After 7 years of waiting, we’re finally given Borderlands 3. That’s a long wait and for 7 years, the expectations for the new instalment is huge. The reviews that are coming in are pretty okay, although there are some complaints about the game in genral. We’ll try to decipher how does Borderlands 3 score in different elements of a typical game. Here we go!
Plot
I don’t think anyone plays Borderlands for its plot. Although, objectively the story isn’t that great. The villains are pretty much forgettable. I believe it has something to do with the quirky nature of this game, where the world is filled with cartoonish psychopaths who are running around the world, looting it as they go. It doesn’t really leave any room for players to follow character development if everyone is running around being all goofy and zany. And again, as I said, no one plays Borderlands for the story. I’m sorry if you do, but there are way better plots in other games. Moving on!
Graphics and Sounds
It’s been 7 years since Borderlands 2 came out, so there’s definitely a leap in the quality of graphics and sounds in Borderlands 3. It features a fresh new crispy graphics that still maintains the signature cell shading textures, although it’s way easier on the eyes compared to its predecessors. Gone are the days where the thought of eye surgery pops up your thoughts after hours of grinding in Borderlands. The graphics have significantly improved the gameplay.
New landscapes are introduced, so at least you’ll see more colour than regular old wasteland cities, so yay! Instead of a blob in the distance, the terrain is well defined in high definition. You’ll get to travel to different worlds and experience different terrain. There’s nothing much to say about the sound, I mean it’s okay. It does its job in setting up a scene in the game, as well as producing believable gun sounds. Most of Borderlands 3 unique properties come in its gameplay.
Gameplay
Alright, so what’s new in Borderlands 3 after 7 years? Well, aside from the updated look and feel, Borderlands 3 has vastly improved the gameplay aspect.
First off, they were right about their claim in the number of guns that are available in the game. Did they say a billion? Yes, a billion. Each gun handles itself differently. Different kickback, fire rate and everything in between. Each gun also features multiple fire rates that can be switched around with a click of a button. So, if you’re very particular about the gun plays, it’s guaranteed there will be a gun in this game that’s made to your preference. Gunplay feels especially satisfying as they’ve added the necessary mechanics to make every shot you take has weight behind it. So, shotgun shots are going to feel more ummph when it hits, and the overall gunplay is smoother and faster.
However, there is this weird thing that I’ve not seen in the game which is the DPS (damage per second) counter. If you’re going to build a game with a bajillion guns, wouldn’t it make sense to have a DPS counter in each gun so that it would be easier for players to pick and choose which to keep and which to recycle? Other games are also guilty of this, but if you’re boasting crazy amount guns, it feels like you dropped the ball here.
Aside from that, you can now slide around, which is a great addition to the game. It gives players a chance to be more dynamic in their gun battles. Repositioning and providing cover fire will be much more fun now.
The general gameplay has not deviated from its predecessors. It’s still a grind-based shooter, and to be honest with the graphics and additional NPC and enemies, with the general look of the environment, it feels like we’re getting a complete Borderlands game that embodies chaos in a wasteland.
But what makes a grind bearable is great graphics, unrepetitive fight scenarios, variety of enemies, and of course the most important, friends. Grinding with friends will keep your soul intact and Borderlands 3 has multiplayer ready, including split-screen to bring couch gaming back to life. There are some issues with the multiplayer mode reported by players, although I’m sure this will be fixed soon.
Another notable feature is the auto-loot pickup, which is absolutely essential for a loot-based shooter. I mean, the annoying thing about Borderlands 2 was that you had to pick it up one by one yourself and in the midst of a losing battle, you’ll tend to be picked off quite easily. But you still can’t skip cutscenes in Borderlands 3, which is another odd thing to not have the ability to skip cutscenes. I mean, no ones playing Borderlands 3 for the story, right? We’re playing it for the “shoot and loot element, right? Whatever it is, it’s annoying not to have that as a choice.
Innovation
Now, Borderlands 3 is a decent game. However, 7 years is a long time and we’ve seen other games since then. And what we’ve seen in this game is nothing new that we’ve gotten with other games. There is no significant innovation in Borderlands 3. Everything is an improvement of the previous game. Comparatively, we’ve seen more innovation in games that have around the same time passed in between the last and the newest game as to Borderlands 3. Red Dead Redemption 2 features way more innovation compared to its predecessor.
Interface screens are pretty much the same. The gameplay is essentially the same. Sure, you get to travel to different planets which feature different alien landscapes, but the planets feel static and empty. As though it’s a stage that’s artificial and only serves as a placeholder for you to grind through the enemy for them sweet, sweet, guns. I feel these static worlds will make players pulled out of the immersion.
NPCs are pretty much there for the sake of being there, swaying gently without saying a word as I’m shooting hot lead right into their face. Perhaps I’m too pampered with the levels of immersion that other games have provided over these 7 years before Borderlands 3 released. Or perhaps, that’s the definition of immersion and Borderlands 3 is severely lacking it.
Conclusion
Borderlands 3 is definitely a step up from its predecessor. It has all the necessary improvement to make the game an enjoyable experience. However, in terms of groundbreaking and innovation, Borderlands 3 has none, even with the 7 years wait time.
And yes, if you’re looking for the same experience with nothing game-changing added, then yes, you’re in for a treat. But if you’re looking for something new, that adds to the experience of Borderlands 3, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Borderlands 3 is a decent game that does its job, but for a game that we’ve waited for 7 years, it feels sort of disappointing to see a game franchise not even trying anything new. The game definitely has immersion issues which I think will be very obvious after a couple of hours of gameplay, but everything will be better with friends. So, the saving grace of this game is definitely the multiplayer feature. But hey, as long it doesn’t slide backwards, am I right? Check Borderlands 3 today and let us know what you think.
You must be logged in to post a comment.