Rock Paper Shotgun reports that the Borderlands games got major enhancements:

Borderlands games reload with updated art and features

There ain’t no rest for the wicked, a video game once told me, and Gearbox Software certainly have been busy. Today they launched remastered versions of Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, coming to PC as free updates. They’re all prettied-up a bit, while the first game also now includes all the DLC as well as features borrowed from later games in the looter-shooter series. These updates are probably more for the benefit of the latest consoles, jazzing ’em up for a fresh audience before Borderlands 3 hits in September, but hey we benefit too. Thanks, Ian Microsoft and Ian Sony!

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Borderlands finally got a new patch to use Steam instead of GameSpy.

Borderlands has been updated with Steamworks multiplayer! If you have a physical DVD of the game, don’t forget you can get the Steamworks version by running the “Granting Tool” in the “Tools” section of Steam.

For more information on this process, or for help getting your copy of Borderlands onto Steam: refer to - http://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/202552173--PC-Borderlands-GameSpy-Shutdown-and-Conversion-Tool

I thought some of you would like to know SecuRom has finally been removed in the latest patch on Steam for Borderlands.

Borderlands update released

Steamworks multiplayer is coming in a future update.

- Removed SecuRom from the title and all DLC
- Added a “Granting Tool” In the steam “Tools” section that turns a retail disc into a Steam version of Borderlands
- “News Ticker” added to the main menu to give you updates on the Multiplayer restoration updates.
- Imported SecuRom DLC keys into Steam, so if you bought DLC outside of Steam, activate it within Steam and get your matching content.

Shamus Young from Twenty Sided looks back at the bazillions of guns offered by Borderlands and answers why you'd want more guns in the sequel:

Borderlands is a strange beast. On the surface it seems like your typical empowerment fantasy: You are a singular force of destruction, slaughtering your way through beasts and bandits that are so uncompromisingly evil that you can feel like your killing is a public service. See also: Serious Sam, Doom, Quake, Painkiller, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Homefront, Prey, Resistance, Killzone, etc etc etc. You can dominate like a badass and feel virtuous at the same time.

But underneath all the shooting is a game more like Diablo, which is a looting system that hooks into our hunter-gatherer instincts and drives players to search and hoard. You’re foraging for firearms, basically. It also hooks into typical gambling compulsions. (Which may actually be the same thing. I don’t know enough to argue about it. I’ll leave that to the behaviorists.) 

Eurogamer says Borderlands 2 is "confirmed" (no great surprise as such) by a "source":

A source close to the game told Eurogamer the Gearbox-developed shooter will release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year.

A bit of pie-in-the-sky musing at IGN who, having decided Borderlands 2 is "inevitable", put together some improvements they'd like:

Borderlands had four classes to choose from, but they never felt very customizable within their talent trees. Each class had only one specific power, and the other, passive abilities they had didn't do enough to make any one version of a class feel differentiated from another of the same type. For Borderlands 2 we'd love to see deeper talent trees, more akin to World of Warcraft or Diablo, where the points we spend when we level create a version of our class that feels truly specialized. Extra classes would always be cool too, but we'd settle for four core classes that could be developed into more sharply defined sub-classes via our choices.

It's been a long time since I posted anything about Borderlands, but they're still patching the game. With this latest patch your level cap is increased 8 more levels (why not 10?) and varios other improvements:

* Level cap increase of 8 levels for all players.

- Original Borderlands players will now be able to achieve level 58.

- Owners of The Secret Armory of General Knoxx can achieve a record setting increase to a

maximum level of 69.

* Enemies now scale to new level caps throughout the whole game as long as playthrough

2 has been completed.

* Item drops (with the exception of COM Decks) will now scale to new enemy level caps.

* DLC4 Achievement/Trophy glitches that have affected some users will now properly award players for obtaining these achievements.

IGN has made a review, 8.8/10, of the GotY edition of Boderlands. IGN also mentions that you get all four of the expansions as well as some other stuff. The review itself is fairly long one, so here's an excerpt on how the replay value is:

There's also the question of replay value, which Gearbox took into account. After you're finished with one playthrough and have completed all the quests in the game world, you'll likely be somewhere in your mid-30s out of a total 50 character levels. The game lets you start over using the same character, bringing along all your experience, skill setups, items, unlocked inventory space -- everything but your quest progress. The good news is upon restarting the world powers up around you, meaning starting level enemies are right near your level and the items they drop are given a boost.

