Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 687 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 521 out of 687
  2. Mixed: 96 out of 687
  3. Negative: 70 out of 687
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  1. Rox22
    May 1, 2015
    7
    Don't get me wrong, I adore the Borderlands games. Heck, I bought BL2 on the 360, PS3 and again with the Handsome collection just so I could play it again on the PS4.

    If you have never played BL2 and BL:TPS then this collection is a mandatory purchase. Two excellent games plus ALL the DLC make it the best collection ever in terms of sheer content, even at full retail price. With that    Don't get me wrong, I adore the Borderlands games. Heck, I bought BL2 on the 360, PS3 and again with the Handsome collection just so I could play it again on the PS4.

    If you have never played BL2 and BL:TPS then this collection is a mandatory purchase. Two excellent games plus ALL the DLC make it the best collection ever in terms of sheer content, even at full retail price.

    With that said, if you played these games on the last gen systems, then the next gen versions are almost exactly the same. There is no new content, like next gen exclusive content which is surprising as that would have made the collection more enticing to those still on the fence. Sure the local 4 player co-op is a nice addition but mostly needless at this point. Why play split screen (squinting at your corner of the screen and trying not to get distracted by what's happening in the other corners) when you can just join games online and enjoy the entirety of your screen.

    The next issue I wish to address are the visuals. BL:TPS does look a bit nicer on the PS4 than it did on the PS3, but not by much. BL2 however does not look better at all, at least not in anyway noticeable. In fact, the "cut scenes" look a little worse, as if the port to the PS4 wasn't agreeing with them. Basically the PS4 version of BL2 is a slightly inferior port of its PS3/XB360 counterparts in terms of visuals.

    Individually, each game retains the same scores they got on the last gen, not to mention I am glad these games got a PS4 release as that will keep the franchise relevant to those whose first console is a PS4 or X-1, that and it gave me a solid reason to play through these games again. However, due to the lack of innovation and the sub par BL2 port I do feel I need to penalize the Handsome collection's overall score.

    Overall:
    Borderlands: The Handsome Collection was still just as fun to play on the current gen consoles as it was on the last, I was just really disappointed that it is essentially just a flat out port and didn't really do anything new (I don't count the local 4 player co-op as I see that as a new feature, not new content.)    … Expand
  2. CoreGamer1408
    May 20, 2020
    7
    Two games and a lot of DLC all in one package. Borderlands 2 was a fun, wild, wacky sociable shooter looter. With loads of silly characters and silly dialogue. Oh and having one of the best villains in video gaming history to hate on really helped. This game really shines as co-op PvE experience. Easy to jump in and out with a very simple gameplay structure. The missions, maps, leveling,Two games and a lot of DLC all in one package. Borderlands 2 was a fun, wild, wacky sociable shooter looter. With loads of silly characters and silly dialogue. Oh and having one of the best villains in video gaming history to hate on really helped. This game really shines as co-op PvE experience. Easy to jump in and out with a very simple gameplay structure. The missions, maps, leveling, shooting, looting and driving mechanics all work together very well. I have played B2 to its conclusion on 360, PC and now PS4. One of the most fun repayable games I have ever played in co-op, but in solo mode not so much.

