Zero Punctuation: Borderlands

[TemplarofSteel]

Only thing I wondered when he was commenting on how all you can do was shoot crap was what he had mentioned back in painkiller. How a shooting game could just be that, a shooting game where you went around killing shit. I understand the schtick but I do sort of wonder if he would have liked borderlands had it been marketed more as a shooter than an RPG type game.

Edit: Or at least disliked it less

 

[M4rsch]

Summed up my gaming experience with Borderlands pretty well.

I'm quite surprised he didn't mention the excessively unsatisfying ending.

 

[Niccolo]

Thanks for the second opinion, I've seen the reviews for this game and most of it was good but I should have expected ZP to say all that since that is what he's known for. Anyways thanks I needed some help trying to figure out whether to give Borderlands a go.

Hey, glad I could help.

I'm thinking that people have forgotton what playing Diablo was like... so I'd recommend that people go play it again just to make sure that Broderbands was indeed like Diablo.

Well, the premise of either is fairly similar... You don't play them for the story - at least, not more than once. You play 'em for the killing. That and it has diablo-esque elements, a la the random weapons.

Buuut... yep, that's where the similarities stop.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Well, the premise of either is fairly similar... You don't play them for the story - at least, not more than once. You play 'em for the killing. That and it has diablo-esque elements, a la the random weapons.

Buuut... yep, that's where the similarities stop.

You kill stuff, it drops weapons with fractionally better stats than the weapons you have, you use those weapons to kill more stuff. Occasionally you ding and spend a skill point on a slightly different way to kill stuff.

Did I just describe Diablo 2, or Borderlands?

 

[serialver]

I agree with this review. Play co-op with a bunch of strangers or roping in some 'friends' just to make a game playable and beyond boring mundanity is just a little annoying. If it does not stand up alone it is hardly worth it.

 

[Harry Slaughter]

It's an FPS with roleplaying elements.

Fixed. =P

I disagree though. In a first person shooter you don't have to gain experience just to kill something. That's why I, personally, consider a game like fallout 3 to be an FPS with roleplaying elements. While the roleplaying elements are good, they don't overshadow the combat. The point is, with a bit of luck in that game I could take out a very poewerful enemy in one or two shot at a low level. That would NEVER happen in borderlands. Something very common in a roleplaying game. Borderlands is very much meant to be a roleplaying game. Like I said above, it would have very much been the same kind of game had you replaced the guns with something else...say Melee weapons.

 

[Traumaward313]

first

Somebody is getting a ban...

People who point out first posters are getting banned should still get a ban... they are sort of doing the same thing


Yahtzee nailed this one. It's rare that I agree with everything he says in a review but he got me on this one!

 

[Traumaward313]

I agree with this review. Play co-op with a bunch of strangers or roping in some 'friends' just to make a game playable and beyond boring mundanity is just a little annoying. If it does not stand up alone it is hardly worth it.

I'm over all this multiplayer stuff Some games just need to be played alone without the hassle of wondering what everyone else is doing, is everyone as good as you, are you surrounded by dickheads, is that guy taking all the gear/health, why am I doing all the damage/killing, why are 9yr olds joining random groups to be idiots and ruin everyones game etc etc -_-

Bring back single player!

 

[reg42]

This was more or less the experience I had with it, though I gave up long before level 30.

 

[VanityGirl]

NO point in saying that I wish it would have been a different game.
By now, most people already have their own firm opinions of the game. I did like how the game incorporated some humor into normal gameplay, like having to find a crazy man's leg that was eating by a skag.
I also got a kick out of 9 Toes' entrance video.

The game seemed to talk elements from Diablo. Lots of level grinding and many varied weapons. For someone who would like to max out their character, this type of game may not be a bad thing.


That being said, the video itself was quite funny and I do enjoy your sense of humor.

 

[Pebkio]

You kill stuff, it drops weapons with fractionally better stats than the weapons you have, you use those weapons to kill more stuff. Occasionally you ding and spend a skill point on a slightly different way to kill stuff.

Did I just describe Diablo 2, or Borderlands?

I... think you just described a lot of games... I mean... a LOT. Wait... yeah, several "lot"s of games...

 

[UMNiK]

Yahtzee, you social networking whore! Stop that and go jerk off on the "Thief 4 is actually coming out!111111" news page. Seriously, misanthropists like us shouldn't give shit about that shit for shit's sake.

 

[Sash'Rahaal]

This game did get really old, really fast for me.

 

[Godhead]

first

Somebody is getting a ban...

When will people ever fucking learn that saying "first" always gets you a ban?

I think they do know. But that they want to be "cool"

 

[Wayte]

Lol, all the complaints I saw coming, and they're pretty valid. Though I personally played it for the humor, which I"m totally urprised Yahtzee didn't comment on.
Seriously, how did he think melting midgets didn't deserve a mention?! XD

 

[vandimar77]

I think that what constitutes good in a computer game for me is evidentally quite differant to what does for Yahtzee. I actually have found Borderlands to be a whole lot of fun. Sure there's not really much story; but then plenty of recent games that have tried to present a story have told a bad, cliched or fundamentally confusing one. I would imagine playing online with random strangers WOULD be shit though. I am fortunate enough to know the people I team up with in the game in the real world, as they are old friends, and I expect this changes the game experience considerably.

At the end of the day, it's an amusing little game that doesn't take it self particularly seriously. The downloadable content has been pretty good quality as well. It will always lose points if you can't stand multiplayer though, unfortunately.

 

[D0MIN8R]

Well, the premise of either is fairly similar... You don't play them for the story - at least, not more than once. You play 'em for the killing. That and it has diablo-esque elements, a la the random weapons.

Buuut... yep, that's where the similarities stop.

You kill stuff, it drops weapons with fractionally better stats than the weapons you have, you use those weapons to kill more stuff. Occasionally you ding and spend a skill point on a slightly different way to kill stuff.

Did I just describe Diablo 2, or Borderlands?

yes sir, u infact did decribe both at once.

 

[GideonB]

This game is like a Diablo clone with a ton of fallout 3 mixed in. Haven't played it, but now I don't want to xD. Back to Phantasy Star Online for me.

 

[clank1013]

rofl i love this review. but why at 2:24 are you holding a paintball pistol?!?!?!? rofl