Borderlands (all formats) Preview

[Fiach]

Borderlands is a FPS in a similar vein to FO3 (post apocalyptic), alot of the mechanics are the same (no VATS though), but you level up and buy skills in a similar way to Diablo. It has a few different types of characters, each has three skill trees, so alot of replayability. Its quest driven, so you dont get too lost in the huge landscape.

It uses a type of cel-shaded graphics, but its not really cel shaded, its fully 3D, very refreshing to look at, gameplay movies and screenshots dont do it justice, after you get used to it, your eyes feel like they have been scoured clean, with the crispness on display, its strange no other gaems have been made like this, its very impressive.

There are vehicles and vehicular combat too, so I'm really looking forward to it. :)

Review to follow.

[Art Blade]

excellent <rubs hands>  ;D :-X

[spaceboy]

You mentioned this on the other thread and I was going to mention I remember it having co-op, so maybe it's a game OWG members might get together on.  btw Fiach did you pick it up for x360 or PS3?

[Fiach]

360 mate, I'm not totally in love with the PS3, I only got it for its exclusives.

I like the 360 controller better, but games tend to look better on the 360, they seem to load faster too.

My PS3 seems to run very hot (plastic makes cracking sounds when it starts to cool LOL :)), This is a common complaint apparently.

Some games dont seem to be install-able (is that a word?) on the PS3 either, compared to the 360, where all games can be installed, which means the disc drive doesnt spin and make noise, the console runs cooler and levels load faster.

Yes, its a pretty ideal Co-Op game as there are a number of complimentary classes, my character is like a mage/assassin mix, but there are melee and tanks too.

So far Im enjoying the game, havent got a vehicle yet, but done a few quests, got some nice guns, but I'm only Lv 8.

One thing about the game, like FC2 the enemies respawn, but so do ammo and cash caches, so you are never stuck, there are vendors in the boss places that sell you gear too, plus have a ton of ammo and gun cases laying around for free, so if you cant kill a boss, its not the games fault LOL :)

Here is a link to the skill trees for my class (Siren), after level 6, each level you attain, you get a point to spend on a skill :

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/lilith/#21505050555000005005500

.

[Fiach]

87 BAZILLION WEAPONS!!!!!

Yeah, thats the games USP (Unique Selling Point) its a quote from one of the dev's (caps are his :)), there is a random weapon generator, which is supposed to have that kind of spread of different attributes. There is a problem with this, its a minor one, but for example if your mate gets an awesome weapon, chances are you will never see another with those stats again, so unilke say Diablo, there are no specific uber weapons to aim for, due to the randomness of the creations, on the plus side, you wont have a locker stuffed with 140 generic assualt rifles, to use for repair, because these 87 BAZILLION WEAPONS!!!!! dont degrade. This is important, because if you get a beauty, you will never have to worry about it breaking.

Its a weird way to start a review, but to be honest, the core of this FPS game, is its weapons load out, the game is more loot 'em up, than shoot 'em up, it nails its colours to the mast with a Railgun of ULTIMATDESTRUCTION!!!!

An easy way to describe this game, would be to call it Fallout 3's cheeky kid brother, it doesnt sweat the big stuff, it wants to have fun and dammit, its gonna get it's way!

You start on the planet Pandora, on a bus driving through the desert, with a pretty cool swamp/blues type of a soundtrack playing, on the bus you are introduced to the passengers, each one represents the classes of the game (Tank, Assassin, Melee etc.), as they are introduced to you, you choose which you prefer, you become that class, the bus stops and you step down to the ground at a desert/deserted bus stop, whirls of sand, gusting lazily around you in whorls, to be greeted by a robot called Claptrap, who introduces you to the basic mechanics of the game.

Claptrap is a pretty cool character, kind of a grungy WALL-E, but when you stop moving he will buzz around doing tricks like an affectionate little puppy ...... on crack cocaine! He is even in the background of the Main menu, speding around, setting himself on fire and stuff, he has no effect on the game, he's just there and thats all he does. There are other claptraps that you can rescue, if successful, they will increase your inventory space.

The graphics are the first thing you notice, they look cel shaded, but they are 3D, very crisp and clear, kinda refreshing looking too, they are probably an aquired taste for some, I loved them from the first moment I saw them.

