Borderlands the Pre-Sequel makes it hard to breathe

By BatRastered — January 16, 2015
Tags: 2k-games gearbox-software review wildrant

Oh boy, more stuff to gather.

Did you like Borderlands? I did. It's one of my favorites.

Did you like Borderlands 2? I did for a while. It was fun leveling up and through the first two playthroughs. The later added third playthough was a chore though and lessened the fun for me. The only DLC I enjoyed was the D&D inspired Tiny Tina one and that was mostly for the story as the guns were crap. BL2 had some serious issues with loot, as in not giving it out, and not having the same variety and overpowered fun feel of the first. Also many of the guns used 2, 4, or even 6 bullets per shot which really hurt ammo management, forcing you to scour every box and other lootable item in the game just to keep firing. But it's still a worthwhile game if you can get it cheap with all DLC included.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place chronologically in between the two games (hence the odd title), but make no mistake, this is BL2's engine.

There are some cool additions, like the but slam and the inclusion of an ice element (finally). The butt slam requires an Oxygen pack (called an oz kit in game) it's fun and adds a new element to your fire fight and also allows for a double jump. Unfortunately, you often need to double jump and you also need the oxygen to breathe, meaning you often have to conserve this resource. Oh, and lets not forget the fun of another pickup littering the ground that you absolutely need to keep picking up. They should just make a new game called Ammo and O2 pickup simulator 2000 and sell it on steam. Steam users love simulators.

I mentioned you need the oxygen to breathe? That's because this game takes place on Pandora's moon, where there is no atmosphere. This leads to an indoor/outdoor mechanic where you often have to hurry through outdoor stretches (or pickup o2 packs) to avoid running out. Also the fire element doesn't work outside. Fire of course was the number 1 undisputed best element from BL1 and BL2, so fun to light up your foes and watch them burn. Not so much in this game unless you're inside or under a dome. I think they just really really wanted you to use the new ice element instead. (Shattering frozen baddies can be fun too, I guess.) The moon's lower gravity also leads to a super floaty jump which, when combined with the double jump, allows you to jump a long, long way.

For some fan service, one of the playable characters this time around is Claptrap himself... check it out here's 15 minutes of gameplay as Claptrap from PAX.

Love it or hate it, at least his abilities are unique.

Borderlands the Pre-Sequel is available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. No next-gen version (though the PC version supports nVidia's PhysX which combined with the higher resolution and frame rates of the PC version makes it a big step up from the old consoles, you will notice a drastic difference).

My experience with the Pre-Sequel are basically what I thought when I first saw the game and it's the reason I held off purchasing until it was on a steam sale for less than 30 bucks. I'd recommend you do the same if you're a Borderlands fan. If you're not a fan of the first two games, you should stay far, far away from this one. Here's hoping for a next-gen Borderlands that's more like the original than either of it's sequels.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Borderlands the Pre-Sequel makes it hard to breathe

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