Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 51 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Game Cover
I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours playing the Borderlands games. Suffice to say, when I heard that the original Borderlands was being remastered for PS4, Xbox One and PC, I was over the moon.
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Lock, Load, & Face the Madness! Get ready for the mind-blowing insanity, as one of four trigger-happy mercenaries, taking out everything that stands in your way. With its addictive action, frantic first person shooter combat, massive arsenal of weaponry, RPG elements and four-player co-op, Borderlands is the breakthrough experience that challenges all the conventions of modern shooters. Borderland…

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews
music1 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The remastered version features improved graphics and quality of life enhancements, making it a visually appealing and smoother experience compared to the original.
  • The gameplay remains fun and engaging, with a satisfying loot cycle and a variety of guns, making it enjoyable for both new players and long-time fans of the series.
  • The game includes all DLCs, providing a substantial amount of content and side missions to explore, enhancing the overall value of the purchase.
  • Despite some improvements, several bugs and issues from the original game persist, leading to frustration for players, particularly with character abilities and mission design.
  • The remaster lacks significant new content and some mechanics feel outdated, making it less refined compared to its sequels.
  • There are reports of physical copies arriving in poor condition, with damaged discs and misleading descriptions regarding the version being sold.
  • story11 mentions

    The story in Borderlands: Game of the Year is characterized by a simple narrative filled with humor, pop culture references, and a mix of gore and violence, reminiscent of franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Mad Max. While the game offers a variety of quests and open-world exploration, it suffers from a lack of compelling villains and narrative depth, leading to an overall inconsequential storyline. Additionally, some gameplay mechanics have not aged well, and mission backtracking can be tedious.

    • “This game combines a lot of unique features, aesthetics, and pop culture references.”
    • “The quests, characters, and story are very reminiscent of things like Guardians of the Galaxy or Mad Max, offering some very fun experiences.”
    • “The quests, characters, and even story are very reminiscent of things like Guardians of the Galaxy or Mad Max. Some very fun stuff, but the biggest problem with this game, aside from the bland color palette, is the lack of a compelling villain or story narratives.”
    • “It's a simple story filled with gore, violence, humor, memes, and references.”
    • “No new content or switch-exclusive features; enemies are pretty dumb, and the story is inconsequential.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics in Borderlands feature a distinctive cel-shaded art style that is praised for its aesthetic appeal, particularly with texture and lighting improvements in newer versions. However, some players feel that the environments can appear dull and underutilized, detracting from the overall visual experience. Despite these criticisms, many reviews highlight the graphics as vibrant and enjoyable, especially in 4K and HDR, enhancing the fun of the gameplay.

    • “The graphics are unique.”
    • “The cel-shaded art style looks even better thanks to texture and lighting improvements.”
    • “Visuals look great in 4K/HDR, with welcome quality-of-life improvements.”
    • “I got Borderlands when it first came out in 2009 but hadn't played it for years until a few months ago when I got an Xbox Series X, but the graphics were blurry.”
    • “The graphics in Borderlands are cell-shaded like a lot of the Telltale games, which is a cool feature that gives games a nice aesthetic and colorful vibe. Unfortunately, they don't really utilize it in this game, and I found most of the areas to be dull and bland.”
    • “The graphics in this game are disappointing; despite the unique art style, many environments feel lifeless and unengaging.”
  • gameplay9 mentions

    The gameplay is rooted in traditional first-person shooter mechanics, featuring RPG elements like a skill tree and multiple character choices, which allows for personalized character builds. While generally smooth and enjoyable, some minor issues such as incomplete quests and less refined shooting mechanics compared to sequels are noted, alongside a lack of intelligent enemy AI and character depth. Overall, the game offers a fun experience, especially in online play, despite some aging mechanics and mission backtracking challenges.

    • “The gameplay follows closely to a traditional first-person shooter, with a control scheme and RPG elements that work like most. There's a skill tree where you can choose how to build your character, and you have four different starting characters to choose from.”
    • “Overall, the gameplay is pretty balanced aside from a few minor snags in certain areas, like in Old Haven where a quest will pop up that you can't complete until much later when you return.”
    • “Fantastic gameplay that's oodles of fun, especially online, with loads of content to play through. It plays exceptionally well on the Switch.”
    • “[Shooting - and the gameplay as a whole - doesn't feel as refined as the sequels. Enemy AI isn't overtly smart. Characterization, both for NPCs and playable characters, is inferior to further titles.]”
    • “[It's still Borderlands. Some mechanics have not aged well. Mission backtracking is a slog. A bit pricey on consoles.]”
    • “Mechanical and visual improvements solidify that Borderlands has always been a fun, beautiful game that was quite forward-thinking despite some things not aging well.”
  • music3 mentions

    The music in the game is described as decent and primarily serves an ambient role, enhancing the overall experience while fitting well within the game's atmosphere. Although it may not be the standout feature, it is still enjoyable and contributes positively to the game's vibe.

    • “The music in this game is pretty decent; it plays more of an ambiance role but is still enjoyable and fits well.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users report that while many previous stability issues have been resolved, new glitches have emerged since the game's release. There is hope among players that these new problems will be addressed in future updates.

    • “It seems everything has been fixed, but there are new glitches. I hope they can address these since it's been out for such a long time now.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced multiple freezes during gameplay, which really detracts from the overall experience.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players note that the recent quality of life improvements have significantly enhanced the game's replayability, making it more enjoyable and accessible than ever before.

    • “Gearbox made a bunch of quality of life improvements with this release, which makes the game a lot more playable than it's ever been.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization is characterized by minimal voice acting, with NPCs primarily communicating through limited dialogue and combat interactions. Despite the sparse vocal performances, players found the existing voice work enjoyable and fitting for the game's atmosphere.

  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of gore, violence, and a variety of memes and pop culture references, creating a unique and entertaining experience.

    • “It's a simple story filled with gore, violence, humor, memes, and references.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game is perceived as a cynical cash grab, suggesting that the remaster lacks genuine value and primarily aims to exploit players financially.

    • “Cynical cash grab remaster”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

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