And here's a snip from the conclusion:

It's a thoroughly enjoyable journey that offers a steady stream of rewards that remains convenient and accessible. It's something action role-playing game fans looking for an experience more up-close and brutal than genre entries of the third-person variety should have a blast with, and one of the more memorable products of 2009.

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition is now available in the UK from mid October.
Here's the press release.

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition detonates at retail across the United Kingdom

Every copy includes certificate for Duke Nukem Forever® First Access Club, granting members rights to exclusive benefits, including early access to the playable demo before it is publicly released.

2K Games and Gearbox Software today announced that the extravasplosive video game gun-fest - BorderlandsTM Game of the Year edition - is now available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for £29.99, and for Windows PC for £29.99. The Borderlands Game of the Year package comes complete with the best-selling Borderlands stand-alone game, its entire downloadable add-on library, a fold-out map and membership certificate to enter the Duke Nukem Forever® First Access Club. This certificate entitles owners to a wealth of ballistic bonuses, including early access to a playable demo of the legendary, long-awaited video game - Duke Nukem Forever.

“Borderlands Game of the Year Edition is the perfect way for you to experience everything that last year’s surprise hit had to offer and more,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With more than 17 million weapons to enjoy in Borderlands Game of the Year Edition, as well as early demo access to the King of All Shooters - Duke Nukem Forever, there will be a lot of explosive action emanating from consoles and PCs around the world.”

Borderlands Game of the Year edition is a highly charged, value-packed collection of the critically acclaimed and best-selling Role-Playing-Shooter that has captured the imagination and attention of single-player and cooperative gamers around the world. Borderlands Game of the Year edition customers will also receive all four frenzied downloadable adventures, including The Zombie Island or Dr. Ned*, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot*, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx*, and the latest robotic Claptasticadventure - Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution* - where players will join forces in an attempt to suppress the infamous Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap.

In addition, fans will find a membership certificate to the Duke Nukem Forever® First Access Club inside the packaging. After entering the one-time use code from the certificate on the website, fans will receive access to exclusive bonuses, including demos which will be available prior to the retail launch of the game. This select group of First Access Club members will be the first to play the game and experience the life of the King of All Shooters. Hail to the King, baby!

Borderlands, rated PEGI 18, is currently available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned**, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot**, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx** and Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution** add-on packs are all available separately on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 fand on the PlayStation® Network and Windows PC.

Duke Nukem Forever will officially make its eagerly anticipated debut for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC in calendar 2011. Duke Nukem Forever is not yet rated by PEGI.

For more information, please visit www.borderlandsthegame.com and www.dukenukem.com.

*All downloadable game add-ons are accessed via a redeemable Microsoft token or voucher included in every copy of the game, standalone product required to operate.

** Requires standalone Borderlands product in order to be played.

2K has announced a Game of the Year Edition for Borderlands, planned for October.  Here's a partial snip from Blue's:

2K Games announces plans for A Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition for release on October 12, which will offer Gearbox's role-playing shooter along with all its DLC, as it will include The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, and The Secret Armory of General Knoxx as well as a token to authorize download of the recently announced Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution. The bundle will also include a comprehensive map of the Borderlands territories, prompting them to call this the "definitive collection" of the game.

Latest DLC The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx is reviewed, and very well recieved, at Gamespot.

If you survive enemy encounters, then you're rewarded with loot aplenty. The quality of the weapons, shields, and mods continues to increase as your level increases (the new cap is 61), and there is even a robust new type of chest for your looting pleasure. The ratio of quality goods to vending-machine fodder remains about the same, but the new heights of quality (and elusive super-rare designation) are sure to rekindle your desire to search every last chest and cardboard box. Rekindling is what The Secret Armory of General Knoxx does best as it embraces all the elements that make Borderlands so fun and addictive. And, it will likely keep you going for at least 10 hours. Whether you've just unlocked The Vault or maxed out twice over, The Secret Armory is an excellent reason to journey back to Pandora.

Eurogamer have also reviewed the DLC and it has received 9/10 there as well.

