Review: Borderlands

The planet of Pandora is a very lonely place if you don't bring a friend.

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I've heard many good things about this game, I'm looking to give it a try sometime.

And that was a spot on Neo impression there at the start.

This looks like a totally epic game also WOO Cage the Elephant at the end of the video

I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

EDIT: Thanks.

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

Pistol=Pistol, revolver=revolver, shotgun=shotgun, etc.

EDIT:

Good review, I have a similar gun as the one you opened with...
BTW if anyone's looking for a friend to play Borderlands with on XBL, I (via the Escapist Borderlands Group) Made a GT you can add to look at it's friends list to see fellow escapists who are online (Presumably playing borderlands)

The GT is "EscapistBLGroup" (no quotes) I'll add anyone who sends a friend request (I'll assume you're from the Escapist)...

EDIT:

DTWolfwood:
Does this game have an option to swap stats? cause if it does than this game would rock more. and would actually make me consider purchasing :P

and i like the "Kill you Dead" XD

reminds me of Robinhood: Men in tights' "Ded, D E D DED!"

Swap stats how? Re-spec your skill tree? Yes
EDIT:This was in my post below, but I changed it to this one...

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

They all use the same type of ammo, that is combat rifle will use combat rifle ammo, doesn't matter if it's shooting lightning or explosive rounds. Now now, when will there be melee weapons in this game, swords, lots of swords!

Oh yeah, best game I've played this year. So much fun, and so much like the Hellgate London which was never buggy, had so much diversity in it's contents. The atmosphere, the characters, the cute little robots, the cute little midgets!!!

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

theres 8 types of it and submachinegun ammo fits in every single submachinegun in the game and all sniper rifles use exactly the same bullets.

It's a ton of guns with bonuses like +1 magazine size and +3 damage while later on you find a gun with +1 damage and +3 magazine size. Not as deep as 7.62 high calibler or s.t.t.a.l.k.e.r. where there's 20 types of 9mm ammo.

A very professional and unbiased review. Awesome :]

It's no secret Borderlands is a bit like L4D, but with more single-player value. However, this game screams that it is best enjoyed with friends. (just like L4D too)

I recon I'll play through once solo, then go online co-op as soon as I'm ready.

Once I get it of course.

Does this game have an option to swap stats? cause if it does than this game would rock more. and would actually make me consider purchasing :P

and i like the "Kill you Dead" XD

reminds me of Robinhood: Men in tights' "Ded, D E D DED!"

Personally, I disagree with the sentiment that the single-player is tedious and dull. I've been playing single-player just as much as multi-player, and I find both to have a roughly equal balance of pros and cons. Granted, I'm the sort of loner who tends to solo in MMORPGs, so I'll agree that most people will probably prefer having some friends around, but going it alone still isn't that boring. And I've actually found that single-player gets a better loot turnout: individual pieces of loot may have a higher chance of being better in multi-player, but it feels like it isn't scaling up enough (i.e: the value of loot dropped with 4 players is less than 4x the value of loot dropped with 1 player).

Either way, still an awesome game.

I edited what was in this one into the other one sorry...

Looks like this is another game I'm going to have to attempt to afford at some point. Nice review, Funk!

It definitely seems that developers are tweaking to the formula that made Diablo so much fun. Lots of cool weapons + squishy enemies + sprawling environments = addictive fun. The difference between Diablo-style games and sandbox games like GTA is that the former are more about killing things for their loot and less about scavenger hunts. Spend too much time looking for hidden coin #99 of 100, and an enemy will respawn and put their weapon through the back of your face.

This review is really accurate on borderlands, and The gun system is basically a gun generator that has about 17 Million combinations.
I've only played the game for a bit just to get a feel of the game until my friend gets it.

Great review, but you didn't mention one awesome feature that I haven't seen in other games yet.

When your health hits 0, your character drops... But isn't dead for another 5-10 seconds. During that time, you have the chance of killing something near. If you do, you get a "Second Wind", which revives you with full shields and a portion of health. You can use that to finish off the enemy that killed you or run away. You can get killed again fast, and then you get another chance to get "Second Wind", but to balance things out, the window is few seconds shorter...

