following forms: Automatic pistols, Revolvers, Assault Weapons, Sub Machine Guns, Launchers (the other RPG), Shotguns, Alien Weaponry, and Grenades. In the game, there is a wide variety of each weapon type. If you've seen the commercial where it says there are "87 bazillion" guns, it's not exactly far from the truth. Each gun is randomly generated with the exception of certain weapons that bosses drop. For the non-boss specific weapons these weapons can have many variants with differences from damage done, reload speed, magazine count, different special elemental effects, and more.
The way the game helps the player keep track of these is with another RPG system. The rarity of the weapon is denoted in the name. White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange. From left to right, that is common to rarest. Rare weapons tend to have more specials such as damage magnifiers (double, triple, and so on) and elemental abilities; such as fire, corrosive, shock and explosion. These all come with side effects such as "fire burning flesh" and "corrosive" and "shock" eating through enemy shields fairly easily. With any play through of the game the player will find himself looting new weapons to sell, trade and keep after every encounter.
Vehicles
The red-headed step-child of Borderlands features would have to be the vehicles. Sporting none of the crazy variants of the weapons system, the user is left with a machine gun buggy, which will remain unused as it is far too inaccurate at any range, and a rocket launcher buggy. Sure, you can paint them a few different colors at spawn, but it just leaves you wanting more customization. The most fun to be had with these is simply to have a destruction derby with your allies. You aren't riding in style until you are riding in a buggy on top of a buggy… upside down.
The joys of multiplayer and crazy vehicle physics
Graphics:
Built on top of Unreal Engine 3, Borderlands doesn't have the artistic "sheen" that many a UE 3 games has been accused of. This is mostly due to the game's unique art direction. Like another stand out UE 3 title, Mirror's Edge, the artists at Gearbox have worked to make their game look as distinct from any other title out right now. Sporting a "don't call me cel-shaded" look the game certainly has visual flair.
The player starts in a scenic desert bus ride that introduces not only the players to the world of Pandora, and the choice of characters, but to the graphics as well. Pandora is a desert planet, and you will see a lot of it. However, the game has varied desert locals from wide open canyons to claustrophobic junk piles, so as you progress from one area to the next they don't feel like you never left the previous area. And shortly into the game you can start fast tracking to areas you've already been thanks to the "New U" teleportation system.
There are a handful of users reporting graphical issues with the game. Many users are reporting problems with the graphical drivers currently available for their cards which lead to a stutter/graphics driver crash. Another common issue is the fact that some copies of the game do not enable some of the graphical eye candy on systems that can easily support it. This has prompted many to manually edit game files just to enable these features. Some of these features that aren't enabled initially and have no visible toggle in the in-game options screen include high quality bloom and volumetric fog.
Another recent complaint that has popped up deals with the way weapon statistics are displayed. Often times a weapon will have stats that extend beyond the base of the information window. At present, PC users have a tweak that will allow them to see an additional line of information but console users have no such luxury.
These are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed by Gearbox in the way of a multiplatform patch. Until this happens, PC users will have to continue manually fixing the problems that they can whilst console users will have to simply sit and wait.
Damage indicators reinforce the "RPG" side of Borderlands
Audio:
With the most fitting opening song Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant, the music does a good job of setting the tone for the rest of game. Boasting a variety of tracks to play when the user enters combat or just travelling the map, it does an excellent job of keeping the player immersed in the moment without getting distracted by disjointed audio.
While you'll probably never recall any NPC's particular voice, they have solid voice acting, but nothing that stands out. ... I take that back, Borderlands' internet start/front man Cl4p-tp or Clap Trap is certainly recognizable if you've ever watched one of his excellent behind the scenes clips. Sadly in the game he does not stand out nearly as much and leaves one wishing he was put to more use after they did such an excellent job building up his character with those web shorts.
