Why Borderlands might just be the greatest new IP last generation.

So there is a lot of debate over the greatest IP to come out of this last generation, and there are a lot of big contenders for this title too.  But alas only one game/franchise can really get the title.  So who gets it, and more importantly why do they get it?  With contenders such as Gears of War, Resistance, Dead Island, Dead Space, Bioshock, Just Dance, Skylanders, Mass Effect, Saints Row, Left 4 Dead, and Assassians Creed, the winner has a lot to overcome.  However I feel that the winner has to be something that has showed us that games are meant to be fun, and that we should expect nothing less than that.  That is why I believe that the Borderlands franchise gets the title.  It was not an easy decision though, and Borderlands had to work for it, but with a little bit of love, Gearbox showed us that loot fests are still in style.

That's right, you know you love it!

Okay, let me be honest here for a minute.  I didn't jump on the Borderlands buss right away.  Yea, when we first heard of the game I thought that a shoot and loot game was a pretty cool idea, especially one with as many different and unique guns as Borderlands was boasting, but it more or less flew under my radar.  That was until about a year after it came out when I was visiting some family and we were at GameStop and the game of the year edition was 50% off.  I decided that for $20 it was at least worth a shot, especially since I got all 4 DLCs with it.  Well that $20 was probably one of the smartest $20 that I've ever spent.  The first Borderlands just completely blew my mind with how fast paced, fun, and hysterical the gameplay was, and Borderlands 2 did it all over again to the point where I own three copies of the second.  There are only 7 other games that I own multiple copies of: KotOR, KotOR 2, SW: Battlefront, SW: Battlefront 2, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.  If that doesn't tell you something, then I'm not sure what will.

So, now that I've got that cleared up, one of the things that I really appreciate about the games is the art and graphics, and normally I'm not really one to care about graphics.  It just all works, form the the psuedo cell shaded graphics to the signs that proudly say "Safty Fist", it all really just adds to the feel of the game, and helps to expand the setting with all of the minor details, which I feel that some larger games either don't do or lose focus of.  And that's not to mention the splash introductions they do for all of the characters and people you meet in the game, most of which have some sort of funny little quip about the character or boss monster that is actually relevant to either the character themselves, or where you are in the story.  Every setting in the game has a unique feel to it, I never once found myself asking "Okay, what area am I in again?"  Finally, Gearbox has really gone all out on even the minor visual easter eggs.  Whether it be the double rainbow in Borderlands 2, to the claptrap figurine in Moxxi's Red Light, or even the QR codes hidden in both games, Borderlands has an exceptional appreciation and attention for all of the little things that make playing them that much more memorable.

No one disagrees....right?

In addition to the art, I love the gameplay.  It's fast, it's dynamic, and most importantly it's fun.  Borderlands has been able to successfully take elements of both RPG's and FPS's and combine them into one game.  Bungie presented this idea with Halo 2 called "30 seconds of fun".  The idea of it is that if you can nail 30 seconds on continuous, good, fast paced fun, you can keep your audience in tow for 10 minutes of "boring" game play and they won't even realize it, and Borderlands pulls this off perfectly.  I consistently find myself presented with this sort of risk vs reward system, where the more I stick my neck out in the middle of a fight, the greater my reward in fun is.  Borderlands has hit the nail on the head in this department.  The character customization is just phenomenal, in both aesthetics and in game play terms too.  If I want Gaige to play the support role I can do it, if I want Maya to be an unholy death machine, I can do it, if I want Axton to drop a turret or two and then run in shotguns blazing, I can do it.  The number of play styles is endless.

One of the things that I will always remember about the first Borderlands is turning the game on and hearing "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" after Marcus's speech and just starting to jam out.  Borderlands 2 was the exact same way, but just sub in "Short Change Hero".  They were some of the most memorable openings that I have ever experienced.  Needless to say I was absolutely in love with the rest of it.  And the subtle BGM isn't overpowering either.  Every BGM track fits every area, every scene just right, they don't over do it to distract from the gameplay, but they don't under play it so you notice a distinct lack, it's just right.  In addition to that all of the background noises from not only the supporting cast, but also the PC's themselves are perfectly timed, (more or less) in good taste, and will always keep you smiling.  And it's not just the things in game either,  the fan-made songs are awesome too, like this one by The Escapists Miracle of Sound.  Seriously, listen to it, it's awesome.

Finally, the last thing that really makes Borderlands 2 truly surpass almost every other new IP is the fanbase.  Seriously, it's fanbase is diehard and awesome.  From all of the cosplayers, musicians, artists, fan-fic writers, and yes, even the shippers.  It's a cultural revolution, and it's not showing signs of stopping.  After having made many new friends through my relationship with Borderlands I know first hand that the fan base is large, and the fan base is diehard.  It's not to say that other games don't have these kinds of devout and loyal fan bases, it's just that Borderlands is not only loyal, but it's large, growing, and strong.  And to add to it, Gearbox is ever aware of their fans, and in turn, they have made their game aware of it.  Through the fans the game truly comes to life, both while playing and not.

While we might not be seeing a new Borderlands for a while, I think that I have provided enough evidence to convince even the most stubborn of people to believe that Borderlands is not only the best, but also one of a kind.  Well, with that, I'm hoping to start getting more posts done with a bit more frequency, so here's to hoping  Till next time!