Borderlands: Discuss amongst yourselves

So to start, I haven't finished all the single player missions yet, so this isn't a complete review, just a collection of my thoughts so far. I'm currently level 27 in my first playthrough, and I think I've visited almost all of the areas in Borderlands. I'm playing as Mordecai, the sniper/hunter.

I bought this because it was labled as an RPG/Shooter. RPG is what drew me in. Also, the cell-shaded approach is gaining popularity (I've played those graphics in Etenal Sonata and Valkyria Chronicles), and I tend to like the approach at times, since it is a nice break from the UBER-realism that other blockbusters go for. Not saying I don't like the hi-def graphics, because I love them, but I don't want to play all games like that. The key to gaming longevity is variety.

RPG?:
Ok, so since folks call it an RPG, I expected a story, intersting/thought-provoking battle systems, and leveling up decision making. This game has one of those, which is the leveling system. However, that one element is very limited. I do like that you can rebalance your skill points for a small fee at the area markers. However, since this game is a shooter, your leveling up is really reflected in the weapons the enemies drop, you find in chests (RPG?...sort of), or junk piles you scavenge. Your damage does increase as you level up, but really, since there are SOOOOOOO many weapon drops, you really just need to keep using a better weapon.

Story is almost non-existant. You could kind of compare this game to Fallout 3, but IMO, here is the big difference. Fallout 3 is all about the story of finding your father after escaping the vault, and then massive open world exploration and side quests. But the story is always present. In Borderlands, I just see it as "Read a Bounty Board, accept all missions available, go find them on the map and shoot everything, then turn in to Bounty Board." While this is certainly a welcome change from most shooters, and does give you a feeling of open world exploration, I don't really feel like there is a great story driving me. It is a subtle difference between Fallout 3 and Borderlands, but I feel like it is a critical difference. The RPG magic just isn't there for me.

Battle System: It's a shooter. Point at said enemy, shoot said enemy till dead, hop around to avoid getting shot so much, and repeat. While not necessarily my cup of tea, I find it somewhat engaging to keep me playing. Maybe the enemies are pretty cool, albeit extremely repetitive. I would like to see a bigger vairety in monsters or villains that require different strategies to beat, but then, I guess I'm going back towards RPG elements and not shooter. Hmm, perhaps my bias is showing?

I do really enjoy the racer vehicles. I hate shooting with them, but running over enemies and flying through the air is a lot of fun. It makes me realize that I really wish something like this would have been in Fallout 3. Quick travel on the map is stupid, because as soon as you start quick traveling, you stop being immersed in the world of the game. Even in BOrderlands, once you unlock the quick travel, I rarely use it because I enjoy driving that much. But again, shooting with it sucked. Keep in mind I'm discussing the single-player version. The co-op is probably much better, like Halo was with it's vehicles.

If you love shooters, you will love this game. If you love RPG's and like shooters, then get this and enjoy. If you like RPG's and hate shooters, stay away. This is not an RPG.

They do a lot of things right, and I would definitely keep this on a 'buy' list. Being that I played the PS3 version, I can tell you that I've had no frame rate issues, glitches, or anything like that to detract from the game. I know Gaicha has the PC version and has played Co-op, so I'd be interested in a review of that.