After the tutorial, you can exit the compound, to be greeted by a post apocalyptic wasteland, ala Fallout 3, but this is brighter, more colourful, this game could be called the Anti-FO3, everything that was annoying in FO3, seems to be addressed here.
You dont have to search in dark buildngs with your cursor for hidden boxes of loot, they all have a green light on them, after they are emptied, the light glows red. (BTW, they also refill if you reload the game, so you can eg. save/reload and raid the boxes again).

There is no VATS, this is a straightforward FPS game, the weapons are different though, you get the usual, rifles, snipers, SMG's, grenades etc, but they also come in different flavours, like for example, I have a handgun and a sniper rifle that apart from shooting monsters, they will also set them on fire, I can also get a skill for my character, that will increase that sort of elemental damage that is dealt to enemies, There is also lightning and other types afaik. The sniper rifles and pistols are pretty cool, with the telescopic image really grungy and garish looking (in an evil way, kinda like the art w@&k in Hunter S Thompson books if that means anything to you).

There is only one vehicle as far as I can gather (maybe a second one much later), thats it, but you can customize it in great detail, it can be armed, but I gather that its not great in combat for damage output, it handles great (like a warthog in Halo, which means that you steer with the camera analogue stick, seems odd, but works great.

The quests are not as deep as Fallout 3, but they propel you through the story, with direction and items to help you along (btw, as in FO3, you are looking for a Vault). The characters that give the quests are interesting and have nice details about them, they dont ever become endearing, but they are different to quest givers in other games, in a good way.

Some of the quests seem difficult, you have to realise this is at heart an RPG, if you are having difficulty with a quest, go away, kill some stuff for awhile and level up, get more skills, then come back and kick a$$. Levelling up and buying skills are a doddle, its interface is more Diablo than FO3. As you level up you gain more health, but you dont have to worry about stats like Intelligence, Strength etc, you just buy skills for helping you fight.

These templates are used to see how best to spend the points you earn while playing, you get one point for every level after level 5. so its a handy way to plan your build and refine it as you play.

You will recieve 4 points by level 50, which is the highest level you can attain.

You must spend 15 skill points in a style (3 x 5 points), to open the lowest (most powerful) power in that skill tree, but you can mix and match skills from other trees if you desire.

For example, you could spend 15 in each of two trees, to access the powerful last skill in each of those trees and still have 5 points left over to enhance other skills.

The first skill has to be purchased, to open up the choice of three skill trees underneath.

An example of the types of skill available :

Each character has a starting ability that bust be chose at level 5, before you can access the skill trees.

LILITH

She has a special power that causes her to Phaseshift, she turns invisible and when she quits Phaseshift, she causes elemental damage to any enemies near her. Alot of her powers are based on adding elemental damage to her bullets, so ideally find a weapon with a high Rate of Fire, because every bullet will have a percentage chance to cause fire damage.She has an awesome power called Phoenix at the end of one skill tree.

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/lilith/#20000000000000000000000


ROLAND

He is the nearest to a straight forward soldier, he can play one of three roles, but his first skill allows him to deploy a gun turret beside him, alot of his skills are based on how the turret can be used, there is one skill, which causes it to fire missiles as well as bullets.

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/roland/#00000000000000000000000

BRICK

He is the melee berserker type, with a side order of explosives, his skills can be quite varied, making him very versatile from melee to Rocket Launchers he covers some interesting playstyles.

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/brick/#30000000000000000000000

MORDECAI

He is the sniper type, alot of his skills are based on hitting harder and faster, he also has a pet hawk, that will attack enemies.His skills can make your sniper rifle hold more ammunition, sway less while aiming, when you hit a target you regenerate health etc.

http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/skilltree/mordecai/#10000000000000000000000


The map area seems huge, the vehicle is just to get from A-B really, but there is also an in-game transport system, i guess kinda like Far Cry 2.

The game is solo-able and its a good game for solo play, but it apparently comes into its own in MP and Co-Op, the more in your team, the better the monsters and the item drops are also increased in quality.