The system fails only when you get killed in a suicide attack or if enemy's attack kills you after you kill him (for example, Spitters).

Sadly I have literally no gaming friends at all, and as you predicted in this spot-on review, I couldn't get into it all on my own. It looks great, and the guns and gunplay are awesome, but being all alone in a huge open-world wasteland just doesn't work for me. A pity, really, I was looking forward to Borderlands. :(

Flionk:
Personally, I disagree with the sentiment that the single-player is tedious and dull. I've been playing single-player just as much as multi-player, and I find both to have a roughly equal balance of pros and cons. Granted, I'm the sort of loner who tends to solo in MMORPGs, so I'll agree that most people will probably prefer having some friends around, but going it alone still isn't that boring. And I've actually found that single-player gets a better loot turnout: individual pieces of loot may have a higher chance of being better in multi-player, but it feels like it isn't scaling up enough (i.e: the value of loot dropped with 4 players is less than 4x the value of loot dropped with 1 player).

Either way, still an awesome game.

It's not tedious and dull so much as it is extremely unwelcoming, I found. I had a hell of a time getting into the game when I played it at first, going solo - the world felt very lonely, and clearing respawns when I trekked into Skag Gulch over and over was pretty repetitious. Playing it co-op makes it a much more welcoming experience.

Is it hard to find a game, considering you all have to be at roughly the same place in the storyline?

EDIT: This thread is probably a good place to put your Gamespy ID/PSN tag/Gamertag, for people who want a group to play with.

Gamespy: "(d/dx)Nimbus", sans quotation marks.

EDIT: apparently there are steam groups for this.

Sonicron:
Sadly I have literally no gaming friends at all, and as you predicted in this spot-on review, I couldn't get into it all on my own. It looks great, and the guns and gunplay are awesome, but being all alone in a huge open-world wasteland just doesn't work for me. A pity, really, I was looking forward to Borderlands. :(

I played the game by myself on the first play through to get a general idea of how the game world is, the quests are, as well as experiencing the boss fights, some of which were pretty amazing, or disappointing as in a certain behemoth who died before even hitting moi. But, it's still an amazing game to play by yourself.

And you don't have any gaming friends? Sure, a lot of people do, but that doesn't mean you can't hop in a public channel, or if you have steam, join the Borderland Personality Disorder group or the Escapist Borderlands Group, and get started on playing with people who will be your e-friends in the long run.

Don't miss that game, no matter what!

it makes my shortlist of games i will actually spend time on

I've been playing it by myself, and I'm up to level 27. I think its still fun, but I'm Coop will be so fun when I do finally play it that it'll ruin singleplayer.

CantFaketheFunk:

Flionk:
Personally, I disagree with the sentiment that the single-player is tedious and dull. I've been playing single-player just as much as multi-player, and I find both to have a roughly equal balance of pros and cons. Granted, I'm the sort of loner who tends to solo in MMORPGs, so I'll agree that most people will probably prefer having some friends around, but going it alone still isn't that boring. And I've actually found that single-player gets a better loot turnout: individual pieces of loot may have a higher chance of being better in multi-player, but it feels like it isn't scaling up enough (i.e: the value of loot dropped with 4 players is less than 4x the value of loot dropped with 1 player).

Either way, still an awesome game.

It's not tedious and dull so much as it is extremely unwelcoming, I found. I had a hell of a time getting into the game when I played it at first, going solo - the world felt very lonely, and clearing respawns when I trekked into Skag Gulch over and over was pretty repetitious. Playing it co-op makes it a much more welcoming experience.

I have to ask Funk, if you start a game amd have, say, 3 random people from the internet in your game, and one drops out, is there a replacement system like in Left 4 Dead?

Also, if I start a 'campaign' with these people, do I have to continue with those people only, or can others join in?

cainx10a:

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

They all use the same type of ammo, that is combat rifle will use combat rifle ammo, doesn't matter if it's shooting lightning or explosive rounds. Now now, when will there be melee weapons in this game, swords, lots of swords!

