Claptrap's New Robot Revolution

[mmosu]

The revolution is today comrades! Wait for the sign, then the fleshy slavers shall perish in flames!! Claptraps unite!!  :-()

[mmosu]

Seems as though the PS3 and PC releases have not gone as smoothly as planned  :'(
While Xbox owners are currently enjoying the latest installment in the series, the rest of us are still standing around scratching our collective heads and wondering "where's the beef?!"  As of yet, no download has appeared on the Playstation Store, a quick google search has revealed that the problem appears to be worldwide.  I'll continue to update once anything else is known.  Again,  :'(

[Art Blade]

sounds familiar.. "delayed," anyone?  >:((

[JRD]

I wouldn't say delayed now, rather server overloaded I guess.

Borderlands created a fuss in the gaming community and the fourth DLC is somewhat greately anticipated for hundreds of thousands of people. Considering that mostly everybody that has got the game is already through with all DLC and midway throughout a second playthrough, gearbox is in for a headache this week.

Anyway, thanks for the headsup mmosu!  :-X

===============================edit===============================

It's not even listed at STEAM by the way. If I was dieing to get my DLC installed and running today I'd be in for a delay anyway!

I double checked and release dates for Europe/UK for PC is 28th of September... STEAM have always been left for later regarding releases as companies certainly pay Valve a share for the deal...  :-(

[mmosu]

I've officially got nothing . . . checked Gearbox related twitter accounts, facebook, you name it.  Everyone waiting to download on Steam or Playstation Store is asking, and all anyone is saying is "we're working on it"  :D

[Art Blade]

delayed.

;)

[mmosu]

HEYOOO!!
We have DLC people :-()
If anyone needs me, I'll be in my bunker for the next few days, so hold all my calls.  Reviews on the way  :-X

[PZ]

Enjoy, mmosu!  :-X

[JRD]

HEYOOO!!
We have DLC people :-()

That`s great Steve... ops, I mean, mmosu!  ;D ;D ;D

Looking forward to reading a first impressions review after you put down a few claptraps and Hyperion soldiers!  8)

[mmosu]

That`s great Steve... ops, I mean, mmosu!  ;D ;D ;D

Glad somebody caught it  ;D

[JRD]

 ;D ;)

Steve is great!

In one of the ECHO you collect in Zombie Island, nearby the Mill, the voice on the recorder says he`s sad because Steve is dead, then Steve shows up (Steve, you`re alive... gimme a hug!) and, well... gggnnnaarrgghhhsssrrssa  eeeyyyaaooooo slaughter!    ^+-+

HEYOOO!!!   >:D >:D

[Art Blade]

sounds fun :)

[mmosu]

In case anyone is wondering who Steve is, this is his first appearance as a promotional character. . .

Borderlands - The Making of Borderlands: Episode One

"Are . . . Are you eating a sandwich!?" . . . classic  :-()

[JRD]

Christian Bale on the set of Terminator-Salvation...  ;D

[mmosu]

or Russell Crowe on the set of Gladiator...  :-()
or <insert favorite loose-cannon celebrity> on the set of <whatever their last big movie was>

[Art Blade]

Thanks for that vid, mmosu  :) :-X

"Steve! Steeeeve! STEVE! Do something with this guy, PLEASE!"
"NOOooo..."
< BANG BANG BANG.. BANGBANGBANG! *click* *clickclick* >

^+-+ ^+-+ ^+-+

Also cool: "Did your mom burn you with cigarettes as a child?!" ^+-+

[JRD]

The Claptrap Web Series became a cult among Borderlands players and catapulted Steve to success  ;D

His HEYOOOO is repeated as a mantra by some BL fans in forums alike!

[mmosu]

You can also hear it shouted by the crowd in the Underdome in response to a headshot  ^+-+

[mmosu]

I estimate myself to be ~40% through the new DLC, so time for some first impressions!
Since the level cap patch hasn't been released yet, I've been playing through all available missions, but only turning in those needed to advance the story, so that I can save back the exp to apply toward reaching 69.  It feels a little unnatural playing this way, but it's not too big of a deal.
First of all, I have to mention that the environments in this DLC are the most detailed I have yet seen.  The first place you are sent is the Hyperion junkyard to prowl up some Claptrap parts for Tannis, and while there you witness a band of rogue Claptraps assaulting a Hyperion recon team while screaming things like "Viva la revolution" and "How'd ya like them apples".  Of course, being the shrewd vaulthunter that you are, you wipe out both sides just to be safe and continue with the sightseeing >:D.  The junkyard itself is immense in both size and detail.  Ramshackle buildings and huge piles of junk litter the landscape and organize the paths you take through the dump as in other areas of the game – the difference this time is that many of these structure are climbable if you have the patience to look for a way up.  After talking to Tannis again and being introduced to the shady Hyperion CEO Mr. Blake (who may or may not be Satan himself ???) you enter downtown Tartarus Station.  Far more detailed than even T-bone Junction, Tartarus Station is set up more like a real town, with tons of back alleys and odd little passages used to cross under the railroad tracks that divide the center of the town.  And again, many of the buildings and structures are climbable this time, with lots of weapons chests scattered around for those motivated to explore. 
From here, the story branches out to several locations with Tartarus Station acting as your central hub and base of operations (Mr. Blake is physically present here to oversee the quelling of the Claptrap rebellion, and of course Marcus has a shop here also).  This segment of the story has a very different feel, largely because the vast majority of enemies encountered are at least partially new (ie – assimilated and improved with Claptrap parts).  Several main characters are "Clap-traped" and make new appearances also.  For example, General Knoxx-Trap is here with his usual sunny (read: depressed and suicidal) personality intact:
When he is first activated you get:
"I'M BACK!!!! . . . ughhhh . . .i'm back . . ."
And as he's dying (again):       
"I can see a light! It's breathtaking!! . . . wait . . . ughhhh . . . it's just the sun  .  .  .  .   shhhhhhh!t . . . <dead>"  ^+-+
So yes, all of the humor is definitely still there :-X  The Claptraps themselves bear a lot of this burden this time around, with their high-pitched nonsensical screams a common feature on the battlefield.
The missions themselves are standard Borderlands fare:  Go to location and collect X number of ____ , or destroy X, or kill X and bring back proof, etc.  Really just a vehicle to transport the player from place to place, the missions are entertaining nonetheless, with one particular series having you do sabotage w@&k between feuding hostels in Tartarus Station. 
So far I'm enjoying the experience.  Many interesting things happen along the way.  For example, lowering the railroad bridges at the two ends of Tartarus Station is necessary to give you access to the outlying areas, but also has the unforeseen consequences of allowing bandit trains to enter the town and stage raids that you must then clean up while the townspeople hide indoors (the public address system advises residents to play dead so the bandits will leave them alone).     
I've read a few bad reviews on this DLC with the main complaint being it's just more of the same.  In my opinion, that's not necessarily a bad thing :-().

