First Impressions: Borderlands 3
In some cases, I don’t need an established franchise to make game-changing alterations to their IPs. In the case of Borderlands, we saw significant changes from the first game to the second. So do we need or expect huge changes to Borderlands 3, which comes out this September? I personally do not. Sure, some adjustments to characters and loot acquisition are welcome (and will be included this time around). But I really want the same crazy humor, tight gameplay, and loads of guns. And I got a ton of that in the E3 2019 demo.
The demo took place in a broadcast center of the new enemy faction, which is the Children of the Vault. Think of them as a Borderlands version of content creators, in that they are loud and want you to like them and blindly obey. The demo, which was roughly 10 to 15 minutes, took me into the depths of the broadcast center filled with enemies and an awesome boss called Mouthpiece.
In the demo, I chose to play as the Operative, Zane. The demo had 2 other characters to choose from, but the Operative is the character type that I typically choose in Borderlands. At the start, I was given some skill points that helped me increase Zane’s skill tree. There were quite a few options to choose from, but I decided to upgrade his shield and clone ability. The shield is pretty typical, but the clone brought a whole new dimension to the demo.
With the clone, I was able to flank the enemy while they focused on my copy. The copy doesn’t just stand there. He lays down covering fire and takes out enemies. But that isn’t the best part. While the copy is around, you can choose to teleport your conscience to the clone no matter where you are in the level. This came in handy on several occasions when I was being overrun by psychos. I quickly switched spots and mowed them down from a different vantage point. It worked incredibly well.
As I ran through the demo, I noticed a lot of familiar things that I know and love about Borderlands. The enemies still say hysterical quips as they shoot you. The art design and graphics look amazing. The final boss was a challenge, but not too overwhelming. It looked and felt exactly how I want Borderlands to be. My only problem was the lack of guns. I was able to find many on the map, but none of the ones I saw where better than the ones I originally equipped. I’m going to assume that the lack of guns was an error on my part. I either didn’t look hard enough, or the demo was built in a way to keep the crowds moving and not waste time comparing stats on guns.
Again, I was not expecting Borderlands to change its core gameplay. I just wanted an enjoyable and fun experience. And the demo delivered that in spades. I’m still eagerly anticipating the game’s launch on Sept. 13th, 2019 and I can’t wait to dive into the madness with friends. Borderlands 3 will be available on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4. Let us know if you are excited about the game in the comments below!
