Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Fantastic fun.

Exactly what fans of the series wanted in a new installment — more Borderlands. It keeps everything that made Borderlands 2 great, and adds a few new tricks of its own. It might not be innovative, but it’s damn fun to play. Honestly, isn’t that what really matters?

Overall though, with the excellent gameplay, somewhat higher difficulty and challenge, and the excellent dialogue and narrative by characters both old and new, fans of Borderlands 2 will likely get the same amount of enjoyment out of The Pre-Sequel.

If Borderlands 2 was an example of the series coasting under its own momentum, the Pre-Sequel is something of a master class in how to refine the series into a step forward.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel refreshes gameplay through some new mechanics and a whole new story, including a cast of familiar characters and brand new characters, while diving into the events that lead up to Borderlands 2.

The more time you spend with The Pre-Sequel!, the easier it is for you to notice important changes: a completely new combat system, cool new characters, a complex story, even funnier quests and more of everyone's favorite - Claptrap! Fans of Borderlands 2 will find tons of goodies wrapped in a fresh new package and spend dozens of hours simply having fun.

While the game play additions do mix it up slightly, the game often feels like a huge expansion rather than a stand-alone release.

Combined with the great Boss Battles, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is definitely a must-have for Borderlands fans and should be high on the wishlist for everyone else.

The appeal lies in the game’s simplicity as much as it lies in its alluring wackiness, crazy characters and superb atmosphere.

Buy recommendations rarely fall so easily like this: If you want just more Borderlands, buy the Pre-Sequel.

Borderlands the Pre-Sequel is by no means a bad game, but for a Borderlands veteran it ends up feeling more like a oversized DLC rather than a brand new stand-alone game. [Nov 2014]

Even though this is not the “real” continuation of the beloved shoot-and-loot-series and still shows some elements that might have been bugging you before, you’ll get plenty of hours of fun out of it.

Fan service of the highest level, though feels a little samey at times. [Nov 2014, p.54]

A Borderlands game that feels revitalised thanks to the new gameplay mechanics, enemies, humour and weapons. It plays out like a massive expansion pack, one filled to the brim with more secrets, ideas and a familiar gear-grind for better loot. And more Borderlands is actually a fun idea after all.

The shooting is fun, the low gravity and oxygen ideas are nice, the story still does not impress in many ways, but overall the experience is engaging and a good way to get the adrenaline flowing.

Pure fan service and a great way to say goodbye to the generation that saw Borderlands become one of the most successful franchises in recent times.

Ultimately, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was designed as a game for people who liked the first two Borderlands and want more of that.

It is more of the same, but that same is still very good and very enjoyable.

The Pre-Sequel is a great action game that shines thanks to its co-op. Its story still remains secondary, but it doesn't matter because Borderlands is a great party. A crazy trip of death and destruction that you will enjoy.

While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is tweaked sufficiently to warrant being its own entity.

Borderlands will be Borderlands. The Pre-Sequel adds tons of content to the old Borderlands 2 coop experience: fun, sarcastic and bad-ass. And remember; loot first, ask later.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a hilarious, fan-focused continuation of the series' core values. But lacking any truly evolution, it makes for a fun diversion rather than a meaningful new chapter.

Despite its tendency to make you jump through hoops before getting to the good stuff, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers where I expect it to as a Borderlands fan.

With the majority of changes being positive, the only thing that should give someone pause over taking the plunge is whether or not you want more Borderlands.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a funny cartoon shooter that compels you to keep playing and score more guns. Just like the last two. Laser weapons and moon bouncing add a little extra flavor, but if you don't like Borderlands by now, this won't change things.

The Pre-Sequel! is a solid entry in the Borderlands series but nothing more than that. A decent continuation to keep the fans happy until Gearbox is ready to move the series over to the new generation of consoles.

A pre-sequel for those who are predisposed to Borderlands and can't wait for a full sequel.

It is not the Borderlands 3 we are still waiting for, since that little "something" that made Borderlands 2 great is missing. Still, if you just want more Borderlands, it delivers.

