Borderlands Review
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MultiplayerThe above converges to make an OK, but not particularly engaging single player experience. Part of this has to do with the game's over-simplicity, but a bigger part of it is that the game is really designed for multiplayer. A lot of battles, especially boss fights, are set up so that smart players can combine their characters' individual abilities with the available terrain and specific opponent's weaknesses and strengths. That makes for more challenging (as enemies become tougher with each player to join) and more interesting, tactical combat. Equally, upping the challenge by gathering players seems to be the only way to gather really good loot. Even some skill trees and class mods are clearly aimed at multiplayer.
But while multiplayer is definitely superior to single player, it's not exactly an impressive gameplay mode. The basic functionality a co-op mode in which players jump in and out of the host's game is fine, but several problems make it fall short. For one, it uses GameSpy, which just honestly baffled me, as I don't recall seeing that online gaming network used in the past 5 years, and being forced to register for the mediocre service is hardly a plus though it did run trouble-free for me for most of my gametime. But there are a few niggles with the gameplay as well, such as a lack of trading between players, the fact that only the host's quests can be active, and the fact that everyone gets booted when the host quits.
Also, while it works fine in co-op with friends, there's plenty of opportunities to annoy one another, including that one player can initiate travel regardless of where everyone else is (unless they're in a menu) and no one can stop travel once initiated. A bit of a head-scratcher is that loot is dropped in one chunk and everyone can grab it, bringing back the old ninja loot rush that more recent hack 'n slashes like Titan Quest and Hellgate: London removed by giving individualized loot drops.
Sound, graphics
Borderlands' sound design is competent, but nothing special. For a game with gory combat, it lacks delicious sound effects to go with it. The voice acting is ok, with some terrible performances alternating with a lot of decent ones. Finally, the soundtrack is pretty damned good, and works well with the graphical style and overall feeling of the game.
Borderlands is rendered in a somewhat unique, fetching (concept art style). I say (somewhat unique) because I had already seen a vaguely similar style when playing the (rather mediocre) indie FPS Merchants of Brooklyn just before Gearbox announced the switch. Regardless, the look is not your standard FPS drab we're becoming used to, and that only works in the game's favor. The graphical style works extremely well with the gory combat and light-hearted feel of much of the game.
Style, story
The light-hearted feel is probably one of the game's strongest points. It (borrows) from other titles in rather obvious manners, from its Fallout-esque billboards to its BioShock-ish quest screens, but when it comes to overall style, it's all about having an over-the-top, irreverent style reminiscent of a lot of recent Quentin Tarantino flicks. Sadly, this style is big at the beginning, with a great opening sequence and giving cool introductions to nifty characters like TK Baha and Dr. Zed, but for some reason it completely gives up there, with only the bosses staying zany, and the rest of the quest-givers being stock and about as interesting as the bottom of my foot...
...which leads me to the story, and the world it's set into. Both are irredeemably boring. The arid desert world of Pandora is exactly like any other arid desert world, complete with requisite dangerous creatures in the skags, scythids, raks and
I would guess most players feel inclined to ignore the plot and just fight on. The simplicity of quests, clear quest markers and lack of paths means this is a perfectly valid way to play, you won't really notice it impact your game in any way. Hell, I'd almost recommend it, considering much of this game's writing. Borderlands got off on the wrong foot with me right from the start, by having the gall to tell me I'm about to meet a (funny little robot) before introducing me to a trite, uninteresting little robot. At times, the (comedy) writing is so forced that it's almost painful.
Conclusion
Borderlands is an odd game that felt unfinished in many aspects. It doesn't do much particularly well, and what it does do well doesn't carry through (the limitations imposed to multiplayer and the sudden cessation of well-written characters and stories after the opening area are two prime examples).
The game really only shines in a cooperative environment, so if you're looking for a good single player experience, look elsewhere. Even by hack 'n slash standards, an almost inherent multiplayer-aimed genre, Borderlands is single player-unfriendly.
But even then, once the style and initial thrill wears out, Borderlands doesn't last like other action RPGs do. The lack of variety in enemies (about 8 types), the lack of any type of armor, and the uninteresting selection of weapons among the game's (bazillion) guns means Borderlands can start to wear thin fairly soon. It's the kind of game people love in the first 10 hours, and which really stops having much draw soon after the first full playthrough.
FPS/RPG hybrids are pretty rare as genre combinations go, and that alone may be enough to draw people in. But the execution leaves much to be desired, and the game really lacks lasting value because of it. Such a flaw hits hack 'n slashes harder than most genres, as the crutch of such a game is its addictiveness, and while Borderlands is good at the 60 meter sprint, it falls flat on its face about halfway through the 5,000 meter track.
