Concept Art - Muted realsim that progressively gives way to colorful stylization as the action gets hotter.

Introduction: K.I.A. is a Tactical Modern Military First-Person Shooter that seeks to explore the human cost of war through a morally ambiguous narrative and gameplay mechanics that reflect your character’s emotional state in varying degrees of exaggeration. Stepping into the boots of Private Jose Hernandez, you’ll undertake an odyssey of war that spares no women, children, or refugees. Along the way you’ll bond ever closer with your squad-mates over conversations of home, risky favors, and nerve-rattling combat. The eleven soldiers who fight by your side hail from varying backgrounds, but every one of them will come to be considered family to Pvt. Hernandez over the course of a harrowing global conflict. But can the men of Charlie squad save you from yourself?

Background: -Narrative arc that traces the bonds of Charlie squad from training to the end of the war inspired by Band of Brothers.
-First-Person cover system similar to that of Crysis 2‘s.
-Tactical squad-commands like those in Brothers in Arms.
-Vehicular combat comparable to Battlefield 3‘s.
-Some of the visual filters recall the stylized trappings of Killer 7 and Borderlands.

Description: K.I.A. is a game that aims to put you in the mind of a soldier from beginning to end. That’s why it starts at boot camp with your fellow soldiers. Not only will boot camp teach you all of the skills you need to navigate a HUDless world, it will allow you to begin bonding with your squad-mates. An innovative dialogue system that allows you to select passive, aggressive, or neutral responses (fully voiced) to NPC dialogue on the fly–without menu pop-ups or cut-scenes–drives organic character development throughout the game, whether conversations take place at the mess hall, amid the local night-life when you have leave, or even in the heat of battle.

After a short while of boot camp and training, you’ll get your first eye-opening taste of action. But this isn’t some trivial shooting gallery: your first kill is emotionally overwhelming and will become an integral part of the story that’s revisited in playable dreams and hallucinations. In fact, that entire first battle is frantically overwhelming. This is where K.I.A.‘s unique visual filter is introduced. When things are relatively calm, the visual style is very realistic, save for a muted color palate that makes things seem slightly off. But as the action gets more intense, especially when bullets start flying too close for comfort, the screen will begin to “bleed” colors. The bright red of blood and the burning yellow of muzzle flashes will begin to overpower the surrounding browns and greys, “bleeding” into their surroundings and becoming more exaggerated the longer you’re exposed to fire. Progressively, the realistic friends and enemies around you will morph into stylized figures not unlike the faceless foes of Killer 7. This drastic and dynamic aesthetic transformation visually echoes the adrenaline-fueled intensity of combat, thus bringing you closer to the mind of Private Hernandez.

But there’s also an advantage to living on the dangerous edge (besides the appealing color palate): over time, as you become more and more acquainted with the art of killing, your character will begin to revel in it. When the adrenaline starts pumping and the colors start bleeding, time will slow down just enough to give you an edge over your highly-trained enemies. However, it’s no guarantee that you’ll make it out of battle alive, and if it’s abused too often, Hernandez’s vision will start to blur in regular time, forcing him deeper into his bloodlust.

Of course all this is mostly an aesthetic twist on standard FPS gameplay. However, about midway through the campaign, you’ll be promoted and take on the responsibility of tactical squad-commands. Much like those in Brothers in Arms, you’ll be able to order two fire-teams in real time with simple suppressing fire and flanking maneuvers. Like that series, flanking and deft use of cover are necessary to victory in K.I.A. because of advanced enemy AI.

But if you want to learn more about your comrades’ pasts than is revealed in the main storyline, you can take on optional side quests that usually involve personal favors in between missions. These can always be skipped, but characters tend to open up more around base or when on leave, and the range of non-combat situations waiting to be explored hold much of the game’s humor.

