A Girl's Game Review: Borderlands

Borderlands is a more typical First Person Shooter (FPS) game that has some Strategy RPG added into it. The basic point of the game is to kill enemies, level up, and kill more enemies. I am not a very big fan of FPS games because the movement of the camera gives me migraines, but I chose this game because it is great to play with someone else, and the graphics are really interesting. It's CG meets comic book cell. The only time I've ever played it was with my boyfriend at the time, and even though we usually played from our own houses and we weren't together, it was a great bonding experience, because he got to teach me something about a subject he loved, and I got his undivided attention, even though it was in game. The better I got, the more he wanted to play with me, so the more time I got with him, even if I wasn't sitting right next to him. It's a fairly easy FPS to get use to, and a great opener to other games that guys play with their friends that eventually you might be able to join in on. Practice on this game, and you'll be getting better at others too.

Here's the basic storyline: You're a mercenary that went to the planet Pandora in search of the mysterious Vault. Rumor has it, the Vault contains riches beyond belief, but no one has ever found it, so no one knows for sure. What makes you different than any of the other mercenaries is the fact that you have a "Guardian Angel." At key points in the game, a strange woman pops up and tells you what you need to do so you can find and open the Vault. There are many characters there to help you out on your quest for the Vault, and even some very entertaining robots called Claptraps. Help them often, they're great!

You have the choice of being one of four characters, each with their own unique abilities and special attacks.

• There's Mordecai, who is a hunter and specializes in revolvers and sniper rifles. His special attack is to use his pet "bird" named Bloodwing and send him out to attack enemies or even pick up loot.
• Lilith, a siren, prefers elemental weapons, and once upgraded a bit more, is almost comparable to the guys.(Almost... She kinds sucks a bit, damn sexist game creators.) Her special attack is called Phasewalking, where she turns invisible for a few seconds, and can run really fast. Upon exiting Phasewalk, she can do damage to any enemies that are close.
• Brick is a Berserker whose specialty is explosives. Anything grenade or rocket powered, he can handle with ease. His special ability is to go Berserk, he cannot be hurt, heals himself slowly, and only attacks with his fists, which do extra damage. His ability can even be upgraded to regenerate rockets.
• Last of all we have the soldier Roland. He's best with combat rifles and shotguns. He is a great addition to any team because of his abilities to heal teammates and regenerate ammo, after the skills have been upgraded. His special ability is to deploy a Scorpio Turret, which automatically shields you and your team while shooting at any enemies nearby. He's a great soldier!

You can't customize any of your character's clothing, but you can change what color it is in the New You station. Just imagine, a pink soldier; Ha!

Starting out, the enemies are fairly simple and easy to kill at your current skill level. But the higher in level you get and the further you go from your starting point, the harder the enemies go. The game won't really let you go to places that will kill you in one step though, so just stick to the designated areas and level up! The higher you get your level, the easier it will be to beat the final boss, and the more weapons you can use. Some weapons are restricted to being above a certain level, but do major damage, plus have their own special abilities. The sky is the limit!!! Just be warned that the controls can sometimes get a bit confusing right at the start. It may take a while before you get use to them and they become second nature to you. Just don't give up! Also, the camera is completely controlled by you, which is why I get migraines from playing the game for a few hours. In good parts, it's well worth the pain though. Driving vehicles is somewhat like driving vehicles in Halo, so when you're a pro in Borderlands, you'll be a pro in Halo as well. Practice, practice, practice, and you'll be kicking butt in no time.

There's two ways of playing co-op; two players on one system, or up to four players on their own systems. The two player co-op is split screen, so your field of vision gets quite a bit smaller, but unlike a lot of split screen games, you can still go your own way. The four player online game is great, because you have your own screen to watch while your friends are somewhere else doing their own thing. Need to find them? Look on your compass at the bottom of the screen. Just know that the more players are in one game, the harder the enemies will get. With the extra people helping though, it's not really as hard as it seems. Just be prepared to spend a lot of time playing whether alone or with someone else helping you out.

Not much I can say here but to keep playing, level up, don't give up. Other than that;

• Keep stocked up on ammo, especially for a boss fight. Enemies do drop ammo sometimes, but never enough once you've already run out..
• If you can't beat an enemy on solo play, ask someone else to help you. If they're just starting out, get them to level up a bit before sending them in blind, but if they're at a higher level than you, it's free game! Yes, the enemies do get a bit harder with more players, but at the same time, there's more players.
• Get as many high level weapons as you can find. The higher they are, the more damage they'll do, but if you're not at a high enough level, you won't be able to use them. Save them until you are, or if you're not going to use them, sell them so you can buy better.