Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

Amazing value for newbies and borderline amazing to look at for veterans, this has a little something for everybody. [May 2015, p82]

While I was very late to the Borderlands party, this "HD Remaster" of the two later games in the series have converted me to the franchise. If the FPS genre moves this way en masse (and we are seeing that happen with the likes of Destiny), then I might just be converted to the whole genre yet.

The bottom line is that Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is two fantastic shooters, each worthy of your time, with a ton of DLC and polished up to look their best.

If you've played plenty of Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel already, then it's pretty much what you've already seen and may still own, so it's really a matter of if you want to play everything again or just want to collect some new PS4 trophies.

While the remastering could have used a bit more work on some minor levels, The Handsome Collection is a fantastic time capsule with enough polish to let players revisit it again and again for years to come without it ever feeling completely dated.

Providing gamers with two very fun and lengthy games within Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, there is no doubt that this is the ultimate Borderlands experience for everyone.

It’s just a great package. For newcomers to the franchise, as I said earlier, this is a great jumping on point. For the older fans of series this is not much beyond what you already know, but it is definitely worth a look simply because of the graphic upgrades and the new four player split-screen option.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is quite the handsome collection for gamers who haven't experienced Borderlands before. It's smoother, better and more beautiful than its predecessors on the older generation.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection on PlayStation 4 is a flawless first person shooter that successfully takes this franchise to next-gen.

Remastered versions of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are gems on their own that offer deep, fun and different experiences. Having them together in one package for a reasonable price point is something you can't pass up, if you don't own them on PC.

Fortunately, The Handsome Jack Collection's addictive gameplay, excellent writing and charismatic cast keeps things moving in an unforgettable, fun-filled way.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection represents the definitive opportunity to enjoy two of the most beloved games out there, and the most complete anthology of downloadable content in one package. You can play it on the couch with up to 3 friends to enjoy hours upon hours of healthy jokes and gaming references. Truly, a love letter to nerds.

Despite the notable absence of the first Borderlands in this collection, the sheer amount of content and fun of The Handsome Collection is bound to make everyone happy. If you've never been a Vault Hunter, now's the time to jump on board.

Fans that were bullied from the "PC Master Race", this is your chance to play it in a more proper way. It guarantees hours and hours of gameplay, both in single player and co-op.

Oodles of content, some of the most fun you’ll have in a modern shooter with or without friends and a wicked sense of humour make Borderlands: The Handsome Collection fantastic value.

A higher framerate and still engaging gameplay make this collection an absolute joy to play, even if some graphical errors and the absence of the first Borderlands drag it down somewhat.

We might be a bit sick and tired of all the videogame remasters, but Borderlands: The Handsome Collection awakens us. The huge amount of content, the updated visuals and the option to play together with three of your friends are all great add-ons to an already awesome videogame. The only downside to this collection is the technical imperfection, especially within the Pre-Sequel.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a great bundle. It’s rare that we get a collection that offers such a gargantuan amount of content, so it’s in our best interest to support them when we do. If the goal was to give fans something to keep them busy up until the minute Borderlands 3 arrives, this collection accomplishes that.

It looks great, plays great, and has a boatload of content. It offers more bang for your buck than just about any other collection currently available.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is good, nice and cheap for all the content that offers. If there has to be an indispensable remaster, it's this one.

The fact that it collects every piece of DLC for both games, the majority of which is of very high quality, plus the fact that you can carry your last-gen saves and characters over, makes it a good pickup for returning fans and a great pickup for new ones.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a very good opportunity to play one of the best games of the old generation (Borderlands 2) in 1080p at 60fps. Some technical issues can ruin the experience with The Pre-Sequel.

It cannot be overstated how much of a value The Handsome Collection is. You get essentially $100+ worth of content and DLCs for the price of the base game. It may not be on the PC, but if you’ve been hankering for a good RPG mixed with shooter than doesn’t leave you frustrated (Destiny…), this is what you’ve been waiting for. If, however, you’ve already played these games to death, you may want to just wait for the next entry in the series. You do have the option of bringing your save over to the Handsome Collection though, which is a nice bonus feature.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection offers copious content, two whole games, co-op options, local multiplayer up to four players and cross-save. There are slight differences from the original beyond the visual enhancements, so only those who haven't played the original games could show true interest for Gearbox compilation.