In addition to K.I.A.‘s globe-trotting, emotionally gripping campaign, there’s also a full multiplayer suite with all of the expected modes. But there’s also a “Finish the Fight” mode that sets you in an online competitive campaign, where cumulative match results determine which faction controls which maps. If your faction controls a map, you gain some minor bonuses in combat, but not enough to rest your laurels on. This is a persistent war where every match helps the total effort to move across the global map and defeat the opposing faction. The war effort can also be extended with DLC. This mode is also unique because it utilizes the campaign’s squad-command feature by giving the most experienced player on each team the ability to set objectives and issue simple commands to the two (human) fire-teams under his control. Orders don’t have to be followed, but when they are more experience is rewarded and fighting generally goes smoother.

Key Features:-Mature, emotionally moving narrative that places you in impossible moral situations to expose the true cost of war.
-Dynamic visual filter system that exaggerates the swing of emotional states in a soldier’s life.
-Tactical squad-commands that enable more realistic, thoughtful combat.
-RPG-like side missions and character development.
-Real-time dialogue system that allows you to maintain movement and action while naturally communicating in any situation.
-No HUD, no cut-scenes, no switching between perspectives for cover; you are always immersed in the game world.

Genre: Tactical Modern Military First-Person Shooter

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

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Firstly, that dude that Jeff’s interviewing needs to take a shower…ughhh. But on the topic of the actual DLC, I feel like focusing on more vehicle combat is probably a very poor decision given how awful driving in Borderlands is. But on the other hand, NINJA ASSASSINS!

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Remember that third installment of Borderlands DLC I reported last week? Well, it’s going by “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx” now, which supposedly markets better than “DLC pack 3.” As promised, the new pack will raise the level cap, although Gearbox has yet to specify what the new cap will be. They were nice enough to drop a few details, though.

Firstly, “The secret Armory of General Knoxx will feature “brutal, never-before-seen enemies in a huge new environment complete with tons of brand new missions” and “entirely new weapons and items” to kill said enemies with. It’s also said to target players “from around level 34 to level 50.” Sounds good so far! Now we just need some story details.

Borderlands’ “Largest DLC” Yet Is The Secret Armory of General Knoxx [Kotaku]

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Hopefully it's as good as this was!

According to a post in Borderlands‘ official forums, Gearbox is working on a third installment of DLC for the game and it’s set to be the biggest one yet.

“Guess what, level cap increase anyone? Got it and it’s awesome,” wrote level designer Jason Reiss. “Hopefully we can get a full announcement out to you guys soon but, man is this the biggest DLC we have made.”

Yes, Jason, that does sound awesome. Now start working on getting us more details!

Third Borderlands expansion ‘biggest’ yet [GameSpot]

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Is this Fiddy's year?

Another year has come and gone, and despite more delays than I can ever remember in one year, 2009 still saw more great games than I could possibly get around to playing. 2009 also saw me jumping into the whole game-writing thing for the first time (well, sort of). Consequently, this is InsaneBear’s first GOTY feature, and we’re going to try to keep it relatively simple. Maybe next year I’ll throw in some quirky awards meant to recognize specific games, but for now, we’ll just be sticking to the GOTY model. Without further ado…

2009′s 2008 Game of the Year – Well, maybe I’ll throw in one non-traditional award here considering IB wasn’t around for 2008′s games. And yes, I’m totally stealing this award from Giant Bomb, but I just think it’s a good idea to look back and see how time has changed our thoughts on the games we’ve played. In the case of 2008, I would have named Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots GOTY then, and I’m still giving it the honor today. Just think how rare a game like that is. How often does one of the most talented developers in the industry pretty much get free reign to spend as much as he wants on whatever he wants? Hopefully it happens again real soon, because MGS4 is an epically cinematic experience that lovingly caters to its hardcore fans with a story that somehow manages to wrap up 20 years of Metal Gear madness. Plus, you play as an old man, damn it!

