Borderlands provides many hours of entertainment for shooter and RPG fans alike.
GAMEPLAY (9.0) - Focusing more on combat, customization, and loot rather than a memorable story, the game sets a fast pace right from the start. Bullets and explosives will zoom by as soon as one enters the world of Pandora. It creates an exciting atmosphere as the player sets forth on his adventure, whether if it's by himself or with a group of up to three friends. The four classes to choose from, soldier, beserker, hunter and siren, hold very different abilities from each other, giving each merc a true, individualized feel. Mordecai, the hunter, releases a bird of prey, Brick, the beserker, charges his foes in a brutal rage with nothing but fisticuffs, Roland, the soldier, deploys a turret that will fend off enemies while also providing cover, and Lilith, the siren, can turn invisible and run extremely fast, becoming a very effective assassin. Even though most of the time will be spent behind the gun, player special skills are an intuitive addition to the very solid FPS action that the game offers. And once fully upgraded they are invaluable and fun to use against enemies. As the player gains experience, he'll be able to customize his character's abilities, as well as the effectiveness of his class skills. Each set of skills are unique to the four mercs, and offer a great amount of customizing. Skills can be modified to deal more damage, grant better and more frequent loot drops, regenerate ammo, and many other enhancements.
Though the combat and skill system are a great deal of fun, the game's major pull revolves around loot and the huge amount there is to collect. There are literally millions of randomly generated weapons within the seven archetypes: combat rifle, rocket launcher, SMG, sniper rifle, revolvers, repeater pistols, and shotguns. To accommodate numerous styles of play, each weapon deals varying damage, holds different sized ammo clips, has a faster rate of fire, or slower reload times. It's difficult to find the "perfect weapon" because each weapon has its own up and downsides, and chances are, there's a better weapon waiting to be found. The longer a particular type of weapon is used, the more proficient the player will become with said weapon, making them more accurate. Different elemental types can make weapons more or less powerful against specific enemies in different situations. Shock damage can rapidly drain enemy shields, but isn't as useful on flesh. Flame and corrosive weapons can both deal damage over time, making them potent weapons to weaken tougher enemies. Explosive weapons naturally have the potential to blow things up. With the massive variety of potential weapons, players of any gaming style will find a weapon to suit their needs.
There are dozens of different kinds of enemies, each with their own attack styles and weak points. Wolf-like skags will pounce from every angle, flocks of rakk will dive as one, and the larger species of Spiderant can be terrifying in their mindless desire to slay anything that gets in their way. This intensity remains from the low levels all the way to the end. Exploring the world of Pandora is as much fun as slaying the hordes of enemies the planet hosts. As players progress through the game, they'll travel through several large, open territories, each sufficiently large that they can take several minutes to cross, even by vehicle. Searching for small outposts and hidden treasures in these wide open spaces, while battling numerous enemies, gives Borderlands a distinct feeling from other shooters, which are comparatively linear and take place in confined spaces. The size of the battlefields in Borderlands also offers more versatility in how to go about taking on the enemy. In addition to the main story there are over 100 quests to complete. Most of these quests are pretty standard, requiring gathering several items, killing X number of creatures, or killing a specific target. The quests that lead players into optional boss battles, such as killing the enormous Skagzilla, are easily the best missions, especially in co-op. While the objectives themselves may not be innovative, they provide motivation to explore every corner of Pandora, and players have the flexibility to take them on in the order they wish.
GRAPHICS (8.5) - Borderlands' cel-shaded look is not the most technically advanced but it creates a sense of style that sets it apart from a typical first person title, while also keeping framerates smooth. The art style is a treat for the eyes, looking crisp and colorful while at the same time it does an excellent job depicting a barren wasteland. Enemy designs are varied and consistently appealing, with some truly impressive bosses. The draw distance is also excellent, so players will have no trouble seeing a long way into the distance in any area of the world. There are a few clipping issues but for the most part these are not game-stoppers.
AUDIO (8.0) - The game's score has a mixture of laid back music and intense numbers that melds perfectly to the action taking place on screen. What voice acting exists does the job just fine, though Borderlands would have benefited from a lot more of it, as most quests are given to players through text windows without any actual speech, including most of the plot missions. That said, the game does a decent job of offering loud gun effects and when elemental effects are added to the projectiles then hearing enemies scream as they burn from fire or acid adds a morbidly humorous touch.
VALUE (9.0) - Assuming players will take on most sidequests, which is recommended as the game is more about levelling and finding loot as opposed to following the story, Borderlands will provide many hours of entertainment and unquestionably provide great value for their purchase. While players can level themselves up and play through the whole game solo, Borderlands offers four-player co-op play to keep things interesting. As more players enter the game, the monsters of Pandora grow increasingly tough to defeat, but also drop better loot, making playing with others a recommended way to stumble across some of the game's rarest weapons. Setting up a session is very easy, as the game offers the ability to send invites to the player's entire party without having to send them using the xbox guide button. As long as the host remains, players are free to drop in and drop out of the game without disrupting the action for the others. After the first playthrough is finished the player will typically be at a mid 30's level. The player can then start over using the same character, bringing along all experience, skill setups and items, and continue to attempt to reach the cap level of 50. Upon restarting the world will level up as well to make initial enemies on a similar level to the player and will provide stronger weapons to boot.
SUMMARY - Borderlands is a first-person shooter that will please RPG fans, especially the Diablo-styled hack & slash games. Regular shooter fans will find a lot to enjoy here as well thanks to the solid shooter mechanics. Despite the addition of skill points, loot, and experience, it's still a shooter at heart, something Borderlands does very well. Whether played alone or with friends, the game offers a huge variety of quests, a large map to traverse, tons of battles, and of course, a heaping helping of loot. Highly recommended.