We were kept waiting for a long while. Myself, as well as a handful of other press and media are sitting in a small corridor, about to get our hands on Borderlands 3. We’re all chatting, having a good time, but I can definitely sense that some people are getting annoyed.
Our appointment was meant to start 15 minutes ago, but the couple of 2K employees dashing in and out of the dimly light yet RGB coated capture clearly seem to indicate that not everything is ready yet. I have to confess, even I was getting antsy. It has been a long day, my feet were killing me, there were sweat stains in places sweat should not staining and I hadn’t eaten a bite since the muffin I’d had at breakfast.
Yet, despite my annoyance I couldn’t help but quietly jitter with excitement. This was Borderlands 3. Borderlands 3! I’ve waited YEARS for this game; what harm could an extra 15 minutes do?
Eventually, we’re given the go-ahead. We march into the room, some cautiously picking up the Xbox controllers, others almost instinctively moving to the keyboards (of which I was one; although I did end up playing on a controller). We were told to pick our character and dump a whole load of skill points into whatever we wanted, essentially starting off at over level 20 so that we could experience some of the more challenging aspects of the game. FL4K was definitely the flavour of the month, but one look at Moze’s giant mech ultimate ability had me sold on her. Having played a good many hours of Borderlands 2 I took my time looking over her skills, especially the passive abilities that could be mapped onto each of her mech weapons separately, and min/maxed probably more than I should have. I specialised in incendiary damage and thank God I did.
Starting out the quest, it felt like I was slipping on an old pair of shoes. Not a tatty, ragged pair but rather a warm set of slippers you’ve had for years that still keep your feet warm no matter the weather. A warm set of comfy slippers with a brand new lining of recently trimmed wool. The enemies, the movement, the abilities all screen classic Borderlands. The varkids periodically morphed into bigger, more badass versions of themselves. The skags still burst into bloody pieces when shot in the mouth. The Rakk were still annoying as Hell. It’s Borderlands through and through; I know people might have wanted a bit more but I loved being welcomed back into that world with all the familiarities…but that’s not to say there’s nothing new.
Look at it this way, while the things Borderlands 3 introduces aren’t fundamentally ground-breaking, they are enough to keep things interesting. It’s the same wall, just painted in a much more vibrant colour. Not only are there different weapon types, but sub-types within that. Standard shotguns work as you’d expect, charged shotguns release a series of bursts made more powerful the longer the trigger is held some just fire like outright assault rifles. While Borderlands 2 prided itself on weapon diversity, it always felt like weapons of a type were just reskinned versions of others you’d already seen; most weapons within a class kinda always felt the same to fire. Borderlands 3 seemingly moves away from that model, with a whole plethora of unique animations to make every weapon function at least somewhat uniquely, rather than just having “the bigger numbers” be the only noticeable difference.
So I moved through the quest, killing everything in my path. Got knocked down a few times, but the fire-damage shotgun paired really well with the emphasis I placed on incendiary damage skills. Eventually, I felt like there just too many creatures for a single delayed-explosive-ice-rocket-launcher (I think the hyphens are appropriate here) so I pulled out the Ult ability, forming a mech around my squishy body and starting what felt like Titanfall except slower. I’d equipped a flame thrower on one shoulder a rocket launcher on the other to maximise the elemental damage off my chosen skills and boy, did those critters feel every singeing second.
And then it was over, the final boss was lying at my feet. I was satisfied. I’ll be upfront about it, if you’re looking for something to switch up the Borderlands formula, this isn’t going to cock your pistol. Structurally, it’s more of the same, but I’m not complaining about that. Fans of the series and anybody looking for a solid, well-designed shooter to play with their friends are going to have a ball with Borderlands 3. Take a look:
By the way, I was the first media person to kill the final boss. Not that I’m bragging. Just nice to have established dominance is all.
Last Updated: August 21, 2019
Raptor Rants
August 21, 2019 at 12:53
He shoot
He loot
But most important he exclusive
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
Some Legendaries only drop from specific bosses. So think of the game like that. You want the loot? Gotta kill that boss. That last bit is less of a metaphor than the rest.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
So, what you are saying, is if I want loot, I need to kill my boss?
Pity that I can only complete this quest once. Does ANY boss count? I’ll start with the taxi bosses. Perhaps they have some loot as well
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
I was thinking more of an Epic boss. But yeah, sure. As long as that boss drops loot, go for it.
Also, we are not associated in way and I did not tell you to do this. You want the loot, you do the shoot.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
…a brief internet search will clearly show our affiliation and association.
Plus, the [A*** made me do it] t-shirt will give you shared glory!
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
I will happily wear an “Admiral made me do it” t-shirt.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Noted, that will be arranged as well, but I actually just hid your name there because I’m not sure if you want your identity known here on
LagzCHPariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Yeah that’s appreciated. 🙂
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
xD
The four stars are too short for ADMIRAL
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Three stars, which is why I didn’t initially register that it was me. It just seemed like a swear word. XD
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Right yeah, was going for four letters, but three stars
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Even my censored name gets a middling review? FeelsBadMan
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:18
Bwahahaha
“3 Stars, unable to disclose full identity, pink, moody, but funny. Would recommend to a friend, keep away from flammable objects, might scare small children and jittery animals. Prone to outbursts if not caffeinated”
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:30
Other than that last one, pretty accurate. XD I’ll accept.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:30
Oh right, tea, I forgot
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:30
Hahaha, not even. I honestly don’t *need* either. I enjoy a cuppa in the morning and then drink tea for the rest of the day so that I can actually get sleep. Hot Chocolate is my one true love. And I can be bribed with Ice Cream and pink anything.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:31
Pink ANYTHING he says.
[Proceeds to order jumbo box of pink adult diapers]
Raptor Rants
August 21, 2019 at 13:31
What the heck okes?
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:41
I got a review. I don’t care.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:42
You should review the pink diapers as well
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:54
10/10 would wet myself again.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:54
Ah, but if they were 10/10 then you would NOT be wet!
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 14:08
Well, in order to test one needs to wet oneself. So sure, I didn’t STAY wet. That’s why 3 of those 10. Pink makes up the other 7.
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 15:13
They turn pink once you peepee
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:42
You want a shipment too?
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:41
You can never be too prepared!
Original Heretic
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
I broke my own rule… I have pre-ordered…
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
That is not very Original of you
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:05
But Heretic checks out.
Original Heretic
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
Check me out all you want, as..long as you don’t try touch.
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
No danger of that. 😛
Original Heretic
August 21, 2019 at 13:54
So you’d just think about me and touch yourself?!
Sick bastard…
Pariah
August 21, 2019 at 13:54
Admiral Chief Umbra
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
I touch you on your studio
Original Heretic
August 21, 2019 at 13:54
Oooo la la!
Original Heretic
August 21, 2019 at 13:17
It could not be helped. Me mates are all getting it, so I just had to. We gonna have some awesome co-op jam sessions, guaranteed.
HvR
August 21, 2019 at 15:27
So is the Jolly new “theme song” here to stay on the CH videos?
Geoffrey Tim
August 22, 2019 at 07:33
Pretty much. We think it …suits us.
Matthew Holliday
August 22, 2019 at 13:24
We havent seen much of Fl4k, surprised you didnt go for him, curious to see how effective the summon aspect works and how the skill tree effects him.
Moze, I dunno, seems like a Krieg type character, I see the mek making the early game easy, but I only see that mek being really effective in the late game with a very specific skill & gear loadout.
Havent decided who Im gna go with for my first run.