A well-executed but thoroughly unambitious extension of Borderlands 2. Low-grav jumping adds a new dimension to combat.

2K delivered exactly what it promised: a derivative game which nevertheless deserves to be completed in single-player for the story. And then maybe one more play through with a friend or two, just to shoot stuff and kid around, before setting Pre-Sequel aside until DLCs come. Just as it always is with Borderlands. [Dec 2014, p.64]

Derivative, but also colorful, absurd and fun. If you played one Borderlands game, you played them all. [Dec 2014, p.56]

Low-gravity system and laser guns are good features. But these are not enough to make Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel a new game. The game still feels like a Borderlands 2 DLC. If you are a real fan of Borderlands series, you will definitely like this game, otherwise you will be disappointed.

If Borderlands: the pre Sequel were a DLC that does not bear its name, it still is a very pleasant game with new features like low gravity, oxygen to look after, jetpacks and freeze guns. Add a crazy and very funny playable Clap-Trap and you've got quite a nice game.

The Pre-Sequel offers freshly designed air combat thanks to the low gravity of Elpis. It feels like a whole new game, until the action ends and you glance at the shell of Borderlands 2 being remade all over again. A hit and miss title that fans will definitely love.

With improvements that feel more incremental than innovative, 2K Australia have stepped up and provided a solid and long-lasting if technically safe entry in the Borderlands series and yet, it's one which stands out almost singularly on the merit of it's breathlessly entertaining cast and rowdy narrative.

While it probably should’ve been DLC, it’s still more Borderlands fun for anyone starving for more Vault hunting action.

There is not enough fun and it's all very repetitive and predictable.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a good game, but doesn't change or add anything new and significant to the series. Fans of the series will enjoy more of the same, but of you didn't like Bordelands before, then Pre-Sequel won't change your mind.

Like Borderlands 2, The Pre-Sequel often feels like a fairly safe sequel, but the gimmicks Gearbox chose to use this time around actually worked surprisingly well, far better than I had originally anticipated.

If you're a Borderlands fan who's looking to scratch that itch for loot-based four-player firefights, then this will serve your needs well until the next core installment in the franchise. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for the inevitable Game of the Year package.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a worthwhile entry in the series that will provide more of what fans expect while fleshing out some of the narrative gaps between the first two titles. And while the addition of low gravity and a few new guns might not change things forever, their presence is far from a hindrance and fits into the Borderlands formula fine, although unremarkably.

No, it never reaches the furthest edges of space, but Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel still offers some the best of what the series has to offer: good loot, good laughs, and good times for many hours.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is an interesting episode, with lots of content and a still gripping story. However, it does not revolutionize the series and we will definitely wait for the 3rd part for it.

The Pre-Sequel's biggest draw is filling in the space between the first and second games, and it does that exceptionally well.

The Pre-Sequel is missing just a bit of soul, but it has plenty of heart – hearts exploded by laser rifles.

It's the same recipe that's driven two full, long games and a host of downloadable content. But the lark of low gravity proves that the tedious parts of previous games don't have to stay an anchor holding the series down.

The result is a game that I think will appeal to little more than the Borderlands diehards.

If you liked the previous Borderlands, you’ll love it.

Different studio doesn't live up to the first two games and while the result is competent, it doesn't dazzle anymore. [Issue#246]

A sequel / not a sequel to a fun cooperative shooter has been marked by changes of its studios along with the unwillingness (or straight forbiddance) to move the game onward. This is rather a grey copycat of the previous installment that cannot be matched with, considering the game's content. This game scores particularly due to the cooperation gameplay.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a solid entry to the series, but I hope that the development team takes some of the failings to heart and delivers excellence in the future.

There isn’t a AAA game out there that doesn’t exist to make money, but Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel stumps for dollars in a brazenly insipid way. It’s a paint-by-numbers effort, almost from top to bottom.

If you're looking for anything measurably different than your prior experiences with the series, though, The Pre-Sequel won't satisfy. And this lack of ambition only serves to disappoint: there's a fantastic game buried in here, somewhere, if only its caretakers would perform a serious overhaul.