This was actually written a bit ago, but it was like the Microsoft paper clip from way back when wanted to make my life heck. Found an old backup of the file!)
A little background about this series, first of all. About three to five hours into video games I play these days is when I make the decision to either play it, or trade it back in.* With a husband, a puppy, and a 35 hour a week job selling video games, time to play them is short, and I’d rather not waste my time playing something bad. I’d rather move on to the next game on my list.
*Unless you count the Game of Thrones game by Atlus that came out in 2012. That was closer to a half an hour before I decided the game wasn’t worth my time.
So, I’m officially around three hours into the newest Borderlands game right now. With every other Borderlands game after the initial title, it was a must. Both Borderlands 2 and the Borderlands iOS game were day one purchases, and games I’ll still go back to to this very day.
That being said, Borderlands TPS was a bit of a wild card for me. First, it wasn’t coming out for the Xbox One or the PS4. Yes, I still have my PS3, but it’s probably not something I’m still going to have three years down the road. Second, it wasn’t Gearbox. Would the magic still be there?
Cutting right to the chase: TPS still contains everything that makes Borderlands, Borderlands, both figuratively and literally. Lillith and Roland (Sob!) make an appearance in a bar run by Moxxxi. Clap-trap still wants your love. And a high five. There’s six guns for every day of the year. And you’re still a f#$king badass.
And who can forget Handsome Jack? I have the feeling that if Daemon Clarke could play him for the rest of his life, he’d be okay with it. Like Borderlands 2, he tends to steal the scene whenever he pops up, but also like Borderlands 2, who cares? Bad guy or not, I’m still rooting for a standalone game and/or DLC where you can play as Jack. And you bring home Butt Stallion.
The setting of TPS allows for some interesting mechanics to be introduced into the game. The moon of Pandora, Elpis, where most of the game takes place, has a lower gravity than Pandora itself, allowing for larger and longer jumps in the air. This works out well we’re you’re surrounded by a hoard of Kragons (the Skags of the moon) and are looking for an escape route, or suddenly realize you’re almost out of oxygen and you need to get to the nearest oxygen shaft.
While it’s been an enjoyable experience, yes, the game does have issues.
For example, there is no fighting just one Kraggon in the game; they multiply like Tribbles. They bring their friends to the party, and those friends bring friends, and by the time you’re finished fighting a horde, you forget what direction you’re supposed to be going to get to your next quest or checkpoint. Some of the animals you meet around Elpis feel like almost carbon copies of others from Borderlands and Borderlands 2. I already mentioned the Kragons, but also early in the game you meet Shugguraths, which immediately made me think of Giant Spores from Sir Hammerlock’s DLC, and you also meet Rathyds, which are the Rakks of the moon.
And while the new mechanics do add a really cool almost weirdness to the game, the game doesn’t consistently make use of them. The game could have taken place on Pandora and we wouldn’t have missed much.
That said, however, I go back to my earlier question. With these flaws, is the magic still there? Yes, yes it is. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a perfectly good entry into the franchise, which captures all the finer points of a Borderlands game, while still having room to grow, as well as serving to satiate my need for new content while waiting for Borderlands 3. (Fingers crossed!) So far, 2K hasn’t announced what exactly is going to be included in the currently offered season pass, but I’m optimistic to see what they have planned for the game.
Final Verdict: If you’re like me and had an itch for new Borderlands content, it’s a buy. If you haven’t purchased any of the DLC content for Borderlands 2, however, STOP READING RIGHT NOW and at least go download Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, and thank me later.