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Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Video Game Review)

Gearbox shocked the gaming industry with the announcement of a prequel to Borderlands 2 in the works last year. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is out now for last generation consoles and PC, and fans of the series will find more great gameplay from the Moon of Pandora in the new release. The game introduces four new playable characters and a storyline that sees the rise of the villain Handsome Jack following the opening of the legendary Vault at the end of the original Borderlands. The game's storyline is top notch once again and plenty of laughs await players throughout the campaign, but a few problems with pacing and repetitive missions during certain parts of the game keep Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel from being the best release the franchise has produced.

The narrative featured in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel centers around the rise of Handsome Jack from a blundering, would be hero to the villain fans loved to hate in Borderlands 2. The character is attempting to escape his exile on the Moon Elpis and return to Pandora with the help of his four henchmen that just happen to be the four playable characters in the game. The campaign of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is full of humor the series is known for, and a good portion of the campaign is narrated by the character Athena to help illustrate how the characters were eventually deceived by Jack along with the rest of the world.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
introduces four new playable characters that have all appeared in the Borderlands series previously. Athena is first seen in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC for the original Borderlands, and the character has a powerful shield that can absorb attacks and later be used as a weapon itself. Nisha was introduced as the Sheriff of Lynchwood in Borderlands 2, and the character collects powerful buffs through combat that makes her nearly unstoppable. Wilheim is a boss from Borderlands 2, and the cyborg gains many different attacks and powers through merging with new weapons and technology. The most interesting character in the game is Claptrap, as the little robot gets a variety of randomized buffs and attacks that can make himself or his allies stronger in battle.



The new characters and setting are more than enough for some gamers to want to pick up a copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but there are big changes in the game that make it worth experiencing for a larger audience. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is the first game in the series to take the shooting and looting gameplay to the Moon. The low gravity setting changes how players experience the game in dramatic ways. O2 tanks allow characters to breathe on the Moon, but the rechargeable resource is also how players can use a jetpack or quickly slam down on enemies from above. The low gravity setting also changes how players get around the new environments with very slow descents when jumping and new rovers and other vehicles to get around on the moon later in the game.

The core gameplay mechanics for the Borderlands series are still a large part of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Players can tackle the game solo or join up in sessions for up to four players, though each additional player makes the game a bit more difficult. Experience points are earned from fallen enemies that can be used to unlock new abilities and advance down complex skill trees, and tons of guns are available from chests in the game. One important change Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel introduces are the new mods for guns that include freezing attacks and powerful lasers that can melt enemies on contact. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel doesn't revolutionize the series, but the series is one of the most beloved of this generation and doesn't need to make many innovations to be great.

Though Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a good game to be sure, it isn't without some problems. The game suffers from some of the same issues present throughout the series. Traveling to a mission start point can be a hassle in the new game, and traveling back from a completed mission just to receive a reward is even more mind numbingly boring. The game's storyline is strong, but it too suffers from sections of mediocrity and a handful of uninteresting missions. The length of the game's campaign is a bit on the short side when compared with the other two major releases for the franchise, but there is still enough content included with the game that gamers will be happy they made the purchase in the end.



The new setting for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel comes with some slightly improved graphics and an altered presentation. The game's graphics and cel shaded color schemes seem a lot darker and grittier than older releases for the franchise, and there are plenty of new weapons and attacks to give players something different to look at while running through some of the barren wastelands on Elpis. In-game menus haven't changed much for the new release, and using the game's map and waypoint system can still be a bit tricky, especially for new players. Voice acting is great in the game though complete with awesome one liners from Jack and Claptrap as well as plenty of personality for the other new playable characters.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is more of the same Borderlands action that has made the series one of the most played of the last generation of console games. The title introduces some interesting new characters, and the character driven narrative offers the deepest and most thought provoking storyline seen in a Borderlands game. New skill trees, weapons, mods and the introduction of oxygen as a rechargeable resource offer enough good changes for the game to make gamers that have played out the series want to return for the new adventure. Discover the origins of Handsome Jack in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel out now!

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is now available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac & Linux. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is rated M by the ESRB for Blood, Language, Sexual Themes & Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel website.

Game Features:
  • Online Multiplayer 1-4
  • Moon Based Gameplay
  • Four New Protagonists
  • DLC Support
  • Trophy/Achievement Support

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

Score: 9 out of 10

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