Gearbox: Borderlands 3 Not Currently Being Developed, and That's a GOOD Thing.

     Over at Polygon, Randy Pitchford made some comments sure to dishearten all of us Borderlands fans, but I would like to say, "Hey, this is a GOOD thing."

     Firstly, there's this:

     "We are not working on Borderlands 3," he said, "We have more to do in the franchise, but no there isn't a Borderlands 3."

     "When you think of what Borderlands 3 should be, it should be massive," Pitchford said. "It should be bigger and better than Borderlands 2. It should carry forward the story. It's probably crazy multiplatform, depending on timing. It would have to be a next-gen game and a current-gen game, if it was coming at any time in the reasonably near future."

     I cannot argue with this at all.  They want to make something worthwhile to both us the gamers, and worth the brand name they've built.  Why focus a ton of money on making a game on 4 major consoles, PC, and possibly handhelds, when you can make it for just 2 major consoles- eliminate the time and effort of multiplatforming for PS3 and XBox 360.  It's a poor use of resources.
     They are waiting to provide us the better, more excellently produced game we all want.

     Then Pitchford follows with this nice tidbt:

     "We love Borderlands, and we know customers do too. So we will be doing more in Borderlands. But the thing that, when you think of what Borderlands 3 should be... No. We are not developing that right now. We don't know what that is yet. We can imagine what it must achieve, but we don't know what it is yet. I'm not going to fuck around with you like Valve does with Half-Life 3. Look. We know we want it and we know it should exist, but we don't know what it is yet. But we are doing things in Borderlands that we'll announce soon, that are good, and that I think people will be really excited about if you love the franchise."

     Preproduction work and early conceptualizing might be done, but not much more.  Taking a break from it is a good thing to do.  Monetarily they might want to milk the teats off this, but waiting is the smart thing.  They are focusing on their other IPs like Homeworld, Brothers in Arms, Furious 4, and 2 as yet unnamed IPs.  Sure there is a small chance one of them is Borderworlds, but really- we need a break from Borderlands 2.  Let the creators do other things, and come back with fresh eyes to the next installment.

     We have one more bit of DLC coming for the Borderlands franchise with Sir Hammerlock vs. The Son of Crawmerax, and then some time away.  Besides, there are some Borderlands related things that'll be announced soon enough (as mentioned in Pitchford's quote above).  Some things to tide us over and keep us interested while they are away.  We certainly don't want to have an over-saturated market for the game, and subsequently get burnt-out developers creating less-than-great work.

     Personally, I would rather wait, and have a 3rd game arrive in like 4 years, once the new systems are hitting their stride and pushing the limits of what can be done.  A good, comforting thought- take advantage of the new hardware without needing to limit it to the old generation's capabilities.

     There's plenty for them to add and build from- A complete overhaul on the loot system- more companies, more parts, and MORE VARIANCE!  I have so many guns that are too alike despite being completely different.  Even in the first Borderlands, at least the weapons all had different "feels" if they were similar.
     There's the "only 6 Sirens at one time in the universe" statement.  There's the Seraph's.  The Cult of the Vault.  Companies like Atlus returning to wreak vengeance on other companies.  There are a plethora of things they have to expand on, and I'd rather they take their time to craft a story and game to fit our expectations, so we don't end up with a pile of Skag-crap.

     Considering that Borderlands 2 essentially made them a bazillion dollars, there's definitely something in store for the future of the series, it's probably just in the ideas stage right now.

     Source [ Polygon ]

Borderlands 3 Update: PAX West 2017 Teaser Announcement

     Fans have been clamoring for news of the beloved Gearbox franchise Borderlands for another installment since the Pre-Sequel hit systems in late 2014.  There was the cancelled mobile MMORPG Borderlands Online that looked great, and then we got a tidbit of hope when Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford said at PAX East 2016 that, "Obviously, there is going to be another Borderlands."

     Now, after the lackluster Battleborn, Pitchford came out and stated that Gearbox has 90% of their studio's productivity focused on, "Working on the thing I think most of you guys want us to be working on," heavily insinuating the singular game fans are looking forward to- Borderlands 3, or more likely Borderworlds- a more fitting title after the finale of Borderlands 2.  Many of us are extremely hyped as Gearbox's last game hasn't been nearly as captivating, and they could really use a blockbuster to get fans back.
     While he didn't expressly state the name of the game, as Gearbox is now a publisher and can't officially announce a game until they are formally announced, it was a definite teaser- as some of the tech demo they showed at GDC 2017 featured a very distinct art style (see video above).

     All else that is known is that Battleborn's Art Director Scott Kester is serving in the same role on Borderlands 3, and the original Borderlands' writer Mikey Neumann, will be writing it again.

     Source [ Dual Shockers ]

     For related posts [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Handsome Jack Doppelganger DLC Pack

     This announcement is something I've been waiting for since at least Nov. 15, 2012.  Almost exactly two full years after my post about potential future additional playable DLC characters for Borderlands 2, we get one of the ones I've been wanting.

