Poll: Borderlands is 9 years old

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Your favorite?

  • 1

    Votes: 11 28.2%
  • 2

    Votes: 27 69.2%
  • Prequel

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.6%

  • Total voters
    39

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,494
470
126
Well, with how GPU prices are only just coming down and memory prices are still high, I can't blame people too much for shying away from the higher price tag.
That's only been happening in the last few years though. People playing FPS on consoles really kicked off with Halo and only snowballed from there. I got really good on console with Halo 2, but when it comes to precision, you can't beat a mouse and keyboard.

The whole point is the accessibility. There's a ton of people who just want to flop on their couch/bed and play something with their friends without having to be sitting up at a desk. Personally, I've been gaming for almost 30 years and I can't play anything while laying down unless it's a handheld.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,476
523
126
2 is my fav. 1 is also just great too. I don't really like grinding, but it made it fun. I enjoyed the extra packs, such as the Halloween one and others. Great humor, and I liked the graphics too. I wouldn't mind a reboot if done right.
 

Igo69

Senior member
Apr 26, 2015
716
101
106
Speaking of Borderlands 3 what could they make so innovative and more fun than BL2 when BL2 had everything already?
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
Speaking of Borderlands 3 what could they make so innovative and more fun than BL2 when BL2 had everything already?

better guns (like BL1), better classes? BL2 was very good, but it wasn't everything.

I think there had been long speculation that this might be more of an open world, possibly MMOish type game. I rather hope not, but it might be good. I don't know. There is the potential of working in multiple planets with multiple vaults, so that sort of makes sense in that scope, but I think it would lose a lot of charm if it gets too big, too involved.

The formula already works wrg to class mechanics and the map design, the general humor, so a lot of it should be more of the same, really, with new stuff to do. I doubt many would complain about that. If anything: TPS was "too different!" and pissed a lot of people off, even though it really wasn't.
 

Igo69

Senior member
Apr 26, 2015
716
101
106
Guns were better in BL1? I haven't noticed. Don't know why people got pissed off at TPS when it was exactly the same as BL2 but with additional features and the Space was beautiful i really liked playing on Jack's Space Station. Maybe it wasn't funny at all like BL2 I would agree with that.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
Guns were better in BL1? I haven't noticed. Don't know why people got pissed off at TPS when it was exactly the same as BL2 but with additional features and the Space was beautiful i really liked playing on Jack's Space Station. Maybe it wasn't funny at all like BL2 I would agree with that.

For me, with TPS, the main thing is that it was just shorter. And without your typical bandits, I guess, much of it "felt different." I still liked it a lot: I thought the classes were great and the base game was worth it in the end, but the salt was more or less rubbed in because fans were spoiled by the expected DLC content from previous BL games. TPS was, really, quite a massive letdown in that department. So...it's really a value thing. BL1 and BL2 would and do frequently go on sale, GOTY editions or whatever, for something like $12-17 USD. All that content, I challenge you to find a better gaming deal than that, anywhere, for as long as those games have been popular. TPS did drop the ball in the value department.

The reason that BL1 had "better" guns follows several issues:

1--the randomized loot table, with gun parts, changed drastically with BL2. With BL1, any gun part could spawn with any type of gun, period. This was removed with BL2, where you had scopes or barrels that were locked per gun type, or per special gun (say, a Legendary that could only spawn with ~3-4 variable parts...but only 2 of the 4 parts). This effectively dropped the possible guns in half, if not more, from BL1 to BL2. It's simple math, and when they advertised: "MOAR GUNS!!!111!!" It was an easily-proven lie. ...It's annoying. Not that the guns sucked outright in BL2, you just lost that major loot table.

2--Utter dependence on Legendaries. With BL1, many end-game, top tier builds were thoroughly workable, even dependent upon easy-to-find rare-class drops, that you only had to farm for better parts, not simply farming for a near-impossible drop, let alone terrible rolls on that drop, if you ever see it. There was simply far, far more variety in loadout and build potential with BL1 than with BL2, because far, far more weapons were viable, and in general, they were much easier to find. The only grind, really, was trying to get those "perfect" parts on the easy-to-find kind, if you needed that ~+4% or so boost to your stats. If you needed that. With BL2, everything was tied to legendaries which, for the majority of the game's popularity, had awful loot tables and drop rates. It was an obnoxious grind in the end. Yes, of course you can beat all the games without this stuff, but then that isn't Borderlands. (No, I'm not going to judge you for playing your game the way you want to play it...but come on, this game was designed to entice you into fiddling with your characters and their builds, and gearing them properly to understand how they work at max level). In the end, if we are going to argue about differences in these games, which are simply fun by default and ultimately identical in mechanics from game to game, then we are arguing about the end game/what this game is meant to be: loot, loot, loot, and some more loot. Oh and class builds.