    Shame the Presequel is such a tryhard wannabe. Yeah it looks a prettier game, but that is about all it has got going for it.    … Expand
  3. spddrcr
    Mar 26, 2015
    5
    If I was reviewing this game on the game play alone it would no doubt get a 10 but as a remaster this game barely breaks a 5. where to start? like others have pointed out the PC version of borderlands 2 goes on sale all the time for under 10 bucks. the pre sequel has been down to the 15 dollar range as well.
    The pre sequel has some stuttering issues on the xbox 1. the anti aliasing is    If I was reviewing this game on the game play alone it would no doubt get a 10 but as a remaster this game barely breaks a 5. where to start? like others have pointed out the PC version of borderlands 2 goes on sale all the time for under 10 bucks. the pre sequel has been down to the 15 dollar range as well.
    The pre sequel has some stuttering issues on the xbox 1. the anti aliasing is horrible and the frame rate lags even in single player. So far my experience with borderlands 2 has been good as it is playable and there is no laggy frame rate issues.
    But with that said the actual back-end of the game is a mess. transferring saves doesn't work as it was supposed to. I have over 2600 hours into borderlands 2 on the 360 alone and was kind of pissed to find my B.A.R. didn't transfer over neither did my 100+ golden keys.
    the game interface wasn't really that big of a deal to me, but i can see where others are upset. paying 60 bucks for what is basically a scaled down PC version is kinda lame on gearboxes part. but i guess this just wouldn't be a gearbox game if there wasn't some sort of deceit bundled in.    … Expand
  4. ChiaFetus
    Mar 25, 2015
    6
    Meh. Everyone who is saying this is a steal has never had the opportunity to buy the GOTY edition on steam for less than 10 bucks. I got two copies, so me and my kid and wife could play. It doesn't look bad, but I certainly don't think it's worth 60 bucks. The anti aliasing is pretty rough on the PS4 edition and the lack of PhysX also kind of sucks. I really enjoy the Borderlands series,Meh. Everyone who is saying this is a steal has never had the opportunity to buy the GOTY edition on steam for less than 10 bucks. I got two copies, so me and my kid and wife could play. It doesn't look bad, but I certainly don't think it's worth 60 bucks. The anti aliasing is pretty rough on the PS4 edition and the lack of PhysX also kind of sucks. I really enjoy the Borderlands series, but this should have been $49.99 or below.… Expand
  5. Captiosus
    Apr 7, 2015
    5
    Despite my quibbles with the way Borderlands 2 changed up the loot system and seemed to eschew the loot crawling of Borderlands 1 for a more 'raid boss' oriented approach with an over reliance on story, I generally felt it was a solid game. I was less enthused about The Pre-Sequel but it still seemed like a fun romp at its core, given that it was built on the original Borderlands 2. It'sDespite my quibbles with the way Borderlands 2 changed up the loot system and seemed to eschew the loot crawling of Borderlands 1 for a more 'raid boss' oriented approach with an over reliance on story, I generally felt it was a solid game. I was less enthused about The Pre-Sequel but it still seemed like a fun romp at its core, given that it was built on the original Borderlands 2. It's sad, then, that I feel compelled to knock The Handsome Collection down a few pegs. Why, you ask? Two words: Shoddy porting.

    Graphically, the game is a mess. Both Borderlands 2 and BL:TPS suffer severe frame rate problems and stuttering. These effects are especially pronounced with elemental effects and are reminiscent of the frame drops of Borderlands 1's corrosive weapons. You WILL regularly suffer points in the game where your frame rate will drop into the low 20s - perhaps even lower with more people. And it's not like the anti-aliasing, depth of field, or bloom effects are particularly top notch enough to justify these drops.

    Additionally, the sound is, at best, wonky in both games. In heavy firefights, it's not uncommon to have significant audio lag. It almost sounds as though the game just can't process all the audio channels it's trying to, so some sounds get clipped or muted outright.

    You could play it at 1080p with more consistent frame rates on PC at a much lower price tag. It's hard for me to recommend this version with these porting issues.    … Expand
  6. RedWulfr
    Dec 27, 2015
    7
    I have heard so much of this game so when i started to play i was automatically disappointed. Running around grabbing resources for a couple of clowns without any real reason isnt my bag of skates.
  7. HenriqueV
    Sep 7, 2015
    6
    Borderlands 2 is a great game. Easily one of the best shooters I've played in years. Skill tree is very intuitive.

    Graphics are amazing, even considering its now running on PS4. Story is cool with many memorable characters. I just love the unique art style and sarcastic vibe the whole game. Its easily to say its one of the best good looking games ever made, but I have to admit I    Borderlands 2 is a great game. Easily one of the best shooters I've played in years. Skill tree is very intuitive.

    Graphics are amazing, even considering its now running on PS4. Story is cool with many memorable characters.

    I just love the unique art style and sarcastic vibe the whole game. Its easily to say its one of the best good looking games ever made, but I have to admit I thought the PS4 port could do a little better in this aspect.

    To other side we are talking a PS4 game released in 2015. Perhaps its was okay to forgive the bad vehicle gameplay and many "prince is in another castle" quests in 2012. The cutscenes are actually videos, and if that was already outdated in 2012, at this moment it makes the game look coming out of the museum.