     So the first DLC pack for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, we get a Jack Doppelganger that summons two Digi-Jacks to back him up.  As the official Borderlands website states:

     Jack has stood by for far too long watching the Vault Hunters go on exciting adventures, so he’s decided to join in on the fun…sort of.  With the Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack, you’ll be able to play as everyone’s favorite maniacal tyrant-in-training, “Jack” the Doppelganger. As “Jack,” you’ll be able to summon multiple Digi-Jacks, which will join you in battle to mow down enemies and earn you more sweet, sweet loot.

     Depending on how you spec out your Skill Trees, these Digi-Jacks can earn you bonuses or even get you a Second Wind in Fight For Your Life. “Jack” can also shoot enemies with wrist lasers, get buffs every time he picks up money (in typical CEO fashion), or even get upgrades for using guns made by specific manufacturers.

     Additionally, there will always be 2 Digi-Jacks on the field.  If one dies, another digi-structs next to you!

     Out of curiosity I wonder if this particular Doppelganger will be Timothy, the one we hear about in the ECHO log recordings from Jack's Office?  Since the one we killed in Opportunity in Borderlands 2 didn't have the surgery, he used the pocketwatch tech to digi-struct a holographic look of Jack around an engineer, it is more than likely not Timothy, so we could see more of him in Borderlands 2's sequel.  It's a possibility.  I mean with the fact there were multiple body doubles, there could be a few more Jack's still out there...

     The Handsome Jack Doppelganger DLC Pack will be available on Nov. 11.
          It will be released on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. ($29.99 instead of $39.96- $10 off!)
          Price: Free for Season pass holders, $9.99 otherwise.

     Afterward notes.  From what I've read, the Pre-Sequel's DLC's are to be 2 characters (Jack's double, the Baroness, a level cap raise, and one campaign DLC.  This actually makes me a bit angry, I was looking for forward to a slew of small campaign add-ons, instead of two characters and a level cap boost.  Don't get me wrong, I will be playing all of it, but I just want more game.  Even if they are small like the Headhunter Packs it would be great to add more story.  I picked up the season pass under the impression we'd be getting more actual campaign material.

     Plus the fact that it's rumored that both bonus characters and the level cap were already on disc is a little bit aggravating.  (The data was data-mined on the disc by players.)  Granted, that could just be the base coding while they are fixing, patching, and prepping the stuff to add later.

     It just feels like a letdown that we aren't yet getting more story after the wealth of DLC Borderlands 2 got.  The official page above says "the current plans are to include another character, a level cap upgrade, a new campaign, and more!" so I shouldn't worry too much yet.  Perhaps we'll get more short DLC packs or a 2nd season pass.  Borderlands 2 had 4 campaign DLCs and then a ton extras, is it too much to hope for the same here?

     For more of my Borderlands posts [ Click Here ]

Borderlands 3: NEW DLC for Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary

     As has been speculated for the last year or so, it looks as if there will be an absolutely new story DLC for Borderlands 2 coming.  It's been almost 7 years since the game originally launched and this appears to be a bridge between the last game and its highly anticipated sequel.

     According to a post on ResetEra, Twitter user @RobotBrush had spotted the Steam page leak.  Some of the details included things like a level cap raise to 80, new enemies, vehicle skins, rainbow rarity weapons, a major new villain, and a wonderful little fact that it'll be 100% free.  The Steam page has since been taken down but not before having things been screencapped, saved, and noted.

     The leaked description reads:

     "Return to the award winning shooter-looter for a new adventure that sets the stage for the upcoming Borderlands 3. Sanctuary is under siege, the Vault's map has been stolen and a toxic gas is poisoning Pandora. Fight new bosses, explore new zones, get new loot (including an entirely new tier beyond Legendary) and join up with Lilith and the Crimson Raiders to take on a deranged villain hell-bent on ruling the planet. 

     Returning players can pursue an increased level cap of 80, while newcomers can automatically boost to level 30 and dive straight into the action."

     With the HD remasters, new Borderlands 2 DLC, and Borderlands 3 all hitting this year- it's truly the year of the Borderlands.  Now we can only wait and see what other goodies Gearbox might be cooking up for fans.  Personally I hope we get a mobile tie in game, and a plethora of entertainment merchandise like comics and toys.

     And probably the best part of the leak is that...

       ...it claims that Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary drops June 9th!

     Proof of Steam redaction [ Here ]

     Borderlands 3 launches on Sept. 13th.

     Related posts [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands 2: SXSW Interactive This Weekend

     Gearbox will be presenting some stuff at SXSW this weekend: http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1010/gearbox-at-sxsw-2013

Here's a bunch of stuff you'll never actually get!

