It's just a shame that a few blemishes hold Borderlands 3 back from being as truly exceptional as its older sibling. Gearbox also took the time to listen to its fans for this sequel, delivering on long requested features like separate loot instancing, talking protagonists, and level scaling for drop-in/drop-out co-op. Shooting feels fast and furious, and every weapon somehow manages to appear handcrafted despite the procedural generation working away behind all those delicious loot drops. Still, when it comes to gameplay, this is the best Borderlands has ever been. The game is a bit of a poorly optimised mess, for starters, especially when playing on PC or in local splitscreen, and though Borderlands 2 was just about able to get away with its unique sense of internet humour in 2012, that same brand of juvenile comedy just doesn't quite land as effectively seven years later, especially with two villains – The Calypso Twins – nowhere near as memorable as Handsome Jack.

Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Oneīorderlands 3 improves upon almost every line of the signature franchise recipe, but seems to forget about some of the most important ingredients in the process. Sure, the story is threadbare at best (with a near unforgivable cop out of an ending), and Gearbox's now famous formula for infinite guns is at its most rudimentary here, but all the most successful strands of the series' DNA made their debut in the original Borderlands, and for that, we're eternally grateful. With its scrappy nature and unique 'FPS meets RPG' elevator pitch, Borderlands instantly captured our attention, and there's still something alluring about it's off-kilter space western vibe.

More than that, when you consider the history of how Borderlands came to be, and Gearbox's last minute decision to switch to the series' now iconic art style, you'll be even more impressed with the game's achievements for its time.

The original Borderlands will forever have a special place in fans' hearts, as the game that started everything all the way back in 2009. Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch

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