Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 has been one of gaming's most anticipated and most elusive games for many years. We're well into this gaming generation - and almost to the next - and it's been since mid PS3/Xbox 360 era that we got a true Borderlands game. There was Tales From the Borderlands which was arguably TellTale's best game, but it was a story game vs. a true first person shooter. 

In the 7ish years since Borderlands 2, the gaming industry has changed considerably. Many have replicated aspects of Borderlands with its loot obsession, and quirky style, among other things. Initially announced and released within close proximity to each other (a practice the gaming industry should take note of), my own excitement for Borderlands 3 was high. It was probably my most anticipated release, particularly in a ho-hum gaming year such as this one. But could it retain its crown? Could it still be THE loot shooter after all these years? 

The answer is yes, mostly. Borderlands 3 - even 7 years later - has a "If it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality, for better or worse. The good news is that you get exactly what you're expecting with this newest iteration. The bad news is that the game, outside of having multiple worlds to explore, doesn't really push the boundaries all that much. Even after a bunch of hours with it, I'm still loving it, but it's also always a little disappointing when such a genre-defining series takes a large hiatus and comes back with more of the norm vs. redefining the genre again. 

Lots of planets to explore means more variety than previous

Still retains the same sense of humor

While the bulk of this review will be largely positive, it is worth starting with a continuation of why Borderlands 3 is slightly disappointing. Throughout the game I kept finding little things that I wish had changed and that have changed in other games in 2019. An easy example is that, with the sheer volume of loot boxes around, your "open" button is going to get a workout. And often times you need to be facing the boxes itself. Why not introduce a funny/useful "loot magnet" at some point in the game to where you can hold down X (open) to open/collect from multiple ammo/money crates at once? Similarly I also wished for a portable faster travelling device. There are awesome vehicles in the game, but sometimes the distances between those and/or where you need to go is vast. Why not have a hoverboard? Borderlands 3 doubles down its focus on guns and it's impressive (more on that later), but why not have a gun building/customization option? With apparently a "bazillion" combinations, why not give players the ability to slap together their own weapon? Additionally, why not incorporate other cool ideas from other games that would fit the world perfectly? The Middle Earth series' Nemesis system comes to mind. Not only am I appalled that no other series has adopted that system, I'm shocked that Borderlands 3 couldn't have had a ton of fun with it. Are these complaints fair? Perhaps not. Though I think it also shows that the series either deliberately or subconsciously refused to push itself forward and some of the above "options" are seemingly easy wins that I thought of while playing on my couch. 

Other than that, I think Borderlands 3 is a fine game. I could nitpick about the story or the game's grind, but when I really think of where I would take points off the game it's the list above. Not all of those should have to be incorporated, but the fact the game is hardly different than an old predecessor is a bit shocking. 

Locked and loaded

What did I tell you? Craziness

The good news is that Borderlands 3 is a safe buy. You're expecting lots of guns. Intense, wild gameplay. Fun characters with an offbeat sense of humor. Expansive leveling-up elements. Unique, cell-shaded graphics. It's all here and if anything, all of that has been doubled down on. In particular, the gameplay feels fast, fluid, and solid. It becomes increasingly hectic the more powerful you become and there are some wild times that I'm just shooting into the wind because so much is happening on screen I'm just hoping for the best outcomes. Part of that is the game's charm - it's wild - and it all plays great. As a shooter, it's also got solid hit detection too. I was able to snipe foes through some pretty extensive cover and still land shots, which is often needed if you want to clear out a few enemies before they start charging you. The AI's most common tactic is to charge you, which in other games would be downright terrifying, but in Borderlands 3 you embrace the craziness. Some will do the typical sit behind cover and shoot, but largely the AI seeks you out and while that may not mean they're the smartest, it does mean that getting overwhelmed and needing to constantly stay on the move is a must. Bosses in the game are uniquely designed and often difficult, some being real b*****ds! Ultimately the strategy is to shoot them...a bunch of times...but even still I found my pulse racing during these sessions because its here where you were most likely to die and have to start the boss over. 

