Like I did with Infinity Ward prior to the release of MW2, I will be writing a lengthy, analytical paper for submission to Randy Pitchford (The President/CEO of Gearbox) on what they did well and not-so in Borderlands and the DLC. Sure it may not amount to anything (though I believe Pitchford has a significant personal investment in the community after his "preorder and I'll personally give you loot" idea) but it's a way of developing analytical thought towards games we otherwise view as simply entertainment. My very very, introductory short list of concerns: The story was sparse. The narrative as a whole felt like a long go-fetch-this quest as opposed to an interactive story. Comedy/Drama was practically nonexistent. The world of borderlands is almost a parody of other RPC epics, so the "WORLD IS IN DANGER" plotline is fine to be under-dramatized but there wasn't much by way of humor aside from the ridiculous repetition of clap-trap "jokes." This, and my previous point was rectified with the first DLC (The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned) which I view as a whole to be much better than borderlands proper (though entirely dependent on the main game to be that AWESOME). Currency system sucked. At the beginning, it was really hard to get money, but after a while money floods your funds. Equally short list of commendations: The gun system was amazing. Great drive to actually explore/finish quests in order to upgrade your weapons and your skills. The class system was also great. Unlike other 'Class-based' games, Borderlands did not pigeonhole you into a playstyle based on class, but rather allowed you to play as you would, bolstered by different attributes. So a sniper could play as any class, but the approach to sniping was different. Enemy classes, though repetitive, were fun to engage en masse. So if you'd please list what you liked and disliked about the game it'd be much appreciated.
Some of the DLC was too short, others (here's looking at you, Underdome...) were next too impossible. The whole second play-through thing was a fantastic idea, though.
I loved the idea of the second playthrough (new game+ as it were), completely forgot about that. Zombie Island of Dr. Ned = ****ing amazing DLC. I was laughing the entire time I played that, so funny and smart.
loot should have dropped like diablo drops it. im tired of getting weak-ass guns from every boss i fight. i got most of my best weapons from the secret armory.
Borederlands was one of my least favourite games ever. It was like "JAM THE R BUTTON." We have no sense of humour or story to care about in this game, just gimmicky graphics and GUNZ
Good: Weapon system Humor (as sparse as it was in the normal campaign) Class system Bad: Repetition in quests Same environment everywhere Lack of otpions for character customization Suggestions for a borderlands 2 or borderworlds: Add more outfits for characters or make class mods change the outfit the character wears. Or have a character creator in the beginning. Have more humor in the campaign like in the 1st and 3rd dlc. Make more types of quests or make them less repetetive (ex. of what not to do again: gather 50 brains, gather 100 brains, gather 150 brains... etc.) Change up the environment, nobody like everythig to be in a desert wasteland. More side bosses that are legitimately difficult like crawmerax the invincible. built in bank function somewhere. more stable currency system. Orange class mods Honestly, I loved playing borderlands and still do play it (still playing the robot revolution) but it does have its faults. But I am glad I bought the all dlc for it because they add so much humor to the game.
I loved how you kill Ned then the credits start. But then, out of nowhere, Undead Ned tears them open and shouts "It's not over yet!" But anyway, on to my opinions: Stuff I didn't like: -Too much of the main story depended on you reading the little paragraphs which described the missions you were on. If you didn't do this, you'd get lost. -Some of the world was poorly modeled (eg. floating rocks with no bottoms, performing a simple jump that got you out of the level, etc.) -No cinematics where the protagonist(s) talk. This felt me feel distanced from the character I was playing as despite the fact I was playing as them. -A lot of areas of the world are unused other than one visit to them for a single optional mission -The way money is treated is stupid. You get lucky if you can see 20 bucks in the beggining, but near the end of the game you can't be bothered to pick any money up because it's so easy to come by. -How easily modded the game is and how it appears that Gearbox is taking little or no action against the modders. Stuff I did like: -The humor of the game gets revived in the DLCs -The definite replayabilty. I'm still not bored by this game -The sheer amount of guns, guns, and more guns that you can see and get -The artistic style of the game -I don't quite know how to describe what it is perticularly, but Fyrestone always felt like a home... -Most bosses were actually challenging
One thing they should improve upon would be the sense of a living world. Characters just stay in one spot and dispense quests one after the other. They should have wandering NPCs and random encounters aside from just enemies. The NG+ is a great idea and can effectively double the playtime of a game. The artistic style gave the game a great sense of character, though I'd hate for them to rehash the same art style. They should preserve the same feel of how things look but make the second game just as distinctive as the first. Also, they should allow you to customize your car more in terms of looks, defense, maneuverability, and firepower. You could find salvage parts to create parts for your vehicle or buy them at a vehicle maintenance store of some sort.
I'll keep it short and sweet; I'm probably on my way out in a few minutes. Me and my brother played coop a fair bit and we had A LOT of fun playing Borderlands but it just plain got too repetitive. It's quirky, pretty (despite looking very blandly brown after a while) and has great game mechanics as far as aiming system, array of weapons & equipment, etc. I grew tired of it much quicker than my brother did though.
Ice cream day, oh snap, it's ice cream day! Rocky road, a-la-mode. Oh i'm in the mode for ice cream day! Oh how i loved that tape. I think the Dlc's varied too much. Zombie island was fine, but some crappy achievements, Under dome was pure **** and a waist of money, and General Knox was awesome. They should try to keep it on the same level of awesome ness. Some times i would just start hating the area because it just looked very similar. The locations didn't feel connected at all and you couldn't get a feel for if you were north, south, east, or west.
What I liked about the game: -All the guns, I probably spent a week just looking for a better rifle, and had fun the whole way -Most bosses are challenging -The humour (however rare in the core story, it was very common in The Secret Armory and Zombie Island) -Skill points system -NG+ -The DLC is amazing -Unique visuals make the game more memorable -Leveling system works very well What I didn't like/should be improved on: -Story is very detached and difficult to follow -The money system. At the beginning, it was great to find $20, but by the end of the game you can't even pick up any more money because you get so much of it. -A lot of the quests are repetitive -Lots of modding -Most of the environment is the same -Vehicle combat is awkward That's about it. Overall, I really enjoyed the game.