     That they're doing this itself isn't a surprise, but I am quite curious to see what gets announced this weekend.  Mostly because Gearbox and Mr. Pitchford have been extremely quiet since the massive Aliens: Colonial Marines fiasco.  Personally I believe there is still plenty of hope, despite repeated letdowns from over-hyped Borderlands DLCs and Aliens.  Not much hope left for Aliens to get the fixes it desperately needs, but for them to focus on Borderlands is what'll probably happen.  Take the spotlight off their shame.  Borderlands is their money making work horse, so much so it is hurting their other games.  While I enjoyed the DLC's and Aliens, they were NOTHING like what was advertised. 
     *cough cough*  ...Duke Nukem Forever...  *COUGH!*

     Gearbox- this weekend you will have a chance at redemption.  Surprise us, make us be enthusiastic about Borderlands again.  Tell us what is in store for our beloved Borderlands franchise.  Don't tell us about all the magical fluffy stuff that we want to hear, then not deliver.  We faithful Gearbox gamers want to know that you will make good on the promises made first and then what's to come for the series.  Notably the much larger bank space and the "Massive Expansion" of General Knoxx caliber size and quality.  We want to hear about the new characters and what's coming of the raise in level cap, but ONLY if it's actually going to happen. 

     Because of Gearbox's predictability here's what'll probably be announced:

1)  The alleged 4th "Massive Expansion" DLC is coming.  Possibly before the once stated "July" time.  No real time frame given- most likely to be listed as "soon," but I wouldn't be surprised if they push it off a while.

2)  An additional season pass with 4 more DLC's. 

3)  The 6th character that has been in the works for a while.

4)  Gearbox will be joining the micro-transaction bandwagon for skins, heads, and guns.

5)  Probable addition of 3rd Ultimate Badass playthrough.

6)  Level cap increase.  Or rather, no level cap raise because of [insert excuse here].

7)  Future of the Borderlands-  An announcement of Borderlands 3 or Borderworlds for the next gen systems.

     So with Gearbox's typical vague and over-hyped news, those are the types of things I think we'll get.  Not real answers, just things that a majority of die-hards have already speculated.
     I wouldn't be too off put by these things.  Just getting more DLC's would be nice.  New characters will hopefully keep it interesting enough.  New DLC's will, more than likely, be short, because they can make tons of money for less substance.  None of the 3 released were even remotely as large or good as Knoxx.  Sure there were a lot of backtracking, but the truth is, Knoxx's DLC had like 40+ missions, 2 new vehicles, and an epic Invincible with a TON of new weapons. 
     A note about the guns and loot.  Gearbox- increase the parts types.  I am sick of finding the same exact guns repeatedly.  Sure they may have minuscule differences in ammo capacity or damage, but they are close enough to be the same damn gun.  You can't say there are 87 bazillion guns if 75 bazillion of them are duplicates.  We want actual legendaries that feel NOTHING like the other things we get.  We want guns that have a wide variety of playstyles.  Maybe add a new rarity to introduce the new weapon types.  More differentiation.

     One big item for the hardcore Borderlands-ers is knowing that they planned additional levels for characters (as the Achievement/Trophy states- "For now") then were, as yet, unable to complete the job is crap.  Shouldn't it have been planned WHILE the other 3 trees were being made?  That simple foresight would've been helpful, hearing that the extra levels could be gamebreaking is not. 
     So Gearbox- give us concrete news, not a bedazzled turd.  Gold plated shit is still shit, and all of your supporters know it.  All we ask is honesty.  Don't repeat the mistake of Aliens.

Borderlands 3: Pitchford Teases the Next Installment

     Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, hinted towards the future of their beloved Borderlands series during a PAX East panel earlier today.

     "Obviously, there is going to be another Borderlands."  -R. Pitchford

     Though, for reasons clear to anyone that's played through to the end of Borderlands 2, it may have a completely different name.  Personally, I would think something along the lines of Borderworlds might be much more appropriate.

     In addition, the Battleborn art director will be carried over to the next Borderlands game, and it will be written by Mikey Neumann.  Nuemann has already written the Brothers in Arms games, and is the iconic voice of Borderlands' own Claptrap.

     In the end Pitchford told players to "look deeply" at the upcoming Battleborn DLC for references to the series.

     I'm quite grateful that they've been taking their time, and a break from the series.  It's been quite some time since we heard about a sequel last back in February of 2014, the franchise wasn't being worked on.  It was merely a couple ideas, and now it seems they are actually going to begin with the preliminary stages.  This could be a massive undertaking that could rightfully pay off greatly if handled as well as Borderlands 2 was, especially with the sheer amount of DLC output.

     Source [ Gamespot ] 

     For my other posts from Pandora [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands The Pre-Sequel is Real and Slated for Late 2014!!!

     For the last couple of days I've read and blogged about the rumored Borderlands pre-sequel, a game that was to take place between the first and second game.  Not only is it real, but it also will be an in between game in length along with a ton of new stuff.  Gearbox Software and 2K Australia are making it and quite soon.



