Having just hit level 50 this weekend, I felt it was high time I shared my 500/250/100/25 word review of Borderlands with the community.

Image courtesy of Tech-Out (source)

Borderlands is a curious beast. I’ve been playing it every night for weeks, continuing to revisit the desolate wasteland of Pandora even after I came to realize the game was rather boring. There may be no greater example of video games’ storytelling problems and relentless focus on violence instead of characters or narrative. However, I cannot put the game down. Borderlands wears its flaws on its sleeves by offering addictive gameplay and almost nothing else.

I gave up on playing traditional RPGs years ago but I still love reward-driven games, so the urge to gather experience points is one I understand. Borderlands preys on that urge, delivering a steady stream of repetitive foes and mundane tasks all in the name of “leveling up.”

Jonathan Blow described this carrot-dangling style of gameplay as a “treadmill” and the label fits Borderlands perfectly. With generic, desert-like backgrounds and a limited selection of enemies, I’ve spent hours running in place, so to speak. Yet the assortment of slightly-different color-coded weapons and the thrill of running and gunning alongside my friends continues to thrill me.

Unlike other RPGs, Borderlands doesn’t offer much in the story department: there’s a vault and you’re trying to find it. That’s it. There are four character-types to choose from with distinct abilities but hardly any personality. The story is so shallow I almost believe it was a deliberate gesture to encourage cooperative play which is a big part of Borderlands’ appeal. All the recorded messages and urgent requests you encounter in your quest are easily ignorable. If you’re talking to your friends during combat, do you really want to tell everyone to pipe down so you can hear what’s being said? I didn’t.

This is a shame, for Borderlands does show flashes of brilliance in its writing. The main story, the add-on chapters, most major characters and all bosses are introduced via punchy cutscenes. The humor combined with the cartoony, brush-stroke graphics give Borderlands a twisted charm that mitigates its overwhelming banality.

What’s the secret? For me, the hook in Borderlands is in the numbers. Every shot sends digits popping out my foes. The game counts everything: how many enemies I’ve killed (breaking it down by weapon), how many guns I’ve bought and sold, even how many shots I’ve fired. The only notable omission is how many hours I’ve played, perhaps because that number would be embarrassingly high.

Ultimately, the Borderlands contradiction cannot be explained or resolved. The missions are monotonous, the narrative is paper-thin and regardless of your level the combat is a chore. Still, I boot the game up almost nightly to play with my friends.

That mysterious pull is worthy of great praise. I’ve put more time into this game than I have far better, more polished works and that’s a glowing (if backhanded) compliment. I recommend Borderlands for any shooter or RPG fan, particularly if you can recruit another Vault Hunter or two into joining your quest.

250

Borderlands might represent the greatest example of video games’ storytelling problems and relentless focus on violence instead of characters or narrative, but I cannot put the game down. It keeps me coming back by offering addictive gameplay and almost nothing else.

Borderlands delivers a steady stream of repetitive foes and mundane tasks, preying upon my urge to gather experience points. Jonathan Blow described this carrot-dangling style of gameplay as a “treadmill” and the label fits perfectly here. The levels all look the same, as do most of the enemies, so playing this game feels a lot like running in place.

The shallow story and characters don’t help Borderlands’ blandness issues, but it does make cooperative play much simpler which is the key to the game’s appeal. I’ve spent most of my journey playing with four friends and the barely-there narrative means players can come and go as they please without missing anything.

For me, the hook in Borderlands is in the numbers. The game counts everything I do: kills (broken down by weapon), money earned, even shots fired. The only notable omission is how many hours I’ve played, perhaps because that number would be embarrassingly high.

Whether I can explain it or not, I’ve put more time into Borderlands than I have far better, more polished games and that’s a glowing (if backhanded) compliment. I recommend Borderlands for any shooter or RPG fan, particularly if you can recruit another Vault Hunter or two into joining your quest.

100

Borderlands is a hard game to praise. The story is almost nonexistent, the characters are cookie-cutter archetypes devoid of personality and all the missions are essentially the same: kill X, collect Y, repeat. However, the basic gunplay works well (thanks to a steady stream of rewards) and the ability to play with three friends has kept me hooked on the game for weeks. I’ve spent far more time with Borderlands than I have other, better games. That’s admittedly a backhanded compliment but the game has an undeniable charm that shines through the blandness and keeps me coming back.

25

Borderlands is a relentlessly simplistic “role playing shooter” that has miraculously held my attention for weeks thanks to constant rewards and four player co-op.

Daniel Feit was born in New York but now lives in Japan. Follow him on Twitter @feitclub or visit his blog, feitclub.com