Borderlands

I think you'll agree that when you've got guns blazing from four players at once and loot is flying everywhere, Borderlands easily makes up for any perceived shortcomings.

An excellent FPS/MMO hybrid with great combat and the most multiplayer fun we've had in ages. [Issue#26, p.40]

The bottom line here is that as true hybrid games go, Borderlands is as great a success as there has ever been.

It's something action role-playing game fans looking for an experience more up-close and brutal than genre entries of the third-person variety should have a blast with, and one of the more memorable products of 2009.

Borderlands has more weaknesses than strengths, but the few strengths it has absolutely overwhelm most of the problems the game has.

The visuals, music, gameplay, feel and balance are all spot on. [Jan 2010, p.64]

Original, visually attractive and unique, Borderlands won't leave anyone indifferent and will be a treasure for those who enjoy its innovative style.

A good FPS and a good RPG come together to make an excellent game. Or FPSRPG if you're being fancy. [Dec 2009, p.86]

With tons of weapons to find, a great co-op system, fantastic art, and a whole bunch of exploding bodies, Borderlands is worth your money. Even when I feel that the game is starting to get repetitive, there's something about it that keeps me playing.

Fun combat and a steady flow of rewards make this journey a massively enjoyable one, especially with some fellow mercenaries along for the ride.

After wave upon wave of bad console to PC ports recently, it's nice to see Gearbox have taken their time with Borderlands. It's a highly capable title that lends itself well to mouse & keyboard control, and has enough depth to keep players keen for months.

Borderlands is a pretty brilliant example of the power of genre mixtures. RPG, Shooter, Sandbox… all of them quite simple but assembling a brilliant and addictive videogame.

The Shoot and Loot that Hellgate should have been. The lousy story and the flawed RPG-System do not spoil the fun you will have when frantically mashing through waves of enemies, collecting all kinds of cool weapons!

Packed with so much stuff to see and kill, Borderlands offers plenty of things to aim your spiffy new weapons at, all the while providing one of the best co-op experiences of the year.

Borderlands has been a great game. First of all we have to reward the willingness of developers to propose something different, that we dare to define original. The RPG-FPS hybrid gameplay works perfectly and playing the co-op mode online, the title takes off, ensuring many hours of fun. Combine this with its excellent graphics, in its way kind of unique too, and you'll understand the value of a fresh product, suitable for all those who love to spend their time online.

What I have to admit, in the end, is that Borderlands doesn’t have too many technical obstacles or annoying bugs, and compared to the other (few as they are) representatives of the so-called First Person Roleplaying Game genre, it’s a clear winner.

Addictive action and loot collection make it worth putting up with constant irritation from nearly all other aspects of this uniquely beautiful shooter. [Holiday 2009, p.61]

A good union between FPS and RPG, Borderlands is both deep and entertaining, with a perfect multiplayer option. The RPG elements are well implemented in a classic FPS action, and everything works in a very good way. The huge world could be boring after 30 hours, and the character design is not the most balanced in the world, anyway Borderlands will be the game of the year for a huge number of gamers.

Borderlands is unusual, playable, and an artfully violent step in an interesting direction for Gearbox. The story aspect of the game could have been better - I'd love to have seen the role-playing influence extend beyond stats, levels and loot - and the ending is a disappointment. Even so, this should be a favourite game of the year for a huge number of people, since it plugs into gamer impulses at such a fundamental level.

Borderlands surprised us. We went into the experience expecting a pulse-pounding shooter with fancy cut scenes and lots of drama (no surprise, since we play more FPS on consoles than RPGs), and instead found a slower-moving and tough (but immensely rewarding) slog through a beautiful fantasy world populated by imaginative monsters and more weapons than we know what to do with.

The accessible nature of Borderlands -- with its relatively non-punitive deaths, constant checkpoints, and convenient fast-travel systems -- makes it a fantastic game for introducing FPS fans to some basic RPG tropes. And, most importantly, the killing and looting never ceases to be fun.

Borderlands gives the lonely gamer a kind of monotonous experience, but it is great when you invite some friends. The story is really thin and the world is kind of lifeless at some points. But tons of weapons, quests and the urge to level to the next stage makes the game entertaining. A solid game for those who like to play together, instead of against each other.

There's blood on the asphalt. Well, the cell-shaded asphalt that is. Borderlands is without one of the biggest co-op happenings this year, and for those who love extensive loot tables with guns, guns, guns and guns in absurdum, this is the shit. It's a well balanced action adventure with a well balanced leveling system that only suffers a little from lack of variation. It is a perfect LAN-game however.

While it lacks certain elements that would have made it more memorable, the sleek gameplay and beautiful graphics represent a stellar example of genres melting together, something which too often fails in execution. After completing the game, a second play though is opened, turning up the difficulty and starting the story anew, something that many gamers will likely end up taking advantage of.

Its unusual, offbeat approach to the tropes of both its genres gives the blend that extra dash of flavour it needs, but the base ingredients are just as tasty and fulfilling. And then there’s those guns, those wonderful, wonderful guns.

Borderlands maybe a relatively simple mix of shooter action and RPG elements, however, it will mainly appeal to shooter fans rather than those looking for an immersive roleplaying experience.

The final rating of Borderlands depends heavily on your ability to forgive mistakes and enjoy its peculiar style and catchy gameplay. [Dec 2009]

Borderlands is undoubtedly a unique experience - but one that comes with many flaws like being quite repetitive and somewhat boring, if you are not absolute into looting, grinding and playing Co-op. If you are though: This might be your sole past-time-activity for the coming months.

We wanted to love it, but Borderlands doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from thew current slew of desert games. [Dec 2009, p.84]

Gearbox mixed a first person shooter with a role playing game and slightly missed the mark. After 20 levels you've basically seen everything, the story is very thin and still you keep playing to collect more items. The setting and the good graphics deserved more than that.

The game is unique, imaginative and entertaining but I can't just put past the flaws of the PC version.

It’s a shame that that fun really isn’t enough to cover some of the kinks, but Borderlands is still a really fun game. With a bit of polish though, it could have been great, and that’s a shame.