Borderlands Review

Treasure Island Meets Mad Max.

Borderlands, the latest title from developer Gearbox, is both amazing and frustrating. It’s amazing because the relentless combat is immensely satisfying and the brutal and sparse game world is exceptionally rendered using advanced cel-shading techniques. It’s frustrating because the single player campaign feels somewhat empty, the boss AI is terrible, and the weak treasure hunting elements and RPG undertone do little to add body to the gameplay experience.

The Borderland’s story unfolds on the Planet Pandora, a wasteland inhabited by wild beasts (Skags), flying vultures (Rakks), unhinged bandits and even a special breed of mini-human combatant called a Midget Psycho. Pandora is also home to a mythical vault which, legend has it, is packed to the brim with fantastic riches of alien origin. With such a prize to offer, it should come as no surprise that every scoundrel in the universe has journeyed to this tragic slum-hole to claim the hoard for himself.
 
A sensational Tarantino-esque opening sequence launches you into this world and also introduces the four playable characters. Players must select which one of the four characters they will use for the duration of the game, and the only way to play as one of the remaining three is to start the experience afresh.

Each character has their own unique skill set: Roland, the soldier, is an expert at handling rifles and shotguns and can deploy a Scorpio Turret, an automated and shielded light machine gun nest. Lilith, a Siren Phasewalker, prefers to fight with incendiary, shock and explosive weapons, and disappears at will to pummel her enemies at extreme speeds. Mordecai, the hunter, is a master sniper and gifted with the ability to summon his bird of prey, Bloodwing, to peck his enemies to pieces. Brick, more mountain than man, prefers to enter a berserk state and pummel his enemies to death with his bare hands. When an enemy is out of reach, a handy rocket launcher is his favourite tool of destruction.
 
After selecting your character, the local bus driver, weapons dealer and agent-of-opportunity Marcus Kincaid drops you off at Fyrestone, an outpost on the edge of the borderlands. You are immediately beset by visions of the Guardian Angel, a mysterious woman who promises to guide you through the main quest. It’s a weak plot device, applied as a substitute for true plot development played out in real-time or cut scenes, and the dialogue is under-utilised and completely forgettable. The second NPC assistant you encounter, Claptrap, isn’t much better. Part Wall-E and part Disney nightmare, the Claptrap, like the Guardian Angel, will give you tips and point you in the direction of new missions.

The main missions are delivered to your HUD in a similar rushed style. Simply visit an individual or Bounty Board to start a mission and off you go. Most of the NPC individuals you do encounter fall into the classic videogame cliché of stereotyping and poor dialogue: the majority of NPCs are caricatures of social identities common to American culture and portrayed in ways you’ve almost certainly seen before. Thankfully, the lack of cut scenes and other plot advancement devices means that your time spent in the company of these individuals is limited.