A bland Shooter/RPG hybrid which has been way to hyped up.
Story 3/10
Have you ever played a game that started off really slowly, but then about halfway through the plot line became awesome? That's how I was hoping Borderlands would turn out. But it didn't. The beginning of the game starts off with you on the newly colonized planet of Pandora, a desert world filled with bandits and monsters.You begin the game as one of four bounty hunters riding on an R.V. who are searching for a mythical "vault", which nobody knows what it contains. As soon as you pick your character and step off of the bus, you're immediately introduced to a plucky robot named Claptrap who gives you an ECHOnet device which allows you to speak with your "Guardian Angel". Hope you like her voice,seeing as how she's just about the only sense of direction you have for the Main Quest. After saving a nearby town from bandits, the lone survivor of the town gives you your first quests, which are to kill 5 skags (wolf-lizard things) and repair a nearby Claptrap that was damaged in the fight. After this, the game progresses through a downward spiral of fetch/kill quests from varying NPCs. While there are plenty of different characters, the fact that each of the main ones only have about 10 minutes total of dialogue doesn't ever make you feel attached to any of them. Also, halfway through the game, A Brotherhood of Steel Wannabe group comes out of nowhere and just becomes one of your enemies. Why? I'm still trying to figure it out myself. All in all, main story is disjointed and horribly thought out while the rest of the optional quests are just to fetch random crape.
Graphics 7/10
While I generally dislike Borderlands as a whole, Cel-shaded graphics have always appealed to me for some reason. While I feel that the graphics fit the mood of the game fairly well, I feel as though the locales they are used on are boring. I realize that Pandora is supposed to be a dystopian planet with bandits running amok everywhere, that doesn't mean you have to make half of the game's areas deserts and the other half run-down shacks. Due to the fact that the character models and "houses" are used repeatedly also doesn't leave much to be desired with the graphics.
Gameplay 5/10
While Borderlands is supposed to be a RPG/Shooter hybrid which boasts more than 17,000,000 guns, the experience feels like any other bland shooter of this generation. While the leveling system works well through killing different enemies and doing different quests, the fact that all of the quests are tedious and repetitive makes it difficult to slog through the games 180 or so fetch/kill quests.And while the game does boast a copious amount of guns, most of the ones you will get are randomly generated and of no use whatsoever.While one of the liked features of Borderlands was "finding loot", about the only thing you will find is the aforementioned random useless guns and perhaps extra grenades or ammo.
Multiplayer 5/10
I found that while the idea to play with your buddies and shoot aliens and find loot was interesting, I didn't feel as though it really changed the gameplay very much. While you can challenge your partners to duels or trade guns, the overall experience was still filled with mundane quests and random weapons. This was a disappointment for me after being told by numerous friends how fun the multiplayer was. Last time that I listen to them.
Sound 3/10
While I love the opening theme of "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked", that's one of the few good things about the sound. NPCs and enemies repeat the same things. Guns sound like guns. And the music while moving around Pandora is monotonous and boring.There really isn't anything worthwhile to hear here, folks.
Replayability 1/10
Between the boring gameplay and multiplayer, there really isn't much replay value in the game .While enemies become stronger on subsequent playthroughs,that doesn't offer enough incentive to go through the game another time.
Conclusion:
While Borderlands attempts an interesting concept, combining shooters and RPGs while adding a large amount of guns,cel shaded graphics, and some multiplayer,it ultimately fell flat of my preconceptions for a dystopian super shooter with its boring story, uninspired gameplay, and mundane quests. While I hated Borderlands, the choice is ultimately up to you if you wish to play it or not. However, if you must play it, rent it, as this game is not worth the price at any store that sells games.
Conclusion: 4/10
Pros:
*Cool Graphics
*Interesting Concept
Cons:
- Horrible Storyline
-Repetitive Gameplay
- Multiplayer Uninteresting
- Most guns are useless
Creepy Out.