The varied weapons all sound appropriate and given how they're all fictional weapons there really aren't any real-world counterparts to compare them to. This gave Gearbox much greater freedom to play with the guns to make them sound powerful and fit their on-screen appearances.
It's Jell-o, I swear it!
Multiplayer:
While certainly playable only as a single player title, Borderlands shines when in co-op. With easy drop in/out co-op, anybody can have companionship when they feel they want it and the game never has to stop as they come and go. When more players enter a game of Borderlands, the environment changes to match and the creatures and enemies become stronger to cope with the new players and their arsenal of deadly weapons.
The good news is that in this environment the game also drops the best weapons and gear for the players (often leading to impromptu duels if a certain piece of gear is wanted by multiple parties). Although, problems can arise if you are in a public game where loot thieves can snag the items and drop out again. Borderlands could take a few lessons from loot and trading systems from MMOs when it comes to this.
As previously mentioned, currently finding and playing in a public game can be a hazard. Just selecting the "browse public games" button can freeze your game, and at worst will crash altogether. This needs to be addressed right away. Luckily this problem does not affect private games and the "friends" system.
Probably the biggest complaint players have with the multiplayer is the lack of UPnP support and the fact that many players have to forward the ports through their router. For those that don't know, UPnP, when enabled on a router, will allow ports to open and close as the program needs them. This facilitates online play without much hassle for the end user. While many tech savvy players will know how to easily handle having to open ports, the casual gamer who just wishes to play with their friends is in a bit of a bind. This issue is made worse by the fact that the ports need to be forwarded was never mentioned by Gearbox on the game's release.
Quick, grab it before your friends do!
Summary:
Borderlands is certainly a good game that does a great job of separating itself from other titles that are coming out this holiday season. There are, lamentably, a few flaws which are holding it back from reaching true greatness. With a decent story in terms of length and much in the way of replayability, gamers should be prepared to spend some lengthy chunks of time exploring the world of Pandora. Even those new to the RPG genre will be pulled in as it is easy to get caught up in the ever present need to find a bigger, more badass gun.
Release Date: October 26th, 2009
Reviewed On: PC (Also available for the PS3 and Xbox 360)
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
ESRB Rating: M (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language)
PEGI Rating: 18
OFLC Rating: MA 15+
Borderlands, the result of when an FPS and RPG have a baby. At least, that is how Gearbox is billing the game in its aggressive ad campaign on television. But really, what is it? An RPG? Sure, the game has many aspects of one. I would go as far to say it's an RPG with a real-time shooter combat system. However, somebody at 2K marketing didn't think that would sell it, it seems.
So how does the game stand as a co-op shooter? The game seems to have drawn inspiration from some of the best around when it comes to its combat system. A fairly simple drop in/drop out system: once the player has the proper ports opened, joining a friend or a friend join you a fairly simple procedure using the Gamespy backend. However currently crashing/freezing issues with the browser are plaguing users trying to find public games.
That does not mean the game can not currently be enjoyed with friends, which is how I would suggest the game be played anyway. Borderlands should have an instant attraction for any gamer craving co-op action. But does the game have enough to draw in the crowd for an extended stay on the dusty lands of Pandora?
What? No, not you! Get back here and finish reading!
Story:
Welcome to Pandora, a rundown frontier "western" style planet with a secret to uncover. Starting as any one of the four personas (which work the same as "classes") you set off to uncover what this "Alien Vault" is. Along the way, you'll meet some interesting characters (Quest NPCs) who further you along the way, as well as bosses who always seem to have something you want. For those that want it, the story is there to be read, watched and enjoyed as it unfolds before you. However, like most RPGs it is also easy to just skip the dialog and read the quest details (warning, be careful who you play with as they might rush you right past the story).
Gameplay:
The self proclaimed FPS/RPG, Borderlands claims to give you FPS action with RPG character progression. And they do deliver. For convenience' sake I will split this section into the basic areas that make up the gameplay as a whole. Action, Questing, Weapons and Vehicles.
