Things I'd Like To See Improved Upon In Borderlands 3

As of this weekend I'm deep into my first playthrough of Borderlands 3 on the PS4. I chose to go with FL4K as my first character, and for the most part he's been a decent choice though a bit squishy when it comes down to survival. That having been said I chose to go with a high crit build, and didn't optimize my skill trees for the pets or health bonuses. Even so I'm doing alright solo, and as I've said I'm deep into my playthrough. Having completed all side missions along the way as they became available along with key story missions when said side missions were done. Seeing most of my friends whiz past me in rank during my own progression due their grinding approach outside of the main campaign leaves me a little envious, but being the OC (obsessive compulsive) guy I am I wanted to do a complete playthrough before going into the alternative grind centered modes. My approach has served me well to that end.

Borderlands 3 | My Own Thoughts & Opinions

Beyond the drama, and past all the technical issues I am personally finding myself engrossed in the Borderlands 3 grind loop. This is coming from a gamer who has never fully completed Borderlands or Borderlands 2. For whatever reason the third installment has hooked me where the others failed to do so. Maybe it's the newly updated mechanics, the new characters, or the engaging plot filled quests and side quests that are more than just target hunts to participate in. For me everything in the game is enriched in some way. Through well thought dialogue, and humor that I actually laugh at I'm finding the entirety of the new Borderlands universe to be alive, and thriving. There's never a dull moment. Whether you are completing the campaign, farming for guns, or engaging with NPCs it all comes together in a complimentary fashion befitting of a Triple A label. In the company of friends or alone there is plenty of fun to be had, and it scales appropriately while rewarding accordingly. Depending on how much the drama surrounding development and corporate PR effects you though you'll either be willing to give it a chance, or not. Just know that there is an entire team of developers involved that may or may not have had the same ideas in dealing with things as the head of marketing did.

Battleborn (Trial) ~ Impressions

After playing the trial it became clear to me that Gearbox's aim in regards to "Battleborn" was to hook a new audience for lobby population sake, and to revive the game's popularity through a lucrative/beneficial free-to-play system. While the term "Trial" doesn't accurately describe this free-to-play version of Battleborn it does hint at the fact that you will not be getting the complete experience unless you fork over some cash for season pass content. In fact you'll only gain access to a third of what the full game contained should you choose to download the trial. New to the trial version of Battleborn is currency based micro-transactions that come in the guise of two forms of coin credits. One type of credit (blue) being easier to obtain through the game's new quests offerings, and the other (gold) not so easy to obtain. Both credits can be earned in-game, or bought through the PSN store via DLC. Earned, or bought credits can buy and unlock the usual content regardless of how you obtained them. This includes characters, cosmetics, and gear that will boost performance stats in one of the three main multiplayer matchmaking modes.

 Speaking of said modes you will not gain access to the story or the operations modes which are, in my opinion what makes the experience worthwhile due to the objective based co-op content contained within each. Instead you'll gain access solely to the game's competitive multiplayer modes including a Versus mode which houses a rotation of game types and maps as well as an Incursion mode which is a more direct multiplayer mode of play. There's also an AI bot battle in which 5 online gamers will face off against 5 AI bots. All game/mode types are a 5v5 team based battle with different goals governing each. Along with the multiplayer comes the promised unlimited leveling, and loot system that will have you grinding for hours upon end to unlock everything in the game while climbing the ranks of the global leaderboard. If you are looking to train on your own there is also a training mode just for that.

Battleborn vs OverWatch

The hype is real folks. The fans have spoken, and most of them seem to favor OverWatch over Battleborn. Whether this hype continues to be validated or not is yet to be seen though. As a gamer, and a guy who has seen the direction competitive multiplayer games take I do have my concerns for both games. Those concerns lying more so with the people playing, and moderating said experiences than with the games themselves. What you have to understand is that online competitive play is nothing like the eSports events that take place in a locally competitive environment. You are actually facing off against random players from across the globe. Some of which do not have your best interest in mind. They usually are not monitored on an eSports level, and often times get away with their cheating regardless of complaints. Cheating aside I feel that both games in question have met with a similar judgment from the gaming community. I've seen, and heard players say that you cannot solo OverWatch, and that the objectives in the modes of play are limited as are the character offerings. On the flip side I've seen Battleborn called out for several things including a poorly implemented reward system, a grindy type of experience that is not in the players favor, and a lack of content. I myself have bitched about it having a mandatory server sign-in. While all of these things are bad in their own right you have to think about which things can be fixed, and which ones cannot.

Battleborn - Pros & Cons

Most of you know that my initial thoughts of "Battleborn" were mostly against it. I felt that Gearbox, and 2KGames making the game server reliant was a huge mistake. I personally feel that requiring a server sign-in at launch limits the gamers' control over their paid for experience. Should the servers go down for whatever reason the gamer would not have access to the game at all. Furthermore all of the players' save data being stored on server data banks that they do not have access to can lead to even more complications should said data banks be hacked into. I'm not saying your data is any safer on your PS4, because it isn't, I'm merely saying you have even less access to what you've earned/paid for due to said development choice. That accompanied by the looming fact that Battleborn is a wholly team oriented with each played character playing a crucial role in in-game team efforts makes this game an iffy buy. When you play competitively in Battleborn it's not like playing as one of CoD's elite soldiers, or Destiny's heroic guardians who can each carry their own in PvP combat. Each used character in Battleborn ultimately feeds off of, and relies heavily on the aid of assisting players' characters. You have weak healer, powerhouse brutes, and a balanced few characters who are equally assist and combat centered. In that sense k/d is made less important even though the uneducated few still thinks it holds sway in Battleborn's victories. If you fail to see Battleborn in this light then most of your time will be spent being frustrated.