[title]Let's begin a journey to Pandora[/title]



Borderlands is a sci-fi hybrid FPS/RPG developed by Gearbox for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The game takes place on the planet Pandora where you and up to four other friends can engage on the experience of a lifetime, or at least the next couple of hours. There are different quests like get this, get that, kill this, etc. At first it starts slow but gets highly addictive when you get the hang of it.



If you want this to be mildly interactive do the following: Open this YouTube video on a new tab and let it play while you read the rest. Don't bother with the video which is kind of lame but I'm interested in the music experience. Trust me!

[title]Meet the cast[/title]



From left to right that's:
[list]
[*]Roland (Soldier)
[*]Lilith (Siren)
[*]Mordecai (Hunter)
[*]Brick (Berserker)
[/list]
They all have unique abilities for their class which sets them apart. Is not like you are playing with different skins. Roland has a machine turret that can come in handy in heavy battles. Mordecai has his trusty pet of prey to attack annoying baddies. Lilith the siren has a phase walk because of some powers she has (I don't like spoilers). And last but not least Brick that goes into Berserker mode and can take lots of damage and beats the shit out of anything in his way with his fists.



Beware: I don't now if this is a PS3 only bug but if you play with Mordecai you need to keep up with Clap Trap (Robot host) all the way to the first mayor check point where you meet the Doctor. I'm not talking about the fixed bug of the Coop (Yeap! that's right). If you don't do this you'll get stuck and have to restart, quit that game. It happened to me twice until I figure out I was screwed and had to start over ( after wondering like an idiot for a while). There are a couple of bugs in this one, but not serious enough to spoil a great gaming experience.



[title]Graphics[/title]



The game looks great! The unique hand drawn, comic book artstyle set it apart from anything of what at least I have played. But there is some minor loading of the graphics that for me was a little let down, now let me explain. Remember that the last game I played was Uncharted 2 Among thieves and after that everything looks like a turd, go figure! Asides that the character models look great very detailed.



[title]Gameplay[/title]

The vastness of Pandora feels like a hell of a big place. They have a nice way of engaging those invisible walls we all hate but I'll let you discover that for yourselves. I heard people complaining of long walks to here from there but exploring is what this is all about and there's always something to do and or someone to kill. Remember the only way you are going to find those nice guns and loot is by exploring everywhere (wink, wink!).



It handles like an FPS and as for the RPG aspect it handles like an FPS too. Meaning this is a shooter with nice simple RPG elements that doesn't overpower the action of the game. This one grows on you and before you know time will fly fast. This is the one every Fallout 3 fan was waiting for.



As you level up creatures and scavengers level up too. Is a blast to overpower smaller enemies but is equally frustrating to take bigger ones with out the proper leveling and equipment (specially shields).



If you die you get a second chance that if you kill something after getting teleported to your checkpoint you revive and is called a second wind.



[title]Coop[/title]



There is 4 player coop online which is a blast or split screen with a buddy. Now the greatest thing in this is the combat duels. When you get a nice weapon and any one in the game wants it, he can melee you and if you answer it back you start a fight between you two in a dome like electric field and you go at it. Do it for the loot or just to be a dick if you want, but you need to experience this at least one time, you'll see its a blast.



[title]The verdict[/title]
Do you like Fallout 3? Did you thought it need it more action? Do you like shooters? Then this is for you. If you don't like shooters this could be for you too. Because of the RPG element, there is none of that FPS constant pressure unless you get to a part where the shit its the fan (then it's on like Donkey Kong!).



I mentioned earlier Fallout 3 twice, but this is far for being that game. Is only the post apocalyptic style like Mad Max that you'll like. I'm not comparing them because there are truly different styles. But this game is hot and fun and I doubt that you'll find a better 25/50 hours experience...wait, Did I say 50 hours? Yes. After you complete the game you get to play a second walkthrough with your character.



At the forum there was a thread about the sleeper hits of this season. Borderlands and Demon's Souls were mentioned a lot. Now have in mind those two games has sold out on different parts of USA. Is that a Sleeper Hit? What do you guys think? IMO this is a better investment than some games out there Uncharted 2 included. JESUS CHRIST!!! WHAT DID HE SAID!!! Now clam down, I'm not cockblocking Saint Drake since you know I'm one huge fan of the title...I say as an investment because if you have the money for only one game this season (like all the threads in the forums) I'll bet you'll play more of this game than other new titles.



On to the next one!
What do you think guys. Demon's Souls is next but I don't think I'll be able to squeeze a review this next week since I have a couple of medical conferences to attend (Free Food!). Let see how it goes. So leave your comments guys you know I like them.

EDIT: My GameTrailers friend TheRealGamer brought to my attention a hilarious YouTube video about Borderlands and I think you should enjoy it too.



Thanks again to [user]TheRealGamer[/user]!