     It will definitely take place on the moon of Pandora where Pre-villain Jack needs help to uncrash the Hyperion space station.  In Borderlands 2 we heard Handsome Jack telling everyone how he was the hero of the story, and this will be why he thinks that is true.
     With the Moon base location we'll be getting a bunch of game-changing mechanics involving oxygen.  The oxygen implementation will not only for breathing, but it'll allow for much more in the way of mobility options and even offensive capabilities such as double-jumping, ground pound melee-like attacks/stuns, and air boosts that act like small flight bursts.  This will include a new resource slot that works like a grande mod for 02 (or Oz Pack), and alters the effects of the pack you are using.

     The weapons variety in loot will be increased by the addition of laser weapons and cryo guns.  More loot is always good.

     As for the playable characters, all of which are KNOWN by fans...

- Athena, the Gladiator: Uses her Kinetic Aspis, which is a shield that can absorb incoming damage, then convert it back into energy to use against enemies. Athena made her debut in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC for the first Borderlands game.   

- Wilhelm, the Enforcer: Wilhelm was previously seen in Borderlands 2 as one of the first deadly bosses in the game. 

- Nisha, the Lawbringer: The sheriff of Lynchwood from Borderlands 2, Nisha will be dealing out her own brand of justice, which we'll discuss further in the coming months. 

...and last, but not least...

- Claptrap, the Fragtrap: Wait - Claptrap? The goofy robot companion from Borderlands 2, now playable for the first time? Fragtrap is his character class? Well, you can play him too!

     The Borderlands Pre-Sequel will be released later this year on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.  (No next gen systems sadly)

     Source [ 2K Blog ] 

Borderlands 2: Pitchford Confirms MORE DLC

     During an interview on the The Nerdist podcast, Gearbox head honcho let it out that there will be more to come for Borderlands 2 DLC.  This isn't really unexpected, due to much of the previous news and announcements from Mr. Pitchford.  Many including myself thought there would be plenty more to come.

“We did a Season Pass for Borderlands 2 and the Season Pass was like, ‘hey, if you buy the Season Pass we’re going to be doing four campaign DLCs, but you can get all four of them for the price of three if you buy upfront,’” Pitchford said about Borderlands. “So everyone has this expectation that those would be the four DLCs and then that’s it. We’re going to do more. We’re going to do some other things. We don’t have details yet about it exactly.” 

He added that “I’m not ready to announce what other things are” but that the recently-released Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep “won’t be the end of it.” He concluded by saying, “we’ve got more stuff in the hopper that we’re planning and that we’re getting pretty excited about. So if you are a Borderlands fan, you don’t have to be afraid that that’s the end of it.”

     Really, after Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, I figure they'd put out some more small stuff while focusing on the creation of the third installment for the next gen consoles- being Borderlands 3.
     While Gearbox will probably focus the future DLC's on small things like skin packs or weapon packs, I wonder if we'll actually receive any more story DLC.  Especially because Pitchford mentions that Gearbox is creating an entirely new IP for the next gen systems in addition to the ones they already own- Brothers in Arms, Duke Nukem, Borderlands, and Homeworld.

     As for the future of Pandora in the Borderlands saga, I hope we get a DLC that takes place on the Hyperion Moonbase, which the end of Tina's Assault hints at, which would create a nice segway into the potential Borderworlds from the end of the the main story.
     Regardless, I'll be getting whatever they put out.  That, is also what she said.

Sources [ The Nedrdist: Randy Pitchford ]  [ IGN ] 

Borderlands 3: Possible PAX East Reveal: Randy Pitchford May Have Given Us the First Teaser

     It's been a long time since I've posted here, and even longer since I posted Borderlands related material- but there's some possibly huge news that just came in the form of a wonderful teaser from Gearbox head Randy Pitchford.

     He's posted a Tweet that looks very remeniscent of something out of the beloved Borderlands franchise, pointing towards an announcement of something at PAX East:

I am excite pic.twitter.com/utpP2t5GuC

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) March 12, 2019

     Could we finally see the long awaited announcement and release of the third core installment in the franchise?  I believe so.  There's been a slew of update activity on Steam, countless small leaks, and even this wonderful April Fool's teaser from a year ago:

"Do Not Open the Vaults."

     My hype for the game and blogging has returned.  I look forward to updating and discussing news of Borderlands 3 as it comes.  A Borderlands review was one of my very earliest blog posts (though it corrupted and I lost the page), and Borderlands 2 provided years of content, so the third game can only offer a large amount of content for me to provide- so I hope to hear from many of you fans again in the coming months.

For related posts [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands 2: Cross Save Patch Coming Friday (and a Mini-Review)

Shoot us now and be done with it.

     Gearbox Head Randy Pitchford Tweeted earlier today about the still unusable PS Vita/Ps3 cross-save function for the new Vita version of Borderlands 2:

Questions re: BL2 vita/ps3 x-save? I'm told PS3 update will happen Friday. Fingers crossed - it's totally out of our hands.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 14, 2014

     EDIT: UPDATE: Pitchford has since released another date, Tuesday May 20th.
 
    It appears that the game has suffered numerous setbacks since it's early launch date on the 6th.  Only a week before launch did we learn that the originally touted four player co-op had been reduced to a mere 2 player game, but the highly anticipated cross-save feature was completely missing on release.

