Borderlands: The Pre-SequelZERO Moon Wizards!
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7/10
Ben Hughes @potatoes351 |
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DEV: 2K Australia
PUB: 2K Games
RELEASE DATE: 17/10/2014
FORMAT: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Borderlands 2 left a lasting impression on the industry that is still felt today, just over two years since its release. This is in large part thanks to the example it set as to how to make a successful sequel, one that felt very familiar to fans of the original, yet changed absolutely everything.
The Pre-Sequel is the first non-DLC spin-off for the series and as the title suggests, it sets itself as a sequel to Borderlands 1 and a prequel to Borderlands 2, fleshing out those details that were never fully explained and also explaining the origins of three of Borderlands 2's most interesting side characters, Nisha, Wilhelm and of course Handsome Jack.
Though the story is set between the two previous games, it is actually set after the events of Borderlands 2 and is a re-telling of the events from one of the games four Vault Hunters, Athena (originally from The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx DLC). So before I go any further into this review, make sure you have played both previous games, Borderlands 2 in particular.
Set after the opening of the Vault of the Destroyer in Borderlands 1, the Dahl corporation has set its sights on Elpis, Pandora's moon, wherein another Vault has been uncovered. Hovering in orbit however is Hyperion's space station, where an engineer by the name of Jack has become subject of attack from invading Dahl forces. When they take over the station and begin firing the orbital laser upon the moon, the Vault Hunters and Jack must take back the space station and stop the Dahl corporation from destroying Elpis.
The main focus is on fleshing out the back-story of each of the Vault Hunters, as so far relatively little is known about each of these series vital characters, and also to tell the story of how good guy Hyperion engineer Jack turned into one of gaming's most ruthless and downright awesome villains, Handsome Jack. As such the story never quite hits the almighty heights of Borderlands 2's hilarious and emotional tale, but what it does deliver is an extremely funny and interesting look into some of the series most mysterious characters.
You play as one of four 'new' Vault Hunters, I use the term new loosely as each character is already established in the Borderlands universe, though were never preciously playable characters. These are: Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer and Claptrap; each bringing a new set of special abilities and a unique skill tree to the table with Wilhelm acting as the tank class this game, Claptrap being the general all rounder and the support roles being shared between Athena and Nisha this time, rather than having it relegated to just one class like normal. There is a lot less variety in the classes this time round with there being no stealth or Siren classes being available this time round, however what is on offer is four classes that play reasonably similarly, though differently enough to warrant separate classes.
The Pre-Sequel's core gameplay remains largely unchanged from Borderlands 2, now whilst many would say why change perfection, this does make the game come off as an extended DLC rather than a whole new game. The content quantity also reflects this, though its still a very long game, it will come in at around the same length as the original Borderlands which in comparison to the 2nd does come off more like an extended DLC rather than a sequel due to the sheer size of Borderlands 2.
PUB: 2K Games
RELEASE DATE: 17/10/2014
FORMAT: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Borderlands 2 left a lasting impression on the industry that is still felt today, just over two years since its release. This is in large part thanks to the example it set as to how to make a successful sequel, one that felt very familiar to fans of the original, yet changed absolutely everything.
The Pre-Sequel is the first non-DLC spin-off for the series and as the title suggests, it sets itself as a sequel to Borderlands 1 and a prequel to Borderlands 2, fleshing out those details that were never fully explained and also explaining the origins of three of Borderlands 2's most interesting side characters, Nisha, Wilhelm and of course Handsome Jack.
Though the story is set between the two previous games, it is actually set after the events of Borderlands 2 and is a re-telling of the events from one of the games four Vault Hunters, Athena (originally from The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx DLC). So before I go any further into this review, make sure you have played both previous games, Borderlands 2 in particular.
Set after the opening of the Vault of the Destroyer in Borderlands 1, the Dahl corporation has set its sights on Elpis, Pandora's moon, wherein another Vault has been uncovered. Hovering in orbit however is Hyperion's space station, where an engineer by the name of Jack has become subject of attack from invading Dahl forces. When they take over the station and begin firing the orbital laser upon the moon, the Vault Hunters and Jack must take back the space station and stop the Dahl corporation from destroying Elpis.
The main focus is on fleshing out the back-story of each of the Vault Hunters, as so far relatively little is known about each of these series vital characters, and also to tell the story of how good guy Hyperion engineer Jack turned into one of gaming's most ruthless and downright awesome villains, Handsome Jack. As such the story never quite hits the almighty heights of Borderlands 2's hilarious and emotional tale, but what it does deliver is an extremely funny and interesting look into some of the series most mysterious characters.
You play as one of four 'new' Vault Hunters, I use the term new loosely as each character is already established in the Borderlands universe, though were never preciously playable characters. These are: Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer and Claptrap; each bringing a new set of special abilities and a unique skill tree to the table with Wilhelm acting as the tank class this game, Claptrap being the general all rounder and the support roles being shared between Athena and Nisha this time, rather than having it relegated to just one class like normal. There is a lot less variety in the classes this time round with there being no stealth or Siren classes being available this time round, however what is on offer is four classes that play reasonably similarly, though differently enough to warrant separate classes.