The Candidates…

Assassin’s Creed II – Double. Hidden. Blades. That essentially sums up Assassin’s Creed II, a game that takes everything its predecessor did and does it better. From mission design to graphics to narrative to killing dudes, this game improves on every aspect of the polarizing ACI and has earned the right to put nicer adjectives in front of its name. The combat’s satisfyingly brutal, Ezio’s one of the most likable characters I’ve encountered in a while, and the puzzle-platforming of the Assassin’s Tombs is the sort of gaming-zen that will stroke our nostalgic hearts a few years from now. Assassin’s Creed II has got me chomping at the bit for Ubisoft’s third installment in the action-parkour series, so that must mean it did something right.

Batman: Arkham Asylum – Without a doubt, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the definitive super-hero experience in video games. No game before or since has put the player in the shoes of a super-hero quite so well. Maybe that’s because no super-hero game has ever crafted such an authentic and immersive world, full of appropriately goonish henchmen, diabolical villains, and clever collectables that pay homage to the series’ more obscure characters. Then there’s the pure badassery of utilizing all of the Batman’s gadgets and stealthy talents to dismantle a room full of terrified thugs. I don’t think any other game this year is paced quite as perfectly as Arkham Asylum and the story is top-notch. Arkham Asylum makes you feel like the Dark Knight.

Battlefield 1943 – I think it really says something that a $15 downloadable game can compete with full-fledged retail products for this award, but the fact is, 2009 was a banner year for downloadable games. BF1943 may be “just a WWII shooter,” but it’s a dang good one. The shooting feels fantastic and the classes are balanced. The maps are fun too. But what really stands out about this game is just how fun the vehicle element makes the battlefield. The terror you feel as a tank rolls over the trees to your side and opens up fire is unparalleled in most modern shooters and is only countered by the joy of allied planes dropping bombs on said tank from above. This bite-sized FPS is just as fun as the heavy-hitting blockbusters out there, period.

Borderlands – Oh, Borderlands, you steal my heart. Sporting one of the most striking visual styles of 2009, this first-person-looter has an addictive quality that few games this year can match. The shooting actually manages to feel good while weaving enough RPG elements into the game-play to make things feel different. The never-ending parade of new weapons keeps you coming back for more and really encourages experimentation with different guns. And then there’s the incredibly fun special abilities of each character class. Mix this all in with fun mission design and four-player co-op…oh man, I want to go play some Borderlands.

Dragon Age: Origins – The age of dragons has begun and I hope BioWare keeps it going strong for years to come. Dragon Age creates a believable world full of racism, religious tensions, cut-throat politics, and age-old prejudices that are all dealt with in mature and meaningful ways. The core-quests are truly memorable, the boss fights are rewarding, and almost all of the NPC party-members are interesting in one way or another. But the thing that stands out most to me is that for once, I was actually role-playing in a WRPG. BioWare made the very wise decision to do away with the arbitrary and judgmental morality meter, instead opting for individual party-members’ approval. This design allowed me to actually get into character and play without worrying about achievements or morally specific powers/talents. Oh, and there’s that whole origin stories thing were there are multiple beginnings and endings to the game. I’ve put more time into this title than any other game of 2009.

Halo 3: ODST – Like Halo? Me too. Like suspenseful stories that manipulate chronological order for more dramatic effect? Me too. Like Nathan Fillion? Yeah, me too. Put those three things together and you’ve got yourself a little game called Halo 3: ODST. This latest entry in the always superb Halo series takes the intense combat of previous titles in the franchise and transplants it into a moody and atmospheric world driven by an innovative mission structure that has you playing flashbacks of other characters memories while trying to piece your own story together. The game’s more personal, band-of-brothers sort of narrative also manages to provide some nice background for the Master Chief’s epic quest. Then there’s the extremely fun Firefight mode, which sees a group of players co-operating together to fend off hordes of deadly enemies.

inFAMOUS – I have to throw out the disclaimer here that I haven’t actually played this game and that I’m basing this assessment off of Ryan’s review, but from everything I’ve heard, inFAMOUS absolutely deserves to be on this list. This is a game that shines where it counts most–the game-play. Tight controls allow for fluid motion and precise combat that make getting from one mission to the next a joy. The magical properties of electricity allow you to grind along electrical wires, glide through the sky, and leap from building to building in a way that changes the definition of parkour gaming. You can also upgrade your powers depending on whether you want Cole to be a destructive bad ass or a disciplined paragon, so morality actually has game-play ramifications here. This is a game that just flows well and keeps the fun coming.

