A comical and fun RPG that will entertain you for Days
The game starts off with 5 people on a Bus going to a valley on a planet called Pandora, you begin by picking from 4 classes to play as. Your choice is from Mordecai the hunter, who is good with pistols and sniper rifles and has a attack bird called a "Bloodwing". Lilith the Siren who can go invisible for a short amount of time and specialises in elemental weapons. Roland the Soldier who is good with Assault rifles and shotguns, with the ability to deploy an automated turret that is effective at taking out nearby enemies. Last but not least is brick who specialises in damage absorption and explosive. Each class plays differently and has a unique skill tree and playstyle.
All of these characters came to Pandora in search of something but upon arriving a "Guardian Angel" tells them of a Vault that contains Treasure, power or something of great desire. She then asks the player to find this Vault, for it is of great importance. This maguffin is the main focal point of the plot but it is unfortunately a dull and boring arc, wandering around doing fetch quests for particular NPC's and the occasional boss fight, until the very end of the game wherein you actually feel like you're having some effect on the plot.
The levelling system is simple but effective, questing, killing and collecting gains experience which in turn boosts your level. Going up a level increases your health and gives you more attack power, additionally you gain a skill point which can be used to give you added benefits to your skills or added benefits to your firearms. Using these effectively can lead to some pretty interesting combinations. In my game I was using Mordecai the Hunter and picked the ability to kill multiple weaker enemies at once with the action skill, allowing for fast room clearing. Unfortunately there is a rather large amount of grinding needed to achieve higher levels.
Visually the game is unique, the cartoony style lends itself to the comedic overtones of the game and allows for some really creatively designed characters. The only major problem is that Pandora is a repetitious place and all the environments blend together into an arid, rusted wasteland. There is very little to distinguish one area from another.
The main draw of this game is the co-operative play where you and up to three friends can journey Pandora together. This is the way to play the game, allowing for various synergies between classes and strategies to be formed on how to tackle a boss. The solo experience is still fun but the later levels can become frustrating without assistance.
One of the major selling points is the promise of millions of guns to collect. That statement is actually really accurate as the statistics, effects, elements and firing styles of each weapon are varied and the random generation of loot means there is always a better gun to collect.
Borderlands is a unique experience that is best shared with friends. The loot and levelling systems are great and help alleviate the fact that the plot can be dull and the grinding of experience can be tiresome. I'd seriously recommend checking the game out, especially if you have a friend or three.