The Pre-Sequel's core gameplay remains largely unchanged from Borderlands 2, now whilst many would say why change perfection, this does make the game come off as an extended DLC rather than a whole new game. The content quantity also reflects this, though its still a very long game, it will come in at around the same length as the original Borderlands which in comparison to the 2nd does come off more like an extended DLC rather than a sequel due to the sheer size of Borderlands 2.
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The major new changes though is the shift in physics due to
the moon being low in gravity. You also have the lack of atmosphere to contend
with and so must be aware of how much air you have left in your 'Oz Kit'. For a
Borderlands veteran the shift to floaty physics was very difficult to adapt to,
though as you progress through the game you find it to be yet another
invaluable tool to help you conquer and also allows the game to be much more
fluid than it was before. You can also double jump which makes combat a lot
more vertical now and as such the game exploits this by becoming a lot more
heavy on platforming. Now we all know that a good platformer, above all other
genres, relies on good level design and that is the first hurdle Pre-Sequel
stumbles at. To bring forward an example, an area in the latter half of the
game called 'Veins of Elpis' relies largely on jumping from platform to
platform in order to traverse the environment. However there is only one
entrance and exit to the level with no quick travel beacon, to make matters
worse is that you can only travel round the area in one direction, one very
confusing and misleading direction, otherwise you are unable to reach the
entrance again. Another level much earlier on in the game has a particular ramp
you mus use tot traverse a gap within a story mission related to your recently
acquired moon buggy. However this jump is near impassable with the moon buggy
and requires pot luck as to whether you successfully get past it. Its things
like this that seriously hamper the Pre-Sequel as to be quite honest its a
rookie mistake.
All the new additions to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are relatively minor, its close enough a copy paste of Borderlands 2, even using the same UI. So fans of 2 will feel right at home but it does beg the question, especially with such a small map and around half the content of Borderlands 2, you begin to wonder if it was worth releasing as a retail game.
The Pre-Sequel also showcases some of the worst texture popping and frame rate issues I have seen this generation. Though the game retains its cel-shaded and cartoonish look which is awesome and beautiful, textures pop out even just looking around which compared to Borderlands 2 is near inexcusable considering it has had no significant graphical upgrade. Frame rate is a frequent problem, whenever loot starts to pop you're guaranteed to drop frames and in the latter stages of the game you had better get used to a shuddery frame rate because you're going to be spending a good couple of hours with a slow, juddery and damn near unacceptable frame rate.
The sound design however is good, retaining the series staple for high quality audio. With great voice acting, a good soundtrack and clever uses of licensed songs, The Pre-Sequel hits all the right musical notes, even if its makeup is starting to run.
So here is the dilemma I face. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a great game, one that any Borderlands fan should buy and definitely a series you should get into if you haven't already. However some major rookie mistakes have been made here making it easily the worst Borderlands game so far, to the point that it actually beings to disappoint you as you play it, because its really such a good game behind these problems and absolutely should be bought.
Hopefully this is just a misstep from developer Gearbox, a stocking filler if you will, whilst they are hard at work making Borderlands 3 as good as it can possibly be and a worthy successor to Borderlands 2. Let's hope Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands doesn't make some equally silly mistakes.
All the new additions to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are relatively minor, its close enough a copy paste of Borderlands 2, even using the same UI. So fans of 2 will feel right at home but it does beg the question, especially with such a small map and around half the content of Borderlands 2, you begin to wonder if it was worth releasing as a retail game.
The Pre-Sequel also showcases some of the worst texture popping and frame rate issues I have seen this generation. Though the game retains its cel-shaded and cartoonish look which is awesome and beautiful, textures pop out even just looking around which compared to Borderlands 2 is near inexcusable considering it has had no significant graphical upgrade. Frame rate is a frequent problem, whenever loot starts to pop you're guaranteed to drop frames and in the latter stages of the game you had better get used to a shuddery frame rate because you're going to be spending a good couple of hours with a slow, juddery and damn near unacceptable frame rate.
The sound design however is good, retaining the series staple for high quality audio. With great voice acting, a good soundtrack and clever uses of licensed songs, The Pre-Sequel hits all the right musical notes, even if its makeup is starting to run.
So here is the dilemma I face. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a great game, one that any Borderlands fan should buy and definitely a series you should get into if you haven't already. However some major rookie mistakes have been made here making it easily the worst Borderlands game so far, to the point that it actually beings to disappoint you as you play it, because its really such a good game behind these problems and absolutely should be bought.
Hopefully this is just a misstep from developer Gearbox, a stocking filler if you will, whilst they are hard at work making Borderlands 3 as good as it can possibly be and a worthy successor to Borderlands 2. Let's hope Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands doesn't make some equally silly mistakes.
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+Funniest
Borderlands Yet
+Interesting Look At The Bridge Between Games +Boganella Shotgun (My New Favourite Weapon Of All Time, Google It) -Short Compared To Borderlands 2 -Occasional Bad Level Design -Awful Technical Problems |
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