Borderlands

 PC
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
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  1. PC PowerPlay
    60
    A deeply flawed yet passably entertaining co-op genre mash-up. [Christmas 2009, p.52]
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  2. Absolute Games
    50
    Borderlands is as empty as eye sockets of bodies “adorning” bandit camps. Gearbox chose the silliest approach to game design: made a bunch of same-looking levels, where colored explosive barrels are the only interactive objects, placed quest-giving NPCs made out of cardboard, and churned out lots of “fetch/kill” missions. Borderlands has only one active ability per class and no character stats, while skills increase automatically as you use different weapons. Imagine Diablo 2 where Barbarian is limited to just “Bash” or “Leap.”
  3. Thunderbolt
    50
    Borderlands has a lot of growing to do. The concept is strong, but in execution, it just doesn’t work very well.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PC Game of 2009
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1846 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,188 out of 1846
  2. Mixed: 471 out of 1846
  3. Negative: 187 out of 1846
  1. Arikon
    May 17, 2011
    10
    This game brought in a lot of old ideas, added some new ones, and threw in coop. If there is one thing that I love, its coop. The story lineThis game brought in a lot of old ideas, added some new ones, and threw in coop. If there is one thing that I love, its coop. The story line is original but does not play a big part in the actual game. The biggest aspect of this game is the coop and the mass amount of guns. Oh there are so many guns. Add the DLC on top of that with even more guns included, and by the end you have closer friends and an arsenal.… Full Review »
  2. syrik
    Sep 8, 2011
    4
    This game is a very fun shooter, but with flaws. I'll go over the good first. The combat is entertaining and a touch different than otherThis game is a very fun shooter, but with flaws. I'll go over the good first. The combat is entertaining and a touch different than other shooters. You get to tweak your character with different abilities to make unique builds which change how your character plays. The game randomly generates weapons so everything that drops is unique and a possible great find, it keeps you looking for loot. These things make it fun to play and the graphics are done in an art style like animation cells which I really like, it looks superb. The bad things bring it down however. The game scales terribly. As you do quests and gain exp. you will level too fast and quickly become too powerful, tearing through groups of enemies far too easily. A second play through with tougher enemies is possible, but not fun. You will start much higher level than foes and there is no challenge. The game is lacking several graphics controls on the options menu, which is stupid because the devs put the coding for the controls in the files, they just didn't make buttons. You will have to edit the .ini file yourself to turn on things like v-sync and get a widescreen point of view. Very lazy on the devs part there. Instructions for doing this are easy to find and it's not hard to do, but I shouldn't have to. So, overall Borderlands is a fun game that ends up being far too easy to play and has some basic setup options missing, but obtainable with manual editing on the users part.… Full Review »
  3. LeahR
    Jan 7, 2010
    7
    Borderlands is a surprisingly good arcadey FPS with a mediocre RPG element, in contrast to a game like Mass Effect, which is a great RPG with Borderlands is a surprisingly good arcadey FPS with a mediocre RPG element, in contrast to a game like Mass Effect, which is a great RPG with a mediocre FPS element. As a single-player game, it's reasonably entertaining, if repetitive, during the first run-through, but the game truly shines in co-op mode. Points taken off for some major design flaws (revolvers are better for sniping than sniper rifles...huh?; the special abilities of two classes are extremely useful, while the other two are mostly useless; repetitive quests and enemies; etc.), but the slick art direction, tight FPS gameplay, ridiculous diversity of loot, and the murderous mayhem of playing co-op push this title up to a respectable score. More, please, Gearbox!… Full Review »
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