It's working pretty well for Gearbox, too. Dr Ned and Moxxi's Underdome may have been about busting Borderlands out into strange new splinters, but Knoxx sees the team returning to the core experience and quietly tinkering. There's more polish - NPCs have lip-syncing, cut-scenes are a little more elaborate - but there's also a sense that you're seeing the future of the franchise take shape, and that makes for a dazzling combination.

The truth is, when it comes to DLC, nobody is doing this stuff as well as Gearbox's team at the moment [apart from Capcom, perhaps - Ed.]. And they just keep getting better at it all the time.

Destructoid are next up on the GK review list again scores highly.

As in the original game, most of the missions in “General Knoxx” are of the go-here-fetch-this variety, but Gearbox seem to have learned a little bit during the past six months of DLC development. Instead of sending you over previously-covered ground, I found that most of the missions in “General Knoxx” sent me to new areas of the map to encounter new types of enemies.

For what it’s worth, these “new” types of enemies are mostly just re-skins of older Pandoran denizens. Nevertheless, there’s a similar sense that Gearbox has been refining the formula: AI seems little quicker on the uptake and less stupidly aggressive. In that same vein: you’ll still be exploring bandit encampments, but they’re more architecturally interesting and varied. There’s a renewed focus on cover – no doubt a continuation of “Mad Moxxi”’s level design -- that makes combat feel more natural and organic as ever.

Well, as natural as shooting shotgun shells full of elecricity at people can feel.

In a three page interview Gamespy talks with Paul Hellquist, the game design director for Gear Box Games, about the development of Borderlands. Here's a snip from the start of the interview in which they talk about the somewhat surprising success of Borderlands:

GameSpy: Did the success of Borderlands catch you and the rest of Gearbox off-guard?

Paul Hellquist: Um, I think... I think it did and it didn't. I think a couple of months before it came out, based on focus testing and people around the office getting the chance to play it for the first time, it became pretty clear to us that we really had something that grabbed people.

GameInformer has spent some hands-on time with the third DLC for Borderlands, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. Here's the bit about the types of new enemies you'll encounter:

First of all, Gearbox wasn't lying about new enemy types. In addition to the ninja assassins, there are flying Lance probes that patrol the highway, which pack strong shields and a friendly attitude as they burn you with lasers. There are also Lance Rocketeers, who hover above you and shower you with rockets, and Lance Pyros, who's flamethrowers are deadly up close, but who have a tendency to explode if their tanks get shot too much (also depicted in the video). There are also skagg-riding midgets, and the aforementioned Devastator mechs, which move with short, swift steps that reminded me of the enforcement droids from Robocop 2 (they also explode into fiery pieces when you finally kill them off).  

Borderlands is getting a new DLC entitled Secret Armory of General Knoxx, according to IGN. You'll get upgrades this time:

The level cap, for instance, is finally being lifted up to 61 from 50. That means you'll have more skill points to play around with and mold your characters into more formidable killers. What's even better to hear, at least for hardcore Borderlands fans, is there'll be more guns this time around, including an entirely new tier of rarity that Gearbox mentioned would dramatically overshadow anything else in the game.

The DLC will be released for all platforms, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, although there's no info as of yet, when this will be.

The Borderlands site has news of a 1.21 update:

The update contains the following:

• Multiplayer connectivity has been improved; users should no longer be required to forward ports to host or join multiplayer games
• Players who experienced distorted shadows or graphical glitches after update 1.0.1 should no longer experience these issues
• The 3D Vision crosshair has been improved

If you purchased a physical copy of the PC version of Borderlands, you can download the update from our site:

Borderlands PC Update 1.21 (download here)

Click here if you have the German version of Borderlands

Digital distribution versions will need to be patched by the specific vendor.

Gearbox has released a v1.20 patch Borderlands, fixing a handful of issues and preparing the game for the Mad Moxxi DLC.  You can grab the file direct from Gearbox and read the notes on their forum.

Note that online distribution versions will need to get the patch via the supplier.

Mathew Armstrong talks to Shacknews about the latest DLC content for Borderlands. They talk about the new areas, scaling, level caps, quests and the reasons behind the later PC and PS3 releases. Here is a snippet from the interview:

Shack: Does Mad Moxxi raise the game's level cap? If not, why, and is that something that's coming in a future download?

