Game rating: Borderlands

[mmosu]

Game title
Borderlands

Category	Rating	Comments
Story line	6	The story is pretty transparent and it's nothing we haven't all seen before.  At times is merely a vehicle to get you to go places and kill things.  The game gains back several points for writing though - the dialogue and smart-mouthed quips peppered throughout are hilarious and the voice acting is top-notch, and this is what sucks you into the otherwise mediocre plot.
Graphics	9	Ok, so cell shading is a aquired taste.  But love it or hate it, it is the perfect presentation for this game.  It looks like a moving comic book, which matches the overall esthetic of the game perfectly.  All you have to do is look at some of the earliest trailers for Borderlands (before it acquired this look) to realize that the game would have sucked any other way.  Personally, I love it, and it's one of the things that attracted me to the game in the first place.
Sound	8	Sound and music are both very well recorded and well matched to the environment of the game.  Sound effects are well done, especially the ones associated with elemental attacks - listen carefully and you can hear that guy you just shot with a corrosive bullet running around screaming "Oh! Oh! It burns!! IT BURNS!!!" as his skin sizzles.  Which brings me back to the writing and voice acting - I have never played a game that excelled so much in this area and at times it steals the show.  When you're playing you can't wait for your next Echo message so you can hear what kind of absurdity will be on the other end - very entertaining! The only downside in this category is the timing of some of the sound effects.  For example, enemies that have clearly had their head shot clean off of their shoulders still scream as they fall to the ground.  While this is still funny, it doesn't exactly make sense, and sometimes it can briefly (very briefly) take you out of the experience the first few times it happens.
Game play	8	There is honestly nothing I would change about the control layout on the PS3 - it is set up perfectly for the way I play.  There are some areas where the collision gets a little funny and nonsensical.  Like in FC2, there are places you should be able to jump to, but can't thanks to an invisible wall that prevents you, which can be a bit annoying.  The individual areas are large and load smoothly, although there are sometimes load screens involved when going between certain areas.  Even after three software patches, there still are a few glitches to be worked out.  But at the end of the day, all of these things are fairly minor and don't detract much from the experience in my opinion.  Super fun game, good execution on the concept by the developers, two thumbs way up.
Replay value	10	4 characters to build.  Hours worth of missions to complete.  3 DLC's on the market with a fourth to be added in a few weeks. There was something else . . . oh yeah, 87 Bazillion guns . . . yeah, you'll be back!

Final thoughts
Borderlands is not for everyone, but it definately is for me.  I've loved this game from the first time I picked it up.  It's a great combination of accessible RPG elements dog-piled on top of a really great open-ended shooter, with great voice acting, tons of constantly changing loot to snatch up, and a strong fan base that has prompted it to become one of the most DLC supported titles of all time, giving it continuing freshness and staying power in a market that is glutted with strong titles right now.  I'll be on this one for awhile!

[JRD]

Great review mmosu... it goes in the same direction as my thoughts!

I will write one myself once I'm through or at least well near the end... guess there's still LOTS to see in this game! Replay value is great for sure as you have four characters to play with but I'm not sure if the way you play the missions with each would be so different. I mean... from Mordecai to Brick, yeah... close quarters versus a sniper, but either character can develop a sniping skill and will eventually be involved in close combat!

I read you can restart with the character you just finished but with your skills and levels up high... than THAT add for replay imo!

Wait and see...  ;)

[mmosu]

Yes, everything rolls over to the 2nd playthrough, so take time to level up good the first time around and it'll make playthrough 2 that much more fun!

[Binnatics]

Good review! I am about to write one myself and do agree with your thoughts and experiences as well.

The replay value is indeed very great. But the bazillion guns get a little annoying at times. You just can't find that one better gun, and keep selling the rest of the trash. Which gives you; $9999999,- credits :-\\ ^-^