     Now we've also heard that if our cross-save characters are above the Vita's player cap of 61, we won't earn any more exp., nor will be able to use any of the inventory items those characters have from the Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack 2, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, or Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.  So roughly 80% of all my level 61 plus characters will be rendered useless due to incompatibility of their inventories.

Zero Skill Points.  That sounds about right for this port.

     This news is just one more nail in the coffin- all the frame rate issues, sluggish motion, unresponsive controls (the rear touchpads are horrendous here),  extremely poor hitbox detection, and lagging of controls, visuals, and sound- the PS Vita version of Borderlands 2 is one giant pile of crap.  Iron Galaxy may have tried their best, but it wasn't even close to hitting the mark in any way.  Maybe they should've tried focusing on just porting the main campaign instead of cramming in an already humongous amount of substance.  As much of it as I've played makes me feel frustrated that I paid money to support the Borderlands franchise on the Vita after almost 2 years of supporting and purchasing all the various DLCs, and I'm quite regretful of that decision.

     All of the game's worst problems are quite magnified when compressed into such a small form- and the constant argument of the Vita's hardware limitations seem unrealistic, as Killzone: Mercenary was quite phenomenal, as were Gravity Rush, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Little Big Planet.  It can be done.

     In the end, it's sad to say, but this is Borderlands 2 chewed up and regurgitated into a mess that is like trying to play a sloppy slideshow instead of a game.  Perhaps someday Gearbox will release a smaller game with better controls- something like a combination of the Headhunter Packs and a full DLC as a Borderlands on the Vita.  Or, better yet, maybe they should make something Vita exclusive and really make it shine instead of cramming a whale-sized game into a can.  It was an ambitious project, but not well done and the few merits in the game definitely don't balance out the issues.

     Good gods, there were plenty of times I counted a full three seconds before the shot I fired registered, killed, and exploded enemies.  It goes from annoying to almost impossible to play when it's this consistently choppy.  All the fun has been drained out of the game and this is what was left.  Another 6 months of work could possibly have helped this game perform better, but as it sits, I can't honestly recommend it to either Vita fans or Borderlands fans.

     Here were my initial impressions of the Vita version [ Launch Day Problems... ]

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught

     Today 2K Australia and Gearbox have announced the 2nd DLC pack for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.  It will consist of two parts.  The first being the paid portion, The Holodome Onslaught, and a second free portion, the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack (a free patch)- which adds 10 more levels (10 more skill points!!!) and a 3rd playthrough that scales all enemies to at least your level.  It also has the additional benefit of allowing players to reset the campaign progress at any time!

     Here's the official blurb about the Holodome DLC:

     This add-on pack features all-new narrative content including appearances from veteran Vault Hunters Gaige and Axton, who recently returned to the Crimson Raiders HQ. While they were gone on a mission, they missed out on the events of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and ask Athena to recount the story. Since they’re not the most patient badass Vault Hunters on Pandora, they just want an abbreviated version – only the juicy, violent stuff. 

     As Athena tells the tale, you’ll play through The Holodome Onslaught, a new challenge arena where you’ll fight wave after wave of foes, including some of The Pre-Sequel’s most memorable badasses as well as several new enemies. You’ll also be able to earn new weapons, new class mods, and some radical new heads and skins.

     This DLC will add a little more narrative and a lot more slaughter, mimicking most players' least favorite Borderlands DLC Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot.  This is still better than simply a new character, although I really enjoy the Handsome Jack Doppelganger, and it is adding a bit more story for all of us that are looking for more expansion of the Borderlands saga.
     It is a little disappointing for those of us that bought the Pre-Sequel Season Pass hoping for 4 campaign enhancing story-based DLCs and instead getting a character and a horde mode for the first two, but maybe they'll expand with extra DLCs like Borderlands 2 did with all the bite-sized Holiday add-on Headhunter Packs.

     The Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught will be available Dec. 16th and will be available on PSN, Xbox Live, PC, Mac, and Linux.  If you have purchased the Season Pass it will be free, if not it will be $9.99.

     Source [ Borderlands Official ]

Borderlands 2 Countdown: 2 Weeks

     With only 2 weeks until Borderlands 2- the excitement is getting too much.  I've been seeing numerous new trailers that are giving small but very insightful hints at new game mechanics and weapons.  Gearbox is really taking Borderlands to an unbelieveable new level.

     I've also heard that there are already 4 DLCs planned to be released by June 2013.  There seems to be some people worried about it being to rushed in a small amount of time.  That's an intense schedule for them, but they have had a few years of prep time and whatnot to produce mass quantities of extra material.  I mean didn't all the DLCs for Borderlands 1 come out in a shorter time span?  I have no worries about the quantity or quality. 
     Really, the only DLC I personally didn't like was Moxxi's Underdome.  The horde waves are fun, but the no save point thing is fairly absurd.  The plus side of Moxxi's was THE BANK!!!  It was the only reason I used the Underdome after beating it.