Modern Warfare 2 – No FPS on the market has shooting that feels as right as Modern Warfare 2 does. It strikes the perfect balance between arcade and tactical and then forces you to constantly apply those shooting skills to a plethora of finely-balanced weapons in a non-stop roller-coaster ride of a campaign. And of course there’s the infinitely replayable multiplayer mode, which has even more perks and equipment augmentations this time around. The multiplayer is something that’s so finely tuned that you’re forced to constantly be evolving and changing up your strategies, and it’s a blast the entire time. There’s always a counter for your play-style and class set-up, which is the way competitive multiplayer should be designed. But even more fun than all those online frag-fests is the Spec-Ops mode, a collection of 23 challenging missions specifically designed for a tag-team approach. These missions feature excellent game-play variety and are extremely rewarding. This is a game that’s hard to pull yourself away from.

Street Fighter IV – The fact that a fighting game is on my Game of the Year list in the year 2009 is astounding, but that just speaks to the awesome quality of Capcom’s revival of the premier fighting franchise. This game hits all the right notes, looking fresh enough to avoid the “rehash” label while feeling familiar enough to jump into after years of not playing Street Fighter. It’s accessible enough to draw in casual players but somehow has enough depth to satisfy hardcore world-champion players. Every character is balanced and fun to play as, new or old. Most importantly though, Street Fighter IV revives the killer instinct of one-on-one competition in a deceptively simple arena, both online and in the traditional local setting. Capcom’s fighter is just plain fun.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – What a thrill ride! Set-peice for set-piece, Uncharted 2 can compete with any game put out in 2009. There’s a nice variety of shooting, puzzling, and platforming, and everything looks absolutely amazing along the way. Nathan Drake’s second outing is most certainly one of, if not the best looking game ever made, due in no small part to the sublime motion-capture and animation. The voice acting’s even better though, and it heavily contributes to Nate and friends being some of the most believable, relatable, and flat-out likable characters ever to grace the land of video games. Nolan North deserves just as much credit for Uncharted 2‘s success as the developers at Naughty Dog, because it’s the Indiana Jones-ish personality that he brings to the character that makes this game so endearing. Definitely one of the funniest games of the year. Oh, and then there’s a robust multiplayer mode and a separate co-op campaign, complete with top-notch cinematics.

'Cause we're the two best friends that anyone could have...

Honorable Mentions (Or more accurately, games that should be in the running but never found their way into my disc tray)…

Demon’s Souls – It won GameSpot’s GOTY and it’s innovative use of community co-operation sounds very appealing to me.

Forza Motorsport 3 – The undisputed cream of the racing crop. This series’ ability to offer enough depth to satisfy simulation freaks whilst maintaining the accessibility to bring in casual racers is astonishing.

Killzone 2 – Ryan tells me it’s terrible, but he’s never played a single match of multiplayer, which is this game’s main appeal. The progressive, class-based online mode sounds like something with more depth than most shooters today.

Left 4 Dead 2 – It’s Left 4 Dead, but improved in every way. Plus, I hear that Valve somehow managed to create a cast that’s just as memorable as the first game’s.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Remember when you and your brother would sit in front of the TV taking turns with Super Mario Bros. 3? Well, this is pretty much that, but with co-op, so you don’t have to take turns.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – This is the sort of game your inner 12-year-old would make if it had the chance. I mean, come on! You can use a belching fish as a weapon! This game is the epitome of fun.