[Art Blade]

thanks for sharing your first impressions, matey :)  :-X Have fun  :)

[JRD]

We probably read the same bad reviews mmosu, all about it being "more of the same"  :D

But c'mon... that's a DLC, what do you expect? A brand new game? Of course it's more of the same... that's what got players hooked in the first place!

If they release BL2 and it's the same, I'll complain, but otherwise... hit me with more of what made me like this game in the first place!

After playing Zombie Island  I was a bit bored of zombies... I mean, it's a brand new area, pretty big, all new enemies, new mechanics... but shooting something that won't shoot back get's old pretty quick. Thankfully ZI is just big enough to entertain and keep you playing. I'm playing General Knoxx right now, after killing Kyros and Typhoon, Athena is free and I'll be hitting the armory soon enough, I'm sure. So far it's unbelievable how much content they could come up with to keep the community happy!!!

So far all DLC had their own looks yet keeping true to the main game... I can say that Gearbox and 2K did a terrific job and whoever is complaining don't know what he's saying... so much value for the cash invested!

I'm getting RR soon and then back to my second playthrough!  >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D

[mmosu]

 >:D Muerte la Revolucion!  >:D

Finished the main plot missions for Robot Revolution - man that was interesting!  I don't want to say too much for those still working through all of it - let's just say the stage is set for Borderlands 2!  This DLC makes the plot come full circle, literally ending up where the main game started at the very beginning.  And someone who has been with you from the beginning dies . . . well, they make it look that way . . . sort of . . . you'll just have to see it for yourself  ????  Confused yet?  I know I am!! 

As far as the actual gaming elements go, the DLC ends up with a series of boss fights which culminate in the ultimate showdown with the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap (before the fight he taunts "All right, I hate for it to come to this . . . ah, who am I kidding? I've been dying for it to come to this!").  The last fight is TOUGH - not as tough as Crawmerax mind you, but if you think you're gonna go toe to toe and stand out in the open then get ready to do some dying!

Overall, my opinion is still that DLC4 is more of the stuff that made me love this game, and if this is where the second game will pick up at (all indications so far are that it is) then I can't wait.  Happy Hunting  >:D >:D >:D

[Art Blade]

sounds like you're happy with it :)  :-X

[JRD]

Great review mmosu...  :-X

I`m still to assault the armory in General Knoxx, so it`s gonna be a while before I pick Claptrap`s robolution.

I`ve been quite busy the past couple weeks and barely had time to play - specially because I know that hitting the armory demands some effort  ;)

In the meantime I started a new playthrough with Brick to see how he plays and am at the 20s now. The early stages of the game can be accomplished quite easily and if I only have one hour to play I rather go with an easy pace hunting in Pandora!

Turns out I really like Brick and Berserk mode... really usefull for population control  >:D

Looking forward to see more of Claptraps.

A few questions!

How do you like the new enemies?

Does the Hyperion troops compare with Crimson Lance at all?

What about the new claptraps with boxing gloves and all?

Is the loot as good as in previous DLC?

Cheers, mate!

[mmosu]

The new enemies are interesting - that is, the "claptrapped" versions of enemies we've seen before.  The claptrapped bandits all seem somewhat confused, like they're not sure if they're human or robot now  :-()  All of the claptrapped wildlife (skags, crawmaggots and worms, and rakk) are interesting too - if a creature had an armored body before it is likely replaced with thick metal plating in the claptrapped version. 
The Hyperion troops are there just for variety - the clap traps take control early in the DLC, so the majority of Hyperion soldiers you face are already assimilated.  The toughest part about them is the shield - it covers them neck to knee, and like lance shields provides total protection from bullets, but a well placed shot can knock it aside long enough to thread a few shots past to the soft underbelly  >:D  Functionally though, they are a direct swap for the Lance troops. 
There are many versions of claptraps as you noted JRD.  There are claptraps with hammers for hands, boxing gloves, ones dressed like cavemen, ones that wear army helmets,"stabby" clap traps (which sport mohawks and knives), and my favorite - the "divine wind" clap traps (the Japanese word "Kamikaze" translates to "divine wind" in english - these claptraps bum-rush you and then self destruct, doing massive damage).  There is plenty of variety to go around.
And as for weapons, the drops are top-notch kit :-X  In playthrough 1 I picked up a Jakob's shotgun that I actually like better than anything I ever constructed in Gearcalc - big damage and enough knock-back to propel smaller enemies over 100 feet into the distance - very entertaining!