Borderlands review

[kippensoep]

Sean Connory, is that you?

[laifalbert]

What do you think of Monster Hunter Tri?

[BladeStrikes]

75% OFF ON STEAM

[ShavedKnuckle]

I would give this game a 2/5. Also Mass Effect is a good game.

[TheCdeboy]

@ShavedKnuckle 2/5 that's actually insulting when it got a game of the year award plus it got in top 5 for games of the past 3 years and 9th in the past 10 years! Mass effect 2 is a good game but number 1 sucked, my opinion chill.

[topografer]

@TheCdeboy Mass effect 1 is a really good game, if you play it first.. Mass effect 2 is a huge improvement and if you play it first and then go back to 1 feels weird.. I personally played them in the correct row and i enjoyed mass effect so much! For me its a 4/5 easily

[TheCdeboy]

@topografer I did play 1 first.

[topografer]

@TheCdeboy I find it weird that you didnt like it then... It was a really good RPG, with the only negative of some environmenrs looking the same and some performance issues on xbox

[TheCdeboy]

@topografer It was okay in my opinion just not excellent I would rather play Fallout 2 and 3 or the previous Elder Scrolls, this game pales in comparison.

[topografer]

@TheCdeboy Fine by me! (respect to fallout 2 and morrowind) And yes fallout 3 was a better game than mass effect, but its also pretty much better than 99% of games around:D

[TheCdeboy]

@topografer Fair enough.

[xjod9]

Why does it seem that only indie developers know how to make real RPGs anymore?

[Osvath97]

Why didnt you mention co-op? The game becouse way better when playing with a friend, or two or three.

[antisocialfatman]

@Osvath97 It goes without saying. Everything I said applies as much to co-op as it does to singleplayer, and I consider it a 4/5 game regardless of the number of players.

[Osvath97]

@antisocialfatman Oh ok sorry. I heard this review in the middle of the night so, yeah... And you do nice reviews indeed.

[Langsorigingaleia]

I thought you would touch on the gunplay in this game more negatively but perhaps I just don't understand what you mean by gunplay yet. My experience with Borderlands were so-so at the first playthrough but later I felt that Borderlands didn't offer me anything new during the second playthrough. I never felt especially strongly for it's graphical style either. Also I had extreme amounts of trouble getting good weapons in this game. It felt like all the weapons I picked were absolutely useless.

[Langsorigingaleia]

I just want to say one word to you: Teenage mutant midget psychos!

[AppleAlee]

its just me or does ''Brick'' just look like the GTA IV guy ? just a bit stronger.. you know..

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman well I guess im picky. Lol four days to settle this. Incredible. Half life aint no roleplaying game. Gimme a break

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman loosly worded thats exactly what it is. And rpg ia about building a character based on the strenghths weaknesses special abilities what they say what they wear etc. borderlands doesnt do that. Therefore isnt an rpg. It has loose elements but to end this arguement I think u consider games to be rpgs when it has only a couple of those conponents. Like for me mass effect not an rpg. Bioshock not an rpg in the slightest. Still a good game tho. Elder scrolls has become less

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb But Borderlands DOES do that. Why can't you see that? You build a unique character through your class, your items and your skills. It's there. It's in the game. You can't deny that.

All I want is for there to be more of that. Because putting just a little bit of it in the game is bad. It needs more to be good.

And no, it's not a game where you roleplay someone who shoots stuff. By that logic Half-Life is an RPS because you roleplay Gordon Freeman. Don't be dense.

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb Also, games aren't RPGs or not RPGs. It doesn't work like that. There's an inbetween. A game can be part one thing and part something else. It can draw in elements from one genre despite being a different genre.

And in doing so, all parts of the game must be critiqued. I never called Borderlands an RPG. It's a FPS with RPG elements. But if it has RPG elements, those RPG elements must be judged.

Borderlands has RPG elements - bad ones. They are a part of the game and must be judged.