     Anyway here's my most recent character from Borderlands 1 of which I'm eating up time until part 2 arrives:

My most recent  Lilith

Most recent character:
Lilith-
Pangolin PNG-700AWE Enduring Shield
Transfusion grenades
Pangolin Defender mod(+45% team shield capacity, +3 resilience,+3 diva,+4 inner glow) 
HX 4 Steel Anarchy(Torgue)
HX 430 C, KKA340 C, and HX200 B Combustion Hellfires
Sledge's Shotgun: The Legend Lives
SV12 Double Savior(Tediore)

     The Anarchy is for in-your-face fun.
     Sledge's Shotty for path clearing. (I laugh at seeing the pushback sending enemies flying!!!  Super hilarious to send a pack of crazy midgets sailing through the air)  This is great for close quarters destruction. I absolutely love this weapon. (Much more useful with Roland as a highly effective weapon for his CAUTERIZE skill along with shotgun ammo clip enhancers. A single pull of the trigger can fully heal with an 8 in 1 clip unload from this gun.)

     The Saviour is to regenerate the severe SMG ammo depletion from the Anarchy above(82 clip with a 13+ fire rate), and general run and gunning from a fair distance.
     And the Hellfires I switch back and forth through to burn the crap out of everything.  Wonderful fleshy-frying crowd control.  (Occasionally I flip to a pestilant stinger for armor corrosive goodness)
     Primarily I've been using Lilith for jumping into and assisting people in their last minute Trophy runs(PS3).  Once I finished the awful Trophy cleanup myself a while back- I had a PS3 Yellow light of doom and lost ALL my game saves- Mass Effect 2, Red Dead, Borderlands, oh sweet lord, I lost a LOT of half beaten games- so I had to replay everything- I've been periodically diving in to help whenever I can.  Truely the Claptrap Revolution trophies for the Bobbleheads is SUPER ridiculously hard.  It takes forever to get the collectables.  Trophies based on random drops are crap.       But, ANYWAY, for Borderlands the replay wasn't bad at all.  Highly enjoyable, and I found a bunch of others willing to help and share.  So I've been attempting to pay-it-forward because of all that help I received from the various forums I frequent.  !!!THANKS TO ALL OF YOU THAT HELPED ME WHEN I NEEDED IT!!!

     Previous plays I did with other characters were fairly varied.  I had 2 Rolands, one for assault and soldiering focused on pure attack, and one as team support and medic. 
     My Brick was 100% his namesake.  A giant brick to be thrown directly into the path of enemies.  He was all TANK!  Run in and through anything and anyone.  Out of bullets?  No problems here, his fists work just as well.
     Lastly on to the hunter Mordecai.  Of the ways to play Mordecai I tended to lean towards revolvers and Bloodwing.  Sniping is useful when I was acting as distance support, but I preferred revolvers- particularly the pestilant defiler.  Possibly my favorite revolver in the game.  I somehow managed to find a very nice high damage, 6 shot, good scope defiler and it was EPIC!!!

     Well...  two weeks.  TWO FREAKIN' WEEKS!!!  GAAHHHHH...

Borderlands 2 Countdown: ONE WEEK!!!

     Only one week left until many lives become Borderlands centric.

     For this Borderlands 2 countdown post I'll be throwing out possible skill tree layouts for part 2 and that's about it.  Keeping it simple for this post.

Maya tree for support

     First off- for the first character I'll play will be the Siren, Maya.  The focus on the first character will be solely for assisting those first time Borderlands players.  The skill trees are all about healing others (without the insta-resurrect skill- I may add/change that a bit later).  I'll be strictly playing this one with my best friend Nick from at http://infinitywallcomix.com and maybe Todd from http://toddbalthazor.blogspot.com.  Once they get used to it I'll respec the skills a bit.  But this Maya will be 100% for supporting these guys.




Melee based Zer0

     The second character I'll be playing will be Zer0.  He'll be played with my coworkers Craig and Aaron, who are both Borderlands 1 veterans.  We make a hell of a team- each focused on a distinct style.  Craig is going to be a guerrilla heavy combat gunner.  Aaron will probably be Salvador with a tank loadout, possibly Zer0 as sniper. 
     Anyway, my group playing Zer0 will be completely focused on melee attacks and hopefully I can pump a bunch of Badass points into melee and movement speed..


     The last character I'll be posting here is an Axton I'll be either jumping into random games for as a support person or an open game for others to jump into.  Maybe even just have an open online game on my own and let others come and go as they please.  I met a bunch of awesome players during Borderlands 1 playing like that and would be a nice touch to part 2. 



Axton for multiplayer

Borderlands 3: Campaign DLC 4 Teaser Featuring... KRIEG!!!

     It's been a long time since I've written about Borderlands.  I was an early adopter of the first game, and blogged incessantly about the sequel and Pre-Sequel, as well as a lot of the tie-in materials (comics, toys, etc), and a whole lot of self-made Borderlands memes, but Borderlands 3 just didn't capture the magic of 1 or 2.  The story wasn't nearly as well written, but the gameplay was still greatly improved.

