--Claptrap, Borderlands: Claptrap's New Robot Revolution
Even with all of its DLC, the original Borderlands is a very mixed offering, possessing some great aspects (the weapons and gameplay) and some very lackluster aspects (the story and characterization). While many components of Borderlands are outright lacking when it comes to depth or execution, especially when held up against the mechanics and design of its spectacular sequel, the title is still an expansive game that one could spend dozens of hours in. I want to make it clear that, while I will contrast Borderlands and Borderlands 2 multiple times, I am only comparing the two games to provide a reference point for the quality of the first one and to emphasize that the series does get far better.
Production Values
Though the graphics are certainly not of a low quality, they testify to the age of the game, just as some of the mechanics and sounds do. Many of the landscapes are simply bland and not very colorful. Lilith's siren powers particularly stand out because of their purple color, as is evident from one of the above screenshots. Their purple glow contrasts well with the duller colors of the environments. The graphics are not bad; it's just that they are not especially vibrant, and the world of the game certainly doesn't benefit from this on an artistic level.
There is very little dialogue compared to that of Borderlands 2, as there is not much of a reason for the characters to actually talk. One of the game's biggest shortcomings is the fact that the main story is a minimalist narrative that scarcely possesses a shadow of the worldbuilding depth found in any of the current sequels. So much worldbuilding potential was squandered. Many characters that return later on are introduced, but they don't have the satirical or personal humor that they could have--and that many of them do have in the sequels.
Because of the relative shallowness of the story and dialogue, anyone who plays the sequels first will find that the comedy is not as strong as it could have been. Yes, there are jokes, but few, if any of them, have the philosophical cleverness or in-universe significance that the franchise has become known for. Nevertheless, there is enough of the later atmosphere present to see how the sequels expanded upon the core themes of the series. Particularly noteworthy is the frequent use of allusion to other entertainment giants, from Godzilla to Mad Max. These references to renowned films are the peak of the humor here.
Gameplay
All of the basic gameplay elements that have become associated with the franchise are present: diverse loot, vehicles, co-op play, exotic alien enemies, and a plethora of missions. Unlike the later games in the series, Borderlands even has a mechanic that rewards the use of each class of weaponry by allowing players to level up an entire type of firearm--like shotguns or submachine guns--and unlock bonuses that apply to all guns in that category. There is no Badass Token system, so these weapon-specific advantages are very helpful.
The missions themselves stand out from current gaming industry norms, and not always in positive ways. Many of them are simplistic and brief to the point of abnormality, so sometimes one can complete quite a few in a relatively short period of time. Despite being so short, they are plentiful; there are enough of them to keep completionists playing for hours longer than they otherwise would. It is also possible to level up very quickly up until a fairly late stage of the game (especially if one plays the DLC or switches between the main story and DLC after reaching level 10), meaning that anyone concerned about long waits between leveling up has nothing to worry about as long as they are able to keep making progress with missions.
Story
There truly isn't much of a story to spoil, but, even so, skip this section if you don't want any details about the basic plot of Borderlands.
Your character of choice, a Vault Hunter, is dropped off at a bus stop in the town of Fyrestone, a residence that is unfortunately plagued by a bandit problem. Once the immediate bandit presence is dealt with, the playable character launches into a quest to find the Vault, a rumored weapons depot. An arrogant and insane scientist named Patricia Tannis helps you locate the Vault as a mercenary working for a massive corporation also searches for it--and it turns out to be a dimension holding a large creature that emerges from a portal.
The DLC story missions deal with a zombie outbreak, a series of gladiatoral contests, a robot uprising, and a small resistance movement against a mega-corporation. These DLC add-ons sometimes actually explore the Borderlands lore more than the main story does (though the one with the gladiator-like arenas definitely does not), so anyone who wants to see more of the game's universe will want to try them.
Intellectual Content
Some of the missions (especially the DLC about the robot revolution) touch upon some fairly significant issues like AI rights, but the game still lacks the philosophical depth of its sequel. Still, the artificial intelligence revolution DLC features pseudo-historical dialogue that is utilized well!
Conclusion
Borderlands 2 may offer a far more developed, detailed gaming experience than its predecessor, but the original Borderlands still deserves credit for starting the franchise. It lays the groundwork for the expansive world of Pandora, introduces some unique characters, and lets players wield some great weapons. If for no other reason, anyone who has never played the original Borderlands but is excited about the impending release of Borderlands 3 might want to play the former just to see how far the series has come.
Content:
1. Violence: Killing enemies can produce a lot of blood, but there is otherwise little to no graphic content.
2. Profanity: While Borderlands does not have anywhere near as much profanity as later installments, words like "damn" and "shit" are occasionally used.
No comments:
Post a Comment