Action
Combat feels ripped right out of any number of shooters on the market (albeit with Borderlands own unique take on weapons) and a very Halo-esque health/shield system. The only thing that will look odd to an FPS player here, is when you shoot and connect, numbers showing damage show up over the heads of your target like an RPG. What does all of that mean? Well like an RPG when you do enough damage with certain weapons, your skill with them goes up, as well as the level of your character allowing you to access more equipment and upgrades as well as the ability to use it more efficiently.
Peppered with the usual assortment of explosive (or corrosive) barrels, enemies with different variations, and Bosses both enormous (Skagzilla) and tiny (King Wee Wee), Borderlands offers you a very enjoyable shooter that can be enjoyed solo or with up to three other players.
Questing
Now, what sets Borderlands apart from being just another co-op shooter (do we have enough of those?) is the mission structure. Say goodbye to your standard path, and say hello to NPCs who must be interacted with, and side quests off the beaten path. Welcome to the other RPG aspect of Borderlands. Looking ripped from an Epic RPG or MMORPG, everything you would expect from such is provided. Maps with markers, a quest journal, slightly hidden areas, towns, colorful NPCs to populate them, and last but not least, the NPCs have triggered dialogs and quests. The only negative is the fact that these NPC's do not move and feel more like static objects than actual living characters in within the environment.
A double dose of Clap Trap
Anybody familiar with any type of RPG will feel instantly at home with what is laid out before them, but for a newcomer to the RPG genre, a few things will be confusing. You don't tend to have just one objective at a time like an FPS, but many quests that you pick up along the way, and Borderlands will only show you one in the HUD with the player having to select which one that is from his quest journal. Sadly, I didn't notice any sort of tutorial that would help players new to this system become accustomed to it.
Weapons
One of the key features listed for Borderlands is the huge amount of weapons available. These weapons come in the following forms: Automatic pistols, Revolvers, Assault Weapons, Sub Machine Guns, Launchers (the other RPG), Shotguns, Alien Weaponry, and Grenades. In the game, there is a wide variety of each weapon type. If you've seen the commercial where it says there are "87 bazillion" guns, it's not exactly far from the truth. Each gun is randomly generated with the exception of certain weapons that bosses drop. For the non-boss specific weapons these weapons can have many variants with differences from damage done, reload speed, magazine count, different special elemental effects, and more.
The way the game helps the player keep track of these is with another RPG system. The rarity of the weapon is denoted in the name. White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange. From left to right, that is common to rarest. Rare weapons tend to have more specials such as damage magnifiers (double, triple, and so on) and elemental abilities; such as fire, corrosive, shock and explosion. These all come with side effects such as "fire burning flesh" and "corrosive" and "shock" eating through enemy shields fairly easily. With any play through of the game the player will find himself looting new weapons to sell, trade and keep after every encounter.
Vehicles
The red-headed step-child of Borderlands features would have to be the vehicles. Sporting none of the crazy variants of the weapons system, the user is left with a machine gun buggy, which will remain unused as it is far too inaccurate at any range, and a rocket launcher buggy. Sure, you can paint them a few different colors at spawn, but it just leaves you wanting more customization. The most fun to be had with these is simply to have a destruction derby with your allies. You aren't riding in style until you are riding in a buggy on top of a buggy… upside down.
The joys of multiplayer and crazy vehicle physics
Graphics:
Built on top of Unreal Engine 3, Borderlands doesn't have the artistic "sheen" that many a UE 3 games has been accused of. This is mostly due to the game's unique art direction. Like another stand out UE 3 title, Mirror's Edge, the artists at Gearbox have worked to make their game look as distinct from any other title out right now. Sporting a "don't call me cel-shaded" look the game certainly has visual flair.
The player starts in a scenic desert bus ride that introduces not only the players to the world of Pandora, and the choice of characters, but to the graphics as well. Pandora is a desert planet, and you will see a lot of it. However, the game has varied desert locals from wide open canyons to claustrophobic junk piles, so as you progress from one area to the next they don't feel like you never left the previous area. And shortly into the game you can start fast tracking to areas you've already been thanks to the "New U" teleportation system.
