Tales From The Borderlands: Episode 1 - Zer0 Sum

 Xbox One
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 67
  3. Negative: 8 out of 67

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  1. youlouz
    Jan 25, 2015
    8
    TellTale games have outdone themselves with this video game.

    PROS
    -Amazing graphics
    - Intriguing story
    -Smooth Combat

    CONS
    -Slow Gameplay .
  2. jcarl663
    Nov 27, 2014
    9
    It's nice to see TTG move away from the drama genre, and teaming up with the weirdos over at Gearbox, they've made something truly fun and memorable. I didn't think they could make a first person shooter into a story driven tale, but every moment feels like a truly authentic Borderlands experience. Oh, and those loads times are still not great.
  3. Whiston532
    Dec 2, 2014
    9
    I'm not a big Borderlands fan, so when this was released on Live I decided to give it a shot solely on it being TTG, and boy am I satisfied. As far as gameplay goes, it's still the same old TT style of choosing conversations to steer the story, plus the unfortunately still occasionally clumsy Interactive gameplay segments that are essentially the bulk of all combat. But there isn't tooI'm not a big Borderlands fan, so when this was released on Live I decided to give it a shot solely on it being TTG, and boy am I satisfied. As far as gameplay goes, it's still the same old TT style of choosing conversations to steer the story, plus the unfortunately still occasionally clumsy Interactive gameplay segments that are essentially the bulk of all combat. But there isn't too much, so it's acceptable.

    Where the games strength lies is in its writing. I enjoyed TTs writing in previous series' like TWD and TWAO. But I'd personally say this games writing is a step above. The inclusion of a lot more humor feels appropriate despite the rather harsh and brutal setting, which I guess has always been Borderlands style. But it's executed well here. I wouldn't call the writing perfect exactly, there's some cliches and odd writing moments. But all in all I enjoy it, and I'm relatively hard to please normally with writing.

    The one negative thing I'd say is that if I had one big negative on TT games it's that, despite choices that do occasionally carry weight, most of the time you realistically always end up in the exact same spot. I get and understand why this is (having a hundred different endings would be insane) but at the same time occasionally it gets shoehorned in when your straying a bit off the eventual end result. This is actually kept to a relative minimum this time around. Granted its only part 1, so it's still just branching out, well see how it goes from here. That being said, there is one big moment near the end where your presented with a few different options. But it's obvious no matter what you choose, if you go A,B,C or D, X will always happen.

    Side notes. Loading times are a bug, plus it has the almost traditional TT occasional running issues. I'd say about a Third of all the scenes started with weird bugging, including having the audio play to a blank screen, only for the video and audio to replay seconds later. Weird and unfortunate but never game breaking. Although I had one part where it felt like the game crashed, but eventually worked itself out.

    The length is VERY satisfying. I felt myself wondering if they had released the whole thing at once at a point.

    TLDR: Good writing and VO. Cool characters that do need some inevitable development but a good start, technical issues are buggy but not terrible, should have been ironed out at this point in TTs existence i feel, gameplay is the same from TWD season 2 and TWAU both good and bad, great length for its value. Is enjoyable for non-borderlands fans. Worth buying.    … Expand
  4. TheQuietGamer
    Dec 16, 2017
    8
    Telltale nails the look and feel of the Borderlands series. This opening episode is a blast. Zer0 Sum's introductory tale is about two different groups of swindlers whose cons go wrong, forcing them to work together. Their uneasy alliance is plagued by danger at every turn. Of course this being Pandora and all, hilarity and craziness ensue.

    The writing and presentation here is some    Telltale nails the look and feel of the Borderlands series. This opening episode is a blast. Zer0 Sum's introductory tale is about two different groups of swindlers whose cons go wrong, forcing them to work together. Their uneasy alliance is plagued by danger at every turn. Of course this being Pandora and all, hilarity and craziness ensue.

    The writing and presentation here is some Telltale's strongest. The scenes are very cinematic and the voice acting is nothing short of perfect. Expect to see some familiar names in the cast. The humor is on point. Every joke sticks. Right from the get go it manages the characters manage to hook you, even if you don't know who to trust. Player choice still plays a key role in things, but don't expect any big decisions here. Instead what we get a more personal moments that define what the cast thinks of each other. Perfectly fine, but a little disappointing and hopefully not the trend going forward.

    There's much more action than is typical for a Telltale game. The sequences themselves are well-done and befitting of a tie-in to the popular FPS/RPG hybrid series. This is some Telltale's best work with this kind of thing. There's a new two-protagonist system that sees you switching back and forth between different perspectives regular intervals in the story. It's a great new way Telltale expanded upon their established formula.

    Zer0 Sum is something for both Telltale and Borderlands fans. Great characters, strong writing, and subtle changes to the episodic formula the developer is known for, all make for a compelling and highly enjoyable first episode. Whether or not the rest of the game will hold up has yet to be seen, but so far it looks like Tales from the Borderlands might just be Telltale's best game since the first season of The Walking Dead. It could possibly even surpass it.    … Expand
  5. Kenmei
    Dec 28, 2014
    8
    A good opening chapter for the Tales from the Borderlands. Telltale really did a wonderful job conveying the overall general tone from the regular borderlands games into a story-driven piece. Plus the stellar voice acting by the awesome group, including Patrick Warburton of Family Guy and Venture Brothers fame, really do a great job of selling you that this world, while extremely violentA good opening chapter for the Tales from the Borderlands. Telltale really did a wonderful job conveying the overall general tone from the regular borderlands games into a story-driven piece. Plus the stellar voice acting by the awesome group, including Patrick Warburton of Family Guy and Venture Brothers fame, really do a great job of selling you that this world, while extremely violent and and brutal, is still very fun and extremely hilarious. I love the Borderlands subject matter, not so much the gameplay. This was a way to experience a story from the universe without having to slog through the tedious gameplay. There are some major technical issues here, including quite a number of lag points, audio glitches, and where the audio and the video don't meet up. I was almost about to give up on the game because of technical issues but I"m glad I didn't. Everything here is super fun and anyone who likes what the world of Borderlands can bring, needs to give this a shot as it's a really good first episode. The technical issues however, need to be straightened out for the remaining episodes.… Expand
  6. Greenmember
    Feb 10, 2015
    7
    I love Telltale for all that they do, I just don't see this first episode as anything incredible or worth high praise. The core characters are fun and likable to a degree, and the Borderlands sense of humor is nailed. It's nice to see a cameo from the main games as well, which was probably the highlight for me as well as the excellent voice talent. The gameplay that we normally see in theI love Telltale for all that they do, I just don't see this first episode as anything incredible or worth high praise. The core characters are fun and likable to a degree, and the Borderlands sense of humor is nailed. It's nice to see a cameo from the main games as well, which was probably the highlight for me as well as the excellent voice talent. The gameplay that we normally see in the point and click adventures has some fun variety to it but overall the story itself doesn't stand out too much, which is what these games are known for. I'm optimistic for the future and this episode was by no means bad, it's more of a 7.5 for me, but it wasn't exceptional either.… Expand
  7. Achtlos
    Jan 12, 2015
    8
    Big borderlands fan and big telltale fan... so biased totally. Not plagued with frame drops like wolf within. Good plot, fun characters. Better than the game of thrones game.
  8. ITZZZPERRY
    Nov 13, 2015
    8
    Tales From The Borderlands: Episode One- Zero Sum is another one of Telltale'a finest. It sets up an engaging plot with likeable characters, and even makes a franchise not known for its story full of life.
  9. cish
    Oct 20, 2015
    6
    I am a huge Borderlands fan and this was my first ever telltale game played. While I am a fan of borderlands I found the way this game plays to be boring. The humor is great but I often found myself falling asleep while playing. This episode was average compared to the other 4.
  10. Ray6701
    Nov 7, 2021
    10
    Awesome masterpiece wow amazing graphics cool bro experience great story mode

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
61
#61 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
70
#70 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Feb 9, 2015
    90
    Telltale's take on normal people trying to be Vault Hunters is off to a great start. [Issue#257, p.74]
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jan 31, 2015
    70
    A good effort at bringing the OTT planet of Pandora down to earth for a game that's less about guns and more about characters and conversion. [Issue#120, p.74]
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  3. MondoXbox
    Jan 26, 2015
    78
    A surprisingly valid and entertaining story, capable of casting a new light on Borderlands' world. Too bad for its technical problems like huge stutters and the complete absence of an Italian localization, even in subtitles.
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