For some reason, the Borderlands series has completely passed me by. It’s not that I dislike it or anything like that, it’s just that I’ve never really paid all that much attention to it in the past. Pretty much all I know is that it features ridiculous guns, a cool art style, and an amusing robot named Claptrap. Fortunately Blair knows a fair bit about the series, and actually wrote the review for the Pre-Sequel.
The aforementioned guns make an appearance early in Blair’s review, mostly to describe the sheer quantity of procedurally generated guns that the game makes available to you. He seemed particularly enamoured by the way that the procedural nature of the gun system means you’re “always looking for that next great weapon”, whereas in other games things can become a bit stale in regards to new weapons.
Blair was also a fan of the fact that game’s setting, Pandora’s moon Elpis, allows for “moon jumping”, where you can get some real height before “either slamming back down to the ground to cause damage to enemies in proximity or take a more controlled descent (or ascent) with a boost”. However, taking the latter option forces you to use up your oxygen supply, another addition based on the game’s new setting. Fortunately, Blair didn’t find managing your oxygen supply all that difficult, saying that “while it limits exploration at certain points, you never feel as though you’re constantly clamouring to find a canister”.
As for the game’s humour, one of the series’ defining elements, Blair confirms that “the world is as wacky and hilarious as ever”, and felt that “Jack’s tale charting his descent into madness and rise to power is genuinely one which feels like it’s worth telling”. Exploring the moral and ethical elements of Jack’s character and motives drew additional praise, although the same can’t be said for the game’s antagonist, who he found to be “quite weak”.
On the graphical side of things, Blair found the game to be “pretty much identical to Borderlands 2”, and, writing about the origianl PS3 version of the game, also noted that there’s a fair “amount of texture pop-in as you enter an area”. That wasn’t the game’s sole technical issue, but while the game possesses its “fair share of bugs” there wasn’t nothing actually game breaking in there.
Even with those minor problems, Blair rated the game at a very respectable 8/10, and had this to say when wrapping up the game:
To say that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is nothing more than Borderlands 2 on the moon would be a disservice to the hard work that the developers have put in, and the new features that are definitely noticeable. It’s not better than that game, but it’s pretty much essential for anyone seeking out more Borderlands, or someone eager to learn more about the lore of the universe. The Pre-Sequel is a superb action RPG which anyone can jump into, with tons of guns and plenty of fun to be found.
Now, of course, it’s time to ask you what you thought of the game. Whether you loved or hated this interquel in the Borderlands series we’d love to hear from you. All you have to do is drop us a comment below, remembering to include a rating on the Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, Avoid It scale.
MrYd
Everything from the first 2 games is there. The ridiculous guns. The very funny script delivered with suitably silly acting.
And it’s got a few additions, most notably the oxygen thing and the jumping. And more of Jack. And many robots.
Yes, it’s not better than the second game. But somehow that doesn’t matter. You don’t think “it’s just more of the same”, it’s more a case of “it’s more of the same, but that’s exactly what we want. And it’s a bit different”.
So buy it, obviously. Or better yet, buy the Handsome Collection for the PS4. Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel in one package. With all the DLC. It’s better value than a pony made out of diamonds.
scavenga
I’m pretty much in agreement with both Blair and MrYd here, The Pre-Sequel is awesome for any Borderlands fan looking for more.
I always find myself missing the Borderland universe when I haven’t played for a while.
I say Buy it. Bought it on PS3, and I’m afraid I might go out and buy it again on PS4…
Forrest_01
I should start by saying I absolutely love everything Borderlands. This may give you some clue as to how I feel about this game.
Basically, take Borderlands 2, add in some floaty type physics for the fact that the game takes place on Pandora’s moon (one of them?), sprinkle some new enemy types across the landscapes & leave to settle. Add a double jump, a butt-bounce & some pretty devastating lasers as new weapons, pop it in the oven for around 30-40 minutes & you have a pretty good (pre)sequel.
Excuse me, I seem to have gone a bit Mary Berry for a moment there.
Essentially, as the others have said its more of the same, but with some differences here & there. Some subtle, others not so. What I can tell you is that once you have used lasers & double jumps in the pre-sequel, returning to Borderlands 2 feels kinda weird. You can get over it, but you do definitely miss them when they are no longer an option.
Humour is still very much present, as are the multitudes of weapons, shields & mods of different types you can be granted. The only weird thing about it is that as it was developed by 2K Australia, it would seem that everyone on Elpis has an Australian accent. You may view that as a good thing or a bad thing (in fact I think they even reference/make fun of it at one point), but it is kinda weird that everyone has the same accent, bar anyone that has made an appearance in a previous game. Of course it would have been even more bizarre if they suddenly had aussie accents too I suppose. I guess it’s just a little jarring as we are so used to hearing American accents of different types in our games, so not necessarily such a bad thing for it to be different.
Overall though, it is a great game & if you like the Borderlands formula (which I appreciate is not for everyone), you should find a hell of a lot to love here.
Buy it. In fact, buy the Handsome collection on PS4 as then you get the excellent Borderlands 2 & all its DLC as well as the claptrap DLC for this too (which is also pretty darn good). It’s excellent value for money, even at full price.
psychobudgie
Love Borderlands, tolerate Borderlands The Pre-Sequel. I’m currently playing through it but I’m just not feeling it at all. Seems to be missing that certain thing, whatever it is that makes me love Borderlands 1 and 2. Based on what I’ve played so far, I would say sale it. It’s good but it’s not Borderlands 2 good. It’s to Borderlands 1 and 2 what LBP 3 is to LBP 1 and 2. Sale it.