Matthew Armstrong: Early on, we said we would dedicate our DLC to giving the players what they want. We have many loyal fans who have played the game for a long time asking us for a place to really challenge themselves and show what they can REALLY do. Riot mode is not about growth! It's about proving yourself. It's about over the top co-operative combat and seeing if you're as tough as you think you are.

We have two tiers of tournament. The small tournament is five waves and gives a real nice prize at the end. It's a challenge, but it's designed to be something that anyone can tackle with a couple of friends. Each of the three coliseums takes about 2 hours in the small one, so there are six hours of repeatable gameplay in that one. But for the hardcore player, we have the BIG Tournament, which takes you through 20 increasingly difficult rounds, with new rules added, tougher enemies, and more enemies as the rounds progress. It's an epic challenge where you have to team up with real good players and fight as a team to emerge victorious.

Some examples of these rules are things like low gravity mode or vampire mode or headshots only mode etc. As these overlap it gets to be quite intense.

Now with that being said, we do recognize that some people just want an avenue to build their character just a little more. So what we did is figured out a way to maintain compatibility across all players and also allow people who got Mad Moxxi to gain additional skill points. It's in there.

Shack: Zombie Island hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously, but Mad Moxxi is arriving on PlayStation 3 a week later than Xbox 360. Why the delay? And is there any clue as to when Mad Moxxi will be available on PC?

Matthew Armstrong: We try to get everything out to our fans as quickly as possible. Development, testing, certification, and a multitude of other factors all contribute to defining the release of DLC or games on various consoles. When we find that the release/ship dates for different consoles do not fall on the same date, we have to ask ourselves whether it's better to delay some so they all ship at the same time or to allow them to ship when they are ready, regardless of the other versions.

On Borderlands, we've generally decided to release things when they are ready to be released. Almost every developer or publisher has to make this call sometimes. It is inherent to making games. Next time maybe we'd love to do things differently.

Take-Two's end of financial year results reported at GameSpot includes the news that Borderlands has sold 2M copies worldwide since its October launch.

It's definitely more shooter than RPG by a long way but is it any good? We delve into Borderlands in our latest review with the main critique written by txa1265 and additional closing comments from Skavenhorde.  Here's a sample:

Borderlands features 160 missions, with 56 related to the main storyline and the other 104 side missions simply there to help you gain more money and experience and items. That sounds like a ton of stuff, and it really is! You will be busy with tons of quests and combat and action for dozens of hours! In terms of length you will spend around 30 hours getting through the game in solo mode or in co-op, at which point you can take your character at the level you finished (probably ~30) and start a new game and face more challenging enemies until you max out at level 50. Given four characters and perhaps three builds per character, along with playing co-op missions with friends, it is possible to put more than a couple hundred hours into Borderlands to see everything it has to offer. If you manage that, more power to you!

But as most folks know, there is a significant difference between loads of busy-work and a satisfying experience. And sadly I found the majority of quests in Borderlands to be busy-work. There were quirky characters, such as the guy who wants you to go on a killing spree and fetch back his leg. Or the guy who was standing around 24/7 just waiting to hand me the all-important quest to go into a different zone, and pick up the missing flux capacitor to help finish the chronosynclastic infundibulum generator (I made that one up, but it might as well have been true). The short story leading up to the quest is invariably more interesting than anything that happens later. It can be argued that missions in shooters are all 'go here, wipe out everything, walk over widget A and return'. But for contrast, the recent Red Faction Guerrilla had missions where things would twist and turn mid-stream, where there would be multiple in-mission interactions, and an overall more complex and satisfying structure.

Read it all here.

ShackNews has posted a couple of newsbits on Borderlands. The first deals with the next installment of downloadable content. Here's the text:

The second downloadable add-on for Borderlands was just officially announced by developer Gearbox and publisher 2K Games.

Dubbed "Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot," the follow-up to "Zombie Island" brings three new "Riot Mode" areas to the shooter-RPG, where players can face off against an "onslaught of Pandora's baddest enemies," along with more storage capacity via a new "bank feature" and the ability to earn two more skill points through quest rewards.

Coming to all three versions, the 800 Microsoft Points / $10 download hits Xbox 360 on December 29, PlayStation 3 on January 7, then PC at some unknown point.