There are guns with bayonets (or that are just really, really solid) that give you bonuses in melee? I haven't tried using them 'cos I'm not playing Brick yet, but I'd GUESS they'd function kinda like swords?

Also, I've managed to solo all the way to level 44 with the Soldier. You don't feel welcome, but you can shoot the crap outta everything that makes you feel that way!

CantFaketheFunk:
*snip*

It's not tedious and dull so much as it is extremely unwelcoming, I found. I had a hell of a time getting into the game when I played it at first, going solo - the world felt very lonely, and clearing respawns when I trekked into Skag Gulch over and over was pretty repetitious. Playing it co-op makes it a much more welcoming experience.

Ahh, the Bladeflower Seed quest? That almost had my hurling my controller through the TV. I found it easier and more rewarding after that, and on the second playthrough it went without a hitch.

I want to know HOW you managed to get split screen take top and bottom parts of the screen! For all I have seen now Borderlands has a pretty weird system that takes left and right side.

Chipperz:

cainx10a:

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

They all use the same type of ammo, that is combat rifle will use combat rifle ammo, doesn't matter if it's shooting lightning or explosive rounds. Now now, when will there be melee weapons in this game, swords, lots of swords!

There are guns with bayonets (or that are just really, really solid) that give you bonuses in melee? I haven't tried using them 'cos I'm not playing Brick yet, but I'd GUESS they'd function kinda like swords?

How about a gun that SHOOTS BAYONETS! ;)

Nimbus:
Is it hard to find a game, considering you all have to be at roughly the same place in the storyline?

EDIT: This thread is probably a good place to put your Gamespy ID/PSN tag/Gamertag, for people who want a group to play with.

Gamespy: "(d/dx)Nimbus", sans quotation marks.

EDIT: apparently there are steam groups for this.

Well, ok, there are steam groups, but what if you aren't a member, and/or can't find these groups?

Sonicron:
Sadly I have literally no gaming friends at all, and as you predicted in this spot-on review, I couldn't get into it all on my own. It looks great, and the guns and gunplay are awesome, but being all alone in a huge open-world wasteland just doesn't work for me. A pity, really, I was looking forward to Borderlands. :(

Wait, there's no match-making service!? Crap, cus I've no gaming friends either, and I'll be playing over steam when its out tomorrow.

Doug:

Chipperz:

cainx10a:

WrongSprite:
I'm curious, how does ammo work in this game? With there being millions of guns and all.

They all use the same type of ammo, that is combat rifle will use combat rifle ammo, doesn't matter if it's shooting lightning or explosive rounds. Now now, when will there be melee weapons in this game, swords, lots of swords!

There are guns with bayonets (or that are just really, really solid) that give you bonuses in melee? I haven't tried using them 'cos I'm not playing Brick yet, but I'd GUESS they'd function kinda like swords?

How about a gun that SHOOTS BAYONETS! ;)

Haven't found bayonets, but I have got a rocket launcher that fires a bolas. A Bolas with incendiary grenades instead of weights.

Gaaaaaaaah I love this game!

MadeinHell:
I want to know HOW you managed to get split screen take top and bottom parts of the screen! For all I have seen now Borderlands has a pretty weird system that takes left and right side.

The game changes the screen splitting when you play in SD, which we need to use to capture the video. So it's probably not worth it unless you really dislike the side-by-side.

Doug:

Also, if I start a 'campaign' with these people, do I have to continue with those people only, or can others join in?

No, but you will not be able to complete certain missions if join a host that's further along in the story then you are. You are otherwise free to drop in and out of or bring other people into your game.

Doug:

CantFaketheFunk:

Flionk:
Personally, I disagree with the sentiment that the single-player is tedious and dull. I've been playing single-player just as much as multi-player, and I find both to have a roughly equal balance of pros and cons. Granted, I'm the sort of loner who tends to solo in MMORPGs, so I'll agree that most people will probably prefer having some friends around, but going it alone still isn't that boring. And I've actually found that single-player gets a better loot turnout: individual pieces of loot may have a higher chance of being better in multi-player, but it feels like it isn't scaling up enough (i.e: the value of loot dropped with 4 players is less than 4x the value of loot dropped with 1 player).

