Borderlands is the self stylised RPS (Role Playing Shooter) from Gearbox,creators of the Brothers in Arms series of games.
Combining FPS combat with RPG levelling up and loot gathering along with unique visuals and a good sense of humour,your in for one of the best games in 2009.

Borderlands is not the first game to try and merge two of gamings most popular genres,the FPS and the RPG,into one game.
Fallout 3 attempted it,and while it was a good RPG the FPS elements took a major blow and were rather poor.

Will Borderlands fall prey to the same thing?

Thankfully not as Borderlands has struck a great balance between the two elements,the shooting feels smooth and fluid while the RPG elements are easy to grasp and use.
However they do suffer slightly,as hardcore RPG players will find that side of the game lacking slightly.
Thats not to say there aren’t many options while levelling up,players will get a vast array of choices on which to lavish there points and gain new abilities.

No doubt you heard the claims,7.5 million weapons?
Well it’s true thanks to the game’s random generation system.
While the guns often look similiar,the stats are always diffrent (apart from 1 or 2 set guns throughout the game) giving the game huge replay value and the highly addictive element of looting.
It’s the looting that will keep most people drawn to the game,it’s very addictive and the promise of finding an even better gun never get’s truly old.

Yes.it’s a truly addictive game,however this relies on 2 things:
Looting and levelling up
And for those of you who simply dont enjoy those 2 factors,your going to have a problem with the game.
Thankfully the game can be played as a straightforward FPS,and just throwing your points into the combat based talents will keep you in the action.
The gunplay feels smooth and fluid and use’s a recharging shield system akin to Halo’s along with Med packs to regain your health.
Thanks to the large variety of weapons every one will have something for there play style,whether your a sniper,close combat your support kind of player you will find something for everyone.

The game’s story falls short though.
As you start your introduced to a very stylish and fun intro and given the option to pick 1 of 4 main characters.
Sniper,Soldier,Berserker or a Siren.
Each has there own unique skills,the sniper has a pet bloodwing (like a hawk) that can attack opponents whilst the soldier can drop a turret onto the battlefield.
But dont worry,the characters arent limited to one type of weapon,each character can use everygun just as well as the rest of them.
Instead character class merely determines what type of gun you will generally find in the game.
Sadly,once you get of the bus the story has no real substance to it,your an adventured looking for the fabled Vault,which is said to be filled with rich’s and wealth.
After you learn that the story pretty much dissapears for most of the game and the only plot twist comes at the end,and it’s fairly predictable.
Most of it is just an excuse to shoot things and do side missions,in it’s way it was a refreshing change not to be burdened by a dark,mature overcomplicated shooter.
Instead it felt nice to just let me shoot things,however the lack of story is a very big problem and for those who love there story driven games,Borderlands will almost certainly have no appeal.

Borderlands visuals are a cell shaded type of graphics and are very striking.
With it’s almost western style world and bleak barren wasteland look Borderlands looks fantastic,the world looks amazing and the overall art style is stunning.
it’s so hard to describe how the game looks in words,suffice to say it’s a beautiful game.

The game offers a huge lifespan and a vast range of side quests and exploring to be done.
After that you can embark on a second playthrough with your character,allowing you to keep all your weapons and abilities.
It can become repetitive though,with enemies having less variety than i would like and the general gameplay of the game can become stale after a while.
However this is where the game’s co-op mode comes in.

The entire of Borderlands can be played with up to 4 of your friends,and it employs a drop-in system where any of your friends can join your game at anytime.
The game becomes incredibly fun with 4 of you running around causing mayhem in the open worled of Borderlands.
And when those arguments start as to who gets the best gun you can challenge your friends to a dual to decide who get’s the loot.

Borderlands blends two of the most enjoyable genre’s into one amazing package and provides endless hours of fun and co-op mayhem to be had.

Scores:
Graphics: 90%
a beautiful gameworld and art style gives Borderland a unique look

Gameplay: 90%
Looting and levelling is highly addictive

Lifespan: 92%
a huge game

Overall: 90%
A fantastic game which could of scored a 92-93% if the storyline had been stronger.
But well worth your hard earned cash.