Borderlands Hands On at E3

With the barrage of images and information it can be hard for some games to stand out as fatigue and exhaustion can all take their toil.

As I write this I am running on roughly 3 hrs sleep I the last day and a half and that included a six and a half hour drive to the venue through rush hour traffic and a very full schedule of meetings.

So while the day is a whirlwind of games, names, facts, and images, ones that stand out at the days end are ones that I will want to be sure to write about first.

With that in mind, Borderlands: The Pre Sequel was such a delight that I had to make the time to write about it first and pushing fatigue aside, I am going to chronicle my wonderful hands on experience of earlier today.

After checking in for my meetings with 2K, I was seated in a domed theater to get a brief rundown on what to expect in the game from non other than Handsome Jack himself. The focus was on low gravity combat that allowed gamers to leap greater distances, knock enemies in the air, and perform crushing landings on unsuspecting foes.

When time to play the game came around the mechanics, gameplay, and controls will be familiar to anyone who has played either of the previous two games in the series. With the use of special air zones where atmosphere is present, players are able to restock their supply and literally catch their breath.

I was taken by the ability to cover great distances in leaps and bounds and noticed how running was hindered thanks to the gravity of the moon. The combat was fast and innovative and I took great pleasure in reducing foes to slag with my arsenal which for this demo consisted of energy, acid, and projectile weapons. I loved shattering an enemy into a million floating pieces when a team mate froze them. There was a great mix of bad guys as well ranging from creatures to more human enemies and of course the signature banter between your handler and the enemy is always fun especially when your ally goes by the moniker of Pickles and would give Tiny Tina a run for the least sane award.

Fans will be happy to know the graphics, customizations, and humor of the series is alive and well and I delighted in every second of my gameplay and was happy that I avoided shuffling off my mortal coil during the test which is rare for me as I am used to playing shooters on a PC as I find console controllers a bit slow for this type of game.

My early concerns that the game might be mainly an extended DLC was quickly quashed as the game was so much fun to play and gives fans more of what they love in the series without appearing to rehash things In a new setting.

One thing is for sure, there is plenty of action left in the series so grab your friends and get ready for a wild ride when it ships.