Borderlands has been out for almost a week. Still unsure about purchasing the game? Here is a review round-up of Borderlands from a few major gaming websites and publications.
Eurogamer: 8 out of 10 (Jim Rossignol)
Borderlands is unusual, playable, and an artfully violent step in an interesting direction for Gearbox. The story aspect of the game could have been better – I’d love to have seen the role-playing influence extend beyond stats, levels and loot – and the ending is a disappointment. Even so, this should be a favourite game of the year for a huge number of people, since it plugs into gamer impulses at such a fundamental level. We blow things up and collect the goodies. That part, at least, Gearbox has nailed.
Giantbomb: 4 out of 5 (Jeff Gerstmann)
The structure of Borderlands makes it feel like an MMO game that doesn’t require you to rely on groups of other players to enjoy. Though it’s probably better when you’re playing online with friends, playing alone is still perfectly fine. It’s also one of those games that’s so strong in parts that its shortcomings become almost glaring by comparison.
As such, the game’s barebones story, lackluster AI, and insufficient player trading options are real disappointments that prevent the game from reaching its full potential. But when you’re frantically trying to stay alive while getting swarmed by an angry horde of gigantic spiderants, chances are you won’t care much about that other stuff. Borderlands strongly succeeds where plenty of other Diablo-inspired games have failed miserably.
1UP.com: B+ (Thierry Nguyen)
Call it a first-person Diablo, an evolution of Resistance 2‘s co-op mode, Monster Hunter for the west, or a party game for FPS gamers. Call it the best example of the transformative power of multiplayer. Whatever you designate it, Borderlands is a decent single-player FPS/RPG that simply becomes great — when playing with others. Besides, sheer midget panic is something that has to be shared with friends.
EDGE magazine, Dec ’09 issue: 6 out of 10 (no writer cited)
… a transparent level grind of uniformly standard kill and fetch quests. In embracing frivolity, though, the game perhaps simultaneously acknowledges a lack of depth.
So it comes back to the guns again – a cipher for the game at large: alluringly lurid, but ultimately disposable.
GameSync’s writers are still in the process of playing Borderlands. We’ll post our own review once we’ve finished the game.
Be sure to check out GameSync’s dedicated Borderlands forums here. Share with us your character builds and gameplay tips.
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