[h1] This game is...interesting. [/h1]
There are many aspects that I like because it had addressed and fixed a plethora of issues from previous games while also creating new ones (No game is ever perfect, let's be realistic...unless It's Halo 3). The performance is worth talking about and just seems common with UE5 games, can't imagine it improving unless the developers decide to finally work their magic fingers and get their head out of their asses. There is also the concern regarding balancing, loot drops, progression, and much more, As of lately, my experience has been smooth for the most part with a few hiccups here and there.
[h2] Story & Campaign [/h2]
For starters, the story is nothing to write home about but it's not the worst or incomprehensible garbage that was Borderlands 3. It's a low bar but one that made Borderlands 3 not worth replaying despite the countless hours I put in that game; the main story for BL3 is just THAT BAD, anyone who says otherwise, I sincerely question your mental state but to each their own. Some of the humor lands, makes me smile every now and then which is no different than what previous games have done, specifically Borderlands 1 and 2 which struck a solid balance between serious and comedic plot tones. I would say this game is somewhat more on par with 2 but MUCH safer which doesn't affect me much; I don't play these games for their quote on quote "story-telling" primarily because no other game has been able to really match Borderlands 2's charismatic lineup but that doesn't mean that isn't a dealbreaker for me, just icing on the cake. Additionally, it feels nice for your character to actually feel like it's apart of the story; BL3 really ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ burned me on this one considering how overly cliche and avoidable a lot of character deaths were (Never forget what they did to Maya lmao). Otherwise, the story really is just tolerable and even fun at times but often forgettable which isn't nothing new, there's plenty of forgettable characters...like that one Siren Antagonist from Borderlands 1 ([spoiler] Commandant Steele [/spoiler]).
[h2] Gameplay & Progression [/h2]
Gameplay is bar far the biggest improvement, taking aspects from the Pre-Sequel (Gliding, Jump Pack) and adding a dash (literally) of Doom Eternal's gameplay which as someone that [b] REALLY [/b] enjoyed DOOM 2016 and Eternal is quite nice. Swimming is...a gimmick, it exists, nothing more, nothing less and unfortunately doesn't add much but its a decent QoL. Everything is a lot like BL3 so if you enjoyed the shooting in that game you will enjoy it here, if not, then why are you buying another Borderlands game?
Progression and Looting is...okay. It's similar to Borderlands 2 in some instances and a bit more lenient and the legendary drops and pearls feel good to use. This game IS A LOT MORE BUILD DRIVEN instead of GUN DRIVEN. Borderlands 1 and 2 were games that had [b] EXTREMELY [/b] powerful weapons that did [b] EVERYTHING [/b] (Harold, Serpens, Aries, Norfleet, etc.) I find the guns to be more utility to enhance your builds and if you are having issues with killing stuff then your build simply [b] BLOWS [/b] or you're not [b] MATCHING ELEMENTS [/b] which in this game elemental affinities [b] MATTER [/b] a lot more than previous installments. Don't be afraid to look up guides if you need to, as most characters have some REALLY good builds and are extremely versatile (This can also change with coming updates but so far balance has been decent.) I find drop rates to be okay, not too obnoxious, not extremely rewarding and forgiving. The guns themselves feel great, there are some stinkers but this is [b] NORMAL [/b]. Every Borderlands game has had [b] NOTORIOUSLY [/b] bad weapons. BL2 lineup of Pearls are quite [b] GARBAGE [/b] except for a [b] SELECT FEW [/b] such as Bekah, Butcher, and Carnage and MAYBE Stalker and as for Legendries, Seraphim, and Effervescent (Remember those?) there are quite few that were also absolutely garbage and had no use. There's less of that in this game which I'm glad but also unfortunately, I have not found anything [b] ASTONISHING [/b] or [b] CRAZY [/b] as BL2's legendries which is disappointing but this could change.
[h2] Classes & Designs [/h2]
Classes are great, honestly have not had a bad experience with any Borderlands games in terms of classes and balance. Contrary to what most people will tell you, BL2 had the worst balance by far despite it being everyone's favorite entry (including mines) but seriously? Salvador was objectively the BEST character in the game and every other pick was there to fill a certain niche. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please go and play OP10 UVHM and come back to this review; then we can talk about what "balanced" means- (I'm an Axton and Maya player). The VH designs are decent, most designs haven't really [i] WOW'd [/i] me except for BL3 which if I were to give credit where credit is due, the VH designs were the best I've seen but C4SH is definitely a top contender for best VH Design. These don't matter much since customization is a thing, very subjective and widely depends on taste.
[h3] Final Verdict [/h3]
If I could, this game would be a MIXED from me, but as of now...If you have the money, nothing better to do, cleared out your backend of unfinished games, or just enjoy Borderlands and like myself, have a weird obligation to see the franchise grow (We really only get a major installment every...4-5 years with an spin-off here and there) then why not? Should you pay full price? ♥♥♥♥ no. If you can get it cheaper, buy it, try it, if you don't like it, refund it, if not, you now have a game to dedicate 100+ hours to while you wait for something better to come by.
[h3] Dishonorable Mentions [/h3]
Performance can still be an issue. I have not crashed personally while playing this game and at best, have experienced FPS drops on a rare occasions. I don't play on 2K or 4K and use DLSS as I am fully aware of what my hardware is capable of and what it is not capable of, so I limit myself accordingly. If you happen to have the hardware, then I wouldn't worry as much, if not, drop it to 1080p Ultra. If you're not confident that your hardware can be stable even at 1080p or below, I recommend this mod [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/borderlands4/mods/13] https://www.nexusmods.com/borderlands4/mods/13 [/url] if things are dire. Otherwise, I'd refund and hope for a patch but by that point, you would have already made up your mind.
Open-world can be a dealbreaker for many, understandably so, but I spend time running around killing stuff in previous games and I spend time running around in this game killing stuff as well, the only thing that has changed is not having a loading screen separating the maps and levels and the DLCs seem somewhat more compact compared to base game (also there is shared progression across characters, so collectibles are one and done unless you [b] TURN IT OFF [/b]).
A lot of reviews are correct in addressing the issues the game currently has but a majority of them seem very disingenuous and add unnecessary criticisms. People are quick to forget that previous games had the same issues if not WORSE. I have played through every installment and so far my least enjoyed has been Tiny Tina Wonderlands and Borderlands 3 and they're not even bad games, enjoyable at times, but not worth replaying unless its with mods. Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2 have a plethora of balance issues that people seem to easily forget and write off and understandably so, as these games had an extreme amount of charm and style that newer games will NEVER replicate but I'm not here to play Borderlands 1 and 2 again, I'm here to try something new; if it works, it works, and if doesn't; you have 2 hours and 14 days to decide.
