Borderlands, The Pre-sequel Review: Open world shooter

Borderlands, The Pre-sequel follows the commercial success of Borderlands 2 and is a sequel to the original Borderlands game. It’s a high-octane open world shooter with stylized graphics and a Gung-ho comedic slant. This particular installment is more of a back story than a stand alone game. However, you can choose from a variety of characters with different weapons and shoot your way through a host of heavily armed assailants and monsters.

My Thoughts:

Borderlands, The Pre-sequel has a lot of Mad Max style exposition which introduces the characters. The game starts on Helios space station which is overrun with Lost Legion Soldiers. You have to help Handsome Jack regain control of it which leads to plenty of other side quests throughout the game. Like the rest of the Borderland series, it never takes itself too seriously and knows exactly what it is — a fun shooter game with plenty of campaigns and funny dialogue. Its distinctive comic style or cel shading-esque design immediately sets it apart from other games in its genre, complete with unashamed Aussie voice acting.

All four vault-hunters have individual skills and can be customized to suit your playing style. But you can also play as Claptrap and Jack which adds an interesting twist. Anyone who knows the Borderland games will know that the sarcastic Handsome Jack is the main antagonist. However, on this occasion he helps you escape from the space station so you can help him with his mission. If you haven’t followed the franchise before you will be confused by the disjointed plot which basically tells the story prior to the events in Borderlands 2. However, apart from the main story, there are plenty of ingenious side quests in this game. From infiltrating Claptrap’s mind for some code to killing some Eridian Guardians using a snare grenade.

Once you’ve escaped from the Helios space station you are transported to Serenity’s Waste on Elpis where you have to space jump to various areas while shooting the local creepy extraterrestrials. This adds some interesting game dynamics and shooting action which really spices up the game play. There’s also plenty of loot including an Oz kit, which you need for breathing while your on Elpis and cryo-rockets or flak cannons. Borderlands prides itself on unique and quirky game play which is apparent from the graphics to the quirky dialogue. However, the lighthearted Gung-ho nature of the game kills any real tension.

Borderlands is built with Unreal Engine and the game mechanics are greatly improved from the original, although close interaction with other characters is glitchy in places. The lighting effects are really nice but the environments don’t vary much, especially while your on Elpis. Some of the side quests do feel a little repetitive in places and there are scenes where the game goes on autopilot, especially using certain characters skill sets.

Pros:

• Unique style
• Plenty of campaigns

Cons:

• Disjointed story
• Graphics can be glitchy
• Levels look the same

Verdict:

Borderlands, The Pre-sequel has some ingenious side quest which will keep you occupied for hours but the nonlinear story feels disjointed in places and someone new to the series might find it confusing, but the game is a fun ride with interesting characters and missions to complete. If you want a deep character driven game or an R.P.G with interesting story arcs then this game is probably too lighthearted for you, but if you enjoy co-op playing and quirky characters with oversized ego’s then this is for you.

Created by: Gearbox Software

Distributed by: 2K Games

Game play: +40 hrs

Rating: 6/10

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