One of the biggest surprises of the original Borderlands sequel was a fantastic story, centered around a compelling villain, Handsome Jack. Borderlands 3 has a fine story that will hold your interest, but I don't think it's quite anything I'll remember years from now either. It's nice to see some old friends either via "cameos" or playing full-on characters, and some Tales from the Borderlands peeps show up too. In classic Borderlands style, it's an over-the-top adventure with ridiculous villains, but is also able to show some talent in how it manages drama and heartfelt moments. It's not the reason you should buy the game, but it's also not likely something you'll dislike.

Loot. Sweet, sweet loot. 

Just my pet and I. Looking fly AF

A reason to buy the game is the guns. So. Many. Guns. While I certainly gravitated toward a handful of types during my playthrough, it still took me a while to pick my jaw up off the floor with not only how varied the gun types were, but also how awesome they looked and how ridiculous (in a good way) it was that they almost all have a zany alternate fire mode. Each weapon is honestly the best looking thing in the game and it's exciting to find a new purple or orange (tiers of "rareness") gun and test out what it can do. Some don't fit your play style, and that's okay because then you can sell them for money to use on upgrades. Whether it's a sniper rifle that shoots orbiting, electrocuting spheres above an enemy or a rocket launcher that shoots fires up into the air, only to rain down on where you aimed it, the weapons are the star of the show here and it's the most significant area where Borderlands retains its crown.

As an RPG, Borderlands offers a lot of unique ways to play your character too, with each having 3 trees of powers you can apply skill points too. These truly make a difference in battle as I felt like my robotic hero and his pet skag could do an insane amount of damage by the time I was nearing being fully upgraded. My pet became my most relied upon weapon in times of mass chaos and it's not every videogame you play where leveling up skills actually does all that much. Here, it's completely necessary. Inventory management does become a hassle though, but I suppose it's not all that different from other games, but Borderlands gets caught in a vicious loop. Money is used for a lot in the world. Gathering guns, marking them as "trash", and selling them is the quickest way to make money. More often than not I found myself stuck in my inventory, marking guns at trash, comparing a few that had good stats and deciding if they should replace any of mine, and then filling my inventory up to where if I found a new higher-dollar one, I had to figure out what item I would drop to fit this one. Honestly, I'm not sure what the fix is here, but it felt like it took up more of my time than in other games with similar mechanisms and creates just about the only slog of the game. 

Get your kicks on Route 66!

In a gaming world where we're almost upon the next generation and where some awesome shifts in the RPG/shooter landscape have occurred, it's awesome to see how deeply the original Borderlands games affected said landscape. So while having Borderlands 3 back is awesome for fans of the originals, it's also disappointing that it doesn't push the boundaries again OR incorporate some other neat feature from recent games. When developers build upon one another's ideas, gamers win. Even still, it's hard to deny the pull that Borderlands 3 creates once you get going. It's still endlessly creative, impressive in scope, and balls-to-the-wall fun and it's clear how much it has been missed. 

CONS

• Yes it's bigger, has more "stuff", but it doesn't bring much new to the table from what it did the last two games. In the 7 years it took to get here, that's definitely disappointing
• Inventory management was taking too much of my time in later stages of the game
• Guns are sometimes so big that they obstruct your view
• No gun customization feature (other than colors, kinda)
• Main villains are annoying

PROS

• Fantastic gameplay that's intense, fluid, and responsive. It can get insanely hectic and sometimes have 20+ enemies on screen
• Aggressive AI keeps things interesting
• Good story with glimpses of "great" at times. Not the series' best, but not a detriment either
• Guns and guns and guns. The series' specialty is at the peak of its game here and it's always fun finding a new gun that fits your play style perfectly
• Vehicles have a nice variety too and are [mostly] fun to drive with good customization options
• Generally funny sense of humor. Very few cringe moments (but maybe during those moments, that was the point?)
• Unique cell-shaded graphics that are consistently colorful and enticing to look at
• Graphics and style are expanded with multiple worlds that offer much needed variety and each feel/play differently 
• Almost always entertaining, frantic, and oozing the unique charm that only Borderlands can achieve, it's a worthy sequel - just not one that justifies 7 years in the making

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10