Red Faction: Guerrilla – It takes all the destructive goodness of the old Red Faction games and ups the ante, throwing it into a third-person perspective in the process. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this game from a lot of different people, and when sledge-hammers can be used as weapons, I’m inclined to listen.

Shadow Complex – This won Giant Bomb’s Xbox 360 GOTY, which is pretty impressive considering it’s a $15 downloadable title. But is it really that surprising for a flawless face-lift of the classic “metroidvania” style games to be so popular? I know I want to find out what all the fuss is about.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – The deeply personal and subtly creepy narrative of this game honestly made Brad Shoemaker wake up in the middle of the night screaming out loud. Enough said.

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II – I’ve heard this game described as a western take on the small-scale strategy of games like Final Fantasy Tactics. Whatever the case, Dawn of War II is unlike any other western RTS on the market and many players prefer the personal nature and progression inherent in the micro-unit style of war.

Runner-up – Modern Warfare 2

2009 Game of the Year – Dragon Age: Origins

So there you have it. Keep in mind that these are all based on my personal thoughts and aren’t meant to be an unbiased, authoritative voice on the matter. I’d love to hear everybody else’s choices in the comments. And if you have any special awards, like best biceps or something, please share!

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I don’t know where in the world this came from, but I guess Borderlands is receiving a second DLC pack just in time for the new year. Kotaku can flesh out the details for you.

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Looks pretty cool. I might pick it up. You should too!

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If “Zombie Island of Dr. Ned” is actually 6-10 hours of gameplay, I might actually consider dropping the ten bucks to get it. It certainly looks like some good looting zombie action so far.

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What would happen if the FPS and RPG made a baby? Gearbox’s Borderlands asks just that question and gives us a spectacular answer in the process. The term “Role Playing Shooter” that’s being used to describe the Diablo-esque FPS might be a little misleading–”stat-building shooter” is probably more accurate–but the final formula is satisfying nonetheless. Rock solid gun-play and an endless flow of new and improved loot combine in a beautifully rendered game-world to create a devilishly addictive experience for up to four players. Unfortunately though, many of the game’s ideas aren’t fully fleshed out and minor problems plague the experience so regularly that Borderlands falls short of its great potential. It could have been a genre-defining, standard setting game we’d remember for years to come, but instead, it’s just a really fun and addictive shooter that with any luck, will inspire a better RPS in the near future.

Upon starting up a new play-through of Borderlands you’re introduced to four mercenaries riding the post-apocalyptic version of Greyhound. Aside from the chuckle-worthy things your bus driver has to say about each character, the game does a good job of explaining the basic play-style of each class. The Soldier is a well rounded rifleman with the ability to use an upgradable turret (more on that later), the Hunter is your run of the mill sniper with a blood-thirsty pet thrown in on the side, the Siren is more of a support class that catches her enemies off guard and deals elemental damage, and the Berserker is a straight-up bad ass whose forte is pummeling enemies to death with his rather massive fists. Each character is fun and has a unique feel to them, although some definitely seem more fun than others.

Once you select your character you’re contacted by a mysterious woman who only you can hear through your ECHO system (which I’m now realizing you don’t actually receive until you’re off the bus…plot hole?). She tells you that all the fairy tales of a treasure filled alien vault are true and that she’s going to help you find it as long as you go along with her. That’s about as interesting and in-depth as the story gets for your entire play-through, so it’s a good thing you’re not thinking about it most of the time.

What you will be thinking about a lot of the time is just how damn pretty Borderlands is. From the second you get off the bus and are oriented by a silly little robot you’ll notice the much talked-about art style of the game. Dubbed as a “Concept art” visual direction, it’s not quite cel-shaded and not quite realistic. If you’re just going about your business of shooting everything that moves, you probably won’t even notice how different the graphics are. But the second you stop and admire your gun or the far-off scenery you’ll be wowed by a hand-drawn look that feels like it’s out of a comic book. Everything’s painted in a wonderfully diverse color palate that makes the world of Pandora the most inviting post-apocalyptic setting you’ve ever seen. And small touches like melting enemies or exploding heads embellish the cartoonish vibe of the game masterfully. If you can ignore an unusual amount of texture pop-in and frame rate drops, this game offers one of the most visually stunning worlds to date.

Not to be outdone by the visuals, all of Borderlands‘ audio is spot-on as well. The music consistently sets the perfect tone for the action and the sound effects are both believable and hilarious. Crazed enemies routinely shout out obnoxious insults before letting out terrific screams of agony when you set them on fire. Your own character adds to the over-the-top ambiance with heartless quips and maniacal laughs that usually force a crack of a smile the first few times you hear them. And in addition to the one-liners enemies spout at you, the few NPCs who are voiced all have distinct and funny (or annoying depending on your perspective) personalities. From top to bottom, the sights and sounds of Borderlands are triple A.

One of the more impressive feats of the game is how it manages to take its “bazillion” guns and make them all look, sound, and feel different. The computer-generated loot never repeats itself exactly, although you’d be fooling yourself if you went in thinking you’d get a bazillion completely different weapons. The weapons are divided into traditional sub-classes such as revolvers, machine guns, shotguns and so on. The variations in each gun usually come in the form of stat modifications to rate of fire, damage, ammo capacity, elemental effects, and so on. The system works well though, as each gun feels different enough from the last to keep you interested in trying out new ones. And considering you’ll always be finding better and better weapons for your arsenal, you’ll be trying out a lot of new guns.

I found the random weapon-generation system to be very satisfying with the exception of rocket launchers, which feel very weak, and the omission of melee weapons. Although the guns certainly don’t feel quite as hand-made as individually crafted death dealers from other games, like the Fat Man in Fallout 3 for example, the system definitely works and keeps you coming back for more. Perhaps the ability to mend your own firearms would have been an interesting direction to take, but I’m not really complaining.

The guns aren’t the funnest weapons the game has to offer though. No, that honor goes to the special ability the player unlocks about an hour or so into the game. Each character has their own special ability which sets them apart from each other in a pretty drastic way. Brick’s Berserk mode sends him into a hulk-like fury that turns his fists into lethal weapons. Mordecai possesses a deadly eagle that can strike enemies from above. Lilith has the ability to go into “phase walk,” which turns her invisible and hurts any enemies around her with an explosion of element damage when she returns to this plane of reality. Last but not least, Roland can set up shop with a shielded turret that can do anything from attack baddies to generate team health to supply ammunition.

Each character has three paths of improvement that can result in drastically different play-styles. Some talent trees focus on the character’s special ability while others forgo it entirely. The special abilities themselves can be tailored towards offensive or defensive players, and things get really interesting when you’ve got four players leveling up together and specifying their load-outs to support each other.

It’s so fun that one can’t help but be let down by the shallowness of the RPG elements. Besides investing in the talent trees there are no additional skills or actions to work towards like the perks in Fallout 3. The rate of progression is also painfully slow, as you’ll only be around a level 35 or so after your first play-through. If you want to get to the level 50 cap, you’ll have to start a new game plus, which pits you against tougher enemies in the same missions. Even at level 50 though, you can’t completely fill all three talent trees. It leaves you feeling like the RPG elements in Borderlands are only skin deep and missing a lot of potential.

Don't get used to seeing this.

With out a doubt though, the most glaring omission of RPG staples is story and interesting NPCs. This game relies exclusively on loot and leveling to drive you forward, with one of the dullest stories I’ve ever seen in a video game. There are no real conversations with the NPCs, which is a shame considering how personable they generally are. The quests are really ripped straight out of an MMO, with basic “kill X amount of Y” or “collect this many of these” narratives. Even when it seems like there’s potential for an interesting story arc (later in the game a beloved character mysteriously dies) the developers completely gloss over it. The missions are really nothing more than an excuse to find loot.

