Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (E3 2014 Hands-On Preview)

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was one of the most surprising announcements of 2014. While a new Borderlands game being announced wasn't so farfetched, it is surprising to see a prequel released for a game that has had two full releases and tons of DLC that tells all players need to know about the series' storyline. Though the release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel may seem a bit unnecessary, it does give fans of the series yet another release for their favorite cooperative shooter, and unlocking additional missions and guns in a Borderlands game is never a bad thing. We had a chance to go hands-on with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel at E3 2014, and here are just a few thoughts we had on the brief demo.

The biggest change for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is the setting. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes players to the moon of Pandora on a mission designated by Handsome Jack to find and recover powerful weapons in an underground vault located on the massive rock. The new setting comes with new gameplay rules that includes low gravity and no oxygen. The first feature means characters will tend to jump higher, fall slower and perform other actions differently when compared with previous releases in the series. The second means players will carefully manage an oxygen gauge in order to not run out of the vital resource and die. Oxygen levels can be managed with on-screen indicators and a button that must be mashed ever so often in order to replenish breathable air. Characters also use oxygen to power their jetpacks, and it adds another level of strategy to the game that players must constantly be aware of.



Another big change for the game will be the new cast of characters. Only two characters were playable in the demo for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and we were stuck with Athena the Gladiator from the General Knoxx DLC. The character has a neat ability that allows her to absorb enemy attacks with a powerful shield and then hurl it at enemies to deal damage to nearby enemies. Attendees also got a chance to try out Wilheim the Enforcer from Borderlands 2, who commands a couple of drones that can deal pretty heavy damage to enemies. The other two characters in the game Nisha the Lawbringer and Claptrap. We weren't able to test out these two characters, but we can't imagine that Claptrap wouldn't be one of the favorite characters for players to choose to play as online when the full game is released in October.

While the new moon setting and characters in the game are pretty cool, these are the only real things that have changed since the last release in the series. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel doesn't look like it will do much to draw in a new audience that haven't already enjoyed playing through the first two releases in the series, but those games were two of the most popular releases for the entire last generation of games, so maybe they didn't need to change much. Looting guns, leveling through skill trees and performing very basic tasks as missions seem to still be the primary focus of gameplay in Borderlands: The Pre Sequel. The demo mission had us head to a nearby location to release a few valves to set off a methane gas leak that would freeze a pool of lava and allow an NPC to cross unharmed, and that's definitely not the most exciting mission we've seen in the series. Head to the moon in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel this Fall.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is now available for preorder from most major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and is scheduled to release for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac on October 14, 2014. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is not yet rated. For more information on the game, check out the official Borderlands: The Pre Sequel website.

Game Features:

• Online Multiplayer 1-4
• Features Cast from Borderlands Series
• Four New Playable Characters
• DLC Support
• Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (previewed), PC & Mac
Release Date: October 14, 2014