So, its a fun game, great graphics that are a breath of fresh air, with accessible yet cool mechanics and great weapons, I enjoy it immensely, but I imagine that the GFX may put some people off, so if there is a demo, well maybe you should try it first, but GFX aside, its a good shooter, with a nice take on weapons, that's set in a cool environment.

Fiach : Playing games, so you dont have to.

[deadman1]

Excellent revue Fiach thanks for that :-X looks like I´ll be buying this game the at the end of the month.

[Art Blade]

great review, cheers mate  :-X

[Fiach]

Just came across a handy game mechanic, if you are about to die, you get a message on the screen, saying FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!, If you manage to kill an enemy before the timer runs out, you get a SECOND BREATH! message, Which replenishes a small percentage of your HP.

This was pretty effective in a Boss Fight, I just managed to ping a minion before I popped my clogs and got just enough HP back to kill the Boss. :)

[Art Blade]

haha, nice  ;D :-X

[fragger]

Cheers, Fiach, cool review mate :-X

[mmosu]

Nice review!  :-X
I had seen a commercial for this one on TV, thought it looked interesting but didn't know anything about it until now.  I am a fan of the cell shading look so that caught my eye right away. Sounds like it's right up the OWG alley!  ;D

[Fiach]

Yeah the game is still pretty cool, one thing though, if you hated the guards respawning in FC2, you will have issues with BL as they respawn VERY quickly, one thing about the game is you are never stuck for ammo,but they sure do give you LOTS to kill, sometimes when the Skags attack you, there will be alot of them and more on your way back, but you will always have ammo, a bit Serious Sam-ish, but not that many enemies compared to it.

This is pretty self evident, but always have a few guns, filled with DIFFERENT ammo, so when you run out of one type, at least you have something else to fall back on.

Speaking of ammo, I got an interesting grenade MOD, now any grenade I throw, explodes as normal, the explosion spawns a bunch of smaller grenades that also explode

Some guns fire bullets that cause the enemies to go on fire, you dont need special ammo, which is nice.

The buggy is interesting, its good for squishing enemies that maybe a little higher than you, if you cant gun them down to easily, it saves you getting bogged down in firefights if you are in a hurry. Also there are lots of places around where you can respawn a new buggy, if yours gets destroyed or you leave it and go exploring, but also ..... the place that spawns them, can (if you wish) spawn you back in the buggy where you left it. I havent tried this, but I gather that from what I have heard, which seems like a handy teleport device.

The game is nicely designed in a way that you are always achieving something, you can play for 20 minutes to kill some time (and other stuff), you will still get a bit of XP to progreas, or loot some money etc. from boxes.

.

[Ricamundo]

Hmm, interesting. I just might ask Santa for this one. 8)

[Art Blade]

I got an interesting grenade MOD, now any grenade I throw, explodes as normal, the explosion spawns a bunch of smaller grenades that also explode

There was this cluster grenade "bonus" you got with CoD:ModernWarfare(1) which worked the same. It was available in the options menue, had to be unlocked first. I remember it so well because I used in the bonus mission you get at the end of the game, where you have to clear a plane of hijackers. Was big fun using them in a flying jumbo, though  ;D

[mmosu]

Any idea how long a playthrough of this game is supposed to take?  We are all certainly well spoiled now by the length of FC2, so is there any indication yet on how Borderland compares?

[Fiach]

Thats a very subjective question, it really depends on the player, their style and their ability to take on a FPS.

I would say from looking int this, minimum of 30 hours, that is with great FPS skills and knowing what to do and when to do it (using a walkthrough for example although I dont know if there is one.) Doing all quests and again knowing exactly where to go and what to do. I am still in the desert after 10 hours, so I cant see 30 as being accurate.

I have seen 100 hours bandied about and it wouldnt surprise me as being accurate.

After you reach lv 50 (level cap) and finishing the game, you unlock New Game +, which allows you to start over, with your old skills intact (plus gear) and face tougher monsters.

There is also the other classes which seem pretty cool and offer not only class style differences of gameplay, but also the classes have three skill trees tha can be mixed and matched for further refining of a style unique to your way of playing.

So maybe (a guess) 100 hours if you want to just do it and leave it alone after that, otherwise, it could be up to 300 hours depending on how your OCD is working out vs the drugs you are taking to combat it. :)

BTW :  The game uses CoD4 MW controls by and large, so any comparisons would be accurate, vis a vis mechanics.