3: I mean, no revolvers. None. No revolvers, man. WTF? this should be number one, but it isn't because math ultimately wins...but no revolvers. Which means, no Defiler...yet another amazing blue class weapons from BL1 that, in BL2, would be scaled into uselessness for no rational reason.

All of this isn't to discount what I think about BL2: which is that it is a more polished game. It is excellent in every way, and both are phenomenal. ...all 3 really. But then I'm the sorta guy that enjoys T3 for its legit merits, Godfather 3, even and yes: Prometheus. All of them on their own, for their own reasons...so yeah, of course I like TPS as well, but everything becomes interesting and controversial in comparison to its relatives. That's the nature of the thing. I find it hard for me to rank BL2 below BL1, but it really boils down to the loot design (Really the most important part of all Borderlands games), and the classes. I mean, well, it's because Lilith. No other class was ever as fun, but I liked most of them. There was just something visceral and exciting about playing a loaded-out Lilith, late in the game, that none of the other games and classes properly captured. A lot of it also has to do with here character/dialogue, I think, but damn Lilith in BL1 is one satisfying way to wreck computer-generated targets.
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,674
2,824
126
I finished up playthrough 2 of the base game and reached level 54. Here's my final Soldier build which did just fine:

Playthrough_2_Skills.png
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
I still don't understand why people bother with FPS on consoles. It makes no effing sense.

Simple...You can just plug a console in and it will auto detect your resolution for your TV and you're pretty much done. There's no settings to worry about. No "will my older PC run this game" stuff. No driver updates for new games. That and the fact that if your friend has a PS4 you need a PS4 to play with them. I won't deny that using a mouse for aiming is better than an analog stick, but I can play both ways fine.

That's only been happening in the last few years though. People playing FPS on consoles really kicked off with Halo and only snowballed from there. I got really good on console with Halo 2, but when it comes to precision, you can't beat a mouse and keyboard.

The whole point is the accessibility. There's a ton of people who just want to flop on their couch/bed and play something with their friends without having to be sitting up at a desk. Personally, I've been gaming for almost 30 years and I can't play anything while laying down unless it's a handheld.

Yeah it really took off with Halo. I find walking and actual movement of my character better with an analog stick, it just feels smoother than a keyboard which has a switch that is is either on or off and there is a separate button to press for walk or run. I can press the stick forward more or less to have these actions. Aiming is obviously much more precise and faster with a mouse but I have no issues using an analog stick to aim in an FPS game. Done right it's pretty smooth and easy to pick up.
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,674
2,824
126
I’m using the free weekend to play Borderlands 2 before I decide to buy it. Five hours in I’ve reached Sanctuary and done a whole bunch of side quests.

Unfortunately the game just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me. It should be because it’s almost exactly like Borderlands 1, but something critical just seems to be…missing. The gameplay just feels empty.
 

OCNewbie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2000
7,603
24
81
Unfortunately the game just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me. It should be because it’s almost exactly like Borderlands 1, but something critical just seems to be…missing.
What class have you been playing? It is different. Some things turned me off when I first played it, even though I was super excited about the release, being a big fan of the first game. The Psycho is super fun, but I don't know if the free weekend includes that class.

Not sure what to tell you about it. The humor I thought was soooo much better and frequent in BL2. Much better story, much longer game, and much bigger game world. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint what the differences in gameplay might be.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
I’m using the free weekend to play Borderlands 2 before I decide to buy it. Five hours in I’ve reached Sanctuary and done a whole bunch of side quests.

Unfortunately the game just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me. It should be because it’s almost exactly like Borderlands 1, but something critical just seems to be…missing. The gameplay just feels empty.

could depend on who you are playing. I assume you are going with Axton? probably a mistake. Try Sal or Maya or even Zero. Zero is great if you like sneaky mele builds, but it takes a really long time to get the fun parts of that going, and BL2 just takes much longer to get any class going, because it has 3 difficulty levels and the leveling while still not perfect, is way better balanced than BL1.

