Reviews// Borderlands

Gearbox has absolutely nailed the gameplay on this, something which surprised me considering all of their other titles have completely passed me by. The company has the perfect foundation for expanding the IP, and with tweaking, it could make a brilliant MMO.

There are many other positives to bang on about here too. The sound on my system at home is fantastic, especially the bass that resonates every time a rocket is fired, or the electro-explosion of a shock SMG round connecting. Zones are fairly large and interesting to explore, something made easy with use of the vehicles. The whole experience rewards your investment, and is fun to play. I powered through it in a week, clocking about 30 hours of playtime.

But that’s the thing. I did complete it. Throughout my whole experience with Borderlands, I kept thinking to myself how great it would be to play through again with the other classes. My only experience of anything other than a Hunter was in the early stages. A different class offers a completely different style of playing. I was certainly pumped to do it all again.

SPOILER & A Little ANGER To re-iterate, I completed it. I finished the storyline. Something I genuinely wish I hadn’t done. I’ve never had such an instant change of mood about a game. Without going into spoilers, the entire point of Borderlands and the personal anchor I had with it was broken. I didn’t want to play through it again. I didn’t see the point. I felt cheated. I’m not sure what Gearbox is trying to achieve with this ending, but it serves absolutely no purpose.

I loved this game, and it was definitely my late candidate for GOTY. It’s still the most consistent and prolonged fun I’ve had on my 360 since Fallout 3, and while I can accept that it’s still a brilliant game, my memories of it will remain tarnished.

Maybe I’ll change my mind and revisit it at some point. Who knows? But if I do, I’ll have to go out and buy it again considering I traded in the brand-new copy I bought a day before completing it.

Like a beautiful, loved and distant ex that ultimately screwed you over, Borderlands was still an experience worth the invested hours. Hazy memories of brilliant times gone by, the laughs, the revelations and the frustrations. Sometimes though, sometimes, you just wish you never fucking bothered.END SPOILER & ANGER

Conclusion
Borderlands was a magnificent surprise to have this late in the year, a game worth playing by any gaming fanatic. The ending is a killer, though I am informed there are some complete mentals out there who thought it was actually all right. Yeah, sure. Still, it’s worth the buy. Go get it!

SPOnG Score: 91%

Right – HUGE SPOILER – AVOID. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

^{More Anger & Definite Spoiler}
So, why does the finale to Borderlands bother me so much? It’s not the story. The plot never really stood up for me, it’s subpar and as stated - that’s fine by me. Borderlands is selling off the back of looking wonderful, shooting hard and being one of the best multiplayer experiences available. The reason the ending is so harsh is the nature of it.
<sup>For 30 solid hours I sustained a frenzied expedition across Pandora in the search for item after item, on the way picking up clues as to the whereabouts of the Vault. For every downed enemy and fallen shiny, there would be a mad dash between myself and my brother for the loot. It wasn’t a race to pick it up, but a race to see what it was.

Each new area would bring new loot. Not only those that can be found on enemies and out in the wastelands, but from the vending machines too. There was always something new and exciting to get, but ultimately my goal was to reach the vault, get the treasure and take every bit I could use. I was really pleased that through the entire game I had an obvious goal, and that goal, whilst being on a very long road, remained clear throughout.

Upon reaching the vault, eagerly anticipating what treasures await, I fought my way through swarm after swarm of mobs. I remember how epic it felt, battling for over an hour to reach the end. At the vault entrance, as it opened, a colossal defender appears. The battle is fairly difficult, but not quite as tough as I expected. Some of the other bosses certainly proved to be more of a handful, anyway.

As the beast fell to the ground, defeated, I hastily ran to its carcass to check for loot. I found a couple of white quality weapons, and one green. I was confused. Where were my riches? Where’s the glory? I searched around again, looking for hidden chests, doors, entrances to the vault. Nothing. Nothing there at all.

There was an instant feeling of disappointment. I looked at my brother, only to see him looking back in the same bewildered fashion. We were told that Tannis – the woman responsible for my thirty hour trek around Pandora for fuck-all - would pay a handsome fee for the key. This is despite the fact that it’s useless for another 200 years, when reportedly the vault would open again and trash our future counterparts dreams of glory. That’s if the beast doesn’t kill them – which it won’t.

Regardless, I reluctantly handed in the key. I got a decent amount as far as quest rewards go, though I can’t remember the exact fee. What I do know is that it barely increased the already massive pile of cash I had, and it counted for absolutely nothing anyway. I’d reached the end of the game. No special weapons. No new high mobs to kill. Nothing new to find. No vault.

I really wanted to play through it with the other classes, but all desires to do so were dashed. As I've said, I’m not sure what Gearbox is trying to achieve with this. The ending doesn’t leave the game open for any obvious sequel, it’s a terrible ending as far as plots go, and considering the whole point of the game is the glory of finding the secrets of the vault, what you actually get is a massive slap in the face.

A shame really. It left an incredibly bitter taste to an experience that had me feeling like this was my game of the year. I’ve also stopped caring about the DLC.</sup>

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