Either way, still an awesome game.

It's not tedious and dull so much as it is extremely unwelcoming, I found. I had a hell of a time getting into the game when I played it at first, going solo - the world felt very lonely, and clearing respawns when I trekked into Skag Gulch over and over was pretty repetitious. Playing it co-op makes it a much more welcoming experience.

I have to ask Funk, if you start a game amd have, say, 3 random people from the internet in your game, and one drops out, is there a replacement system like in Left 4 Dead?

No, why would there be one? New-spawned monsters will be adjusted to 3 people, unless someone new joins you before that happens, then nothing changes.

Abedeus:

Doug:

CantFaketheFunk:

Flionk:
Personally, I disagree with the sentiment that the single-player is tedious and dull. I've been playing single-player just as much as multi-player, and I find both to have a roughly equal balance of pros and cons. Granted, I'm the sort of loner who tends to solo in MMORPGs, so I'll agree that most people will probably prefer having some friends around, but going it alone still isn't that boring. And I've actually found that single-player gets a better loot turnout: individual pieces of loot may have a higher chance of being better in multi-player, but it feels like it isn't scaling up enough (i.e: the value of loot dropped with 4 players is less than 4x the value of loot dropped with 1 player).

Either way, still an awesome game.

It's not tedious and dull so much as it is extremely unwelcoming, I found. I had a hell of a time getting into the game when I played it at first, going solo - the world felt very lonely, and clearing respawns when I trekked into Skag Gulch over and over was pretty repetitious. Playing it co-op makes it a much more welcoming experience.

I have to ask Funk, if you start a game amd have, say, 3 random people from the internet in your game, and one drops out, is there a replacement system like in Left 4 Dead?

No, why would there be one? New-spawned monsters will be adjusted to 3 people, unless someone new joins you before that happens, then nothing changes.

Because people lose connections or have power cuts, or have to suddenly goto an emergency, and so I thought that the system would allow for the numbers to be maintained. But now you say that, fair enough, fair enough.

Slycne:

Doug:

Also, if I start a 'campaign' with these people, do I have to continue with those people only, or can others join in?

No, but you will not be able to complete certain missions if join a host that's further along in the story then you are. You are otherwise free to drop in and out of or bring other people into your game.

So... if you join a game thats really far in advance of where you were, you can't go back and return to where you were? Sorry, I'm abit confused as to how this works.

Doug:

Slycne:

Doug:

Also, if I start a 'campaign' with these people, do I have to continue with those people only, or can others join in?

No, but you will not be able to complete certain missions if join a host that's further along in the story then you are. You are otherwise free to drop in and out of or bring other people into your game.

So... if you join a game thats really far in advance of where you were, you can't go back and return to where you were? Sorry, I'm abit confused as to how this works.

Ever played Diablo 2? If you joined a game hosted by someone who is in Act 4, while you are still in Act 1, you won't be able to complete your quests, because the other guy already finished them.

But if you create a game (or go Single-player in Borderlands) and THEN the other person joins, you will be able to finish the quest.

Doug:

Slycne:

Doug:

Also, if I start a 'campaign' with these people, do I have to continue with those people only, or can others join in?

No, but you will not be able to complete certain missions if join a host that's further along in the story then you are. You are otherwise free to drop in and out of or bring other people into your game.

So... if you join a game thats really far in advance of where you were, you can't go back and return to where you were? Sorry, I'm abit confused as to how this works.

You could go back, but certain boss or npcs might no longer be there so you wouldn't be able to complete certain missions unless you were playing by yourself or with someone who was still in the same area.

Chipperz:

-snip-

Haven't found bayonets, but I have got a rocket launcher that fires a bolas. A Bolas with incendiary grenades instead of weights.

Gaaaaaaaah I love this game!

I found a shotgun that shoots rockets, don't know why it does that but im not about to complain.

Brilliant game! At its peak when you get 4 guys plaing at once, then it becomes a real tatical bullet blazing gunfight. Its also useful to trade eachother weapons, goods and health.

Oh i forgot to mention the humour, the game has a humor style similar to that of timesplitters.

9-Toes!! (Also has 3 balls) lmao