Video Game Review: Borderlands 3 – Spoiler Free · 8:48pm Sep 19th, 2019
It's been just under a week since Borderlands 3 came out and I've played through it once and in the process of playing through it a second time. This'll be a very short review in that regard for two reasons
The first is that I have the game paused in front of me as I write this.
The second is there's very little I'd like to say since the game more or less speaks for itself if you've played Borderlands 2.
Borderlands 3 takes place seven years after the second game and sees you going up against The Calypso Twins, two Sirens who've united the bandit clans and now use them as minions. Their endgame is to open “The Great Vault” and become Gods. They're also streamers, something that actually plays a large part in the story. This is more or less a gimmick that I think is meant to make Borderlands 3 relevant in the way of topical humor. Otherwise, it grated on my nerves more than once.
Story isn't Borderlands 3's strong suit. I've heard rumors that the game was slated for release last year, but was delayed because the game was restarted. This, personally, wouldn't shock me as the story feels extremely rushed and sloppy. Not helping matters is the Calypso Twins themselves aren't that great of villains. I found them to be irritating and obnoxious. When this is almost certainly the point, I couldn't help but feel it went too far in their cartoonish portrayal. Nevertheless, they aren't the only bad guys and their oddly relegated go the background for the most part. This further makes me think the game was restarted as their presence is…
Well, they just don't do much for oddly large portions of the main story. When they do show up, their presence is admittedly imposing. But otherwise, it's like Handsome Jack, but they're shown to have considerable power. One would think they'd do more. Perhaps that's just me though.
Despite my complaints, the game's very funny. The Calypso's themselves have a fair amount of humorous dialogue. The new protagonists are great. The two best characters overall however were in my eyes, Claptrap and Rhys.
Story and writing aside, Borderlands 3 has a stronger aspect that allows it to shine. The game is fun. Very fun.
The gunplay and overall gun variety honestly makes Borderlands 2 feel obscenely sluggish and, well, underwhelming. It's fast-paced, chaotic, and ridiculously fun. Any complaints I have towards the story can be amended solely based on how fun the game is as a whole. The talent system and skills the four playable characters bring to the table also make the game feel much more fluid and enjoyable.
As short as this review may be, Borderlands 3 is more of less Borderlands 2 amped up tenfold. It's everything I love about that game, but better. If you're a fan of the series, buy it…
Though if you're a PC player, it bewise to wait a bit given the technical issues. I personally bought it for the PS4!
Final Score: 5/5
As a side note: I played as Zane and am now playing as FL4K. Both are great fun!
