With an exciting lineup of next generation software set for launch later this year, we were disappointed after “Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel’s†reveal, since the title is only slated for release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. However, after receiving a brief hands-on with the title at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last week, we’re sure the newest addition to the critically and commercially acclaimed “Borderlands†franchise will convince gamers to dust off their old hardware — unless they’re playing on PC — because it certainly convinced us.
“Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel†got its name from that fact that it takes place after the events of the original “Borderlands†and before the events of “Borderlands 2.†The game takes place on Pandora’s moon and features a ton of cool new additions such as a playable Claptrap, which is sure to arouse some interest.
Alas, in our demo, which only lasted about 20 minutes or so, there was no Claptrap. But we did get to see some of the game’s other newly introduced features, such as lasers, “cryo†weapons and the butt-slam… yes, if the series wasn’t ridiculous enough already, your ass is now a weapon. “The Pre-Sequel’s†gameplay is a bit different from previous installments in the series since it takes place on a low gravity moon.
This aspect changes the way players get around; they’re able to jump higher than ever before, granting them the ability to reach taller places. Jump pads are also new and scattered all across the moon for even further leaps. This is where the new butt-slam comes in. Since players will be spending a significant amount of time in the air, Gearbox Software and 2K Australia (the latter of which is actually leading development this time around rather than the former) decided to include the attack as a way for players to launch a powerful strike at enemies below, and also just to give a quicker way of descending to the ground.
The game features five new classes that should still feel familiar to returning fans: Athena, the Gladiator, who was introduced in the General Knoxxx downloadable content; Nisha the Lawbringer, sheriff of Lynchwood in the second game; Wilhelm, the Enforcer, a boss from the second game; and everyone’s favorite, Claptrap, the Fragtrap. Unfortunately, Nisha and Claptrap were not playable in our demo, so we went with Athena.
After dividing our points on the skill tree, we jumped into a match with another player, because everyone knows it’s not “Borderlands†unless you’re playing cooperatively. Once in, we felt little difference in the shooting mechanics, which, for the more part, felt just like the game’s predecessors. Visually speaking, “The Pre-Sequel†is an improvement from “Borderlands 2,†but not by much, though this wasn’t a surprise since they share the same engine. We didn’t play long enough to see any real perks from using the class we chose, and we wouldn’t even be able to compare it to other classes since we never got the chance to test them out. So we’ll save that conversation for another time.
“Cryo†is a neat series addition, which is an elemental damage type that allows players to freeze their enemies, thus allowing them to smash their foes to pieces. It’s a lovely sight the first time you see itty bits of Kraggons float off into space.
An addition we weren’t too keen on was the oxygen meter. Yes, players will have to gather oxygen while outdoors on the moon, otherwise they’re done for. It’s not exactly difficult to find, in fact, it’s pretty much everywhere, but even that begs the question of why even include this feature?
“Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel†is without a doubt a “Borderlands†game. 2K Australia may have taken a step backward on the timeline but that doesn’t mean the experience isn’t moving forward. For now, our last generation consoles can slumber, but come October 14, we’ll be ready to wake ‘em up again.
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