Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Love the storyline and characters

I never could get far into this game, the whole having to constantly collecting oxygen canisters and the weightlessness was a huge turn off, not to mention none of the characters were that fun to use, no abilities feel great to use.

Only game in the series I never completed, and frankly this doesn't have a ngp or a lot of good dlc to be worth it no end game really.

Initially overhated because it wasn't Borderlands 3, the game's pretty good (5/10) if you appreciate it for what it is. It still feels like a DLC though, and the setting is incredibly boring and repetitive. But the characters you play as are really fun, and it plays identically to Borderlands 2 so it's worth playing. Zero replay value though, so I can't even finish it.

Very enjoyable.. casual killing Kraggons. Lots of Space weapons and mods. Mulitiplayer with friends i cool.

this game honestly is climbing it way to be my favorite Borderlands title despite its own lack of dlc content, the gameplay and the story keep me coming back for more and always keep my OP runs interesting. i first played it on the switch and got it for the pc not long after, nisha has been one of my favorites to play because of her dual pistols alone, but her interactions are some of my favorites. love this game.

So I do not recommend Borderlands 2 or The Pre-sequel due to them being very broken. If you get them in the pack thats fine or if you want it but its very very very janky.

The updates to make their cross play SHIFT that happened a while back make both these games constantly lose connection, loop menues and even not function proper or start at times. Many many times in the last 2 days I had to launch Borderlands 2 and close it to get borderlands the pre-sequel to even launch due to many issues it causes when you just normally close the game.

Both games have many issues which should not be an issue to play co-op where you even have to downgrade Borderlands 2 to even get it to connect to shift. unacceptable for product still being sold in the state they both are being sold in.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review – 7 Hours In

Gameplay – Low-Gravity Mayhem

Vault Hunters – Diverse and Fun

Highlights – Early Impressions

Cons – Room for Improvement

Final Thoughts – A Fun Lunar Detour

Deelt wrote:

If you found this review helpful, please give it a like or an award! Thanks for reading, and happy looting!

Hooray, the game came out 10 years ago, and i've finally sit down & played it.

It's a pretty decent game, 7 or an 8 out of 10, but there's quite a few reasons as to why I enjoyed it, and some gripes I have with it. Nonetheless though, the TLDR is that if you're willing to wade through it's weak bits, the strong bits are absolutely stellar. Although, like the rest of the borderlands games, they have aged a bit, the UI is a bit odd at times, the controls can be a bit stiff. If you are coming from Borderlands 3, most of the Quality of life that the game had to sharpen the experience is just not here. And that's okay, just go into the game knowing that it'll be a bit finicky at first, and it'll soon subside.

So in the timeline of games, this is just after Borderlands 1 and it's DLCs, but just before Borderlands 2, the Pre-Sequel is a bit misleading in it's title, but it is essentially the pre sequel for the second game, of which it is the sequel of the first. Got it? Good. It's imperative you understand this little confusion for people who are new to borderlands & want to give it a go, or a returning fan of the series playing the games in the leadup to Borderlands 4.

This review beyond this point is spoiler free, but I will talk a little about the secondary protagonist, Jack. So if you reach this point. Just know I recommend you give the game the go.

While not as stellar as Borderlands 2, which is a *very* good game, it does stand on it's own two legs as being a very fun experience that sets up the story jump between the first & second game very well. Showing the rise of John Borderlands (Handsome Jack). The main story is honestly excellent, and combined with the lore is where this game really does shine it's best. You really start to feel for a tragic unredeemable character, and that's something that is tremendously hard to pull off. And I absolutely enjoyed the slow burn from which you started to see the cracks form in who Jack shows himself to be, and into the eventual fall into madness. I chose to play as Athena, whom as far as I can tell is the most fleshed out of all the characters in terms of connection with the world. As she is a returning character from one of Borderlands 1's DLCs, and unfortunately her playstyle ended up being one of my only real gripes with the game. Not the playstyle itself, but rather that the game absolutely expects you to make full use of her skills, which is primarily melee & her shield, A thing I kept forgetting was there as melee in this game is not fun, and her shield is a bit unwieldy at times. And since I was not using them to their strongest, the end game got *rough*. But that's more of a thing that can be avoided if you choose a character that actually works with your playstyle.