Update: Gearbox has clarified that the "Riot Mode" arenas "are not just new deathmatch areas," but "an entirely new game mode" in which players face off against waves of enemies a la Gears of War 2's Horde Mode or Halo 3: ODST's Firefight.

The other bit of news is that a second bug fix for XBox 360 has been released, with PC and PS3 fixes scheduled to be next. You can find the patch summary at the link above and the full changelog here.

Eurogamer posted that the PC version of Borderlands The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is available. I can not verify this due to the fact that I'm unable to purchase it for download from their store. No reason as to why, but it must have something to do with my location. I would assume that North America and Europe is not affected by this. If you're interested you can try buying it here.

For those hoping for another dose of the post-apocalyptic action RPG, some firmer indications of a sequel are revealed in a short newsbit over at Gamespot about the latest doings at Take 2 Interactive in which a spokesman mentions that Borderlands may become a long term franchise. They also refer back to a previous statement made by Gearbox's creative director on the game, Mikey Neumann, saying a sequel is "a no-brainer."

Here's the relevant snip:

In a conference call with analysts, chairman Strauss Zelnick praised the game, saying it shows "every sign of becoming an important, long-term franchise." Company president Ben Feder then announced that the 2K Games label has secured "long-term publishing rights to Borderlands sequels."

There is a video review of the new DLC for Borderlands. IGN liked the environments and enemies. The felt if you liked the original then you will probably like The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. The final score was 8/10. There is still no word out on when this will be available for the PC.

A review of Borderlands has been penned at GameBanshee by Brother None. As something new for GameBanshee, there is no score attached to the review.

Here are two tidbits from the concluding part of the review:

Borderlands is an odd game that felt unfinished in many aspects. It doesn't do much particularly well, and what it does do well doesn't carry through (the limitations imposed to multiplayer and the sudden cessation of well-written characters and stories after the opening area are two prime examples).

FPS/RPG hybrids are pretty rare as genre combinations go, and that alone may be enough to draw people in. But the execution leaves much to be desired, and the game really lacks lasting value because of it. Such a flaw hits hack 'n slashes harder than most genres, as the crutch of such a game is its addictiveness, and while Borderlands is good at the 60 meter sprint, it falls flat on its face about halfway through the 5,000 meter track.

Yet another day, yet another sale on Steam. This time Borderlands is treated with a 33% price reduction at now 33.49€. Trine is 50% off at 9.99€ and the superheroes MMORPG City of Heroes is likewise 50% off at 7.49€.

Gamespot and Shaqnews have reviewed the new DLC for Borderlands. All of these reviews are based on the console versions of the game. The PC version has not been released yet.

Gamespot gave it a 8.5/10. They really liked the additional content. One thing they did not like was that the difficulty was based on the story progression instead of the character's level. Aside from that complaint they were very pleased with the game:

As you blast your way through quests and mow down hordes of the undead, you'll be treated to the steady stream of loot you've come to expect from Borderlands. To get loot and face enemies commensurate with your level, it's important to keep the following in mind: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned scales everything according to your progress through the main story of Borderlands, not according to your character's level. So before you head to Jakob's Cove, take stock of your situation. If the enemies and the level of your current main story quest are about on par with your character's level, then you'll find a good challenge and good loot on the Zombie Island. If you've been spending time leveling but not advancing the story (that is, by doing lots of side quests or playing cooperatively with someone at a different point in the story than you), you may be overleveled for your current story progress. This could make Zombie Island too easy and make your loot haul unsatisfying. You'll get the most out of it if your character level is on par with your story progress, but, of course, once you complete Zombie Island and go back to your campaign, you'll likely be a bit overleveled. Still, it's better to tackle this content straight on and be overleveled when you return to the main game. Aside from getting more bang for your buck, you'll get to experience boss battles and set-piece battles as you were meant to.

Shaqnews did not score the review. They enjoyed the humor and style of the DLC. Their largest complaint wasn't from what was changed, but what had remained the same like larger enemies getting stuck in corners and the level cap remaining unchanged. In the end they felt these were small annoyances compared to what the addictional content had to offer:

It also delivers a new story, unsurprisingly centered around zombies and littered with references to everything from Pumpkinhead to Scooby Doo. And the new dialog, be it the warnings against zombie contact that loop over the town's announcement system or Claptrap's various quips, are easily the game's most entertaining offerings.

