Borderlands (PC) review

What do you get when you cross a diablo-style action/RPG with a first-person shooter?

F*cking genius, that's what.

Welcome to Borderlands

Borderlands is built on the best game mechanics of two genres: the addictive, randomized kill-and-loot mechanic of the  Action RPG (like Torchlight), and the best run-and-gun-kill-everything mechanic of FPS games. Toss in a little vehicular combat and  a  large open game world packed to the brim with critters waiting to be killed and loot waiting to be plundered -- and you've got Borderlands.

Borderlands puts you in the shoes of 1 of 4 characters -- Roland the ex-military soldier,  Mordecai the Hunter (a ranged specialist), Brick the Tank (melee specialist), and Lilith the Siren (think 'mage').

Like RPGs, each class has its own skill tree of various abilities, and each also has a unique power. Roland, for example, can place a turret down that will fire upon enemies, whereas Lilith can 'phase walk' (turn invisible) for short periods. In addition, part of the skill tree for each class has abilities devoted to improving the power unique to that class. For example, you can upgrade the Roland's turret to improve health regeneration for team mates. Aside from the skill points you assign when you level up, however, there are no character statistics or other features to differentiate the characters.

Once you've selected your character, you'll set out into the word of Borderlands -- a desolate planet called Pandora largely populated by the entire cast of rejected extras from virtually every bad mutant/road-warrior/post-apocalypse movie ever made. All of these inhabitants may as well have a big bullseye painted on them, because your only job is to kill them and take their stuff. The action is fast, the shooting is satisfying, and it's all capped off with glorious, randomized loot and addictive game play that will likely keep you coming back for more. 

But wait, there's more

By about 7th-10th level is when things really start to get interesting, because that's when you'll truly start to appreciate the loot system. You'll also gain another weapon slot, which allows you to equip up to three weapons. (You can hold more weapons in your 'backpack', i.e inventory, but you begin the game with only 2 inventory slots for equipped weapons -- two additional slots are unlocked as you advance through the game.)

In addition to a nearly limitless variety of guns, there are also different grenade modifiers, shield generators, and other goodies to equip in your endless quest to find the best of the best.

It's also around the 7th-10th level when you'll start having to make some tough choices as your inventory fills up. Do you want the sub machine gun with incendiary ammo and better accuracy, or the assault rifle with the electrically charged ammo that's good against shields?

As fun as Borderlands is single-player, multiplayer offers even more mayhem  (and potentially better loot). You can join friends online in teams of up to four for even more fun in a co-op game, although the game's 'matchmaking' is a bit limited. For the best results you pretty much have to host your own game -- which might involve tinkering with your firewall, just FYI. Otherwise, if you play in other games, just make sure you stick to games hosted by players of roughly the same level as yourself. Otherwise you'll end up a grease stain or a god, depending on your level relative to the other players. 

It's not ALL good

Despite its successful innovations,  Borderlands still falls short in a couple areas.

The first weak spot is the threadbare story, which involves your quest for a mysterious Vault reputed to be stuffed with alien technology.

The story, however, amounts to little more than footnote, because most of the game is based around various missions that may or may not have anything to do with the Vault. Most of these missions aren't terribly creative, and send you around the game world and to various locations or to instanced 'dungeons' to kill X number of creatures or fetch something for someone. Then you return to the mission-giver to turn in the mission. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The second weak spot is the barren, lifeless world -- not lifeless because it's barren and lifeless, but lifeless in that it just feels like a large, open play area populated by you, a handful of colorful characters, talking vending machines (merchants, basically), and stuff to kill. Again, Borderlands is not a deep, rich RPG game or RPG world -- but this is largely par for the course for the Action/RPG genre.

I was also particularly disappointed that  'ClapTrap' the robot -- the game's humorous mascot, basically -- doesn't interact with you more. I like the clever, irreverent humor in the game, but it doesn't show enough -- I wanted to experience more of it through the story and more character interaction.

None of these issues, however, prevented me from returning to the game again -- and again -- although Borderlands is the sort of game that you might tend to play in shorter spurts but keep returning to later.

Overall 

Aside from the weak story, Borderlands is a triumph of  innovation. Borderlands marries solid, thrilling and satisfying single- and multiplayer FPS action with the best, addictive elements of the Action/RPG to create something wholly new -- and a lot of damn fun.

[All screens and graphics provided by Gearobx Software]