[dragoniguana]

@Gowatch3kb No, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are still as RPG as ever. But I agree with you about Mass Effect not being an RPG.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman if anyones being stubborn its you. The fact that u keep saying poor character development. Its a class based game with certain skills and no stats. Diablo has stats which alters you character in like strenghth and magic dexterity etc. borderlands doesnt need that because its just guns and shooting but u wont admit that im right and your so hung up that only old pc games are the greats

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb You don't need physical statistics for it to be roleplaying. Roleplaying is about building a personalised character with a unique playstyle based on your items and abilities. Stats are just an extension of that, not its defining aspect.

But you know what, you aren't even arguing with me. You're arguing with the developers. They called it an RPS for a reason, and it sure as shit isn't because you 'roleplay as someone who shoots stuff'.

[KedViper]

@Gowatch3kb But what is the main point of Diablo? It's not the stats. It's the skills and the loot. You choose what gear you want to have and your skills to play it your own way. That's why a game like Fallout 3 is a good idea but falls flat on it's face. Anyways, stats do little to change the way you play. Also, when did he ever say or imply that only old games are good? That's probably true but he only reviews games as he sees them. You seem to be ignoring many of his reviews.

[KedViper]

@KedViper Oh, but stats are great in Diablo and one of the reasons D3 looks very bad as well as limited skills.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman there are skills but they are more like upgrading skills in a class based shooter. There are no stats because this game has no need for them. The only real reason for leveling up is so enemies will adapt to your skill keeping the game challenging. It dragonage didnt have stats it wouldnt be an rpg. It be an action game. Borderlands isnt an rpg nor is it trying to be. What could be added to this game so it lives up to the owe so demanding fatmans opinion.

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb Diablo 2 and the like have plenty of 'upgrading skills' too. They aren't foreign to the genre. All games with levels use levels for the reason you stated. Borderlands is no different.

Borderlands also has special ability skills such as one class being able to heal allies by shooting them, and an ability to resupply ammo. That type of character-building is in the game. That's roleplaying. Borderlans FORCES you to do it, and does it badly. That's my problem with the game.

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb I don't know whether you're too stubborn to admit you're wrong, or you just can't understand my argument. Borderlands is clearly Diablo 2's gameplay except as a FPS.

And it poorly executes the character building aspect that is so large a part of the game. That's the end of the discussion. Anything more you say is just repeating stuff you've already said. Stuff that I have clearly explained to be incorrect.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antiscialfatman you are missing the point. Why would u need skills in borderlands. For what reason? None. You just powerup your powers and shoot harder enemies. ITS NOT AN RPG. So it doesnt have rpg elements because ITS NOT AN RPG

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb Are you fucking serious? Borderlands DOES have skills. THEY ARE IN THE GAME. It's funny to me how wrong you are about something so obvious.

It does have RPG elements. CHARACTER BUILDING is an RPG element. You build a character with skills from a skill tree, you collect items with stats, you gain levels. That's a core part of roleplaying.

Like you said yourself, the developers call it an RPS - a roleplaying shooter. A shooter with roleplaying.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman but in diablo you have skill points and then you can choose your spells etc. borderlands has no skill points because it isnt needed because its not an rpg. Thats the thing. It created its own genre of gaming and feels like a class based online shooter. Your just to ignorant to accept that and criticize it for being something its not

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb Criticise it for being something it's not? The only difference between Borderlands and Diablo is that in Diablo you swing swords and in Borderlands you shoot stuff. That's the only difference. They're both about killing big swarms of enemies, looting items and building a character.

And Borderlands does that badly. It would benefit from skill points, and other stats, and more item slots and items.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman ok if youve ever played any of the new call of duty games. Online multiplayer you level up to get new weapons and abilities. Just like borderlands. The only other reason to level up in borderlands is so the enemies will become more challenging thats it. There is no character development needed due to its lack of story

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb Whether or not it's needed doesn't matter. It's there and it's a big part of the game. They force you to do it, but it's bad.

