Borderlands from the viewpoint of an FPS Zero (PC)

Borderlands from the viewpoint of an FPS Zero (PC)

Borderlands has been out for a few weeks now so I figured I would give a perspective on the game from the view of an FPS zero.

A quick summary of my views:

Borderlands is a good ‘pick up and play’ game, it has a nifty loot system and nice graphics. The replay value, however, is pretty low – and some parts of the PC UI are lacking. A good game to pick up for some fun, but it lacks the depth needed to keep me going for long periods of time.

Before I begin I will get 2 things out of the way:

I am a complete Zero when it comes to FPS’s. I suck at them, I just don’t have the reflexes for them I guess. This could be due to my age, or the fact that the only games I truly am able to get into are RPG’s and RTS’s – though, in my day, I have played quite a few FPS games. Since this game is a semi-hybrid between FPS and RPG I am hoping I can bring a different light to the game.
I will be rating parts of the game on my personal views of them, remember that these are opinions and are based off the PC gaming experience. Your personal experience may vary depending on personal preference and the system you play on.

Ok, with that out of the way – lets get started with my viewpoints on the game.

Borderlands has been hyped as a hybrid RPG/FPS (along the lines, genre wise, of Hellgate: London but with less story). In fact, in many commercials for the game it is acclaimed as ‘The FPS and the RPG had a baby’. While there are some RPG elements in the game, the main focus is the FPS game play.

User Interface – my score: 5/10

One of the biggest drawbacks to PC game play would be the inconsistent UI. Most FPS players are Mouse/Keyboard oriented and used to being able to use the mouse to do all menu/ui interactions. In Borderlands there are places that go against the nature of PCs by either requiring a key press, or giving you the option for one but requiring mouse interaction on top of a key press. Here are a few examples:

In order to scroll up/down in the quest log you must use Pg Up/Pg Down – the mouse scroll wheel does not work, nor does clicking on the little arrows that indicate more information. Other areas that have a list type selection (Inventory, Mission Listing) use the scroll wheel on the mouse. This seems to be an oversight on the part of GearBox.
When purchasing/selling items in the vendor, the dialog pops up saying ‘Press [Enter] for OK’, but in order for that to work the mouse cursor has to be over the proper ‘button’. Either get rid of the descriptive text saying what keyboard key to use, or make the default selected item be ‘OK’.

Many dialogues say to press a keyboard key for an action – this seems to be a consequence of the portage between PC and Console (it seems more console friendly to me). Now, on most of these, you can either press the Left Mouse Button for Enter or click the close box (an X of course) for Escape… not all though (see above).

Many folks over on the official forums are annoyed about this, some for the minor reasons I have outlined, others for the fact that before release GearBox had stated that they would have an optimized PC UI. The quirks irritate me a little, but are not enough to make me go into fits of rage or ‘ragequit’, I am hoping that GearBox will be able to smooth things out with the upcoming patch (though bugs are the most important thing to iron out).

Game Play – my score: 9/10

While the game doesn’t quite fill the role it’s hyped for, it does have a quite fun game play experience. What is more fun than running around and setting baddies on fire with your Combat Rifle that has Incendiary rounds? Or shooting a shotgun that bounces its bullets around the screen? The combination of awesome loot, great modifiers on weapons, and just play havoc makes for some extremely fun times.

The graphics are not Crysis level, but games are more than the graphics they are represented by. The cell shading brings the world to vibrant life, and the variety of baddies you find are rendered well. The bosses are quirky and add a sense of humor to the game. Game play is only enhanced by the graphics and the loot system – touted for having ‘a bazillion’ weapon possibilities, it comes across well.

Note: The large amount of weapons are basically a few thousand stock GFX, mixed with a few stock weapon types, and a ton (literally) of random variations. I have gotten 2 of the exact same weapon (name wise) with completely different stats. This adds to the enjoyment by making you wonder which nifty weapon will you get next.

Story – my score: 3/10

As I stated above, the game isn’t really about the story – but there is a story included with the game. The shallow story is just a method of getting you into the run-n-gun game play. Completing various ‘main’ missions will advance the story and give you a bit more to go on, but it really isn’t that gripping or involved.

Not much else to say about the Story, as long as you don’t come into the game expecting a true RPG story experience, you will be fine.

Replay-ability – my score: 8/10

There isn’t much to replay-ability, but the only way to get to the level cap is to do a second play through. The main difference between the play sessions is that baddies scale up, and you have a better chance (as in hours played) of finding the more rare weapon combinations. Other than that, the missions are the same – the baddies are the same (though leveled) and you will find everything kind of static from your previous play.

If more things changed on play sessions then my score for it would be a 10/10 – right now though there isn’t much reason to play through more than 2 times (or 1 time if you don’t want to do the same stuff over again). With DLC this could change, but right now it is just good for sitting down and getting some mayhem in.

Note: Multiplayer Co-Op is what has brought my personal score to an 8 – nothing like cleaving through the baddies with a few friends, though the story is the same and the monsters just level and get tougher for the number of players.

Overall personal score: 7/10

This isn’t a cumulative score, but what I feel the game is worth. It is definitely worth playing, but has some things that hurt long term play in my eyes. Everyone will have to form their own opinions though – I am just one gamer amongst millions.

If you are looking for a fun game to while away the hours blasting stuff, this is a great game for you. If you are looking for a great RPG experience? Not so much. Even with my FPS Zero status I am liking the game though, I don’t think I will get tired too soon of setting baddies on fire, or blowing them up in creative ways.

DLC: At the time this article is written, there is no ETA on DLC for the PC version of the game.

Patch Update: A patch for the PC version of the game was released on November 17, 2009 – Retail users download the patch from GearBox. Steam users will update automatically, and other Direct Download users will need to check with where they purchased the game (Direct2Drive, GamersGate, etc). Source: http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=87198

-carlosjuero