Games Database
PS3
Compilation
| Viewed: | 3D Third-person, over the shoulder | Genre: | Compilation Adventure: Free Roaming Shoot 'Em Up |
| Media: | Blu-Ray | Arcade origin: | No |
| Developer: | Gearbox | Soft. Co.: | Gearbox |
| Publishers: | 2K Games
(GB) |
Released: | 17 Nov 2018
(GB) |
| Ratings: | PEGI 18+ | ||
| Connectivity: | Network Players | ||
Summary
Borderlands is set on Pandora, a planet at the edge of the galaxy where colonists have been drawn by the expectation of vast mineral wealth. However, when the planet turns out to be barren, the rich leave, and the poor are abandoned to chaos and lawlessness: a futuristic wild frontier like the American old west. The remaining settlers elect to try to find and exploit abandoned alien technology as their route to getting off this forsaken planet. Pandora's vicious indigenous life-forms decide that the settlers look like an appealing snack.
In this hostile and dangerous environment, you play as a mercenary treasure hunter. And here the RPG elements of the game come into play - to establish the trust of the locals, you have to undertake missions to win their favour. These may be collecting or hunting missions.... and while this aspect of the game is similar to role playing games, the focus is very much on real time 3D action. The game continues in this vein: there is a main story to progress through, but there are side missions that can be followed at any time to help you gain items and experience. Experience enables players to level up, RPG style - so the game has no difficulty levels, instead featuring a scalable challenge system. If a particular battle is too tough for you, back track, complete some side-quests and then try again with improved abilities and equipment.
Borderlands also has a multi-player co-operative mode, in which, any experience earned by completing missions is shared between team members equally, because everyone's skills will be required to successfully complete a mission.
Borderlands 2
So, what's different? For starters, Gearbox has added a number of gameplay features that can help you out in a pinch - the most direct one being a special perk that can be activated by hitting the trigger buttons.
When you re not pumping lead, your ammo is replenished over time too, allowing you to go on a proper killing frenzy when you re nearly down and out. Insta-Health vials will only go so far this time around.
What could potentially change the game - in a good way - is the introduction of Badass ranks. While characters still have a level cap of 50, Badass ranks don t have such a limit. When you level up in this manner, you earn a Badass token, which can be used to spend on increasing a number of base statistics. The genius here is that tokens spent to increase stats are applied to every single character you have on your profile. Add the mystery of golden chests, and the secret golden keys that require special actions to obtain, and you have a sequel that puts a lot of emphasis on the RPG side of things.
Gearbox have obviously put a lot of extra care and attention in Borderlands 2. On the surface, it s business as usual - familiar graphical style, familiar locations, familiar storylines. But players get to be involved with the inhabitants of Pandora in a way that s not seen in the original game. The amount of improvements in Badass points and golden keys also shows that Borderlands 2 will be a much deeper and rewarding RPG experience to complement to intense FPS action.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
In a world of endless sequels, reboots and prequels, Gearbox Software offered up something new for us - the pre-sequel. Set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel gives fans the chance to step back into the world of Pandora.
No, not the Pandora with the really tall aliens running around a la James Cameron's Avatar. Nope, the mineral-rich Pandora in which players run around with anarchic glee, shooting everything in site and gathering as much loot as possible. This entry to the series follows Handsome Jack, the maniacal baddy everyone loved to hate in Borderlands 2.
The game comes with four new playable characters, each bringing their own abilities to the table. Wilhelm has his pair of drones - one for bombing enemies, one for healing himself. Nisha... well, Nisha's basically an unstoppable slaughter machine, filling the screen with hot lead. Athena has a shield that absorbs incoming damage, turning it to energy that can be turned back on enemies. Then there's Claptrap - yes, the goofy robot from Borderlands 2 - whose abilities are unpredictable on account of them changing depending on the situation. What's more, the skill tree is chock full of crazy abilities to win. Want to turn into a walking nuclear bomb? Sure, why not...?
New tweaks have been made to gameplay, too. Low gravity combat means you can leap away from enemies (or anywhere you want, really) in a single bound, while new gear means you can freeze enemies solid or fry them to a crisp with laser-class weapons.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers new goodies without ever straying too far from the shoot 'n' loot gameplay and anarchic sensibility gamers first fell in love with it for.
In this hostile and dangerous environment, you play as a mercenary treasure hunter. And here the RPG elements of the game come into play - to establish the trust of the locals, you have to undertake missions to win their favour. These may be collecting or hunting missions.... and while this aspect of the game is similar to role playing games, the focus is very much on real time 3D action. The game continues in this vein: there is a main story to progress through, but there are side missions that can be followed at any time to help you gain items and experience. Experience enables players to level up, RPG style - so the game has no difficulty levels, instead featuring a scalable challenge system. If a particular battle is too tough for you, back track, complete some side-quests and then try again with improved abilities and equipment.
Borderlands also has a multi-player co-operative mode, in which, any experience earned by completing missions is shared between team members equally, because everyone's skills will be required to successfully complete a mission.
Borderlands 2
So, what's different? For starters, Gearbox has added a number of gameplay features that can help you out in a pinch - the most direct one being a special perk that can be activated by hitting the trigger buttons.
When you re not pumping lead, your ammo is replenished over time too, allowing you to go on a proper killing frenzy when you re nearly down and out. Insta-Health vials will only go so far this time around.
What could potentially change the game - in a good way - is the introduction of Badass ranks. While characters still have a level cap of 50, Badass ranks don t have such a limit. When you level up in this manner, you earn a Badass token, which can be used to spend on increasing a number of base statistics. The genius here is that tokens spent to increase stats are applied to every single character you have on your profile. Add the mystery of golden chests, and the secret golden keys that require special actions to obtain, and you have a sequel that puts a lot of emphasis on the RPG side of things.
Gearbox have obviously put a lot of extra care and attention in Borderlands 2. On the surface, it s business as usual - familiar graphical style, familiar locations, familiar storylines. But players get to be involved with the inhabitants of Pandora in a way that s not seen in the original game. The amount of improvements in Badass points and golden keys also shows that Borderlands 2 will be a much deeper and rewarding RPG experience to complement to intense FPS action.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
In a world of endless sequels, reboots and prequels, Gearbox Software offered up something new for us - the pre-sequel. Set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel gives fans the chance to step back into the world of Pandora.
No, not the Pandora with the really tall aliens running around a la James Cameron's Avatar. Nope, the mineral-rich Pandora in which players run around with anarchic glee, shooting everything in site and gathering as much loot as possible. This entry to the series follows Handsome Jack, the maniacal baddy everyone loved to hate in Borderlands 2.
The game comes with four new playable characters, each bringing their own abilities to the table. Wilhelm has his pair of drones - one for bombing enemies, one for healing himself. Nisha... well, Nisha's basically an unstoppable slaughter machine, filling the screen with hot lead. Athena has a shield that absorbs incoming damage, turning it to energy that can be turned back on enemies. Then there's Claptrap - yes, the goofy robot from Borderlands 2 - whose abilities are unpredictable on account of them changing depending on the situation. What's more, the skill tree is chock full of crazy abilities to win. Want to turn into a walking nuclear bomb? Sure, why not...?
New tweaks have been made to gameplay, too. Low gravity combat means you can leap away from enemies (or anywhere you want, really) in a single bound, while new gear means you can freeze enemies solid or fry them to a crisp with laser-class weapons.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers new goodies without ever straying too far from the shoot 'n' loot gameplay and anarchic sensibility gamers first fell in love with it for.