![]() ![]() ![]() This is surprising, given the nature of its primarily range-focused combat. There are times when Borderlands’ winding environment structure offers plenty of variety in terms of skirmish layout and enemy placement, but there are just as many moments where its corridors – even the outdoor sections – feel a bit too cramped. Intimate Scale, Uncomfortable EnvironmentsĪnother matter introduced with a first-person perspective is the differences in world design that it can offer, both good and bad. Still, it hurts immersion when you loose a devastating sniper round into an enemy and they walk it off. You can only stop an enemy if they’re dead – or inflicted with certain status ailments that are often class-reliant rather than weapon-based. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it keeps the pacing of combat fast and makes distance a rapidly diminishing resource. What this means is that the player and enemies alike don’t really react to taking damage, charging forward or ducking behind cover even when hit with massive or repeated numbers. Likewise, although your weapons and attacks do have some legitimate kick to them, Borderlands and many other loot-based games are more heavily reliant on status afflictions rather than raw damage as a means of “impacting” enemies. Though this might be a bit more forgivable with automatic weapons, it does feel like a bit of a bummer for the precision-based weapons I’ve been using. ![]() This is a factor of a weapon’s optimal range, of course, but it can also be the effect of a sub-optimal accuracy rating. I have, on several occasions, been aiming directly at an enemy through a scoped weapon, only to pull the trigger, witness the jerk of my weapon, and… completely missed the target directly in my sights. The real “kick” of combat however is the literal kick of weaponry itself – each weapon’s fire rate, spread, and accuracy factoring into how you might use them in combat.Īccuracy has more than one definition, however, and there’s the need to keep your sights on an enemy as well as the overall rating of your equipped weapon. Any game from a first-person perspective requires some approximation of proximity, and gunplay – especially that based on pre-existing models of weaponry – forces a player to factor in the build of their weapon in addition to the space between them and their target. In comparison, Borderlands features gunplay that not only appeals to a Western market, but also adds a few nuances to combat. One can simply hold down the attack button and liberally apply their skills in order to tackle any and all combat scenarios, with some basic variety in environmental design that barely factors into skirmishes. One element of Torchlight that made the overall experience so bland was the relative lack of skill involved in combat. If there’s an overall lesson to be learned, however, it’s that just about any combat system can be used to support a loot-based RPG, though it seems these games are more about choice in character build and equipment rather than character-based decisions. I’m about halfway through the campaign of the first game, and I already find myself hungering for more, though I’m not certain what direction that will take me. Though some of my opinions of this subgenre still hold fast, many of them being a direct result of co-operative gameplay, Borderlands scratches an interactive itch that is more substantial than Torchlight. I was hesitant to buy the full collection, as loot-based RPGs often have multiple play styles and builds, and this version of the first Borderlands featured all content from the DLC expansions, adding even more content and playtime.Īs it turns out, I quite like Borderlands. But my lust for co-operative experiences has not been satiated, and the result has been the purchase of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. I found the combat weightless and low effort, the lore overly dense for a co-op experience, and the loot gains themselves far too inflexible. I’ll be honest, however, Torchlight II did not grasp me as I think the loot-based RPG is supposed to do. I’ve been desperately plumbing the depths of the Switch library for fun co-operative experiences, a quest that recently introduced me to the wacky world of Torchlight II, and some extended online playtime soon followed. Games don’t exist in a bubble, and their appeal can endure across different scenarios and allow us the gift of communication, camaraderie, and of course, satisfaction. Quarantine has been tough, there’s no way around it. ![]()
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