RATING: 7/10
VERDICT: FOR THE FANS OF BORDERLANDS
REVIEW BY: KRISHNA BAHIRWANI
PUBLISHER: 2K Games
DEVELOPER: Gearbox Software, 2K Australia
GENRE: First-person shooter, action role-playing
PLATFORMS: Xbox 360, OS X, PlayStation 3, GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place between the stories of Borderlands 1 and 2 telling you the story of how an employee of Hyperion Corporation, the prominent weapon manufacturing company, rises to power becoming the megalomaniacal tyrant, he is in Borerlands 2. That being said, 2K Austrailia has made a fair attempt at keeping the "winning formula" of the Borderlands series while not making it seem like just a rehash.
For those who haven't played a Borderlands game before, Borderlands : The Pre-Sequel is the mixture of an action role playing game and a first person shooter that focuses on gaining loot and leveling up your character to complete quests and fight bosses. This particular game adds the new feature of low gravity as it takes place on Elpis, Pandora's moon. The result of this feature however isn't as impressive as one would hope as the game's environments aren't as well designed as to allow for more of this feature to really stand out.
The game has one design flaw that is typical to games that want to play it "safe". Pre-Sequel tries to keep create a balance between returning and new players leading to very slow game progression. This fails to grip new players and leaves veterens spending anywhere from 4 to 8 hours unlocking the essentials and learning things they already know while trying to understand thier chosen class and skill tree.
On the positive side, the game's cartoony asthehetic really helps when taking a break from serious stuff and there is some neat humor hidden in places that adds to the overall experience. While playing with friends, some of the pacing problems with this game don't stand out much and deliver an enjoyable experience. Overall, its an unambitious but still fun game.
Developer comment
"It's been a great joy to have the team at Gearbox collaborating so closely with the talented group at 2K Australia to bring new and fresh ideas to the series," said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. "The exciting result of our studios' combined effort is Borderlands: The Pre Sequel becoming the most innovative Borderlands experience since we originally launched the franchise."
Publisher comment
"Working with Gearbox on this next chapter in the Borderlands franchise has been a privilege," said Tony Lawrence, general manager of 2K Australia. "We started this project as fans of the series, and we are thrilled to have contributed to this mayhem-filled universe."
"Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is the next big installment in the award winning shooter-looter franchise, which to date, has sold-in more than 18 million units worldwide," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "For newcomers, this game is the perfect entry point to the franchise, exploring Pandora's moon for the first time, while also being a must-have chapter in the Borderlands story for longtime fans."
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