    Borderlands 2: 8/10

    The Pre Qual is an uninspiring game. Very limited compared to Borderlands 2, smaller scenarios, many moments are just copy and paste from Borderlands 2, repetitive missions and annoying quests. Only graphics are an improvement from Bordelands 2. 4/10.

    Borderlands The Handsome Collection: 6/10. One last generation great game, plus one mediocre one, with all side content added.

    Overall decent release that should be played by those who never played Borderlands 2 before, a classic of Sci-Fi RPG.    … Expand
  8. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jun 12, 2019
    6
    A word of warning here, re-playing Borderlands 2 for example can leave a more sour taste for old veteran players returning in 2019, back in the day ~ BL2 was amazing looter shooter game, mostly because the competition in the genre was none-existent and we wasn't spoiled like we are now.

    After replaying BL2, its painfully obvious to see all the major flaws and highly frustrating    A word of warning here, re-playing Borderlands 2 for example can leave a more sour taste for old veteran players returning in 2019, back in the day ~ BL2 was amazing looter shooter game, mostly because the competition in the genre was none-existent and we wasn't spoiled like we are now.

    After replaying BL2, its painfully obvious to see all the major flaws and highly frustrating quest/level design that plagues the game, not to mention heavily padded content such as being forced to re-visit areas or super vague quests among other issues. Some areas can be downright annoying as hell, its highly possible..in fact highly likely you'll suffer the occasional 'unfair' death with enemies spawning right behind you and putting you in FFYL before you get a chance to react, some monsters are seriously overpowered especially in the DLCs.

    Some quests are really meant for co-op mode but are not labelled especially poorly labelled raid quests like in the Torque DLC, granted you can 'cheese' the battle to finish the DLC solo.

    As for the DLC, its 'free' which is nice but honestly ~ only a few of the DLC packs was ever any good such as Tiny Tina's assault on dragonkeep being perhaps the best one, the rest are either bad or just so-so.

    In a nutshell, with Borderlands 3 on the horizon many people who played the originals back on the PS3 might re-visit Pandora and this is my warning that re-playing could hurt your original conceptions of a great game, that being said ~ The handsome collection is still fun to play, with some re-playability for old veterans if raiding bosses and then battling to grab the 'shared loot'

    The pre-sequel isn't a bad game either, its just much more safer with less frustrating aspects to be honest, its got its share of issues but frankly its just a so-so game.    … Expand
  9. Phil_Panteleit
    May 19, 2015
    7
    The Pre Sequel was great. Jack was always a prick,LOL. Played the entire story and the majority of the side missions with a buddy and it was a lot of fun. Some side missions can seem the same but for the most part a very enjoyable experience. Gonna start part 2 tonight.
  10. Itzderpy123
    Apr 4, 2015
    5
    To be honest, I was not impressed with this game. Well, specifically Borderlands: The Pre Sequel. It was amazing to revisit all the great experiences I had with Borderlands 2 on my PlayStation 3, especially with all the DLC I never had on my last PlayStation. Borderlands 2 will always be a five out of five in my opinion, but 2K Australia's Pre Sequel was kind of a let down. It was set onTo be honest, I was not impressed with this game. Well, specifically Borderlands: The Pre Sequel. It was amazing to revisit all the great experiences I had with Borderlands 2 on my PlayStation 3, especially with all the DLC I never had on my last PlayStation. Borderlands 2 will always be a five out of five in my opinion, but 2K Australia's Pre Sequel was kind of a let down. It was set on the moon, which meant always jumping around looking for oxygen and a weak knife attack while playing as Claptrap. However, I did enjoy when I actually heard my character speak to his/her acquaintances. Still, Borderlands: The Pre Sequel had horrible classes, even though they added Handsome Jack to the list of playable characters. Not only is there a weird story, you also get to go through the whole story waiting for the agony to end. The only real reason for buying this game is Borderlands 2 (mainly because of the DLC included and to play it again on your next-gen console), or I guess The Pre Sequel if you actually enjoyed it. Five for Borderlands 2, zero for the other one.… Expand
  11. Boottothehead
    May 11, 2015
    6
    The only reason that I am not giving this a MUCH higher score is because the pre-sequel is almost unplayable. Borderlands 2 and the DLC are amazing. However my girlfriend and I play in split-screen coop and on The Pre-Sequel the crosshairs are about an inch offset which makes aiming a nightmare. Additionally just about every aspect of The Pre-Sequel is inferior to BL2. The playerThe only reason that I am not giving this a MUCH higher score is because the pre-sequel is almost unplayable. Borderlands 2 and the DLC are amazing. However my girlfriend and I play in split-screen coop and on The Pre-Sequel the crosshairs are about an inch offset which makes aiming a nightmare. Additionally just about every aspect of The Pre-Sequel is inferior to BL2. The player animations look like something out of a Scooby Doo movie and the game involves a LOT of verticality (quest items are often placed very high up on buildings etc). The problem is that the map has no layer support so you can run around a long time looking for an objective that is above / below you. This was also a problem in BL2 but to a much lesser extent. My gf and I played Borderlands 2 start to finish twice and decided to play the Pre-Sequel next. We were so incredibly disappointed by the lack of polish and bugs that we quit playing it altogether.… Expand
  12. Lewis-Angelo
    Nov 13, 2018
    7
    para mi gusto Borderlands Pre-Secuel es el mejor título de la saga