How can any critic ignore such a huge chunk of the game?

I assume you're a console gamer and therefore not familiar with that style of gameplay, but on the PC we have games like Diablo 2 that Borderlands is emulating, only poorly.

[Gowatch3kb]

@antisocialfatman well considering this isnt trying to be a role playing game I dont believe u should review like one. There arent any skills like normal rpgs stamina strenghth whatever. Just power upgrades. Just like mass effect isnt a true rpg. A 4/5 is fair but I believe it loses points for its lacking story and repetitive missions.

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb But it does force in those character development elements and they are a pretty big part of the game.

If they had added more item slots and more items and more skills, the character development which they already force you to do anyway would have been better.

That's all my review is saying. If you have to do something anyway, make it be good.

[Gowatch3kb]

It's not supposed to be an rpg you fuckin idiot. U really piss me the fuck off. Worst reviewer ever. It say on the box rps role playing shooter. Your playing the role of someone who is supposed to shoot stuff. Not a guy who can follow diverse paths. Fuck Britain

[antisocialfatman]

@Gowatch3kb roleplaying is not as trite as simply 'playing a role', or else all games where you play as a character would be an RPG, for you play the role of that character.

Roleplaying is a specific set of gameplay elements, repesented here by item and skill based character development. And it is very, very poor item and skill based character development.

But it's good shooting, which is why it gets a 4/5. Does that honestly seem unfair to you?

[newdivide5]

I don't like your opinion, but you are entitled to it.

[antisocialfatman]

@newdivide5 That's very kind of you. Thanks.

[newdivide5]

@antisocialfatman Np ;)

[TheCay1998]

dude you have not played this game enough

[antisocialfatman]

@TheCay1998 Finishing it in singleplayer and coop isn't playing it enough?

How would playing it more alter my opinion?

[TheCay1998]

@antisocialfatman you compare this game to other games that are not in the same genre as borderlands also this game does have charecter development 3 skill trees per character class mods grenade mods your also able to change there colour aswell so i dont see how there isent enough character development also finishing it it once is not enough i have completed it 8 times my first time through i hated it now its my favourite game

[antisocialfatman]

@TheCay1998 I compared it to games with similar mechanics. I know how many item slots there are - it's not enough and the modifiers are limited. The skill trees are too limited. Colour? Heh. I don't need to play a game 8 times to know how good it is, and it's retarded to assume everyone will feel the same way about it you do.

I explain all the issues in the review, which by the way I scored a 4/5. It's not like I dislike it, but it has some clearly identifiable shortcomings.

[Mohovista]

Ironically, it ended up winning game of the year.

[jimsmith59]

Fantastic review! I felt the same about the character development - it really left me wanting something more. However, playing with friends co-op was a blast! I would have given up on it otherwise.

[coulthard1984]

yea this is one of his best works

[TheGreenEquinox]

Why the fuck do you have so litle views??? You're a genious!

[dystopianlover]

All for replacing Yahtzee with Antisocialfatman say "aye".

[DavSTroy]

I just don't understand when you're talking.

[quote55]

you need to play this in co op, co op is the reason the stats are watered down because its more about looting and shooting with friends

[antisocialfatman]

@quote55 I did. It still needs the stats, or to rip out the levelling entirely and focus on other things. Half-baked gameplay elements are always bad, co-op or not.

[quote55]

@antisocialfatman I thought the skills and stats were satisfactory for a game with that much action, although i would prefer more just so i can be different than someone with my class. I wouldn't call them half baked though.

[antisocialfatman]

@quote55 Yeah, I don't agree entirely, but it definitely is a good game. I did score it a 4/5, after all.