The guns and overall loot table just aren't as good, but I felt the FPS mechanics are much smoother...whatever that means. player and AI movement and behavior are better. It also has a real story line and great characters and NPCs compared to BL1, so that is one thing that really keeps it going. I think there is more balance across the characters compared to the first one, so that also helps. And the DLC is incredible. If anything, keep an eye out for one of those ~$15 GoTY sales, which I think is every other week for the BL games. It is more than worth it at that price. It would be silly not to buy that, in fact. Also, summer sale is coming up, right?
 

OCNewbie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2000
7,603
24
81
And the DLC is incredible. If anything, keep an eye out for one of those ~$15 GoTY sales, which I think is every other week for the BL games. It is more than worth it at that price. It would be silly not to buy that, in fact.

Even better - get the complete edition (GOTY plus other DLCs that aren't included in the GOTY) right now from here for $11.99. This is the best deal on a BL2 pack with DLC.

https://www.macgamestore.com/product/3544/Borderlands-2-Complete-Edition/

It's a Steam key, so it works for PC as well.
 
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zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
Even better - get the complete edition (GOTY plus other DLCs that aren't included in the GOTY) right now from here for $11.99. This is the best deal on a BL2 pack with DLC.

https://www.macgamestore.com/product/3544/Borderlands-2-Complete-Edition/

It's a Steam key, so it works for PC as well.

ah sweet, you even get those limited special event maps (Tgiving, X-Mas, etc). I don't think I ever got the last one, even though I was heavy into this game when those were being released and it was a really active community.

That's a crazy deal. I imagine GoTY also doesn't include Digistruct Peak?
 

OCNewbie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2000
7,603
24
81
That's a crazy deal. I imagine GoTY also doesn't include Digistruct Peak?

That's correct. Digistruct Peak is part of the "Borderlands 2: Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2" which isn't included in the GOTY edition.
 

OCNewbie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2000
7,603
24
81
5% off your first purchase there at macgamestore - macgames5off

Brings the total to $11.39
 

bguile

Senior member
Nov 30, 2011
529
51
91
I’m using the free weekend to play Borderlands 2 before I decide to buy it. Five hours in I’ve reached Sanctuary and done a whole bunch of side quests.

Unfortunately the game just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me. It should be because it’s almost exactly like Borderlands 1, but something critical just seems to be…missing. The gameplay just feels empty.


It starts to get better after the dam. First few maps are meh, as it almost seems like a giant tutorial at times, lots of hand holding, and all you ever find are pistols almost. For me once you rescue a certain person, and get to overlook things pick up. Plus you unlock some of the better maps afterwords like Opportunity, Caustic Caverns, and Wildlife Preservation reserve.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
This is one of those games that makes playing solo really boring for me. Maybe that’s it? Most of the really good reviews and comments about the game say they played with a friend
 

Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
I’m using the free weekend to play Borderlands 2 before I decide to buy it. Five hours in I’ve reached Sanctuary and done a whole bunch of side quests.

Unfortunately the game just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me. It should be because it’s almost exactly like Borderlands 1, but something critical just seems to be…missing. The gameplay just feels empty.

I agree, ive got almost 200 hours into BL 1 but only 9 into BL2.
 

Tweak155

Lifer
Sep 23, 2003
11,447
262
126
I booted up BL2 again with the wife and after only getting a few hours in, it's starting to get stale again (this is what happened to us the first time).

I think the problem for us is that the loot is underwhelming while the enemy levels are increasing and turn them into bullet sponges. So now they just take longer to kill for no good reason IMO.

So when I first started, a headshot with a sniper rifle would typically kill a mob, but now it can take 3 or more sometimes. I initially thought it was because I hadn't found an upgraded sniper rifle, but even after doing so (one that matched my level), the damage barely went up and I still have the same problem.

Also I've been putting points into additional critical damage, and even though I'm getting critical hits (head shots), I don't see the damage going up at all.

Basically, the enemies are just turning into bullet sponges and takes forever to finish some battles. It's a poor way to increase difficulty.
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,494
470
126
I sank almost 700 hours into BL2 before I even bought BL1. I now have around 850 into BL1 and around 3k into BL2.
 

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,303
4
81
Borderlands is one of my favorite games of all time.
I spent thousands of hours in it playing thru with different characters in different builds.
And loot farming, killing Craw.

Never really could get into 2 the same way. Didn't like the loot generation system.

Lillith was always my fave character. She's ridiculously strong once you figure out how to abuse phasewalking.
That said, I think each of the four have strengths and weaknesses.