    empieza un poco lento en la primera zona, en la segunda y la tercera está mucho mejor y cuenta mucha historia y lore
    luego el dlc de Claptrap es simplemente genial, con uno de los mejores doblajes que he escuchado

    en cambio Borderlands 2 es más largo que un día sin pan
  13. dingobreath
    Nov 29, 2019
    7
    Just played through this after a long time. I felt exactly the same way as i did playing it last gen. Essentially the game sends you to areas of the map to clear that area to progress the story. The game includes borderlands 2 and all its expansions and dlc which is a grest deal. Cutting to the chase this game is all about the guns and gameplay. My initial impression made me think thatJust played through this after a long time. I felt exactly the same way as i did playing it last gen. Essentially the game sends you to areas of the map to clear that area to progress the story. The game includes borderlands 2 and all its expansions and dlc which is a grest deal. Cutting to the chase this game is all about the guns and gameplay. My initial impression made me think that this game is fantastic and it is. But the story was so so over the long term for me.

    + solid shooting mechanics
    + co op and couch co op
    + addictive collecting loot
    + long game

    - space expansion doesnt run as well as main game.
    - may sometimes get lost due to bad mission markers or level design.
    - the driving mechanics have not improved still floaty as ever

    I enjoyed the game. But dont think ots a classic by all means. The main draw is gameplay and co op here.    … Expand
  14. Br_AgSs
    Apr 2, 2020
    7
    Awesome games, kinda boring playing alone tho. This PS4 version its nice but its not that different from the old gen.
  15. NazgulzLegacy
    Jul 3, 2019
    7
    To hard for soloplayers, grinding in fps is not fun, especially when exp drops to almost zero if you fight anything 2 levels lower.
  16. DengKevin
    Aug 7, 2019
    6
    I think the game shows off its age in 2019 with the outdated graphics.

    The game in 2019 feels lifeless and kind of feels boring repetitive. Especially with the weak soundtrack in the background when playing
  17. chosebine
    Jun 2, 2019
    7
    Good spicy mix with some good Storyline ans good fashion design on the antagonist
  18. DevilSurvivor
    Nov 19, 2021
    6
    This collection in digital form ruined my save file from the physical version. If you switch to the digital version, it doesn't consider it as the same game (which isn't the case for other games) and therefore makes your save files unplayable.

    There's only one good game here and it's 2. Everything else is passable.
  19. Agt_Killionaire
    Oct 7, 2022
    5
    I like the game but after playing it 70% of the way through, the game got stale for me.

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PS4 Game of 2015
39
#39 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
54
#54 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 49
  3. Negative: 0 out of 49
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2015
    80
    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]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 1, 2015
    70
    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]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 26, 2015
    90
    Amazing value for newbies and borderline amazing to look at for veterans, this has a little something for everybody. [May 2015, p82]
See all critic reviews »