[cakelover420]

dude stop bagging on the game. its the best game ever so what u have 4 weapon slots? thats all you need well even more you just need a long range weapon short range nd medium and even tho u have a small inventory there vending machines to sell everywhere

[antisocialfatman]

@cakelover420 I think you'll find I had far more significant criticisms of the game. It's a good game, but definitely flawed. It could easily have been much better with some real, Diablo 2-style character development. What they did was far too watered down.

[djkilldozer]

Can you give me an example of an allusions to the things that influenced Borderlands?

[antisocialfatman]

@djkilldozer It's so long since I've played it that I barely remember a lot of it, but there was a town called Jaynestown, which is a reference to the TV series Firefly, the bobblehead in the cutscene in the van at the start of the game seemed extremely similar to something seen in the Team Fortress 2 video "Meet the Sniper", and the boss in the vehicle was definitely a reference to Mad Max, but I don't remember the specific details.

There are loads more, but I just don't remember them.

[Crunchsnap]

You should have a Radio Show ^^

[amit212543]

What kind accent do of accent do you have? Nice review but it is sometimes hard to understand you.

[samgobe]

pandora hmmm sonds like avatar

[samgobe]

pandora hmmm onds like avatar

[thedragonb0y]

Borderlands is a pretty good game, but the desert planet and fighting bandits idea is old. I think a different setting would have been nice if they really got creative with it.

[djkilldozer]

@thedragonb0y Yeah, maybe a jungle or snowy environment would have beed good.

[thedragonb0y]

@djkilldozer Or at least keep a desert environment, but make it MORE interesting. They went for a western style on another planet which just made it seem like just another junkyard on earth which I don't care, it's been done and million times and it's fucking boring. If you're an adventurer searching a planet for a mysterious vault, couldn't the alien planet be a little more I don't know...alien? I guess they really liked Fallout 3 so wanted to make their version. :/

[crappsalot]

i love borderlands wooooo!!

[sizzle1337]

id have to disagree with the whole " there are not enough item slots", i finished this game in the span of 20 hours(first vault), it doesnt have enough game time to care about the typical rpg gearing, such as neverwinter nights or baldurs gate

[sizzle1337]

@sizzle1337 also it is great for lanning with mates :)

[Bric1022]

lol i love the guy brick. lol its so cool. and what makes it even more cool is mine name is Bric. lol if someone doesnt know, pronouced Brick. XDD good review man!

[SilverMagics]

Perfect review, however i have to disagree on inventory space as when you advance in story and meet more claptraps you can help them on wich their part is to show you a hidden location wich contains a item to expand the inventory.

[wilebill2]

Good review as usual, antisocial! Much of which I agree with, but for me RPG elements and useless frills such as a story are dispensable and not missed. All I want to do is go out and shoot stuff and blow things up. Especially after playing through Dragon Age Origins; enough already!

As a shooter this game is the most fun I've had since Hellgate London! Yeah, Torchlight is great; but I like Borderlands better.

[antisocialfatman]

@wilebill2 Yeah, I could take it as a straight shooter except that they keep rubbing these underdeveloped RPG elements in your face. All the time!

[wilebill2]

True, they do. At least there is a bit of humor thrown in. I could write a couple pages of what I don't like about the game. No fanboi here. Still, the fun is there if you are willing to ignore some of what is there, and put up with what's missing.

Such as decent character classes. I find the siren and the soldier playable. The hunter and the barb thing just do not appeal at all. How can you screw up a hunter? But they did.

[chrislur]

This sucked ur voice is so anoyying srry to say that but it is

[tnkfe]

@chrislur

His voice is awesome D:! Think his mic is just bad on this 1 :)

[kronenburg77]

i know why you say dog like monsters (for people who havnt played it) but do you ,mean the skags

[Danny77uk]

I love how you always mention the over-use of American accents and Americanisms in these games. While I agree with the sentiment, would you really enjoy a game with Geordi or Brombi characters! I bloody wouldn't! (I'm British btw).

[antisocialfatman]

@Danny77uk My point is never that they're using American accents and that American accents are bad, it's that they're distinct and recognisable accents.

