Borderlands (Xbox 360, 2009)

Borderlands as gone for a obscure and some would say sticky middle road, not a deep emersive role playing game nor a adrenaline filled shooter. Many have praised it for taking this path, many have laughed at what they believe to be a ridiculous concept.

Music:

First of the games theme music is flattering not only to the art style but also the game play, words like "aint know rest for the wicked" jingle in my head each time I unload a clip to remove yet another poor being from obstructing my chosen path.

Art:

Now 2k Games made a big deal about this, they advertised alot of footage to show off there new style game. I however do feel they were just trying to hit another reason why this game is different from the others. Its graphics feel dated and the art style seems to be a cover up for lazy details. That said, it grows on you. By the time you finish your first 4 hour session you will have completely forgotten that its any differently graphically to any other game you've played.

Gameplay:

This is the core, the heart, the soul of Borderlands. Things like experience popping up on the screen after a kill (much like COD multiplayer) keep you looking for kills, bold read letters of "Critical Hit!" keep you aiming for the head and the "87 Bazillion guns" keep you looting the bodies that drop. For those of you who love leveling up characters, this will keep you entertained... for a while. But thats all part of my final section.

The Moan:

RPG... Now it's a regularly used term and there are many titles that cling onto the 3 sacred letters to try and project an image of real depth and days of exploring. Borderlands unfortunately does not have real depth.

There is no great area that will take you more than a couple of hours to explore, there are no great choices that will spin the game. And to be completely honest there is no significant story, you get no details on a history behind the character you have chosen and there is little detail given to why some people help you to your goals and why your even so eager to get to the conclusion of the story. And unfortunately you shouldn't hurry to there end. Its very disappointing!

Conclusion:

With creating a game completely different in a time surrounded by well founded sequels (Left 4 Dead 2, Assassins Creed 2, Modern warfare 2) there is always going to be people who ignore it, people who hate it and people who class it as a hidden gem.

I can safely declare myself in the latter crowd cheering on the mighty folk at 2k Games. They have put a new franchise out and have already declared that there will be more. I personally can't wait.

Simply put:

This game is a great piece of co-op fun.