Must-Play: Borderlands

In a current gaming world full of blockbusters and landmark games, Borderlands stands in a category all of its own. While almost every gamer can rattle off the common household gaming names of Halo, Wars, WOW, etc. the name Borderlands may not be one of them… yet. Borderlands is breaking genre-barriers, creating what many are calling ‘Role-playing shooters’. While it is obvious to see where the first person shooter comes into play, it may not be so evident with the rpg aspects. From character advancement to item progression to questing, the overall game play is truly spread out this time around. As well, the art style and scheme is newer, following a similar path to Diablo.

In brief, Borderlands is based on an alien planet, Pandora. The planet is rumored to have priceless materials that players take on the role of a vault hunter, searching for the legendary cache.

Borderlands’ unofficial motto is “Diablo with guns.”… at least to its fans and critics. Borderlands incorporates a hybrid game play of first person shooter and a role playing game, and the PC version allows for a four player online co-op. With four character classes to choose from,

A player can take control of their stats, from health max to ammo capacity to the accuracy level gains. Once a player reaches level 5, characters define their class defining skill. The two most popular classes are Lilith’s phasewalk and Rolands shield turret. The next level, level 6, players being to focus on adding, and enhancing skills and stats.

Borderlands is a true juggernaut for the hardcore gamer. If you have yet to start this game up, you are missing out in a new-age genre. Whether you want to argue if Borderlands is too similar Diablo’s style, Borderland is paving the way for the first-person shooter / role playing hybrid.