An English accent or a French accent would be just as awful.

With a little creativity and some talented voice actors, they could easily come up with something new and unrecognisable and interesting.

But most developers are too lazy and untalented to even consider doing that.

[piepeep90]

I have to wonder, why is every new planet named "Pandora"?

[antisocialfatman]

@piepeep90 Certainly in the case of Borderlands, it's because the whole game is riffing on the Pandora's Box myth. The Vault is the box.

I haven't seen Avatar yet, but I think that's probably true of Avatar also. Unleashing evil but ultimately preserving hope sounds like Avatar from what I've heard.

[piepeep90]

Well for future reference, Avatar is epic.

[gamerzndplayerz]

@piepeep90 pandora in avatar is not a planet - its a moon

abit like endor with all the ewoks =)  nerdiness ftw

[12400052]

im getting this game for christmas hopefully lol for ps3 so if anyone wants to do co op with me then reply to this

[MW2JamieP]

@12400052 i'm ordering off amazon so add GMFCN1 it should be in next week ;)

[timbojtimboj]

SO sosooo boring.. for a casual gamer anyway

[TheGreatVax]

Voted - for you being a casual gamer. But I agree.

"Casual gamers" are pathetic anyway. Play the big titles, and like them, regardless how horrendous they are. EA Games is a very huge part of it. Take for example the NFS games. Any NFS after "Most Wanted" was a huge disappointment. Yet, they're still being played cause they pump so much money into it.

Appreaciate a good game for fucks sake. Big name != Good game. Fucking get that into your head.

Nice review, I agree. (Post limit)

[dennywashere]

very excellent review

[dkjestrup]

This review gets it very wrong. Fallout 3 and Mass Effect definately weren't Shooters with RPG elements.

[antisocialfatman]

How would you describe them? They both had extremely weak RPG elements and very prominent gunplay elements.

Games like Fallout and Deus Ex are roleplaying games. F3 and ME are shooters with a little character development thrown in.

[FearlessSon]

That depends on what you mean by "role-playing". There are aestetic considerations that are hard to qualify with certain gameplay mechanics. For example, both ME and F3 have many different ways of overcoming challenges depending on how the character is built, even if that build is shallow. To a certain extent, this same structure also applies to the original Fallout and Deus Ex.

It owes more to traditions of D&D than it does to, say, Final Fantasy.

[antisocialfatman]

I didn't see multiple ways of 'overcoming challenges', and I tried a bunch of stuff. My options always came down to: shoot them in the face, or in some rare instances, use a dialogue option (both good/evil being the same).

In F3, I went with my trusty F1 build: lockpick, language and small guns. Lockpick and language proved virtually worthless. And the game just kept giving more and more guns and ammo.

[ThunderFlashTheFish]

360, better game library...

[dkjestrup]

@ThunderFlashTheFish

Demons Souls, LittleBIGPlanet, God of War 3 next year, MGS4, Resistance.

Against

Mass Effect

Halo

[cowbell311]

in the last 4 years dumbass, 360 has more games and graphics don't matter its gameplay ,faggot don't trash 360 with no proof

[skunks1818]

@cowbell311 Nah man, because of games released in Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, and games being released next year, PS3 is now better.

[ChildStealer13]

you have to admit though 360's can do a hell of a lot more now but i still prefer ps3's because im used to the controls (i had a ps2)

[willzilla100]

ps3

[MrKris360]

Im thinking of buying a new console, should i go 360 or ps3?

[antisocialfatman]

If you own a proper gaming PC, you want a PS3. The 360 has a lot of things you can't find on the PS3, but it has nothing that you can't find on the PC (except a few mediocre games, like Halo 3).

The PS3 on the other hand has numerous exclusives that make it an ideal complimentary system for a PC gamer.

If you don't own a gaming PC, it's a harder decision. I'd still probably go for a PS3 for the PSN library, but that means missing out on stuff like L4D.

