This reviewer was certainly surprised at not having had given this game a review, though this is to be understandable considering how engrossing this game is.
Any shooter veteran - especially those that had been around since the days of the first Wolfenstein game - would have seen how the genre had evolved. The requisite visceral action is still there, but with other things thrown in for good measure. Not all of these things end up being compatible with the core of these games, some in fact to the detriment of the game (John Romero's infamous works in the genre come to mind).
Borderlands seeks to infuse its entry into the genre with certain RPG elements, the most prominent of which is the looting of glittering stuff. It certainly delivers in this aspect.
When players are not busy shooting the myriad of foes in the game, they are busy collecting loot that drops off enemies, loot which are randomized in value and power according to the danger that their former owners posed to players. While this concept is not entirely original, Borderlands, however, has made certain that the best stuff can be either found among the corpses of enemies, or purchased off merchant entities (something that appears to be lacking in many games with RPG leanings).
Players would find themselves driven with quite a bit of glee as they look for better stuff, a habit that is encouraged further by certain characters in the game (whose developers apparently already has the looting mechanics in mind).
With the feature that this reviewer believes is the prime attraction of the game out of the way, this review is now free to mention on the other elements of the game - and how they are still tied to the awesome main feature.
Even the backstory of the game appears to be geared towards this feature - anyone would arrive at the logical conclusion that a sci-fi planet that had been a cradle of an alien civilization and the testing grounds for corporations which are heavily invested in weapons development would have tons of firepower buried in it and its inhabitants, all of them just waiting to be liberated from their owners in all sorts of painful manners.
Gearbox has even unabashedly designed hostile characters, beasts and monsters to justify their dropping of loot (even more overtly so in the DLCs). Considering that some of these enemies do require genuine effort and some wits to rid off, slaying and looting their cadavers is certainly a satisfying activity to do in the game, if not outright addictive. Of course, no game with looting elements would be complete without containers full of items, and the developers had certainly given thought to their placements so as to maximize the glee that players get when these are cracked open.
No shooter nowadays would be considered respectable if they do not have interesting characters to guide the players' often-bloody path along the storyline. Borderlands certainly delivers a cast of amusing men, women and robots, all of whom will eventually grow on players despite some rough, and sometimes annoying, starts to their introduction. There are silly references to pop culture, hilarious self-deprecation and a few uproarious moments in the game, all of which presented by said characters. (The DLCs are even more gleefully outrageous.)
But what about the gear that players equip, one would ask. Borderlands do have the usual stock of weapon types one would expect from the genre, from surprisingly powerful pistols and revolvers to the requisite rocket launcher and sniper rifle. All of these weapons are very satisfying to use, even in situations where certain types are considered inefficient to use. It is therefore, however, disappointing that the game imposes a rather restrictive limit on the weapons that can be readied for use, along with a limit to looting, though these limits do expand over time.
There are also vehicles in the game, though the ones that the retail launch version offers are rather limited in uses other than to be used to get from point A to point B (albeit in an explosively fun way). (The third DLC does offer more and very interesting types of vehicles, however.)
In terms of value, shooters tend to rely on multiplayer features or multiple playthroughs to extend theirs. Hence, it is pleasing that the developers have incorporated both into the game seamlessly (though the number of available playthroughs do seem rather few).
Speaking of multiplayer, Borderlands (for the PC) uses GameSpy accounts for this, reflecting the developers' distrust of most major multiplayer giants (especially Valve's Steam, which had been criticized personally by Gearbox's top leader). While players who are guests to the host are at the mercy of their patron's whims on where to travel to, they are free to peruse the conveniences of their host's world, especially with regard to obtaining more loot. A loot and difficulty modifier tied to the presence of players other than the host also increases the lucrativeness of playing together.
Of course, Borderlands does have hiccups of its own; there are graphical glitches and physics issues, among others. As of this writing, this reviewer is having problems with the DirectX 10 coding of this game, resulting in an unsightly sheen to items within the player inventory.
Flaws aside, however, Borderlands is one of the genuinely better games that players can obtain and play. This is definitely a game that the reviewer recommends to shooter veterans, RPG buffs and newcomers alike.