Borderlands 3 is the gaming equivalent of eating an entire container of saltines: it's exactly what it says on the tin, yet it's incredibly underwhelming, and no matter how much you eat, you still feel hungry afterward.
Given that the saltine factory known as Gearbox tried to branch out with exciting new flavors that failed spectacularly - Battleborn, for one - the studio's return to the franchise that made them famous was always going to feel like a bit desultory. That said, Borderlands 3 takes it to such an extent that it's actually surprising that the game managed to sell so many copies. It has the slipshod feel of a game created to fulfill a contract - or perhaps to keep the lights on.
Every aspect of B3 feels perfunctory at best and outright insulting at worst. Gearbox has recreated its signature endless conveyor belt of wacky guns with a few new creative twists, but besides that, there's basically nothing interesting or engaging here. The combat is still imprecise and overwhelming in equal measure, the new heroes are mostly just rehashes of old concepts that weren't that exciting to begin with, and the quest and build design feels straight out of 2007. Borderlands has never been a good RPG, but B3 isn't a particularly good FPS, either.
Still, what really sinks B3 isn't its lack of creativity, but rather its incredibly obnoxious writing. Look, I've never been a huge fan of the franchise's sense of humor, but I was at least invested in the story of Borderlands 2. Considering how B3 puts its story front-and-center, this may be the worst-written video game I've ever played. It's certainly the most annoying. Not only is the main plot of the game a complete rehash of previous entries, every character is a meme-spouting stereotype who seems to exist only to scream bad jokes in your ear. And I do mean SCREAM - it feels like every member of the cast cannot express themselves without straining their vocal cords.
If you have three friends who enjoy looter shooters and don't mind muting the game's dialogue, you might have an alright time with Borderlands 3, especially if you have nostalgia for the series' heyday. Taken as a whole, however, it's a lazy, crass sequel to a pioneering series that deserves a lot better.
Given that the saltine factory known as Gearbox tried to branch out with exciting new flavors that failed spectacularly - Battleborn, for one - the studio's return to the franchise that made them famous was always going to feel like a bit desultory. That said, Borderlands 3 takes it to such an extent that it's actually surprising that the game managed to sell so many copies. It has the slipshod feel of a game created to fulfill a contract - or perhaps to keep the lights on.
Every aspect of B3 feels perfunctory at best and outright insulting at worst. Gearbox has recreated its signature endless conveyor belt of wacky guns with a few new creative twists, but besides that, there's basically nothing interesting or engaging here. The combat is still imprecise and overwhelming in equal measure, the new heroes are mostly just rehashes of old concepts that weren't that exciting to begin with, and the quest and build design feels straight out of 2007. Borderlands has never been a good RPG, but B3 isn't a particularly good FPS, either.
Still, what really sinks B3 isn't its lack of creativity, but rather its incredibly obnoxious writing. Look, I've never been a huge fan of the franchise's sense of humor, but I was at least invested in the story of Borderlands 2. Considering how B3 puts its story front-and-center, this may be the worst-written video game I've ever played. It's certainly the most annoying. Not only is the main plot of the game a complete rehash of previous entries, every character is a meme-spouting stereotype who seems to exist only to scream bad jokes in your ear. And I do mean SCREAM - it feels like every member of the cast cannot express themselves without straining their vocal cords.
If you have three friends who enjoy looter shooters and don't mind muting the game's dialogue, you might have an alright time with Borderlands 3, especially if you have nostalgia for the series' heyday. Taken as a whole, however, it's a lazy, crass sequel to a pioneering series that deserves a lot better.