[666OrWhat]

Good review. Though for the most part class/shield mods were never too much of importance throughout the game and character customization was never too clear if it was actually implemented or not. Since every class can do just about everything the other can, the concept of customization flew right out the window for me, though the amount gun diversity in the game sort of replaces that in the slightest of ways.

And there was a nod to TF2? Didn't catch that one. :O

[antisocialfatman]

The bus driver at the start flicks a bobblehead in exactly the same way the Sniper flicks one (while also driving a sort of bus through a very similar environment) in the Meet the Sniper video.

Could just be a coincidence, but it feels like a nod to me. Plus the visual style as a whole was probably inspired by TF2.

[666OrWhat]

@antisocialfatman Oh that's right!

Since I mostly hear the bobblehead immediately linked to Fallout3, I completely missed that reference. Good call.

[P4ck3rF4n]

excellent review definetly subscribing

[Spike0941]

You should really getting paid for these reviews! Excellent!

[CssHDmonster]

u should do a gothic 3 review.... the orginal or the other 1...i enjoy gothic 3 very well

[Tenn1502]

You pretty much nailed it, it seems like many of the RPG elements where rushed. I found myself longing for an actual character creation system, and maybe different types of weapon varieties. (like different melee weapons) When it comes to RPGs I always prefer using a character I created.

I got the impression what with this game's emphasis on 4 player co-op, and the lengths they went to to individualize the classes, they where going for a Left 4 Dead feel with the game.

[zoddie]

except that L4D does L4D much better then borderland does...especially with their pathetic Zombie DLC.

[Tenn1502]

Well yeah, L4D has the zombie genre down, there's no question.

[SamBlackmore]

Great review as always

[antisocialfatman]

Well, my kind of roleplaying games are the ones where you can build a character and play the game very differently depending on your skillset. The Witcher doesn't do that at all.

In fact it does the exact opposite. Although there is some character customisation, you're playing an existing character - Geralt, from the Sapkowski novels - and his 'class' is already determined.

I hate that lack of customisation. But the game is great at what it does do. It just doesn't do what I like.

[gexv8]

I found the witcher to be a very enjoyable game. However everything you say about the witcher is true. Whether or not it can be considered truly a role playing game is debatable. But I don't think it matters so much. I'd prefer it if games avoided trying to stay true to a specific genre.

[OwlsInTowelsINC]

they should really give you a job somewhere, i find your reviews so much more helpful and genuine than a lot of the "professional" reviews out there. Your reviews are unbiased and truthful, and i'd personally much rather listen to what you think than some other reviewer who does it for money.

[antisocialfatman]

Hey thanks! Did you know hotlesbianassassin (check out the video response link above for his most recent review) and I are starting a proper site next year? We'll be covering all the major systems, but the focus will always be PC.

We plan to pluck you pigeons clean with donate buttons on every page, so hopefully the idea of me working for some site will become moot!

[djkilldozer]

@OwlsInTowelsINC Antisocialfatman and the guy from Classic Game Room are the absolute best.

[x20djw]

@OwlsInTowelsINC i dont meen to ofend him or anything but he would probably be to negative and probably drive people away from afew games that he reviews

[HardWarUK]

You say we are coming to the end of real RPG's, but have you reviewed The Witcher? Or Risen? It is as much about the fact that when RPG's DO come out they get so little attention that we see fewer and fewer of them.

[antisocialfatman]

You're right, I suppose. Of course, I wasn't reviewing when The Witcher came out, so I missed that window of opportunity.

I haven't reviewed it since because I haven't played it since. I got half way into the game and it deleted all my saves, so I have a lingering animosity toward the game. I'll review it when I play it.

Risen I have no interest in at all because Gothic 3 was abominable. I don't think a negative review of a mediocre game would really promote the genre.

[HardWarUK]

But you will always point out good things in a bad review and bad things in a good review, so viewers will learn something.... And in many cases will at last know there is an RPG called Risen on the market! :)

[antisocialfatman]

Fair enough, but the down side is I'd have to play the game!

