Reviews// Borderlands

Editor's Note: why is the review so late? Simple really. We didn't get code in time. Then James and partner played it through from start to finish. On finishing the game he was basically unable to speak let alone type or even eat for a while. We've included a huge lump of real anger and a spoiler after the score, so beware and avoid if you don't want to see what made our reviewer so very, very, very angry.

Borderlands is an RPS (Role-Playing Shooter) that’s burst onto the scene in autumn of this year. It is set in a futuristic world called Pandora, a planet ravaged by lawlessness and vicious creatures. There are a few major settlements on Pandora, some still running quite healthily, others abandoned and left to the Bandits. There is little left for the locals left stranded on the planet, other than to work and try and keep themselves alive.

Pandora itself seems a pretty depressing place to live, but, with evidence of a mysterious alien vault containing advanced alien technology and riches said to be situated in the mountains, there’s plenty here for the Treasure Hunters. That’s where you come in...

So, I’m a little late to the four-man party here, and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s certainly not because of the other recent four-way title to hit the shelves - that was left to the true zombie fanatic amongst the SPOnG crowd - so quite how I managed to ignore the PR that has been pumped into Borderlands, in addition to the positive words spread across the Internet is a mystery.

Still, after our resident writer Pocket Frenzy borrowed it from a friend, played it for 30 minutes and hated it, I decided I’d give it a chance. I’d also determined that whenever I played Borderlands, I’d play it with a minimum of two players, so I elected my brother to be my partner in crime.

After selecting our characters – myself a Hunter, him a Siren – and watching the opening sequence, the first thing to hit me was how great it looks. Cel-shading is nothing new, but the artistic flavour scattered throughout the lands and across the characters adds spice and a strong sense of character.

Each of the four classes have obvious perks, and these perks vary depending on the tree of talents you ‘spec’ into. It feels incredibly familiar (being a dirty WoW-hound), and similarities to successful RPG/MMO's don’t end there, as progression into the game proved. Your first bunch of quests are fairly simple and unimaginative, which isn’t such a bad thing as you try and accustom yourself to the class you’re playing, and the control system itself.

Once I’d got past the initial tutorial section of the game, whereby you’re introduced to the noticeboard (a central quest hub for the area you’re in), the weapon, ammo and health vending machines, and how the combat works, I was completely hooked. Waiting around for the next ‘limited time only’ deal in the separate vending machines is a mini-game in itself.

The gameplay is sublime, and without meaning to repeat myself, it feels very familiar. Gearbox seems to have taken a selection of features from successful FPS's and combined it with the best of the RPG’s.

You start to build your character’s profile, and with being a Hunter I ensured I always had a sniper at hand. My secondary weapon was a pistol. Progression yields four weapon slots; I’d usually have a hefty shock elemental rocket launcher for insta-depletion of some goon’s shield, and a combat rifle/SMG with corrosive elemental properties for when things got a bit hairy - preying and subsequently spraying was my only option.

As you voyage the wastelands, you will also pick up new class and grenade upgrades. Class upgrades will usually bring big bonuses to your character and team. Examples being quicker team reloading and extra scavenger points allowing better drops and bonuses to your own specific talents.

My partner had specced quite differently. Every weapon chosen had a lower max damage than mine, but as an elemental Siren, each weapon also had been chosen on the basis of how much elemental damage it dealt. Of the elements there are shock, explosive, corrosive and fire, and for each one there is a multiplier of x1 to x4. Seeing him exploderate a Bandit from 150 yards never managed to tire.

Damage is displayed by numbers. There are health and shield bars, but as with any RPG, it’s all about the numbers baby. Normal damage is displayed in white, and elemental damage is painted in correspondence to the effect, corrosive being green...