Gearbox Software

18

Kicking off with gritty animation more reminiscent of a Gorillaz music video than a video game, the introduction lays out exactly what gamers can expect from Gearbox's latest adventure: hard-hitting Mad Max-inspired action with a solid dose of humour, but very little dialogue.

Borderlands drops players onto the surface of Pandora, a brutally unwelcoming planet, populated by all manner of mutant creatures that are intent on making them their breakfast.

Your opponents are like outcasts from Darwin's evolutionary trajectory. Packs of ferocious dog-like creatures with insect maws snarl and snap as you pass, disturbing little children in masks hack at your knees with rusted cleavers, and leather-clad hillbilly types wail and snarl through a veil of bullets.

You quickly learn that, on Pandora, if it moves, it will probably kill you.

But the feeling is wholly mutual. As part of a band of mercenaries searching for a mysterious vault of treasure, your task is to slay, shred and execute just about everything that moves. And there is always something worth killing, as each battle earns players points, raising the level of their character, and loot, ranging from weapons and ammunition to cash and armour.

Borderlands has been described as a first-person shooter with added roleplaying elements, but it is more like a Wild-West space shooter, complete with its own bourbon-soaked anthem with guitar twangs that somehow manage to punctuate the relentless gunfire.

With hundreds of guns available, the focus is securely on the action, with every aspect of the game designed for fluid gunplay. Players start off with weapons native to their chosen character's class. I played with Mordecai, favouring long-range weapons that would keep me out of the jaws of the relentless skags. But within in a few short minutes of play, there was already a small arsenal of additional weapons available for my purposes.

In between all the killing, there are numerous collectibles to search for. The game's environment has a proliferation of hiding places that conceal weapons, cash, ammunition and upgrades, such as toilets, containers and piles of animal excrement. Unwanted weapons can be sold back to the various weapons stores where you can also purchase more powerful weaponry, ammunition and grenades.

Though the role-playing aspect of Borderlands might be too superficial for fans of the genre, it adds depth and a little fun to the shooter experience. The addition of the arcade scoring system that has numbers popping-off your opponents to indicate how much damage you have inflicted is like killing for points, with an immensely satisfying, blood-red "critical hit" when you strike a weak spot.

With a point system tied to the action, killing becomes more than just part of the mission. It's a way to improve your rating, gain access to more advanced weapons, and ultimately, become a better killer.

But though Borderlands - and Pandora - are new concepts and environments, the location feels somewhat familiar. It's part Fallout 3, part Red Faction: Guerilla. But the similarities are superficial. Borderlands has a unique cell-shaded art style that makes it unlike anything we've seen on a console previously, ending up somewhere between Finding Nemo and Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel.

Borderlands is a great adventure in single player mode, but the real gold dust lies in co-operative play. With the ability to work in missions of up to four players, you can kill significantly more Pandorans.

VERDICT

8.5 / 10

THE GOOD

It has a unique art style with a quirky, comical execution, a massive arsenal of wea-pons and an infinite number of collectibles. Plus, you get an additional chance at success with the "second wind death" mechanic, which allows you to kill your opponent while bleeding, thus avoiding death yourself.

THE BAD

The action can feel drawn out and purposeless at times, the large maps demand loads of running around, and the vehicles have a truly awful steering mechanism.

THE DAMAGE

R680 (Xbox 360, PS3), R380 (PC).