ArtisticallyChill

He does have a few good points. But I think Yahtzee is missed the biggest point – Borderlands mixes 3 genres of videogames (FPS, MMO, RPG) very well. Not since Deus Ex have I seen this type of nice mixing of distinct genres. And it’s innovative gameplay not only sets the bar for sequels but for other games trying give more diversity to the FPS genre. Sure, it may not feel like Halo or Modern Warfare when it comes to playing the game by yourself, but at least it is an option. You’re not forced to play with your friends. Maybe you just want to go treasure hunting to find new weapons which may seem boring to your friends but not to you since you’ve played through Diablo or Diablo II more than once just for the loot. That’s where the option to play by yourself comes into play.

Borderlands obviously shines in multiplayer. I’m halfway through my second playthrough though I’ve heard others going through their third, fourth, even fifth playthroughs with their favorite characters. Eventually I’ll get at least two playthroughs with the other character classes maybe even a third since the next DLC will raise the level cap to 70.

Borderlands isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of the FPS genre. It’s a sidestep forward into different kind of FPS where players can really get into the character they play with using RPG motifs like classes, leveling up, and configuring your character to fit your needs. You might say that Modern Warfare did it first with it’s perk system but that’s something different in my opinion. Borderlands is also just a beginning. There’s sure to be a sequel and there will be other games that will try the same mix and hopefully do well (i.e. BRINK).

~ LoneWolf