Like Fallout 3...but not.
But with the sudden great reviews, and Borderlands being only $39 on release day, I thought I'd gamble and give it a shot...and I'm glad I did.
(I have not played this on-line yet, so my review will be based on the single player campaign only)
General Feel:
Borderlands plays much like Fallout 3, in the first person perspective with a plethora of weapons to choose from (plethora being literally hundreds of guns) to use against the hoards of creatures, monsters and bandits you will encounter on your journey. Weapons and shields are really the only things you adjust as you progress, there isn't any armor to worry about equipping or weapons needing repairing or specific character stats that need fine tuning every time you level up. This is not to say Borderlands is a dumbed down version of Fallout 3, quite the opposite. Borderlands focuses on more of the fast paced action that you would expect from a first person shooter, and they add RPG elements to that. So really, comparing the two games is like comparing apples and apple sauce.
Storyline:
The storyline in Borderlands is quite simplistic. You play as a (hired?) mercenary in search of some alien treasure known as "the vault" that may be only a myth. But this alone starts you on your journey...one that begins in the typical tutorial type setting, allowing you to adjust to Borderlands play style and whatnot. You begin by accepting missions from locals or bounty boards, with one mission leading to another, quickly propelling the main storyline forward. The amount of missions required to blaze through only the main quest is quite small compared to the actual amount of missions available for those who enjoy exploring and completing as many side quests as they are able.
Graphics:
The graphical style of Borderlands is unique as I have yet to play another FPS with cel shaded graphics. This style allows Borderlands to have a feel all on it's own.