I’ve been wondering in recent years why the quality of the
movie industry has been declining and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s
because all of the smart, creative, and interesting people are moving into the
videogame industry. It only makes sense: games keep getting better and better
as movies keep getting worse and worse.
Borderlands 2 has been out for a while now and I’ve wanted
to write a review on it, but there are so many already out there and I doubt
that anyone who hasn’t bought the game yet will be overly persuaded by what I
have to say. After chatting with a fellow IVer about this conundrum, he said
that I should explain, especially to non-gamers like him, why the game is so
innovative and why he should care. Well, Chumly, explain I will.
Borderlands 2 takes two seemingly disparate genres and
combines them into one fabulous formula. The first genre that BL2 falls into is
RPG. That’s a role playing game, Chumly.
Just imagine the old pen and paper, tabletop nerdstravaganzas of yore, where
rolls of dice and stat checks determined the outcome of everything. Only now,
we’ve got fancy computers that do all that bafflegappery for us, behind the
scenes, leaving not but the pure gamey joy bits for us to pleasure in. Yes,
this review just took an unexpected turn towards the creepy, but there’s no
turning back now.
The second, and more visually apparent, genre that BL2 falls
into is FPS. That stands for “First Person Shooter”. That means that when the
game starts, you shoot the first person you see. It was invented by a couple of
brainy nerd-types named John Carmack and John Romero, the latter of which
coined the term “suck it down” and told kids during the nineties that he was
going to make them his bitch.
Anyway, not only does the game seamlessly incorporate these
two genres into its gorgeous, cell-shaded bosom, but it does them both
expertly. The shooty/explodey bits are a blast, and the character skill
development trees are elaborate and varied.
One might try to argue that BL2 falls into a third genre:
the lootfest. However, I would argue that lootfest is not a genre, but a style
of design that can be implemented into
a genre. Pay attention, Chumly! A notable game that falls into the lootfest
design is Diablo, which was also invented during the nineties, but not by John
Romero. Diablo had you wielding a sword or some such fantasy fare and hacking
your way through randomly generated levels, killing creatures named “Stinksack
the Fetid” or “Chokefist the Scrotal”. But that wasn’t even the best part. For
you see, anytime you killed ‘ol Stinksack and his pals, or opened a treasure
chest, or vase, or sack, or pretty much anything else, a thick spray of loot
would pop you right in the face. You could collect that loot (swords, potions,
monies, etc.) and sell or use it to better your character and kill tougher
enemies that then spooted even better loot in your face. And so it went on and
on.
Borderlands 2 does the same thing, only this time around,
it’s guns, shields, grenades, and other devices that alter your characters
stats and therefore affect the way the shooty/explodey bits play out.
Okay, Chumly, I can feel your attention wavering (and mine
too, obviously), so I’ll stop screwing around here and try to make some points
about why BL2 is so great.
Firstly, it looks great. I mean beautiful. Like a live action comic book. It’s shaded in a way that
makes it appear as a 2D drawing while existing in a 3D world. Secondly, the
writing is top notch. The characters are believable and unique (see anything
Tiny Tina for a good laugh), and even though the plot is pretty straight
forward, there are still a few twists and it’s played out well enough that you
don’t really mind. There are even a couple of heart wrenching moments, one
between a man and his kidnapped pet, and another between the main villain and
his daughter. The voice acting carries the great writing into the stratosphere,
with every crazy line being delivered pitch perfect and with a genuine quality
rarely seen in animated movies or TV shows. I’ve played the game through twice
now, and many of the missions several times via online co-op, and there are
certain lines I can’t wait to hear again.
Claptrap, your comical, Orko-esque robot friend and initial
guide, utters some of the best lines in the game. Near the very end, his reaction
to encountering a rather large set of stairs that prevents him from progressing
any further with you is both heartbreaking and hilarious. I’ll fight my way to
that point again and again just to hear his reaction one more time.
Thirdly, and finally, it’s the attention to detail and the
love of it’s creators that really shines through and makes this game the
masterpiece that it is. All of the elements--the story, the characters, the
visuals, the fictional world, and the gameplay—blend together so perfectly and
so lovingly and that’s why this game rises above the rest of the FPS
(and RPG) drivel.
(and RPG) drivel.
I don’t want to ruin too much of this game by giving lots of
detailed examples, moment to moment, of what makes it awesome. It’s like trying
to describe a great novel to someone. You just have to experience it for
yourself to get the full effect.
Videogames have evolved over the years, so much so that
they’re in direct competition with the more mass entertainment formats like
movies and books. I believe that they offer experiences just as rich and
rewarding as either of those, and they add a new element to the mix:
interactivity.
So, in the end, Chumly, I hope this “review” persuades you
somewhat into giving modern videogames a chance. I’d hate for you to miss out
on the experience that Borderlands 2 and certain of its peers provide. And for
the rest of you gamers that are even remotely interested in this game: get it.
Get it, get it, get it!