The Character cast was all really good, enjoyed the lovelust of janey, the idiocy of the meriff, zarpe-whos-it's almost feral desire to commit a genocide just because she was pious, and of course, the man of the hour, John Borderlands (Jack). And the humor that you come for in borderlands games is all there. And it often catches you a bit off guard. As for the vault hunters' their past is supremely fleshed out, and just as insane as you want them to be, just don't talk about that yellow box shaped character. He's not in this game unless you want him to be. Some even return, with Wilhelm in 2, and Timothy & Aurelia in 3.

As for the lore, strap yourselves in, as this may well be story & lore that sets up the **4th** game, as some of it sets up events in the 2nd & 3rd games, there's also hints at potential events in the 4th game. We'll have to wait and see for that one however. This is genuinely a gold mine for Borderlands lore as you learn about your favourite characters, learn that a beloved character in borderlands 2 created an ecological disaster, and a man named Toby van Adobe stole some Soap. Not only do you learn more about Pandora, but you also learn more about it's weirdly linked moon Elpis, and despite the usually gray tones on the moon, there are some parts of this game that are just unbelievably stunning in ways that nothing else in the series compares to.

But this game isn't perfect, and there's some reasons as to that. Some of the sidequests are in odd positions where you feel like the stakes could not be higher but oh boy some clap trap needs some help but they just happen to be in one part of the game where the tensions ramped up so high that taking that detour ruins the momentum. There's a lot of parts in this game where the platforming is tight, and since you cannot climb things you end up barely missing & falling to your death. Mechanics like the "Oz" meter (will make more sense when you play the game), are kinda just there? They're not exactly annoying & perilous, but not really engaging, tbh I barely felt any reason to pretend that the oz meter existed. And that may just be a blessing with how often you go without oxygenated environments. There's some mechanics that seem like they'd be absolutely amazing if they implemented them more, only to find out they did it only once (like using cryo to shrink glass to break it), I can yearn for a borderlands game with an intense level of elemental interactivity, but unfortunately not today. This game does often feel like more of a melting pot of ideas at times, and while some of them were left behind in 3 for good reasons, I do feel like they left some seriously good ideas behind like the laser weapons, and the elemental interactivity. The only other complaint was that the difficulty felt a little out of control, like at times it felt as if my shield didn't exist with how fast it got destroyed, or the amount of enemies being far too much for 1 person to handle.

Overall, while I had some things I did not enjoy about the game, there was plenty to make up for it, and as a borderlands nerd, this was still a very fun game, and I genuinely recommend it for everyone who enjoys this series. It's lore, characters & story are well and beyond more to make up for it's weird ideas, even if it isn't the masterpiece that is Borderlands 2. Also good luck to anyone else doing the marathon of BL1 - BL-PS - BL2 - BL3 in hype for the 4th game.

Also I find it absolutely hilarious how Australian the moon is, did everyone from Australia go there or something.

A standalone expansion for Borderlands 2 that really, really shines on its own merits. It's a shame this game didn't get the love it deserved.

You wont regret buying this game, its a masterpiece and probably will be my favorite borderlands game.
The classes are a lot more interesting than all the other games with unique abilities. I decided to main the doppelganger on my first playthrough on co-op in which is a DLC class.

补剧情用 不适合作为单纯的fps玩。一周目从主线到dlc持续地等级压制数值太高没降下过

The Jack that was a good side and The Handsome Jack that went insane side, the sequel of the first borderlands, if you wanna see why and what happens before borderlands 2. its great filler to fill you urge to know all of happenings in other vault hunters.
The Characters are great too especially the one with the Atlas Company lol

Secret Spoiler: This also gave a tips on upcoming borderlands 4, on why and what

One of the "cool new features" is the oxygen bar in outer space stages

Pre-Sequel was in the safe zone for many people...
it seems to be a Borderlands 2 DLC rather than an actual new game.
good sense of humor
heroes with good gameplay but not that charismatic... except for Claptrap because of his fan base
The setting is kind of bland.
presenting the same technical problems as Borderlands 2

but in fact...it doesn't stop you from playing... I give it a 7.6

Easily the worst Borderlands game. Laser weapons are basically worthless, the moon gravity is nothing but annoying, you'll be constantly underleveled even if you keep up with side quests, and even if you're not underleveled, basic enemies will deal half your health in a couple of hits. 2K was on drugs making this game.

I really liked the vault hunters you get to play as in this game. The outer space atmosphere is also really cool and the story is amazing. If you're a borderlands fan, you have to play this game.

While Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel feels more like a big Borderlands 2 expansion than an actual sequel due to a lack of significant changes to the series formula, it remains an enjoyable looter-shooter despite not quite reaching the same heights

Out of all main titles in the franchise, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (or Borderlands: TPS for short) always felt like the odd one out, as most fans usually tend to talk about Borderlands 1-3 instead. This might be because developer Gearbox Software wasn’t solely responsible for Borderlands: TPS since 2K Australia co-developed the game, but also because Borderlands: TPS didn’t really do anything to progress the franchise formula – which makes it feel less like a mainline title but more like a big expansion instead. Coupled with the unusual storytelling that takes place before and after the events of Borderlands 2 at the same time, it seems that Borderlands: TPS was mostly made for fans of the looter-shooter franchise in order to bridge the long time before Borderlands 3 would arrive.

As the name suggest, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is split into two parts narratively: The actually playable portion of the game is set before the events of Borderlands 2 and allows players to experience how popular villain Handsome Jack rose to power. However, the non-flashback parts of the story happen a lot later, after the events of Borderlands 2, as these cutscenes are set between the third episode of Tales from the Borderlands and Borderlands 3 instead. To keep things simple, all of this just means that Borderlands: TPS should only be played AFTER Borderlands 1 & 2, if you want to experience it’s story in the best possible way.

While the story and writing of Borderlands: TPS never really hit the same heights as other franchise titles - especially Tales from the Borderlands - for me, it’s still an enjoyable yet drawn-out trip to Pandora’s moon Elpis and the Helios space station. Having played through the game once during its launch on PlayStation and now once more on PC many years later, what most stuck with me is how nicely many of the prequel elements actually added to the events in Borderlands 1&2: There’s Jack’s story of course but there are also other notable answers to open questions like what is actually powering the Helios laser, for example.

On the downside, the story of Borderlands: TPS unfortunately suffers from big pacing issues. Even if you’re not the type to tackle all side-quests the minute they appear, the main story still moves at a snail’s pace at times, as fulfilling simple objectives usually turns into an unnecessarily lengthy affair. Coupled with the same mission objectives almost every time (“shoot X, stand here, press button”) and a visually-boring setting, it’s fair to say that Borderlands: TPS can occasionally test the patience of even the most devoted fans. If the gameplay received some meaningful updates, the feeling of repetitiveness might’ve been less of an issue, but unfortunately this isn’t the case.

To put it bluntly, Borderlands: TPS feels way too similar to Borderlands 2 in terms of UI and gameplay, to the point where it might as well be a huge expansion. Apart from the new locations and story, the main differences between Borderlands: TPS and Borderlands 2 are the inclusion of O2 kits, a new vehicle (“Stringray”), a new elemental effect (cyrogenic instead of slag) and a new weapon type (laser). Furthermore, the “Grinder” machine allows the player to “recycle” weapons and receive new ones in return.

While most of these additions are self-explanatory and mostly okay – I personally never cared for the Stingray – the O2 kits are a different story. Due to the space setting, many environments in the game feature low gravity and no air, which is where the O2 kits come in: Not only do they provide air for a certain time until they need to be replenished (thankfully, running out of oxygen only makes the player’s character gradually lose health instead of instantly killing them), they also function like a jetpack and allow for various air manoeuvres (e.g. hovering, air dashes) as well as ground slams.

This might sound like a huge gamechanger on paper but in practice, O2 kits are more of a slight modification to the core Borderlands gameplay. Searching for air is nothing more than a slight annoyance and the increased air manoeuvrability is certainly nice to have but also limited to the point where you’re still mostly going to stay on ground. Overall, Borderlands: TPS still mostly plays like Borderlands 2: do quests, fight the same few enemy types, level up, invest points in three skill trees, use increasingly better procedurally generated weapons and so on. The gameplay loop is still fun, sure, but if you’ve played a lot of Borderlands 2 before, you probably want something a bit more different instead – like the refinements that Borderlands 3 brought to the gameplay.

There’s one aspect of Borderlands: TPS that proves to be a real downgrade compared to Borderlands 2 however: It’s level design. While the map UI is as unhelpful as ever, especially since you can’t track objectives of multiple quests at once, the individual levels range from way too big and boring to small and needlessly complicated/annoying to navigate. As mentioned before, they’re also visually boring, with the same few barren environments more or less repeated instead of doing something more interesting – a shame, compared to the many different environments showcased in Borderlands 2.

On a more positive note however, Borderlands: TPS runs well on a SteamDeck OLED using Proton Experimental: My playthrough at a native 1200x800 resolution and with almost all settings maxed out resulted in a nearly flawless 60 FPS experience. Strangely, the game likes to restrict itself to just 45 FPS upon a restart at times – this was easily fixed by adjusting the SteamDeck screen refresh rate from 60hz to another number and back to 60hz in the SteamDeck settings however. I found the SteamDeck to be a great fit for Borderlands: TPS, although I have yet to try using it during a co-op playthrough.