The open-world structure of Borderlands also contributes to some terribly slow pacing. One might think that in place of an interesting RPG story Gearbox would at least focus on the fast and furious pace of a traditional FPS, but that’s simply not the case. On my first play-through it took me nine hours before I unlocked the fast travel feature, which is pretty useless considering the quality of the map. The ability to drive also takes a few hours to unlock. This is all in addition to the slow leveling and lack of intriguing narrative. Add that all together with constantly respawning enemies (they even respawn behind you in the middle of missions) and you’ll feel like you aren’t making any progress sometimes.

Considering all the faults of the RPG side of the game, you’d better hope the shooting half is damn good. Luckily, it is. Unlike other shooting RPGs, the developer actually decided to let skill prevail over stats here. If you line up your shot and hit an enemy in Borderlands, you’ll hit him. Weapon stats effect damage, but they never get in the way of gameplay. And while enemies generally run blindly towards death, the combat still manages to be fun somehow. Maybe it’s the cheapness of sheer numbers and enemies that can head-shot you with a shotgun from 300 yards away while strafing that adds a sense of danger and excitement to it. Whatever it is, I can’t stop playing it and collecting that sweet, sweet loot.

One of the pleasant surprises I found in Borderlands is the variety of things and places you’ll be collecting that loot from. While enemy types generally boil down to bandits or wild enemies, there are literally dozens of class variations in there that give you a wide breadth of foes to dismantle. And despite my preconceptions of a post-apocalyptic world, this shooter actually manages to send the player to a variety of caves, towns, piers, and so on that give a sense of geographic diversity. Even the quests themselves, while simple, manage to maintain their freshness throughout with moderately different tasks. Variety’s really not an issue in Borderlands.

Rounding out my thoughts on Borderlands‘ gameplay are a few minor complaints that pop up a little too often. The first complaint is how utterly awful the driving segments of the game are. The handling of the vehicles is so awkward that you’ll constantly run into punishing geometry that brings your car to a dead stop. The physics are also way off and result in a lot of wonky crashes. I would complain that there are no vehicle-specific missions or upgrading/customizing options for your dune buggy, but maybe it’s a good thing that I didn’t have to spend more time in that death trap. Lord knows I already spent far too much time there.

The actual gameplay isn't nearly as cool.

Another issue that comes up while driving is the lack of a mini-map. This is probably the game’s biggest short-coming, as you’ll literally be checking your main map for directions every thirty seconds. And because that map doesn’t label any locations beyond specifying what they are (trading outpost, vehicle station, so on) it becomes unnecessarily difficult to navigate the world. I would say the driving felt tacked on if it didn’t occupy a quarter of the game, but since it does, I can only say that it’s dreadfully under-developed and misguided. There’s also way too much back-tracking and micro-managing of inventory. The bosses are sort of weak as well.

When all’s said and done though, Borderlands is incredibly fun and offers a ton of value. The campaign is lengthy whether you’re alone or with friends (although I must say it seems to move much faster with friends). The different classes and co-op play give you plenty of motivation to play through multiple times, although the inability to skip in-game tutorials and snail-like pace are minor deterrents to replays. When playing with friends you can challenge them to duels or find arenas to duke it out in crude death-matches. But when you get down to it, the real value lies in the loot. All those increasingly rare guns and shields and modifiers keep you coming back for more, and more players mean better loot. Beware that there’s no proper trade-interface, so if you play with strangers you might be taken, but there’s always more loot to be had. Did I mention the addictive qualities of loot?

So is the RPS successful? I suppose that depends on your personal definition of “RPS”. What matters is that Borderlands is insanely addicting and offers a ton of value. The core gameplay is immensely satisfying and the audio/visual presentation is a joy to experience. It’s the small things that bog this game down. Hopefully a sequel or a rip-off will take the foundation of Gearbox’s new shooter and raise the bar. Until then, I’ll be playing me some Borderlands.

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