Welcome to our Blog!

Its not too often that I get this excited for a game which isn’t a yearly release, but Borderlands is one of my favourite game series’ of all time. Gearbox and 2K revealed the game back in March and I have been keeping up with every single bit of info since to make sure that I was as ready as I could be when the game dropped. I loved the previous games as they were just good, silly fun which you just don’t see in most other games these days. So then, now release day has come and gone, I've gathered my thoughts on the game and broken them down into the usual few segments below so without any further ado, let’s see what I thought of the biggest game of the year so far, Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 3 – Gearbox Software – Available Now for PS4, Xbox One and PC – ShopTo Recommends

My Borderlands 3 experience got off to a flying start as initial impressions were very, very positive as seen in my Initial Thoughts article which can be read here. I am happy to report that is continued as I ventured out and experienced more of the game. It feels refined in every aspect and once again unlike some other recent releases, it actually feels finished. Having said this though, there are a few tiny little issues which I will bring up when we get to them but for the most part, Borderlands 3 is an awesome experience. These thoughts are coming from someone ho played the first two games on PC and made the transition over to PS4 for the third so I do have both experiences to compare and contrast. Whilst I still firmly believe that the ultimate Borderlands experience can be found on PC, I was surprised at how good it felt on PS4 as this game offered the closest to PC experience I have ever had within a console game. Plenty of options and full control scheme remapping and that all important FOV slider make customizing the game to your liking a breeze! Big marks for that, it literally had me grinning before I had even left the main menu!

Story

Borderlands 3’s story follows on from the second game and the free expansion that released for it earlier this year. It’s a similar set up to previous games, you join up with the Crimson Raiders to try and stop the bad guys, who are in this game, the Calypso Twins. Whilst evil twins are something we have seen before; I haven’t seen them have this much personality in any other game. The Twins and most characters you will encounter throughout the story for that matter, have unique and quirky personalities just as they did in previous Borderlands games. This makes the story easy to get into as it weaves a diverse cast into a fun, action packed movie like story. Ultimately, you will just be chasing after the Twins trying to stop them, but it’s the characters you meet along the way that really make it an awesome experience. I am personally trying to complete every mission in the game, accepting side missions whenever available and trying to progress through the main story at a steady pace. What I have seen so far has been fantastic and I’m going to continue playing as soon as I finish this review! Its hard to blend comedy into a story which is actually pretty dramatic but Borderlands 3 pulls it off extremely well!

Gameplay

Borderlands 3 handles extremely well with new gameplay innovations that really do add to what was already one of the best shooter experiences. The signature headshot hunting, grenade spamming, running away from badasses gameplay is still here although this time around, we get a few more special abilities to play with which really shake up combat strategy. I picked the Siren Amara who has some pretty sweet abilities that deal a fair amount of damage in battle. She is able to fire a hologram of herself towards enemies which can be very effective if used correctly. She also has a ground slam which I still need to master but both of these abilities make gameplay more strategic and essentially give you a few more panic buttons when times get tough. I really like these additions and I feel that they make your character feel a little more important than previous games. Weapons handle well and there are some really quirky ones in the mix, this is one of the elements I love about Borderlands as there are just so many different guns to find and try out! I'm not sure if gun combat has changed much but it does feel a little more refined than I remember.

The world within the game feels more detailed this time around and I have discovered several hidden loot spots whilst out exploring, this is something that I don’t recall finding within the last game so it appears as though Gearbox have put some extra time into level design this time around which is a big plus from me. New locations take the game to environment not previously explored and show how the series can work in more built up and futuristic locations, not every level has to be a big open desert anymore! New movement mechanics such as sliding, and mantling have a dramatic impact on how traversal and gameplay as a whole feels within Borderlands 3. Mantling allows you to reach new locations which bare hidden loot or offer a good vantage point for taking out enemies. Sliding allows you to duck into cover a lot more easily and makes for some awesome movement sequences which I really like as it also allows for some epic take outs. Vehicles feel pretty balanced and I’m liking the amount of customization now available, it really allows you to make your own style.

There are plenty of other smaller additions which make Borderlands 3 feel fresh but as a whole, gameplay feels really good and innovative yet familiar at the same time. The variety of weapons, enemies and abilities make gameplay a real treat and something that should be experienced by all shooter fans.

Look and Feel

Borderlands 3 keeps the signature cell shader visual style and refines it to create a really nice experience. Now the visuals aren’t the greatest, but the colours and style make the game look very distinctive and its look goes hand in hand with the comedy, over the top vibe that the series is also famous for. Gameplay and visuals compliment each other perfectly then and make for a unique experience as a whole. Performance is something that has been the subject to a lot of talk since launch as it doesn’t seem to be able to hold that perfect 60 FPS. You have the choice to prioritise performance or visuals, being someone who is a bit of an FPS nerd, I went for performance and unfortunately, it does struggler at times, even on my PS4 Pro. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t ruin the experience however, I do wish that it was a little more stable and I think Gearbox are working on that as we speak so hopefully that will be sorted soon. Menus look fresh and are easy to navigate however, they do also lag just a little bit so once again, hopefully this will change. Aside from this and despite the bit of lag, it still feels like a great experience and with these changes, I’m certain that this will be the ultimate Borderlands game.

Conclusion

Overall then, my most anticipated game of the year has definitely lived up to expectations. The story is interesting enough and features plenty of memorable characters. Gameplay is solid across the board and offers a lot of innovations and new additions to explore and experience. Visually the game looks great and with a few small changes, that will raise to fantastic status. As a whole, Borderlands 3 really is the complete package and it was well worth waiting all of these years for. This game is a must have for anyone, not even just shooter fans, it is really that good. I like the game so much that Borderlands 3 gets my provisional game of the year vote, go grab yourself a copy right now, it really is a fantastic game.

Get your copy here - https://bit.ly/2X5nEAZ