It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Borderlands franchise. I’ve played the first two games for hundreds of hours, and I briefly considered getting Borderlands 2 for the Vita. I was thrilled to find out that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel would fill the gaps between the two games, allowing you to play as Handsome Jack’s cronies and detailing how he came to power. 2K Australia took over on development, working with Gearbox to create the game, and it shows.The Pre-Sequel was rife with glitches, had a weak storyline, and was generally not as fun as the second game. Quality-wise, it felt more like the first, and, at best, could be considered a giant DLC pack. And it’s definitely not worth 2K’s $60 asking price.
Platforms: PC, PS3 (Version Played), Xbox 360
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Australia, Gearbox Software
Genre: Borderlands-Style Looter-Shooter
Release Date: October 14, 2014
ESRB Rating: Mature
You might be thinking maybe I just haven’t played the game long enough, or maybe my standards were too high. Perhaps I’m unaware of the glitches from the first two games. And maybe you would laugh knowing that I actually really did enjoy the storylines in those first two (and even read the books). However, I’ve gone once through the entire campaign of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and I’m actually working on my second playthrough in True Vault Hunter mode. No one is more disappointed than me in how I feel about the game… and yet somehow, I’m still playing it.
Why, you ask? Well, some Borderlands is better than no Borderlands, and frankly, the more I play it, the more entertaining it becomes. In fact, the second playthrough has some changes that make it better than the first – though I won’t spoil it.
The gameplay itself is no different than Borderlands 2. The only major differences are the low gravity, the introduction of the Cryo (ice) element, and the butt slam. The four main characters – Athena, Claptrap, Nisha, and Wilhelm – all have brand new Skill Trees with new special abilities. But even then, some of their abilities feel like repeats – Nisha can wield dual pistols, Wilhelm has robots he can summon, and, well, Claptrap has his executable program that randomly chooses another Vault Hunter’s ability (or does something totally useless). Oh, and Eridium has been replaced with Moonstones, which are much more easily available – and much more quickly spent, whether on upgrades, special Moonstone chests, special “Moxxtails” at Moxxi’s bar, or in the best update to the series: The Grinder.
The Grinder is a brand new machine in which you can place weapons and items to create different items. I would say “better” items, but they’re not always better – in any sense of the word. If you put in three items of a certain color, you get one of that same color – or you get one from a level up. There are different recipes that can be used, but it’s always three, and always the same color – unless you’ve got Legendaries (orange) to Grind, in which case, it’s two orange items and one Very Rare (purple) item. Grinding items can be a ridiculously fun time – imagine, instead of scurrying for the nearest vending machine every time your pack is full, you instead bring them back to your home base, cram a bunch of them into a machine, and get potentially useful items. There’s also the option to Moonstone Grind, which almost always guarantees you an upgrade in some way. Some items are even “Luneshines,” meaning they have some kind of extra bonus – my favorite one being a higher percentage of experience gained.
So what am I doing still playing the game? Well, at level 45, Wilhelm is a force to be reckoned with. I’ve tried all of his Trees, and I’m especially fond of the one that turns him into a robot, bringing out a missile launcher when he goes down. Anthony’s playing Nisha, and her skills are off-the-charts absurd – she kills everything on the screen before I can get my drones out sometimes. Also, the second time you play the game, the story changes slightly, though I won’t tell you how. It’s a fun change, and I appreciate it more and more as the game goes on.
What I will spoil for you is the main raid boss, the first one that you get after beating the game. We haven’t beaten it yet – we only went back once to see what it was like – and it’s literally just the end boss, who you have to fight again, only now the boss has the name “Immortal” in front of the title. To say that was disappointing is an understatement. The raid bosses were my least favorite part of Borderlands 2, but at least they were all unique. This is just the exact same fight a second time, which is lazy and incredibly boring.
The other main complaint I have – the complaint I always and forever have – is how horrible the maps are. In Borderlands and Borderlands 2, they’re frustrating; in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, they’re downright infuriating. As always, there’s no indicator as to what floor you’re on, so places that seem like they might have a doorway don’t, and sometimes you come across a place the map’s telling you is a wall and there’s a door there. The Jump Pads – while fun at first! – can be awful in levels with low gravity, where you have to figure out which direction you’ve going – or start over from the beginning. The Waypoints are also confusing – sometimes they take you to a place where you have to open a door that is nearly invisible, it’s so hidden. There was also the one time I switched quests and the Waypoint took me to the old quest, meaning I set off a story event without realizing it. In short: this is a series that has suffered horribly from terrible maps, and this game is absolutely no exception to that. I’d argue that it’s not just bad – it’s the worst one so far.
Even with all the negatives, I have enjoyed Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel very much. But I would never spend $60 on it. If you can get it on a deal, or ask for it for Christmas, absolutely jump all over that, especially if you have other friends to play with. It’s a blast with company, as the franchise has always been, even with some of the crappier moments. Also, let’s face facts: sometimes it’s fun to play as the bad guys. It’s definitely not as good as Borderlands 2 – in any way – but it’s more Borderlands.
Review Disclosure: A retail copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was purchased by Warp Zoned for the purposes of this review.