I was about to follow that sentence with 'why can't someone just release a good roleplaying game?', but of course, I'm choosing to skip Dragon Age.

I think I'll take a look at the Risen demo.

[supershiva11]

It's a mistake I tell you to skip Dragon Age. It's the best crpg i've played in over 5 years.

[hotlesbianassassin]

very nice review, fatman. i have been putting off watching this, cuz i didn't want to be swayed by your review, but now i regret doing so, cuz i should have just copied your review word for word!!!

[hugerockir]

I'm pretty surprised you didn't mention anything about the ending.

[winkyhalo3]

graphics kinda remind me of XIII lol

[fernando101090]

good review. I havent tried the game yet, but I think im gona get it soon. The game loosk realy nice

[mostawesomeguyever]

About the co-op... can you join random online games or lobbies, or do you need friends who also have the game to play with? I know people who play it, but not enough to where I would be able to get the full co-op experience out of it.

Is it still worth it even if it is just co-op with friends?

[andym3287]

Great review!

[dohertyaaron]

Awesome review!

That was more informative than a lot of "professional game journalist" reviews online.

[shotysniper117]

hey antisocialfatman, do you play WoW?

[antisocialfatman]

I have played, but not for almost a year.

I don't play any MMORPGs, but when I did, my game of choice was EverQuest.

[shotysniper117]

why?

[FoldingZebra]

This game rules.

[GigaBoost]

Incredible review, simply incredible, I agree with you on almost every point. The character development IS pathetic!

You could have mentioned something about the fact that it's a pretty dodgy port though, without full mouse support in menus, no vsync, no aa etc.

[FoldingZebra]

Force Vsync and AA through your drivers

[antisocialfatman]

Thanks, GigaBoost.

I've heard other people say there isn't mouse support in menus either. I don't understand it. I have full mouse support in my menu, and I've asked around and my friends have no problems either. Can you elaborate?

On no vsync and no AA, UE3 doesn't support either, so all games using UE3 (which is a lot) don't have those features. It seems redundant mentioning them.

If anyone ought to be blamed for that, it's Epic Games for making a crappy console engine.

[GigaBoost]

For example, you cannot scroll through quest texts with the mousewheel, a lot of buttons get "stuck" when you try to select them with the mouse (try checking your sniper proficiency with the mouse), in the friends menu the buttons Invite and Add Friend doesn't work but you have to press I and A respectively instead. The game has a lot of these kind of small glitches when using the mouse in menus.

[antisocialfatman]

I only had buttons get stuck when I used the keyboard and mouse together. Using just the mouse or just the keyboard, it's always been fine for me.

I know about the sniper thing, but it's fine if you click on it rather than mouseover it, so I don't think that's even worth mentioning.

The others, well, they just don't really seem worth mentioning either. That they exist isn't ideal, but they hardly detract from the game experience.

[GigaBoost]

Of course you cannot mention the individual casees, but a brief mention of the overall very shoddy mouse controls in the menus would have been nice, or just a quick "it's clear that the game was co-developed for the consoles" kind of thing in there.

[GigaBoost]

Oh and, the damn mouse smoothing, playing with it turned on is just terrible, and having to edit ini files to change it is just silly.

I'm just about to get my first character up to level 50, and I'm still enjoying the game quite a bit, but, as you stated in your review, there is A LOT of wasted potential.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

My problem with the game were the RPG elements. I usually enjoy RPGs when it takes a slow amount of time to level up (with a detailed and rewarding system) and an even slower amount of time to find better weapons. If a game has the right atmosphere and even semi-enjoyable grinding, it will prolong it to a point that is perfectly suited for me.

