Borderlands 3

As it stands, the old tried and true “fans of the series will like this game too” is honestly pretty accurate in regards to Borderlands 3. I’d say it’s a better game overall than The Pre-Sequel, and roughly on par with Borderlands 2. The post-game/end-game content is sufficient to keep you entertained well past the story, and the overall feel of the gunplay and looting is improved enough to make a difference. But if you’ve never enjoyed the series, Borderlands 3 won’t change your mind. Personally, I’ve really enjoyed my time with the game outside of the aforementioned technical issues and menu problems, and certainly suggest checking out Borderlands 3 if you haven’t done so already.

Gearbox long ago managed to make pure concentrated gaming compulsion and they've perfected it here. Insane amounts of fun, blasting across multiple worlds with some of the craziest guns ever imagined, and even more fun with friends… when the frame-rate keeps up, something hopefully the developer will address. The humour may not be to everyone's tastes, and while some elements are obnoxious - again, Claptrap needs to stay dead - and there are just too many jokes, there are plenty that work, and work well. The Borderlands formula works, and has inspired countless other pretenders. Borderlands 3 shows that the original is still the best.

Borderlands 3 has many good elements. The game itself has a control and shooting mechanics that touch perfection. It is a title that was developed to honor all fans, because the inclusion of known characters makes it become a title that no Borderlands 1 and 2 player can miss. The only thing we can claim from GearBox, the developer, is the inclusion of more features or a slightly more memorable ending. Similarly, for us, it is one of the best games of the year.

In spite of all of those horrible glitches I am still 100% on board with Borderlands 3. First off, it’s the bestest most funnest co-op shooter of 2019. What other series has guns that scream ouch when you reload them? Or guns that get so hot you need to spray them down with a water gun before you can use them again? There’s a good 25-ish hours to dig into with the story alone. Once you add on all of the sidequests and collectibles, you’ve added on at least another 10 hours. And that’s not even including the Proving Grounds or Circle of Slaughter game modes.

Borderlands 3 is more of the same in the best possible way, while some small tweaks to gunplay and exploration - being able to fight your way through multiple planets is invigorating - are welcome additions to the franchise.

Borderlands 3 does not only have an amazing story, it’s also close to being the definitive looter-shooter... So close.

With new locations to visit, an intriguing plot, loathsome villains, and all of your favorite characters coming back to help save the day – even if many of them are only cameos – it only falters in its simplistic AI which we have grown to know too well. It’s not trying to rewrite gaming and be wildly innovative, it just wants to let you shoot stuff with an exploding burger launcher. Seriously. Borderlands 3 is sure to be a contender for GOTY and it can only get better with more content and bombastic badasses.

I think most players know what to expect when going into Borderlands 3. Gearbox is devoted to this franchise and has a certain reverence for not changing it up too much. What are you looking for in this game? With three other friends and a laid back attitude, Borderlands 3 rewards on so many levels. Laughs, rewarding but loose gunplay, and constant loot are a specific pleasure. But this game is not going back to the drawing board. It’s hard to say this is a tired formula because Borderlands has been so quiet for such a long time. Yes I wish the story was better and the jokes didn’t work as hard. Despite all that, it is such a fun game especially when you pass the hurdles. And for that, I can’t help but recommend Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 3 is a game that is made for replayability, and it shows. It never lets you grow tired or bored with the mechanics or the grinding-looting routine. To every long-time fan of the franchise, this is going to be like jumping back in the past, but with all the improvements that make it an outstanding and enjoyable game.

Borderlands 3 comes with great growth in gameplay, but a safe story that had the opportunity for so much more.

Though the humor frequently misses the mark, the much improved gunplay of Borderlands 3 and stupendously generous endgame easily wins out in the end, creating arguably the best entry in the series to date.

Fun alone, exhilarating with a group of friends, Borderlands 3 is the great return we all expected: an irreverent, very rich shooter, and - in the fullest sense of the word - exaggerated.

A solid new episode for Borderlands, with a lot of things to do, but ten years after the original some mechanics are a bit obsolete.

I just like to turn my head off and be overwhelmed by the overblownness of the game.

Borderlands 3 promises a lot of fun gameplay and a good scenario. But the technical problems of the game destroy the fun.

More guns, more planets, more skills, more… more. If you liked the previous ones, this gives you plenty of the same to enjoy. Borderlands 3 is the very definition of the bigger and better sequel. [Issue#168, p.76]

Borderlands 3 is a safe step forward for the franchise, but rough optimization, a leaning toward old jokes and a pair of underwhelming antagonists take some of the shine from this otherwise thoroughly enjoyable and beautifully rendered sequel.

Borderlands 3 follows the same tried-and-true formula as it's predecessors, but with refinements. With new Vault Hunters, more planets to explore, new and old character appearances, high replay value and improved gameplay and gunplay Borderlands 3 is highly recommended for FPS fans despite some technical issues.

Borderlands 3 does not reinvent the wheel, and it's not competing with those aforementioned games. It's running its own race. Borderlands 3 doesn't make leaps to modernize the franchise, but the multitude of tiny improvements go a long way towards making Borderlands 3 the absolute best experience it can possibly be.

