Happy weekend to you all. If you're like me, you might have left this weekend open without much to do, in order to binge on Borderlands. I'm a level 14 now on my... um.. drone-zerker (?) and level 3 Claptrap. The following stuff is mostly gonna be Borderlands-talk, talking about the new game, what's good, what's bad (etc). So if you're not into that, just letting ya know: you can probably skip this part.
:)
I'm kinda wishing I had done Claptrap all the way since the beginning. I like how other characters react to him. Jack's response when you save him is priceless. 'cuz there's nothing like the humiliation of having your life saved by an annoying overly-cheerful small robot thing. The reason why I didn't go with him initially is because his skill tree seems very team-oriented, but I like to play solo (at least for the first play-through) because in co-op, stuff happens that your partner might have triggered, and you might be elsewhere, or looking in another direction fighting off baddies, and you miss it! So, to get the full experience, I like to play once just as me. Hence: no Claptrap.
However I kinda discovered as I played that Claptrap isn't so limited. Most of his awesome team-based skills work just fine solo. And that's why I now regret just playing as Claptrap. I went as the drone guy (Willhelm) because that works well for a solo play-style. I like being able to deploy stuff when I get into trouble, and use that as a smokescreen while I get away to heal up. The first game I played through as Roland, then Lilith (phasewalk works for getting away to heal too, of course). Second game I played as the mutli-turret guy (Axton?), and so the logical choice for Pre-Sequel was the drone guy.
So my initial impressions are mixed.
++++ The Plusses ++++ The gameplay is tight as one would expect from a Borderlands game. Visuals are very impressive, especially if you like that cell-shaded style (as I do), but there doesn't appear to be any major improvement in the engine technology... at least not on the surface. The biggest plus for me is the low-grav moon with the thrusters. Its going to be really hard to go back to a Borderlands game without those thrusters... they're pretty awesome. Laser weapons are also a plus. I was going to list them as a minus because generally they suck (scatter laser is just stupid. Its like a x3 shotgun with a HUGE cone, almost impossible to hit anything). And the beam lasers and rapid-fire lasers are generally underpowered. However, I got a cryo beam laser last night, and that is arguably overpowered. Its virtually impossible NOT to freeze something (including bosses) when you have a 12% chance of elemental effect but are applying it continuously! And that made it really fun (albeit possibly unfair).
In terms of the story, I am liking Handsome Jack as a good-guy (at least at the beginning. I haven't completed the game yet, so no clue!) Its nice to see it from an angle other than the one depicted in Borderlands2. In BL2, Handsome Jack clearly thinks of himself as the good-guy, and its interesting to catch a glimpse of why he thinks that way.
In terms of characters, I think having Claptrap as a class was pretty interesting. I do like the idea of the Lawbringer class, but I haven't played it yet.
---- The Minuses ---- Its not any huge improvement. Really kinda like a big DLC that happens to be standalone and costs the price of a full game.
My biggest beef probably is with the Australian accents. While I realize its made by 2K Australia, and while I usually LIKE Australian accents, and while I know its on Pandora's moon and so its not unexpected that they might speak a bit differently... BUT.. a few times I've literally been unable to understand what was said. If something is story-advancing, player comprehension is sorta _vital_. I had to turn the subtitles back on because of this, but its really annoying because having words popping up takes me out of the escapism of the game somewhat.
My next beef is with scooter's replacement Janey Springs. I like her as a character and all-that, but I've got one massive annoyance with her. She's a lesbian, and while I have no problem with lesbians, she is CONSTANTLY reminding you of it. Its like "I get it 2K AUS, you're inclusive. Good for you. But you don't have to be like 'She's a girl-loving lesbian with a girlfriend who also likes girls. Oh and BTW did you know she's a Lesbian? She's a lesbian!'... its like ... seriously, got it the first time. Now you're just being annoying". It would have been much better... and more respectful... if she wasn't a token lesbian character and was more like Hammerlock from BL2. Did you know he's gay? He is. But they don't beat you over the head with it like they do with Springs. He's an interesting character who happens to be gay, rather than a character who was made gay to try and make her more interesting. Big diff.
I'm sorry for the long explanation in that last one. I just don't want to come off as some gay-hater (I'm bi, after all. So: not a gay-hater). I actually don't feel that strongly about it except that I think it does the opposite of what its trying to accomplish: its so railroaded at the player that it doesn't come off as inclusive, it comes off as patronizing. As a bi boy, I found it a little offensive, but that's just me.
The missions are still a bit grind-tacular. Kill N of creature X in zone Y and come back for a pat-on-the-head. Here's too-much loot, and you spend most of the game just trying new guns and shields to see which ones you like, only to find a new one to try a couple minutes later. Backpack is never large enough... and there are a few bugs. I fell through the world at least once. The dynamics on the rover are a bit bad. A lot of the jumps are just barely possible, and you really need to use the turbo in the air (as opposed to just using it to get up to speed) to clear some gaps. This change killed me quite a few times until I figured that out.
The characters (Claptrap aside) simply aren't as interesting as the old ones. Like Willhelm..? totally boring. I suspect Athena is boring too. But personalities aside, their skill trees are boring. Its mostly just incremental stuff like Increase Health and Ammo! or Increase Reload Speed and maybe Damage Modifier. Where are the really big completely-over-the-top absurd stuff you could get in your skill tree that we've come to know and love in the previous games? There really aren't any. Its like "Wolf can fire missiles". Whoopdie-freakin'-doo.
Also... I don't like the oxygen dynamic, which is the reason why I started on claptrap. Its just annoying and doesn't really add anything to the game. So every 90 seconds (or whatever) you're getting nagged to find air. Just... silly. And I noticed the AI doesn't have to follow this rule. They should just remove it.
So overall, I am enjoying it so far. Out of the 3 games, its still not as good as BL1. Where I would place it in relation to BL2 is questionable. As a standalone game, so far I like pre-sequel better. But if you were to consider it a "sequel" in any way to BL2, the lack of technical advancements I think would place Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel as the weakest in the series. But its still a relatively strong series, and so that's not saying much.
Anyway if you want to discuss Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel, please post below with your initial impressions. :) I must stress INITIAL IMPRESSIONS. No spoilers, please! Spoilers will get hidden and repeated spoilers will get you banned. Be nice to people who haven't gotten as far as you have yet! Do not be an asshole and ruin the surprise.
Thanks!
----- This artwork was actually NOT Borderlands tribute art, but I felt that the sort-of femmy carnival atmosphere closely resembles Moxxi's style, so that's how I posted it. This outfit was designed by the artist.
Artwork by :iconspiritfox412: Etheras the Fennec (c) www.etheras.com Moxxi is (c) 2K Games, or their parent company
