Borderlands: A Review

I haven't played a lot of games so allow me to express first my amazement at how well the developers blended FPS and RPG elements to create the captivating Borderlands. I mean, sure there have been FPS games with a leveling system but this is the first I've played with full skill trees, specialization options, and loot system - all common RPG elements.

With that being said, the multiplayer option for this game was a great addition. With the RPG element of specialization, it wouldn't really have made much sense if multiplaying was impossible. I played the entire game with two of my friends and each of us had different classes with specializations chosen to benefit each other. It made the game a lot more fun and interesting. The customization of character and vehicle color added a little more flavor and allowed people with the same classes to at least differentiate their character a bit.

Now, on to the disappointments of the game. While the customization of colors helped, the clothes the characters wore weren't really changeable. If I remember right, the game didn't even have armor items - just weapons. Perhaps they could add more items other than weapons in the sequel - if ever they do decide to continue this brand.

When I started playing, I found the initial area (Arid Badlands) to be huge, which was great. After completing a majority of the quests in the region, I was excited to move on to the next area, assuming naively that it was as huge, if not even more so, than the Badlands. I was wrong and this was the first disappointment. The next region was almost infinitely smaller than the first, with less sub-areas as well. While the next region somewhat made up for that a little, the game never really recovered fully in this aspect. The fifth area was almost made solely for a boss battle and the fourth was a one-path area, leaving no room for exploration and straying from the set path.

Next would be the New Haven issue. I doubt the developers intended it that way but if they did, that was a major imbalance issue. Before we hit New Haven, my friends and I were really playing hard for the items we needed to progress faster. When we discovered the chests hidden all around New Haven, the thrill of getting a great loot item from enemies faded. We just played and replayed the town for the loot and got items so powerful, the rest of the game was a breeze. I haven't played the DLCs yet so I don't know if they've addressed that issue in their updates.

Lastly, the story sucked. Sorry to be so blunt about it but it did. The introduction scene was great and the first few parts were OK. But, as the game progressed, the story worsened. The final scene was just trash. I was expecting at least some treasure, like maybe a hidden ancient city or even just a vault full of stuff that had a guardian of sorts. But no. The game just gave us a boss battle - and a lame one at that. With the right sniper rifle and enough ammo, the thing should be a piece of cake.

Overall though, I still give the game a lot of credit for the gameplay system, the graphics, and the customizability. The story could use a little upgrading and a little more background story would have drastically improved the flow.

Would I buy a copy if they decided to release a sequel? Most likely.