Concluding, Borderlands: TPS is a decent title for fans of the franchise that just want more Borderlands. It’s not suited for newcomers due to its story structure and might feel a bit dated if you’ve played Borderlands 3 beforehand, but it’s quite enjoyable if you’re not expecting it to be more than a slightly adjusted Borderlands 2 experience.

very good borderlands game. unfortunately pretty short and not really any endgame. the claptrap dlc is really good. holodome is cheeks. if tps had as much content as bl2 or bl3, it would no doubt be my favorite game in the series.

Not as good as Borderlands 2 but still pretty great. It's like a australian space version of Borderlands 2 with slightly worse writting

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Recommended - Yes
Purchase Bracket - Buy on Sale

Breakdown:

Story:
Timeline wise, this takes place between the events of BL1 + BL2 and fills the void between the two games well. The story is enjoyable however is lack lusting of impactful moments which are experienced during BL2.

Gameplay:
Functions the same as any other Borderlands game, with the addition of Lasers and zero-gravity combat made the gameplay feel new and innovated for a Borderlands game. There were no moments where it felt tedious for this new playstyle.

Humour:
The Pre-Sequel does carry-on the dry sense of humour that is known in its other games, and presents a multitude of laughable/memorable moments.

DLC:
There are a few DLC options for this game, most entertaining to play was the 'Claptastic Voyage' which involves you digitizing yourself and entering Claptraps 'brain' (questionable). The other DLCs include 2 new vault hunters and a few arena type areas which were repetitive and less impactful as the 'Claptastic Voyage'.

Vault Hunters:
The available Vault Hunters in this title are:
- Athena the Gladiator
- Claptrap the Fragtrap
- Nisha the Lawbringer
- Wilhelm the Enforcer
- Jack the Doppelganger (DLC)
- Aurelia the Baroness (DLC)

Replay Ability:
As with the other Borderlands title this game offers great replay ability.

Its not as replayable as the main entries of the borderlands frenchise, but the atmosphere, some of the most ridiculous skill trees and of course the claptastic voyage dlc keep you comming back.

This game is pretty mid, it started slow but finished ok. The game mechanics was kind of annoying where you have to stand in oxygen area to regen or die. The boss fights were fun, but forgettable because the only boss fight i remember or matters is the final boss fight where it ties with the lore of the story. You cant craft any legendary guns on the grinder or pretty much any guns since it gets moody and you have to turn on and turn off the game so it can work. The vault hunters were interesting in a way that tie in with the main borderlands story but they can be forgettable to most people since there no mention of them in future games. I want to say the best thing in this game is the Claptrap DLC where you get an insight on claptraps past. I did like the zero gravity feature a little since its a weird twist on the game and you can actually hover as if you were on the moon. I rank it 8/10

the military industrial complex has stolen the letter H. Team up with the hero of borderlands 2 to complete the alphabet

Not as good as 2 but enjoyable. The story was interesting but let down by developments at the end of the game not being followed through in 3.

I came back for the second time and the game is still good, if not better, as the first time.
Great fun with all the characters, satisfying visuals without stressing gpus, funny for the most of the gamers and community still alive for fun or coop achievements.

What else to ask?

Game is kind of just annoying. Janky collision and world design, not sure how many times I died from failed vehicle jumps (come on build better jumps guys, it's not hard and you chose to have low gravity!!). Frustrating and weird side mission design (depleting your electric shield to stun 5 security devices at once was so dumb and jank that I gave up and uninstalled for wasting my time). Doors that dont unlock until you return to main menu and reload. Low gravity and O2 comsumption dont make it better, on the contrary. Driving is awkward and controls suck. And that's all from just 3 hours of playtime. Writing and dialogue was somewhat funny though and graphics aint half bad.

2K did the game dirty on release but that has long ago been fixed. Still a great game to play and has my favorite vault hunters to play. Who doesn't want to play as claptrap? Also, I think the Claptastic Voyage was the best dlc.

Straight dog water. early game is kinda fun but the late game sucks so much arse it should go into the plumbing industry

Great game. Had some big foot steps to fill after BL2 and obviously didn't quite fill them but still very good and similar to BL2.

this is just borderlands 2 but worse in almost every way.
your lucky i love borderlands 2 otherwise this review would be a different story

Get Borderlands 2 instead. This game is fine, but you shouldn't get it if you don't have Borderlands 2.