     Well, this teaser for Borderlands 3's 4th Campaign DLC has got me hooked again.  It features my favorite playable character in the entire series, Krieg, and I'm eager to see what's become of him

          The full reveal for this DLC will arrive on August 25th. I'll be eagerly awaiting it.

          For related posts [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands 3: Official Announce Trailer: Launch Day & Epic Games Exclusivity

     Well, today is a momentous occasion- we get both great news with the official launch date (Sept. 13th, 2019), alongside some pretty crap news.  We have official confirmation that Borderlands 3 will not launch on Steam, but instead will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for 6 months.

     I don't like to be a naysayer, but this is not a move people like.  The Epic Game Store has been in some serious controversies (primarily the spyware potential and privacy policies/data protection problems- as seen in this wonderful explanation video by Yong Yea).  Steam having competition is a very good thing, but the way things are being handled are not.  Making this worse is the limited features of the store in general.

     I've been a Borderlands supporter since the original launched a decade ago, and this is the first time I will not be buying it on PC.  I will not support it on the Epic Game Store, I absolutely refuse to use it and will wait the 6 months of exclusivity to get it on Steam with my other Borderlands games.  That said, I'll still be purchasing it on Playstation 4 as that is my primary console (outside of PC).

     To read how displeased many, MANY fans are just scan through the responses on the official @Borderlands tweet.  And for even more, the link to the official trailer has a plethora of disapproval throughout the comments section.  It isn't the best idea to crap on Steam users.  Sorry 2K, but this was not a good decision at all.

     For related posts [ Borderlands ]

Borderlands 2: Mad Moxxi and the Wedding Day Massacre Headhunter Review

A Valentine's Innuendo... Bot 5000

     Love is in the air on Pandora.  With the Holiday of Valentine's upon us Moxxi has tasked the Vault Hunters with bringing the long feuding Zafords and Hodunks together- in the form of marrying a pair of star-crossed lovers and creating peace and stopping the clan war.  Two goliaths have produced a giant child and are trying to call off their wedding!
     Along the way you get commentary from Moxxi (Love), Ellie (KILL 'EM ALL!), and Innuendobot 5000 (My hat looks like a penis.).  Nothing too amazing, but still, for $3 it was a decent reason to return to Borderlands 2.

     That is a slightly different take on the previous Seasonal/Holiday-themed Headhunter DLC Packs (TK Baha's Bloody Harvest, The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler, and How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day) where we were sent in to take out a specific boss that was terrorizing the area- we are supposed to be bringing people together, but in true Borderlands spirit we end up causing more havoc and fighting a boss anyway.

     In Wedding Day Massacre we get a bit more than Mercenary Day gave us.  Sure the enemies are all re-skins of previous enemies, but they are entertaining still.  There are drunken Threshers that give you a "contact drunkenness," a really tiny Leprechaun to chase and loot, and a mini-game that involves fishing for mini-bosses.  We also get a few individual lines from Vault Hunters which I would like more of- as I picked Axton for this one, and immediately regretted not choosing Krieg to hear his responses.  The writing here feels much better scripted than the last Headhunter Pack.

An Expected Red Wedding

     Obviously, I would recommend this to any Borderlands fans with the note that combat is just mundane, and this is just a small excuse to play the game for an extra hour- culminating in a way that anyone that is familiar with the universe should see coming.  It's short and sweet.  A couple short missions in a new area, new heads and skins, and a nice Easter Egg.  Not much, mind you but it's still something.

     As a bite-sized piece of add-on content, I found this one more fun than Mercenary Day, a little better than Wattle Gobbler, and just less than Bloody Harvest.  The fact they are still putting out DLC a year and a half after the main game was released is, quite frankly amazing.  

     For the last piece of Borderlands 2 DLC release coming up- Sir Hammerlock Versus the Son of Crawmerax- I really hope it's a bit longer and is a massive April Fool's Day joke.  Like Claptrap making up "The Son of Crawmerax" to be friend's with Hammerlock because of Hammerlock's general distaste for ole Clappy- but somehow, I would think Claptrap's made up creature would turn out to be real anyway.  I mean, hell- maybe we'll even get to return to a ruined T-Bone Junction?  That would be an end to Borderlands 2 worthy of General Knoxx's great legacy.

A Borderlands 2 Prequel in the Works? (A Pre-Sequel)

     If the rumors are true, CEO Randy Pitchford of Gearbox said that while they aren't currently working on a Borderlands 3, 2K Australia was working on a pre-sequel.  A game to take place in the 5 years between parts 1 and 2.

     This game would be set on both the moon of Pandora, Elpis, and on the Hyperion moonbase that every Borderlands 2 player has dreamed of visiting.  It would be during a time when Jack was simply another Hyperion lackey named John, and the 4 playable characters that sound a little familiar would be his lieutenants:
     1) Former Lance Assassin, the Mercenary Athena the Gladiator (from General Knoxx's DLC).
     2) Wilhelm the Enforcer, whether before he became part loader we can only guess.
     3) Nisha the Lawbringer, sounds a little like the Sheriff of Lynchwood (Jack's Girlfriend).
     4) Fragtrap- a militiarised Claptrap.

