BORDERLANDS
GRADE: B
Ever since “The Elder Scrolls III” and “Grand Theft Auto III,” the idea of a great open-world, first-person shooter has seemed like the natural progression of video games from linear to nonlinear in the minds of many. But the idea is far easier said than done, and the mixed success of open FPS games like “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” and “Far Cry 2” have questioned whether this is actually a smart direction for the medium. “Borderlands,” a new “role playing shooter,” simultaneously embraces the concept and laughs in its face, mixing solid action with an RPG growth system in a stylized world for a game like no other.
Bad news first: unlike traditional RPGs, the story is weak. One plays as a bounty hunter on a wasteland planet called Pandora, inhabited solely by gangs of bandits and vicious wildlife. The player searches for the “vault,” a mythical cache of alien technology, with the help of some sort of guardian angel who sounds and looks like Cortana from “Halo” minus the dry wit.
Yes, “Borderlands” is another open-world action game, but it forces the player down a fairly linear path — like most RPGs — since most of the main story missions are much too difficult unless the player has leveled up via side quests beforehand. But “Borderlands” succeeds where many RPGs fail by making these side quests generally fun, even though the occasional mind-numbing grind can’t be avoided.
The story missions are much more intense, as players face a more direct path full of enemies that vary from the typical foot soldier to brawny “bruisers” to “psychos,” fast enemies that will attempt to run the player down with an ax or shotgun. The action, while sometimes lacking variety, is still pretty fun thanks to smart use of these enemies, passable AI and superb level design. And thankfully, accuracy depends on aiming skill rather than invisible dice rolls like “Fallout 3.”
The loot system is the most unique and fun part of “Borderlands.” While there are just the typical base guns in the game (pistols, shotguns, rifles, etc.), there are literally hundreds of thousands of permutations of each gun due to different manufacturers, components, secondary effects and the like. Damage, rate of fire, clip sizes, accuracy, scopes and environmental damage like fire and static shock all vary with each gun. The result is plenty of time spent antagonizing over the perfect arsenal and much more variety in gameplay as in weapons change (if that first part sounds too much like a chore, the player can easily just equip the most expensive weapons they find and forget about the exact numbers).
There’s a weak class system in place, but it seems pretty broken since the most straightforward classes — the “soldier” and the “brick” — have special abilities that are so much better than the other two – the “hunter” and the “siren” — that they make the game significantly easier.
Though it was originally revealed with a gritty, realistic aesthetic (as if there aren’t enough of those games already), “Borderlands” now looks like something out of a comic book with cell-shaded graphics that give the game a much fresher look, despite the occasional rusty, boring interior. Though one will spend plenty of time looking at desert wasteland and cobbled bandit camps, there’s enough color and visual variety to make the game shine.
Altogether, these pieces come together to form a pretty good single player shooter. But “Borderlands” stands out thanks to its inclusion of co-op (two players split-screen or four players online). The strategizing that goes into the multiplayer experience (since enemies get tougher with more players) exploits the loot system and level design to the fullest, inexplicably turning the game into far more than the sum of its parts. Like massively multiplayer RPGs, “Borderlands” is meant to be a social experience (as long as everyone is roughly at the same level).
So many things can go wrong with a game like “Borderlands,” and the experience is far from perfect. Yet the game goes right just enough, making it fun as long for those who don’t mind a little grinding or inventory management. And if some friends are similarly interested in the game, one can’t go wrong with the co-op experience.
You can reach this staff writer at mconte@theeagleonline.com.