Borderlands 3 is fun and entertaining, without a doubt, but it's not a revolutionary title like its predecessors, and everything we see here we already saw in the last two games.

Borderlands 3 is, quite simply, more Borderlands. That means excessive charming humor, great variety in environments and sidequests and a lot of fun coop action spread throughout. The things that hold the game back are mostly minor annoyances – like the overabundance of everlasting boss fights and the gruesomely tiresome inventory management – but all in all this is a package that simply works.

Borderlands 3 is a solid game for fans. It relishes in the multiplayer moment-to-moment combat, and the multitude of guns and the post-campaign game give players enough reasons to keep playing long after the credits have rolled. It won't convert those who disliked the series into fans, but it also does everything it can to keep itself true to what players liked about the originals. For those who are still deciding whether to jump in, Borderlands 3 is a good place to do so.

Borderlands 3 is a terrific looter-shooter, one of the best out there, among the best in history. The game focuses on the most important thing - the gameplay. Shooting provides tons of fun and a gigantic arsenal of weapons keeps boredom at bay. It would be pretty much perfect, if not for the technical pitfalls - the game needs fixing.

Borderlands 3 feels a lot like a Borderlands 2.5, but if you enjoy the IP, you can't be disappointed with this new iteration, as everything has been turned to 11, with a lot of content and loads of fun.

Borderlands 3 feels a lot like a Borderlands 2.5, but if you enjoy the IP, you can't be disappointed with this new iteration, as everything has been turned to 11, with a lot of content and loads of fun.

Borderlands 3 may be a brain-dead story of already dead on arrival memes and a cast that is largely forgettable (Save for Tannis, I still love you for being my socially inept spirit animal), but it’s easily the most satisfying power fantasy of the year thanks to its amazingly tuned gunplay and a sophisticated flow of action that picks up the juvenile slack.

Borderlands 3 doesn’t take much risk and doesn’t evolve much either. It has more content, more loot and more options to customize your character, but that’s it. It’s still fun to play though, thanks to great action sequences.

Despite the fact Borderlands 3 seemingly wants me to hate it, I really, really like it. Like, a lot. I say this as someone who’s become a bit disenfranchised with the loot shooter. The moronic, sophomoric (sophomoronic?) dialogue masks over one of the most thoughtful, satisfying shooters you can play right now. You just have to learn to tune out the white noise, and to swap your weapon before you open a chest, you idiot.

In refusing to dramatically innovate, Borderlands 3 continues to occupy a unique position in the RPG genre. Its blend of looting, shooting, and comedy makes for varied gameplay sequences, deep and meaningful player progression, and a couple of laughs along the way. It’s not going to convert anyone who wasn’t a fan of previous iterations, but in doing so, Borderlands 3 sticks to what it does best.

Borderlands 3 is a fan-servicing treat of a Borderlands game, albeit one soured by technical issues and lacklustre villains.

Borderlands 3 is a by-the-book sequel that takes no risks. Veteran Borderlands players will embrace it, but others will find that it has not evolved enough.

Borderlands 3 is another bountiful, bullet-filled buffet for fans. Hunting for that perfect gun is still addictive and the minute-to-minute action is better than ever, but flat writing, sometimes-frustrating level design, and a lack of polish limits the game’s potential. If you’re starving for more Borderlands, by all means, dig in, but you might find you’ve had your fill sooner than you expected.

Borderlands 3 is what you would expect from a Borderlands game, for better or for worse. It does little to innovate on the now ubiquitous looter genre it helped to define ten years ago and plays it safe. While it’s almost the same Borderlands it was those ten years ago, it’s still hard to deny that it’s a great romp with mates.

The looter-shooter-concept is still motivating. But after ten years with only modest progress since the first lootfest on Pandora, it feels a bit dowdy - and don’t forget the occasional technical problem.

The inventory system is atrocious, but man, I just loved getting more and better guns, so it was worth suffering through.

Borderlands 3, besides being technically unsound, plays it a little too safe to stand out. While the gunplay is excellent and the weapons wild, cringeworthy writing weighs it down.

Best enjoyed at a breezy remove, Borderlands 3 provides a punchy shooting experience, a massive open world, and some eye-rolling, adolescent humour.

A surprisingly unadventurous sequel, given the long years fans have been waiting for it, but the entertaining weaponry just about makes up for the overfamiliarity and obnoxious sense of humour.

Borderlands 3 does very little to reinvent itself. It plays it safe, sticking to the tried and tested formula that made the original games such a success. A must-play for fans of the genre and past Borderlands games, but much of the same for anyone else.

Factor in the graphical glitches, rampant texture pop-in and generally asthmatic performance levels, even when running on a PS4 Pro with settings optimised to favour smooth running, and there really is no end of reasons not to love Borderlands 3 (and don’t even think about Googling developers Gearbox Games’ litany of employee relations history)...And yet... love it, I do. Guilty as charged.

Ultimately Borderlands 3 is a mixed bag. It’s like going to visit my family at Christmas; you jump in the car, visiting those same people that you love dearly and enjoy seeing but it’s still the same long journey and your Dad is telling the same old jokes that make your skin crawl.