We obviously miss the first Borderlands, but you'll find tons of content here. Also, the split-screen mode for 4 players adds even more fun to the package.

A good port, but just a port – there’s no new content here and the visuals haven’t changed since the original PC versions. [06/2015, p.61]

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection contains what we can expect from a collection of this kind. Graphically it is perhaps difficult to see much difference but it's on the other side really welcome that it's now possible to play four players splitscreen co-op. If you have not played Borderlands 2 or Borderlands: The Pre-sequel before and is looking for a good multiplayer experience it's not much to hesitate on.

It’s just hard not to recommend Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. There’s so much content. It received a proper current-gen graphical upgrade and there is tons of both DLC and normal content included. I have a few problems with The Pre-Sequel, but that’s it.

The Pre-Sequel is an almost disappointing (and worrying) addition to the franchise, but the whole package of the Handsome Collection just cannot be ignored.

While those with no love for the franchise will, unsurprisingly, find nothing for them here, it does – as a result of the visual upgrades – provide a handsome jumping on point for newcomers, as well as a great way for the Borderlands faithful to catch up on anything that they might have missed.

Although it lacks the first episode, thanks to the other two chapters - in particular to the second - and with the presence of all the DLCs ever released, the price of the package is honest and the graphics are still great.

Minor issues aside, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a great package for any FPS fan. Last-gen saves support and all-in-one DLC compilation, make this one an unmissable piece of software.

This collection makes you want to start a new game plus again, even after one hundred hours in the game. There is so much content. The things we did not like about Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel in the first place, are still there unfortunately, like getting lost.

The Handsome Collection manages to feel largely complete, in large part because Borderlands 2 is easily the finest game in a very impressive franchise.

It's a well-crafted collection, perfect for anyone who might have missed the original releases.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection isn’t the greatest remaster ever, nor is it the worst.

Some unfortunate technical problems distract from what is otherwise a very generous compilation, and an entirely legitimate alternative to Destiny.

Despite being less than perfect technically, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is easy to recommend. It's the best way to experience two great titles if you don't have a gaming PC, has more (good) content than most people will ever play and features new local multiplayer support.

If you've never played Borderlands 2 or the Pre-Sequel this is a very good place to start.

As with any remaster, the value of the Handsome Collection comes down to your relationship with this series. There’s no question of the quality of these games, just your own sense of (over) familiarity with them.

If you've already finished everything that Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel have to offer, or if you have a high-end PC which can take advantage of Steam's frequent sales and promotions, then you can safely pass on The Handsome Collection. However, to new-gen console owner out there, consider purchasing this remastered compilation if you didn't quite finish either game on last-gen consoles and don't want to spend too much time downloading all of the packs and add-ons to catch up.

Handsome Jack tells you his complete story in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, a new and interesting HD pack with Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel for PS4 and Xbox One. All DLCs, split screen for 4 players, 1080p/60fps... It has everything we could expect.

It’s pure Borderlands, with more than enough content to keep you going for some time. It’s just a pity that the Handsome Collection didn’t receive the technical love that the franchise clearly deserved as it jumped onto newer platforms.

Borderlands: the Handsome Collection packs a lot of content and it’s definitely recommended for those who didn’t play both games: for anyone else, however, there’s little reason to go back to Pandora.

If you ABSOLUTELY want to play any Borderlands game on your new console and you have no other platform available, then you may consider The Handsome Collection as an option. Otherwise, grab the three games on PC or PS3/Xbox 360 for half the price of this expensive compilation.

If you can look past its flaw you'll find a bundle with more charisma and creativity than most on PS4. [June 2015, p.91]

Those who were looking forward to a current-gen port will find that the game is well represented on the new platforms, and has no major flaws to speak of.