[Art Blade]

I think I need to get this game  :) Thanks again, fiach, for your comprehensive info  :-X

[PZ]

Excellent reporting Fiach, many thanks!  :-X

[Fiach]

Just so you know, its not an easy game, A bullet to the head wont kill alot of these enemies, It would probably just piss them off! :)

Expect to be doing alot of circle strafing and back pedalling etc.

There is no difficulty level, so if you get bogged down in a section, you will have to grind up a few levels and come back to it, to try again.

Apart from the levels and extra skills, hopefully you will loot some uber gear to use, to lay the smack down on enemies.

The game is fun, yes, but its not easy.

I just wanted to say that before someone bought it and got annoyed if they hit a brick wall in the game and blamed me. :)

[Art Blade]

just checked, PC release in Germany will be 30th October, and some people who already bought it (don't ask me how) are complaining that starforce security, which comes with the game, keeps the game locked until that date. Tss... Apparently there are different versions out, too, as in censored and uncut. Man, great.

[Fiach]

Starforce???/ ...... *shudders*

I dunno what it is with german games, I have bought a couple (last one was a top down RPG called Sacred) and they all had Starforce which played hell with my PC, so after that I never bought another german dev'd game.

I know some games have had to release patches to clear the starforce lock n their games, X3 if I recall correctly had to release a patch, so you could play without the game disc in its tray, becaus of the problems people hd with Starforce.

Could you not get an international copy from Play.com or Amazon maybe?

[Fiach]

Here ya go, may need to check the postage, as they dont charge postage to Ireland.

http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/5310252/Borderlands/Product.html

[Art Blade]

very kind of you, fiach :)

And yes, I remember X3 among other games and some issues with it. I never had problems with starforce itself, but once, and then starforce was quicker to release a working "patch" than the publisher. I am more concerned about bloody censoring. So yes, I might give it a try (but I don't do business over the net, yet I know people who'd do it for me)

[Fiach]

Well I deal with Play.com alot, so have no fear about their honesty, they are as well respected as Amazon, but I find them to be less expensive for most items.
Hope you can get it with no problems.

I'm only Lv 15, but still having a blast and still in the first area (desert), from what I can gather there are maybe 4 map areas, here is a handy wiki site for the game if you get stuck on anything :

http://wikicheats.gametrailers.com/index.php/Borderlands_-_PC_PS3_XB360/Side_Missions#By_the_Seeds_of_Your_Pants

I did find a nice game mechanic today, I maxed a skill (5 points) and I was very disappointed with the usefulness of the skill, I found that for a sum of in-game money (2000 gold I think it was, it was cheap anyway), I could reset all my skills and re-apply the points to new skills.

I had spent points, where you regain health while invisible, which I figured would be really handy, but after 5 levels, the HP gains was incredibly small, and you can buy shields (like the shield bar over your HP bar in other FPS games), which cause your HP to regenerate anyway, so I put the points into Quicksilver, which increases your rate of fire ...... the difference to my gameplay was astounding, I had a very slow shooting, but quite powerful assault rifle, now its a death machine, same with my sniper rifle, the increased RoF makes it a very lethal piece of kit.

Also this Quicksilver is part of a very interesting skill tree, where, if you max out 3 skills, you unlock a skill called Phoenix.

This skill is quite exceptional, if you are surrounded by enemies and hit one, it sets all surrounding enemies on fire too, which is a really nice "Get out of Jail Free card :)

On the negative side, if you have Phoenix activated and walk past an oil barrel ...... well ummm, not good for your health LOL, but risk vs reward is always a nice curb on elite powers I think.

[fragger]

Apparently there are different versions out, too, as in censored and uncut. Man, great.

/Whinge mode ON

Aw, man, what is it with these touchy-feely Dudley Do-Rights? Why don't they just slap a rating on it and be done with it? Or do they think we're all too stupid to know what's good for ourselves? >:( (finally got to use the cranky face)

And what d'you reckon - which of these most closely defines "Starforce":

A fleet of Star Destroyers
A mega pain in the arse for gamers
A big wank

(more than one answer allowed)

/Whinge mode OFF