First, I have to burst a bubble for GearBox: This whole "Role Playing Shooter" thing has been done already. I mean, to the extent that this game is "Roleplaying" Bioshock has already been there. Its pretty simple - you kill stuff, you get points, you get stronger, you get upgrades. The only deference is that there's an actual numerical level system in place. Oh, and Bioshock doesn't let you choose a class. But Killzone does, right?

Anyway, its not that much of an RPG. RPGs to me are immersive and involve in-depth story arcs and all that. Borderlands doesn't seem to offer much in the way of storytelling. I'm level nineteen already and still don't really get it. The other elements are there, but don't get very involving. Everything pretty much happens on its own except for you choosing how to climb your "skill tree" which is basically a group of perks fallout 3-style that you get to pick and choose until you max out in one specific direction or another. This doesn't do very much in the way of changing the dynamics of the game, but it does compliment your own particular play style. Still, not much of an RPG.

Regretfully, its not much of a shooter either. lol. Nah, its pretty good. The controls are pretty fluid and respond well. Aiming and moving is just as it should be. The only thing I feel is lacking is the feel of the weapons themselves. They just feel SOOO weak. Most of the rifles in the game feel like bb guns and not very solid at all. Its still offers up some pretty enjoyable shooting, though.

I reallly like the cell-shading. I know a lot of people have complained about it and claimed it was a horrible direction to take, but as quirky as Borderlands actually is it fits. It fits the style of the game. It looks cool as hell, too. Borderlands opens with a scene in the desert on a bus with the Cage the Elephant song "No Rest for the Wicked" playing. In this scene it tells the backstory about the vault (one of many things it has in common with Fallout 3) and introduces the characters in a flashy grindhouse sort of way. The characters I've met so far are strange, humorous, and a little thrown off. Higher-ranking enemies are dubbed "bad@$$". I have a freakish devil-bird (available only to Mordacai the hunter) that I unleash on my enemies to claw their eyes out. .............. The game is crazy. Cell-shading looks good on it.

There's a bazillion guns. I'm sure you've all heard, right? They're not joking. You'll probably find a couple early on that are pretty good and stick with them for a while. Comparing all the different weapons and deciding which ones to keep or discard becomes a pain after a while. The elemental ones are awesome. Sniper Rifles that catch people on fire..... Win!

Anyway, despite it not living up to all the hype it seemed to stir, Borderlands is still a pretty good game. If you like to walk around the desert and shoot people (among other things) then you will be entertained. If you are looking for some great, amazing story then you may find it a bit disappointing (another thing it has in common with Fallout 3 (Yay! Water!.... booooo!)).

P.S. The driving in this game sucks so bad you may find yourself going it on foot most of the time. The vehicles steer like they did on Halo - Left stick accelerate, Right stick turn..... the camera! Yeah, have fun going in reverse.