Of course, if you didn't enjoy Borderlands or were hoping for something radically different here, then you're bound to be disappointed. The structure and mechanics remain mostly unchanged--travel to the waypoint and kill anything on the way.

Dr Ned reviewed at Eurogamer, it's very positive as can be seen by the review's conclusion and score of 8/10.

Whatever the time of year, then, Halloween and Borderlands is a great match, and if this is the way the game's DLC is going to unfold, I'd happily have a dozen of these quirky, colourful offshoots to plough through. Zombies were never going to let Gearbox down too badly, of course, but I left Doctor Ned's island with the feeling that somebody had taken real care over the whole experience, crafting the story with love and wit.

If nothing else, it's entirely fitting that a game that's always been brilliantly brainless is now genuinely brain-dead as well. Oh, and I finally got that bloody Mario-themed Achievement. SCORE.

There is a trailer for Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned up at Giant Bomb. It is introduced by the "new" NPC Dr. Ned and shows off the different locations and enemies that you will face in the DLC. Frankenstien seems to make an appearance in the DLC as well.

Worthplaying has posted a dozen new screenshots for Borderlands - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC.

Gamespot has given their impressions on the DLC for Borderlands. According to them, it adds about 50 new missions and offers about 6 - 10 hours of gameplay. The release for the DLC is still scheduled for November 24th for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Still no word on when the PC version will be released:

This new adventure will take place in Jakob's Cove, which is essentially a spooky forest fully of gnarled trees that are being grown by the Jakob weapons concern for their wood--which apparently enhances the performances of certain weapons. However, it seems like the folks at the Jakob company aren't exactly big on being eco-friendly, nor have they been particularly careful about cultivating the trees. The growth of this forest has, in fact, turned the area into a gloomy swamp, and the maintenance employees have also been slightly affected by the environmental changes, causing all of them to contract a minor case of being-turned-into-mindless-zombies-who-attack-you. Yes, this is going to be a spooky zombie hunt that might have missed the end of October to commemorate Halloween, but it seems to have plenty of holiday spirit, from the hordes of zombies to the dank swamps, to the scenery and bosses (one of the five new bosses is named "Pumpkinhead," and leaves Jack-o-lanterns lying around his territory).

However, there won't be much holiday cheer in this DLC adventure. It'll be much more about stomping zombies, which will rise up out of the ground from out of nowhere, and will generally rush at you, rather than firing weapons from cover. If this sounds tough, we'll tell you that it can be, especially if you're all alone and happen to get surrounded by the DLC's new varieties of zombies, which include not only standard shamblers that simply charge you, but also "defilers," who spit goop at you that obscures your vision and slows you movement, and "tankensteins," which are giant zombies that hurl explosive barrels at you and will also pound the ground to create shockwaves, or simply bum-rush you. A new variety of Borderlands' crow-like rakk, the corpse-eater, will also make its debut here.

VG247 chats with Gearbox Creative Director Mike Nuemann about the release, DLC and the inevitable sequel:

I guess it's a bit early to ask this, but Borderlands is really successful at the moment. Is there any chance of a Borderlands 2?

Yes, I can probably confirm that there's a chance of a Borderlands 2 [laughs]. I mean, with anything, especially a new IP, if people want more and you can make more, and everybody can make money and do good business there, it obviously makes really good sense to do that. Obviously nothing so far is planned. We're working on DLC. We haven't really had any talks about a sequel, other than water cooler talk like, Wouldn't this be cool; kind of stuff.

But yeah, Borderlands is really exciting. Everyone here loves the franchise, and it seems like the public is really coming back with praise and love. So yeah, if everything makes sense, Borderlands 2 seems like a no-brainer to me.

Eurogamer announces that the date has been set for the first downloadable expanision. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned will be released on November 24th for the Xbox 360 and PS3. On the Playstation network it will cost $10. For the Xbox 360 it will be available from Xbox Live for 800 points. There has been no date set for the PC.

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned features new quests, loot, and enemies. The setting behind the story is that Dr. Ned was in charge of keeping the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove alive. Through Dr. Ned's actions, intentional or not, the workers there were transformed into an army of undead. It's up to the vault hunters to find a cure for the army of darkness that spawned there.