[sl2mmer]

great review, you made me wanna get it :)

[utubegod35]

To the RPG... thing you said in the beginning (didn't read the comments, sorry if someone brought this up already):

I think that it's pretty agreeable that RPGs are evolving, and not being eliminated. I think gaming is sort-of over the Baldur's Gate style, but things like Risen and The Witcher are what the Baldur's Gate guys have to look forward to (of course, there's Mass Effect and its ilk, too, but it's not the same...)

Fantastic review, though.

[angelmarine1292]

A bunch of my friends bought and pirated this game. If I get it, I'll bit torrent it, doesn't seem like its worth the cash.

[SillySnake72]

lol @ 9:20

[greed099]

If you didn't know this (I'm pretty sure you found out by now, but oh well) is that 42 weapon slots are the max, but only received through quests and broken claptrap missions.

[antisocialfatman]

Yeah. By weapon slots, I specifically meant the slots where you can 'wear' weapons. I wasn't talking about the general inventory.

[greed099]

Misunderstood the video then.

[yayap001]

i dont think the rpg is dying, its true that more shooters are being made but thats because of popular demand, the industry will make what they think will sell, but its a fact that most hard core gamer (that go to gaming web sites) want to see more rpgs. game developers will make what the casual masses buy and right now thats shooters, it was rpgs before that and platformers before that, all genras have there phases and right now the world is on a shooter phase

[antisocialfatman]

But there are virtually no good roleplaying games coming out today (besides Dragon Age), and all of the major RPG developers are working on shooters or MMORPGs, or both, so there's little/nothing to look forward to, too.

I know the industry goes through phases, but it's definitely not cyclical. A lot of genres have never recovered after hitting a lull.

And it's seriously staring to look like the serious, intelligent roleplaying game is next on the chopping block.

[yayap001]

you have a point but when this shooter craze is over i think there are enough rpg fans end hopefully developers will see this and start making good rpgs again. and i really hope they realize that taking a good rpg series to "the next level" does not always mean making it an mmo, mmos are not always better some times people just want straight rpgs, i think they are doing this to way to many series, soon the mmo space will be as polluted as the shooter space is

[Kagemusha08]

I think you may be right, and while I sympathize with fans of the more hardcore offerings I personally enjoy hybrid games like Mass Effect or Fallout 3 more than Baldurs Gate. But even then there's a real lack of good Western RPGs coming out thanks to the rise of MMOs. And the Japanese industry has been content to turn out mediocrity since the golden age of the 90's/early-00's with a some exceptions like Demon's Souls, the best hack-n-slash I've ever played.

[weglarz]

The only review of Borderlands that I've agreed with. All of my friends who are console gamers but not PC gamers think that this game is perfect. I, however, keep trying to tell them how disappointed I am that there are no equipment slots other than the shield and grenade mods, and that none of the mods visually affect one's character. That being said, it is a fun game, but i cannot figure out why they left out more things to personalize your character with. Good review, keep em coming.

[matnatz]

I'm surprised you didn't mention how incredibly empty and dead the world feels. That was pretty much my first impression of the game.

[antisocialfatman]

I get why you think of it like that, but I view the game as a hack and slasher with a first person perspective. So I categorise it with games like Diablo 2, Hellgate, Torchlight and so on.

They all have empty, dead worlds. I don't think it's fair to judge the game differently to those games just because the perspective is different. All I expected was a bunch of stuff to kill, and I got that..

[HeroicBard]

Hey, nice review mate.

[KazaKazaNG]

borderlands seems like a game i would love but i don't have the money right now

but this is a game i will be getting

[sidexwalk]

Another excellent review, fatman. I rather enjoy this game, though I find it strange that Gearbox would release a dystopian, apocalyptic shooter with RPG elements on the UT3 engine when Rage, a game of that same M.O., is coming out soon on the same engine. Sigh. Originality again taking the backseat to popular demand.

[antisocialfatman]

Same engine? Rage is built in id tech 5, id's proprietary engine. id would never stoop so low as to use UE3!

[sidexwalk]

ah, thanks for clearing that up.