This is probably my favourite borderlands game. The inclusion of zero gravity, being able to slam down to the ground, cryo weapons, and a new setting on the moon. This game is great.

A good game, you will have fun, especially in co-op, but the game is very short, it should be an expansion!

it is short compared to 1, 2 and 3 but it is unique even without expansion dlcs and season passes i find it quite charming and still re playing after my ps4 switch and now playing again in steam

Don't believe what everyone says about Pre-Sequel. The post-game isn't great, but as a single experience from start to finish, it's a really fun and well-paced time.
The DLC is also fantastic, and one of the best pieces of content Gearbox have made for Borderlands.

The game is pretty good. It has all the classic Borderlands game mechanics, graphics, fighting, side missions and cool characters. You get a cool thing that lets you double jump, I had a lot of fun with that. The game can get a little tedious at times. Not enough bosses/mini bosses. The final boss is a bullet sponge and that was frustrating and disappointing. There's a cool-looking claptrap DLC but it's 10$... screw dat... There's some other DLC for this game that's meant to be played in multiplayer, I always play singleplayer so I didn't try them out. It def has some replay value, but not much. I'll always prefer BL2, it has a special place in my heart.

i like that its the same style as bl2. the lasers are insane. game is amazing and fun.

Solid, doesnt feel nearly as repetitive as the first two games

I enjoyed the game. Plenty to do as always with these Borderlands games. Recommended if you enjoyed the previous games.

Too many bugs that haven't been fixed that seriously affects the playability of the game. I can't believe the developers haven't yet fixed this - it's been years since it was released.

The 'gladiator' athena class is the definition of awesome!Coupled with the super engaging combat and classic borderlands humour,this is a must play for anyone who likes borderlands games or just FPS shooters in general.

The dialogue can get a little weird and cringe sometimes, and the lack of farmability for most story bosses despite them having dedicated drops is where this game really suffers

However, this game has by far the most fun and exciting skill trees in the entire franchise, and the grinder mechanic kinda makes up for the farmability problem i mentioned earlier.

Another great installment in the Borderlands franchise, the Pre Sequel takes things to the next level with a fantastic story, great characters and new innovative gameplay, which will make you jump for joy.

In general this game just have a really good story, backed up by some very solid world building. I really enjoyed spending time on the differently planets. The gameplay, like both BL1 and 2, lacks the fluidity of the more recent entries in the series, but it still holds up decently well.

Same garbage as Borderlands 2 with funnier skills, but with less polish.

Also a solid entry on the borderlands series, handsome jack is a handsome son of a flower* ಠ_ಠ

although it's my least favourite borderlands, it's still very great gameplay with the same borderlands humour and adventures the series is known for. 8.5/10 and i only find this my least favourite cause i specifically dislike zero gravity combat, a lot of people found it very fun so i think i'm just weird, good game, play it!!

i understand why this game gets the hate it does. In many ways its a slight downgrade from borderlands 2. The lack of an endgame hits hard in a game about grinding gear and replayability, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy this game alot. It's gunplay is loads of fun with the new cryo element and laser guns, butt slams, double jumps, launch pads etc. Overall the movement felt great and made traversing the environment faster and way more fun. The story was pretty well done I really loved watching the downfall of Jack and his rise to power, although it did happen really quickly in terms of gameplay. The playable vault hunters are really well done here with significantly more interesting and complex build crafting compared to the second game. Speaking of characters though I gotta mention pickle and springs. Both of them are recurring annoyances without any of the charm of claptrap. Overall this was exactly what I wanted, more borderlands 2. It just comes with that warning that the endgame isn't really there.

Also the claptrap DLC is an absolute blast. If you like borderlands that DLC is worth its weight in gold.

I wasnt expecting much and it was honestly a good experience.
It cant compete with Borderlands 2 but isnt a bad game.

This game kinda just feels like a DLC to Borderlands 2, otherwise its pretty great, same as 2 really.

Honestly, it's better than 2. Cool set pieces and introduced having your characters talk, but the characters are actually cool, unlike BL3.

A game of pure fun and crazy! This is the peak of the Borderlands series for me. Most of the fun gameplay features was condensed in this very game achieving its critical level with low-gravity, butt-slams, lasers and giant cosmic octopuses! This is a breath of fresh cosmic non-air vacuum on the beautiful moon landscapes under the sky with no atmosphere but just pure star radiation. Love this!