I have never enjoyed shooting sh*t in a game as much as borderlands. A massive triumph.
First off, the game looks awesome. I love graphics that use the concept art as the actual platform for the game. This makes for a very atmospheric environment which is essential for a game like this, because without its immsersiveness, it really would have been a letdown--thankfully, that wasn't the case. Also, the intro to the game was very satisfying. It had a bit of a tarantino feel to it and a very nice choice of song as well.
Secondly, the level design is simply fantastic. It's efficient and thoroughly engaging to know that you can walk (or drive) around and kick some serious ass while using plenty of rocks and buildings for cover at the most convenient of times. This is especially helpful if you're character can turn invisible and maneuver around objects quickly enough.
The sound is extremely fitting and the soundtrack, while it can get a bit much at times, is also very fitting.
One of the primary aspects, and in my honest opinion, one of the best aspects of the game is the weapon system. I absolutely love, LOVE the weapons in this game. I have never do date felt so bloody powerful when lining up a badass brute with my sniper scope while he moves right in sight only to get his cranium detached from his spine. Not to mention shooting a plethora of nagging beasts throughout the game at the most convenient of times.
There is plenty that I can say about the weaponry, so I will. The weapons are vast and have variety. There are subtle differences and there will be times that you wish your inventory storage was a little larger, but the game gives you just the right amount of slots and makes you earn the extra ones by rescuing claptraps. A great system considering it's not always convenient saving claptraps especially in the heat of battles. This is a great system because it forces you to play well in order to get the rewards.
That's another thing about this game, the rewards are so very satisfying. You're almost always looking to complete missions because you just love hearing that cha-ching noise when you go to collect your reward from your employer. That's another emphatic triumph for the sound design.
Now that I've labeled the pros, the cons are very noticeable and very annoying. The cons:
While the intro was great, I really hated how they forced you to sit through every bloody advertisement everytime you loaded the game. And never has an "Nvidia" logo ad taken so fu**ing long to end. Thankfully, you're likely going to play for a few hours at a stretch before closing the game, so this shouldn't be a huge problem
There are some movement issues that I did not enjoy at all. I really hated the fact that you can get stuck just moving side to side by a tiny rock that can sometimes not even be very visible. This is extremely frustrating when you're in the heat of a battle and you're trying to move for cover only to be stymied by a stupid obstacle and end up being incapacitated. This goes for when you're driving as well and it's not fun.
The characters, apart from Tannis were bloody boring. Scooter was annoying and those speech sounds at the catch-a-ride were go**amn annoying. I really wish they had better characters and a lot more dialogue. The only dialogue that was present were pre-set cues for accepting and completing missions. That is simply insufficient!
The biggest problem with this game is the story. I have never been so uninvolved in a story as I was in borderlands. People say the ending was disappointing, but I thought it was fitting considering that the story wasn't very good to begin with. I was more preoccupied with shooting and looting that I had completely forgotten about the main quest.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this game and I am currently on my second playthrough that this game was that awesome. I give this game an 8.5/10 because I don't give 10s and only a game like Half-life 2 deserves a 9.5. Therefore an 8.5 means this game really rocked my socks. If you like shooting stuff and just owning the absolute bollucks off of enemies. This game is definitely for you.