From the various animation cycles of the "claptrap" robot being silly at the main menu screen to the desperate cries of the unsuspecting victim of an incendiary round as he burns away in to nothingness, the level of finish in this game is quite amazing. In a recent interview, Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Gearbox Software mentioned that it took his company more then three years to create "Borderlands". The now well known "restart" of the project aside, the amount of time and care the fine folks at Gearbox Software put in to the game really shows. The comic book graphic style really makes it a pleasure to play this game set in a rather desolate planet in the fringes of the galaxy. It deserves comparisons to another game set in a rather bleak environment, "Fallout 3", another game I finished. I recall the sense of depression which came over me wondering the seemingly never ending scenes of destruction in "Fallout 3". By contrast, the whimsically dilapidated environments of "Borderlands" are a joy to look at and adds much to the enjoyment of playing the game.
This doesn't mean that "Borderlands" is just pretty to look at. It's really fun to play as well. Earlier on in the game's publicity cycle, some critics were skeptical about the 1.7 million different kinds of weapons that are supposed to be in the game almost dismissing it as a gimmick. Well, it's a gimmick but what a gimmick it is. There is a certain pleasure in searching high and low for that one gun/mod/shields that will one up the one that I have equipped right now. Comparing the hundreds of different items, most of which never repeat, and figuring out what would work best for the way one's decided to play the game engaged the pack rat in me like no other game since the Diablo series. And that's another thing. There are so many different ways to play this game, it's amazing!
I finished the game playing as "Mordecai", a hunter/sniper/gunslinger type character. Notice how I gave three different types for a single playable character? That's because each of the four playable characters' RPG style skill tree allows for three completely different styles of play which you can choose to pursue singularly or mix and match to your liking as you earn levels. I ended up putting all my points in to the sniper category of Mordecai's skill tree. By the end of the game I was headshotting bad guys from half a mile away with my incendiary sniper rifle setting on fire the guy who was standing next to the guy whose head I just blew off his body. Sounds kind of sick but actually it's pretty "sick" when you see it happen and definitely makes you want to play some more so you can see it again. :D Immediately after finishing as a sniper, I restarted the game as "Roland", a soldier because I sold so many cool looking rifles and shotguns while playing as Mordecai that I was jonesing to see what these awesome rifles could do. Let me tell you I wasn't disappointed. I'll be playing through again as a soldier, then as a siren, then as a Berserker, then maybe play through again using branches of each character's skill tree which I didn't investigate. Yeah. This game is that good!
There are a few minor things which would have really brought this game up to digital crack status. In a way they should have gone "full Diablo" by offering randomized levels. I suppose that could have messed with the graphic style of the game a bit but I think adding that extra level of replayability would have brought the game to another level, as high a level as the game is already. Man, talk about never putting the game down if they had done that. Another thing is the whole treking back and forth to the shop to sell off the mountain of loot one quickly gathers. This isn't really a "Borderland" issue of course. Even Diablo suffered from this "scroll of town portal" issue. I guess I wish someone would make a game where the shop owner gives you a transporter or something that makes it possible for you to sell the stuff where you're standing instead of having to walk over to some arbitrary place to do it. Oh, and speaking of loot, it would also have been nice if there was weapon crafting in the game. I mean, the game has 1.7 million different possibilities right? Why not make it so a player can pay to have his dream weapon be made by some gunsmith? Hey~ there is an idea for an expansion pack. :)
But again, these are minor issues. I mean I can pine on and on about how much good there is in this game but I think you get the picture. But, don't just take my word for it. Go out and get it, rent it from Gamefly, what ever, PLAY IT! You won't be disappointed. A definite thumbs up from me, and you know I don't give those away easily. And if you're able to pull yourself away from the game long enough to have an opinion about it then by all means leave a comment about what an awesome time you're having playing the game right here! :D
p.s. btw, I bought this game from Gamefly. See, what they say works. You rent it, you play it, you like it, you buy it. Haha! :D
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment