Borderlands 3: PS4 Review

Borderlands 3: PS4 Review

Developed by Gearbox
Released by 2K Games
Platform: PS4

Borderlands 3 is exactly what you'd expect from a Borderlands game.

That sounds like both praise and also damnation of the title, and in fairness, it is.

The FPS returns to its roots, proving that everything old is new again, but still leaves you feeling that what's worth it as a game is worth sinking your time into it.

This time, the action's set across a few planets as baddies and cult-leading twins Tyson and Tyreen Calypso look to use the powers from hidden vaults on various planets to rule the cosmos. And as usual, it's up to you to stop it.

New playable characters, with expansive abilities and skills, make Borderlands 3 feel fresh, but for anyone who's already played (and no doubt, loved) the Borderlands games, (and to some extent this year's Rage 2) there's much that feels familiar here.

From comic interludes from Claptrap to cartoony shooter action, Borderlands 3 offers enough to keep loot hunters interested, and yet also feels occasionally like an episodic put-it-down-pick-it-up game that's also benefiting from short bursts of player interest.

The misfits banding together edges work well, and the cartoony graphics and nature also feels enticing enough, and there are plenty of fights which are tough enough to carry out to keep the most ardent Borderlands fan engaged.

Yet newcomers to the franchise may feel there's not quite enough to feel fresh for those willing to dip their toes in. Certainly the more juvenile edges of the dialogue stand out, as does the constant waves of characters that exist simply to be shot and use up your ammo, before sending you to face a final big boss.

That said, Borderlands 3 offers enough to entice vault hunters back to Pandora. And the fact it's been one of the biggest launches in 2K's history would have history more on the positive side than the naysayers.