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Release Date: October 14th, 2014 Movie Release Year: 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Overview -

The dubiously titled 'Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel' is the latest addition to Gearbox's 'Borderlands' franchise. Like its predecessors, it is an irreverent action-comedy first-person shooter with a heavy focus on loot. It takes place on Elpis, the moon of Pandora. Like our own moon, there is no atmosphere and the gravity is significantly lower, promising a different sort of combat than the first games. This time out, 2K Australia has taken on the bulk of development duties, which should mean a fresh outlook for this "pre-sequel."

OVERALL:
For Fans Only
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Video Resolution/Codec:
720p
Audio Formats:
Dolby Digital 5.1
Release Date:
October 14th, 2014

Video Review

Ranking:

'Borderlands' hasn't made a lot of progress in the graphics department. While the game in general is very colorful in its cel-shaded way, with a palette matching its personality, the textures are lacking. The buildings and environments in general look around the same as the first 'Borderlands' way back in 2009. The novelty of the new moon setting wears off quickly, leaving boring, endlessly purplish-gray lunar plains in its wake. The characters have few moving parts and many returning characters have been simply recycled without so much as a reskin (although Moxxi does make an appearance in mechanic's overalls). The upside to a weakness in visuals is the lack of bugs or stutters - without much to render, and with the relatively small zones, the engine chugs along nicely with nary a complaint. 'The Pre-Sequel' continues the great tradition of the splash logos for new characters, offering some witty melodrama before each boss fight or major plot reveal.

Audio Review

Ranking:

The audio has been implemented much better than the visuals, with a booming score and crisp, clear sound effects and dialogue. Due to 2K Australia's influence, all of the residents of Epsis seem to be Australian themselves, complete with the accents and friendly disdain for Americans. In spite of the weak writing, the voice acting is spot on. The guns have powerful sound effects and feel appropriately gun-like, even in the muffled semi-vacuum of 'The Pre-Sequel's' environments.

Final Thoughts

'Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel' offers just enough content to move out of expansion territory and into full release, but barely. For those who can't get enough Borderlands and relish the opportunity to experience some new characters and abilities, this will tide you over for a few dozen hours. For everyone else, it's not exactly a must-play title.