     Other rumors include 2 new weapon types, lasers and cryo guns.  There's also a possibility the game will have low gravity mechanics to coincide with jetpacks, and an Oxygen system for continued breathing that may also be exploited for dispatching enemies as well.

     So far, there has been no official confirmation, and I can't be too sure this isn't an elaborate and delayed gag of some sort- but it's also rumored to be set for a late 2014 release on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC- which means no next gen consoles. (I think that would be a tellling fact that it may have been in production for some time if it isn't slated for release on the PS4 or Xbox One.)
     Along with Telltale's Tales From the Borderlands, and the final Headhunter Pack/DLC Sir Hammerlock vs The Son of Crawmerax, this would be another nice addition to sate my Borderlands fandom until they make a Borderlands 3 in like 5 years.
     I certainly hope this is true and we finally get to visit the Moonbase.

     Source [ GamePointsNow ]

Borderlands 2: Telltale Games: Tales From the Borderlands

     It appears that Telltale Games, the creators of The Walking Dead and Back to the Future episodic point-and-click adventure games have been making a move to Gearbox's world of Pandora, with the upcoming Tales From the Borderlands.  As a Borderlands fanatic, I am always looking forward to spending more time in that universe.  While I still wonder why we never got a really good full version of the 8 Bit demake The Border Lands that was a promo for Borderlands 2, this new way of experiencing the beloved series will have to do.
     The first episode is set to arrive in 2014, here is the trailer...

Borderlands 2 Countdown: 2 Days!

     Only a couple days until I shall be enjoying Skag and Psycho slaying with a bazillion other Vault Hunters on Pandora in Borderlands 2.  Well I've been online looking for Borderlands 2 memorabilia and what not and came across a couple interesting things.  I've seen a couple posters that may hint at insanely huge bosses in the game.

      There's something on the creatures of Pandora poster that comes with the Ultimate Loot Chest Edition that makes me wonder about gargantuan enemies.  This I noticed when it was first tossed up online, but I didn't have a reason to post about it.
     This poster makes me wonder if Crawmerax is the smaller of the crab worms because if I recall correctly he was roughly the size of the Rakk Hive. (I circled it in red on the bottom left)  And if Crawmerax is the smaller one, what is that positively titanic larger one???  Granted, I could very well be wrong on this, but it's just that I didn't think Crawmerax was THAT much larger than either the Rakk Hive or Rakkinishu above it on the poster.  I thought he was roughly an equal size with them, which is why I think the larger Craw monster isn't Crawmerax.
 
     Anyway- I also happened to see a massive poster that comes with a GamesMaster magazine that seems to have an enemy that makes Terramorphous look like a baby skag, in size at least.
     I'm curious to find out what it could be, as the poster only shows a mouth and maybe a couple legs.  Perhaps this is another Eridian relic, like a doomsday bio-weapon or something.  Maybe it's something akin to the vault guardian like the end boss of the first Borderlands?  A monstrous god they worshipped?  I don't know, just some thoughts.  Here's the pic, click to make it larger, and a link to the site that has it.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/367686/blog/new-gamesmaster-on-sale-now-with-giant-collectable-borderlands-2-poster/

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: The Claptastic Voyage and Level Cap Increase

     On March 24th (the 25th for PS3 in Europe and Oceania) players will be able to get their hands on the long awaited campaign DLC add-on to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, titled Claptastic Voyage, as well as the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2 being bundled with it.

     "In Claptastic Voyage, Handsome Jack has found something ludicrously powerful within Claptrap’s mind. Never one to turn down a chance for more power, Handsome Jack digitizes the Vault Hunters and sends them inside! Their goal is simple: find the mysterious “H-Source” code and get out of Claptrap’s consciousness without going completely insane. These anti-heroes will have to deal with Claptrap’s personal insecurities, his malware, and digital representations of his crushing loneliness. 

     Claptastic Voyage will answer important Borderlands questions like why Claptrap loves dubstep so much, all while exploring his inner most thoughts. You’ll also get a chance to visit all-new environments, make new friends (and run into some old ones), and get some new gear as well as new unique Achievements or Trophies. On top of that, Claptastic Voyage features a new customizable arena that lets you choose your own gravity settings, enemy difficulty, and more. There’s also a brand new glitched weapons system and many more fun surprises for you to discover."

     These DLC's will be free for season pass holders (4 for the price of 3 at $29.99) and $9.99 individually.  The season pass also has included the already released, Jack's Doppleganger Pack, the 1st Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack (The Holodome Onslaught), and the Lady Hammerlock Pack.

     The DLC Pack will be available on Xbox Live, PSN, PC, Mac, and Linux.

     It is also of note that all of this content will also be included in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems on March 24th (North America) and a few days later (March 27th) internationally.

     Source [ Borderlands ]