Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Review

"Classic Piles of Guns"

Campaign

April 9, 2019 at 8:15pm

This was one of my favorite games of the last generation, and it's great to see it touched up for the current generation. It's actually surprising that they've waited so long to do so, but the long awaited release is finally here. It brings a number of remastered touch-ups to help add further longevity to this stunning entry that got the franchise rolling. To start, you're actually able to pull your save over in order to use past characters from the last generation.

This was welcomed as I was able to have a high level character right away and then continue playing if I desired to do so. You can of course make a new character, and I encourage you to do so as it's still a great game to start over on. The carry over includes all weapons, even if you might have mod ones so that's fun. It's not really a PVP type title so this works out fine. Moving past that, this is the type of game that's really meant for a multiplayer experience. You can play by yourself, but it's better with others.

You're able to easily have others join you locally or online. When it comes to local play the game supports four player splitscreen and online there's drop-in/drop-out at any time or a browser. The browser is still not functioning at this point, they are fixing it however. You start of the game by picking a class type, and then getting dropped off from a bus. It's a bit of a hilarious opening, and it sets the tone perfectly. This element made me fall in love with the game when I first rented it back in the day.

You're on a planet called Pandora and it's a fairly awful place. It's full of bandits, monsters and other giant creatures. You're a group of vault hunters, looking for mysterious artifacts hidden on this planet. You'll meet some fairly out there individuals, and it's a funny journey. The game does not take things seriously and you'll play countless hours of missions or side quests if you so choose to partake in the latter.

You'll venture to many unique locations, or dive into the DLC when you're finished. This version is packed with extra content including all of the DLC packs. These are "The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned", "Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot", "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx" and "Claptrap's New Robot Revolution".

The extra DLC adds countless hours of play, new areas and of course extends the general narrative in new creative ways. The overall story is actually really well done and a joy to playthrough. It has mystery, jokes and of course many large scale moments. It is definitely worth your time, especially if you've missed it before.

Gameplay

This is a first person shooter with a basic RPG element on it. There's a focus on cooperative play with the game scaling based on the quantity of players. It has the option for extra playthroughs to increase the difficulty and it's easy to understand. You'll move through fairly large areas to explore, and finish missions. You can then walk back to the exit to travel to the previous area, or hit up a fast travel station.

There are also vehicles if you'd like to drive across those larger environments. You can loot tons of items, buy weapons or even sell them. The classes have abilities and you'll select extra skills as you level up over time. Other loot type items include special artifacts, shields, class mods and grenade types. They added new weapons to this remaster, and some head options as well which are somewhat basic in choice. They also added gold chests and keys to use within the game. That's really all there is extra wise with this one, which is fine.

Borderlands on Xbox One X delivers a 4k resolution at 60fps with HDR support. It looks stunning and that cel-shaded art style really helps this one stand the test of time. The unique art really helps with the longevity of a title, and the choice for this series has worked to its advantage here. In single player the game runs quite well for the most part, minor performance dips are present.

These dips are more frequent with some screen tearing in cooperative play online. I wouldn't say anything is too awful, but you'll notice it. Still, the boost in resolution is most certainly appreciated. You'll get out there to loot alone, together or just to blast things apart. Play on a single screen with the splitscreen for four players, or play alone with others online.

The Conclusion

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition is a really great way to experience the game and this remaster hits all the marks I'd expect it to. It's great to some minor extra content and that it includes all of the released DLC. This game holds up well for the most part, just feeling slightly simplistic if you're used to the RPG integration of today.

There's just a ton to do in this game whether you're shooting around with others, or doing so alone. There are many locations to visit, a piles of side quests and of course too many guns to come across. Find the weapons you love and blast away with them as you stockpile an armory. The game is just a joy to play with a funny narrative, great characters and a really awful place to visit called Pandora.

I appreciated the option to bring my characters forward and I'm happy with the visual upgrades. This is a great way to experience the original game and I heavily suggest giving this one a visit. It's a special title and that cel-shading art style adds longevity to its legacy for standing the visual test that many games fail over time.

Read our Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Review
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Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Review on Xbox One X

Rating Overall: 8.5