I was a bit surprised to read somewhat mixed assessments of the trailer. Fans of the series (like me) reacted with joy, but I did see at least one news outlet that panned it as appearing to be "more of the same" and needing something fresh. I can't fully disagree with that viewpoint--I think the series could use some improvement--but I saw plenty in the trailer to be excited about.
One of my first impressions was joy at seeing the old crew from Borderlands 2 and several other familiar faces. For me, the highlight of the series has always been the whacky characters and learning about the various vault hunters. From the trailer, it looks like Lillith, Brick, and Mordecai will be back (to me, it looks like they will most likely be NPC's who are tied in with the story).
We also get a glimpse at the characters who I am assuming will be our future set of playable vault hunters. On that front, I do see some similarities to the character classes of the past--there appears to be a siren (a very ripped siren!) who possibly has some melee abilities (six arms for massive punching!); a character with summonable abilities--it looks like he can summon a wide variety of robotic turrets, suits, etc.; there's a character who gives me a very Zer0 feeling--like he's an alien in a suit; and of course, there seems to be a traditional, soldier-like character.
The highlight of the trailer for me, is the premise that the game will stretch over many different worlds. Tales From the Borderlands revealed a universe wide system of vaults, which is the perfect setup for creating a massive, open world full of new environments. My major hope is that a big part of the story will be locating vaults and raiding them. The vault aspect of the game has always been one of its bigger disappointments.
The video also introduces us to two characters who appear to be the new villains of the game--a scarred, floppy-haired guy and a white-haired, evil looking lady. They look like quite the duo. I hope they can measure up to the maniacal evil of Handsome Jack. The video also boasts of new enemies to slay and there looks to be several varieties.
I am also excited to see several notable side characters make an appearance in the video. We get a brief glimpse of a building that says "Ellie's Scrapyard" and there is a shot of Tiny Tina (only she's not so tiny anymore!). There's even a shot of Rhys from Tales From the Borderlands! It's going to be very cool to see what role they play in the new game (and maybe Fiona and Sasha too--I can hope).
And, of course, there's the mention of OVER A BILLION different guns! What's not to like about that? And really, why aren't there more guns with legs? C'mon!
Overall, I'm feeling excited at the prospect of a new game even though I've always had some mixed feelings about Borderlands. I love the series for its quirky characters and macabre, bizarre sense of humor, but the gameplay can get a bit dull. Maybe the critics are right to be a bit underwhelmed at the new trailer--it does appear that there are a lot of very familiar aspects--or maybe the critics are just being overly critical? It remains to be seen. One of my major fears for the series is that the obsession with making everything "BATTLE ROYALE!!!!" will spill over into the new game.
Another piece of exciting news accompanied the trailer--owners of the previous games will be getting a free, remastered version of all three! The remaster will add in improved graphics for all three games, but will see the most changes coming to the original Borderlands. The first game will get some of the better features of the later games--swappable character heads and skins, a better inventory system (with easy flagging for selling items and favorites), a minimap, and golden key chests. These new features should make playing the first game, which is the weakest, more enjoyable.
The remastered games release on Steam on April 3rd, so mark your calendars and get ready for some lootin' shootin' fun!
We also get a glimpse at the characters who I am assuming will be our future set of playable vault hunters. On that front, I do see some similarities to the character classes of the past--there appears to be a siren (a very ripped siren!) who possibly has some melee abilities (six arms for massive punching!); a character with summonable abilities--it looks like he can summon a wide variety of robotic turrets, suits, etc.; there's a character who gives me a very Zer0 feeling--like he's an alien in a suit; and of course, there seems to be a traditional, soldier-like character.
The highlight of the trailer for me, is the premise that the game will stretch over many different worlds. Tales From the Borderlands revealed a universe wide system of vaults, which is the perfect setup for creating a massive, open world full of new environments. My major hope is that a big part of the story will be locating vaults and raiding them. The vault aspect of the game has always been one of its bigger disappointments.
The video also introduces us to two characters who appear to be the new villains of the game--a scarred, floppy-haired guy and a white-haired, evil looking lady. They look like quite the duo. I hope they can measure up to the maniacal evil of Handsome Jack. The video also boasts of new enemies to slay and there looks to be several varieties.
I am also excited to see several notable side characters make an appearance in the video. We get a brief glimpse of a building that says "Ellie's Scrapyard" and there is a shot of Tiny Tina (only she's not so tiny anymore!). There's even a shot of Rhys from Tales From the Borderlands! It's going to be very cool to see what role they play in the new game (and maybe Fiona and Sasha too--I can hope).
And, of course, there's the mention of OVER A BILLION different guns! What's not to like about that? And really, why aren't there more guns with legs? C'mon!
Overall, I'm feeling excited at the prospect of a new game even though I've always had some mixed feelings about Borderlands. I love the series for its quirky characters and macabre, bizarre sense of humor, but the gameplay can get a bit dull. Maybe the critics are right to be a bit underwhelmed at the new trailer--it does appear that there are a lot of very familiar aspects--or maybe the critics are just being overly critical? It remains to be seen. One of my major fears for the series is that the obsession with making everything "BATTLE ROYALE!!!!" will spill over into the new game.
Another piece of exciting news accompanied the trailer--owners of the previous games will be getting a free, remastered version of all three! The remaster will add in improved graphics for all three games, but will see the most changes coming to the original Borderlands. The first game will get some of the better features of the later games--swappable character heads and skins, a better inventory system (with easy flagging for selling items and favorites), a minimap, and golden key chests. These new features should make playing the first game, which is the weakest, more enjoyable.
The remastered games release on Steam on April 3rd, so mark your calendars and get ready for some lootin' shootin' fun!
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