Got hooked up with a copy of Borderlands yesterday for the PC. Thought I’d take a few minutes to write up a little on my first impressions of it, because everyone seems to have been getting real hype over it.
For anyone who isn’t aware, the whole concept of Borderlands is that it’s a First Person Shooter (optionally multiplayer) with RPG-style drops and levelling system. So you’re running around the wastes, shooting up enemies who are dropping guns, grenades and weapon modifications.
You also earn XP from defeating your foes, going up in levels over time and gaining access to skill trees not dissimilar to those found in games like Diablo 2 or WoW.
The game itself has a cell shaded look. Got to mention that despite all the kerfuffle about the unique look of the game, it really didn’t do all that much for me. There’s something about it that cheapened the look of the game slightly. Additionally, you begin by wandering wastelands and spending a lot of time getting attacked by horrible little alien-ish mutant beasts called “skags” - this whole scenario was a bit too familiar having recently played through Fallout 3 and getting set upon by the packs of wild dogs.
Anyway, I sound like I’m really down on the game but I’m not. The sound design in the game is great, I’m really loving the soundtrack in particular. The guns look like they’re going to get really interesting as the game goes on.
They seem to drop relatively frequently and modifications allow for additions like ammo storage increases. You also get ‘nade modifications, to turn your grenades into sticky grenades, or MIRV grenades that multiply and then explode.
I’m also really liking the look of the skill trees. I kinda wish I’d had a look into it more beforehand because I went with the Hunter class, and I’m finding the sniper rifles in the game a bit fiddly at the moment. They’re incredibly slow to reload, don’t hold much ammo to begin with and are very shakey so far when it comes to aiming. I’ll see how things progress as the game goes on a bit more.
One of the main selling points for Borderlands seems to be its optional multiplayer system. Up to 4 people can play through the story mode together, and apparently the more people playing, the tougher the enemies and the better the loot. I’m still playing it by myself at the moment but I have been informed from a friend who plays the Xbox 360 version (shout out to Chris Bakewell) that the fun is multiplied when played with other people.
Anyways, just wanted to say a few words. That’s it for now. Not played it today so I think I’ll go and grab a shot now.