There are a handful of users reporting graphical issues with the game. Many users are reporting problems with the graphical drivers currently available for their cards which lead to a stutter/graphics driver crash. Another common issue is the fact that some copies of the game do not enable some of the graphical eye candy on systems that can easily support it. This has prompted many to manually edit game files just to enable these features. Some of these features that aren't enabled initially and have no visible toggle in the in-game options screen include high quality bloom and volumetric fog.
Another recent complaint that has popped up deals with the way weapon statistics are displayed. Often times a weapon will have stats that extend beyond the base of the information window. At present, PC users have a tweak that will allow them to see an additional line of information but console users have no such luxury.
These are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed by Gearbox in the way of a multiplatform patch. Until this happens, PC users will have to continue manually fixing the problems that they can whilst console users will have to simply sit and wait.
Damage indicators reinforce the "RPG" side of Borderlands
Audio:
With the most fitting opening song Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant, the music does a good job of setting the tone for the rest of game. Boasting a variety of tracks to play when the user enters combat or just travelling the map, it does an excellent job of keeping the player immersed in the moment without getting distracted by disjointed audio.
While you'll probably never recall any NPC's particular voice, they have solid voice acting, but nothing that stands out. ... I take that back, Borderlands' internet start/front man Cl4p-tp or Clap Trap is certainly recognizable if you've ever watched one of his excellent behind the scenes clips. Sadly in the game he does not stand out nearly as much and leaves one wishing he was put to more use after they did such an excellent job building up his character with those web shorts.
The varied weapons all sound appropriate and given how they're all fictional weapons there really aren't any real-world counterparts to compare them to. This gave Gearbox much greater freedom to play with the guns to make them sound powerful and fit their on-screen appearances.
It's Jell-o, I swear it!
Multiplayer:
While certainly playable only as a single player title, Borderlands shines when in co-op. With easy drop in/out co-op, anybody can have companionship when they feel they want it and the game never has to stop as they come and go. When more players enter a game of Borderlands, the environment changes to match and the creatures and enemies become stronger to cope with the new players and their arsenal of deadly weapons.
The good news is that in this environment the game also drops the best weapons and gear for the players (often leading to impromptu duels if a certain piece of gear is wanted by multiple parties). Although, problems can arise if you are in a public game where loot thieves can snag the items and drop out again. Borderlands could take a few lessons from loot and trading systems from MMOs when it comes to this.
As previously mentioned, currently finding and playing in a public game can be a hazard. Just selecting the "browse public games" button can freeze your game, and at worst will crash altogether. This needs to be addressed right away. Luckily this problem does not affect private games and the "friends" system.
Probably the biggest complaint players have with the multiplayer is the lack of UPnP support and the fact that many players have to forward the ports through their router. For those that don't know, UPnP, when enabled on a router, will allow ports to open and close as the program needs them. This facilitates online play without much hassle for the end user. While many tech savvy players will know how to easily handle having to open ports, the casual gamer who just wishes to play with their friends is in a bit of a bind. This issue is made worse by the fact that the ports need to be forwarded was never mentioned by Gearbox on the game's release.
Quick, grab it before your friends do!
Summary:
Borderlands is certainly a good game that does a great job of separating itself from other titles that are coming out this holiday season. There are, lamentably, a few flaws which are holding it back from reaching true greatness. With a decent story in terms of length and much in the way of replayability, gamers should be prepared to spend some lengthy chunks of time exploring the world of Pandora. Even those new to the RPG genre will be pulled in as it is easy to get caught up in the ever present need to find a bigger, more badass gun.
Story: 7.5/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Audio: 8/10
Multiplayer: 8.5/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Audio: 8/10
Multiplayer: 8.5/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 9/10
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