Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! Early E3 Impressions

An exciting new game I got to try out at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this month was the next installment of the hit Borderlands franchise, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! Yes, the exclamation point is part of the title. 2K Games gave me the opportunity to play the game’s collaborative multiplayer mode, performing a mission for Handsome Jack on a moonbase. It looks like Borderlands fans will have a lot to be excited about for the next offering from Gearbox Software and 2K Australia.

The hands-on demo was proceeded by a fun introduction by Handsome Jack giving a rundown of the game’s new features and mechanics. The video was hilarious and featured some great, comedic lines from the amusing Handsome Jack. My partner and I controlled Athena for the Pandora moon base level map. The basic gist of the level is to invade the enemy bases and appropriating the bases under Handsome Jack’s control.

The moon base map was a lot of fun to play, and the controls expertly mimic walking on a lunar surface which has less gravity and no atmosphere. Throughout the moon area, there are various spots that have an artificial atmosphere. If you leave this area, it becomes harder to move and breathe. You only have a limited amount of oxygen outside of this area, so you have to move quickly or you will suffocate.

The moon is filled with various enemies and moon rock monsters to dispatch. Controls and first-person shooter combat is very smooth and responsive. The characters in the game now have some new abilities in the outer-space environments. With your oxygen tank/jet pack, you can make longer, super-sized jumps. Once you are in the air, you can drop in a ground smash attack. Another special attack is a new hand-held energy shield; think Captain America. The weapons I enjoyed using the most in the demo were the freeze gun and the weapon with acid projectiles. Using the freeze gun is fun because you can freeze an enemy and then ground smash him to bits.

I really love the unique, colorful art style for Borderlands. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! is no exception. Graphics and visuals look smooth and fluid. I really enjoy the character models with heavy, black outlines. It makes the games look like a graphic novel that has come to life. The level designs were quite big and elaborate. The designers made a great job of making the player feel like he or she is walking on a moon.