Here is a review of Borderlands from a a few days ago at Gamernode. They gave it 8/10. A mostly positive review especially with the cooperative aspect of Borderlands, but felt the boring plot and missions tainted the game:

No matter how you play the game, Borderlands' striking animated art style, with bright, high-contrast visuals, is immediately appealing, and makes Pandora a place that you want to dive headlong into. Everything, from enemies to items to environmental structures, is clear and easily distinguishable, even though many of the game's assets lack truly intricate detail. The style is very similar to the newest Prince of Persia game, but with less epic background vistas and less impressive special effects. It looks great overall, but one glaring issue in Borderlands is the disturbingly obvious texture pop-in, which makes each new area look like someone simply dumped watercolors onto every surface until the definition improves many seconds later. It's a jarring effect that happens upon entering a new area or starting the game; if it occurs at other times, it's far less conspicuous.

Borderlands will suck players into a huge world that is just begging to be explored, but exploration isn't one of the game's strong suits. Players will undoubtedly have a great time with the different character builds, weapons, and multiplayer squad configurations, but will also be served lackluster narrative and mission structure that temper the experience. Overall, it's absolutely worth playing, however, as there is no other game that achieves cooperative RPS gameplay equivalent to what's presented here.

Bit-tech also gives Borderlands 8/10. The reviewer feels that it was just a fun shooter with some flaws:

Consolification isn't a claim that can be clearly levelled at the rest of the game though, fear not. If anything, Borderlands' core gameplay and taxing, if repetitive balancing leans more towards the type of experience you might see on the PC. The first few hours are very easy, but after that then the game ups the challenge considerably and you'll be forced to change your approaches about a bit and start favouring new and more exciting weapons. It's here that an extra player can come in handy too.

However you want to play Borderlands though, it remains a decidedly moreish and fun shooter. We could shoot some more holes in it if we wanted (especially when it comes to the lack of enemy variety), but that's just getting us further and further away from the fact that it's a fun game to play. It's very much mired in the conventions of previous games and draws pretty directly from the likes of Halo and Diablo, but that's all irrelevant when faced with the simple fact that it's a fun, fast and very accessible FPS/RPG blend.

It has weaknesses and some of them are pretty obvious ones, but it remains a game that we enjoy playing - and it's hard to ask for more than that.

Just to get away from Dragon Age for a bit, here's a review of Borderlands from the Big Download.  The verdict is "Must Own", despite some issues:

Yet even with our long list of drawbacks, we couldn't pull ourselves away from the game. Maybe it's the art style or the joy of watching Brick go into a Berserker fury. Perhaps it's the peculiar satisfaction in watching damage number fly off an enemy has he bursts into flames and dies vaporizes while doing a little dance. Whatever it is, Borderlands has got style to spare, and we were able to look past the game's flaws and focus on the joy of shooting up the malevolent inhabits of Pandora.

The console versions of Borderlands has been patched. It seems they fixed the problem of stats and weapon proficiencies being set back to zero when playing online. In an official statement they said, "Fixed a bug which caused players and other things in the world to appear incorrectly on clients in networked game." That's good news for people who own the console version of the game.

Official announcement for the PS3:

An update for PS3 version of Borderlands will be deployed tomorrow, 10/30, at 11am CST. This update will include fixes for issues that some PS3 users have been experiencing.

Many issues have been addressed here, but we are continuing work on support updates for all platforms, and will deploy fixes for every version as soon as possible and continue to support all platforms. If you are experiencing an issue that has not been addressed, please post on our technical support forums and let us know!

Update notes:

* Load times have been improved
* Lilith's Phase Strike ability now works as intended
* The introductory quests with CL4P-TP should now always progress properly
* fixed a bug that caused the digger elevator to be unusable after completing the Find Tannis mission
* Weapon mapping to the D-pad should no longer reverse left and right
* fixed a crash when ejecting the disc during the autosave warning splash screen
* Players in a lobby should no longer experience long loading when starting a game after one player leaves
* A bug which caused players and other things in the world to appear incorrectly on clients in networked games has been fixed
* fixed a bug in which players gibbed in arena combat disappeared
* Changed how space required for saves is calculated
* fixed a bug which caused the dollars counter to spin continuously
* various localization and other text and tooltip corrections

Announcement for the 360:

An update for the 360 version of Borderlands will be deployed tomorrow, 10/30, at 2am CST. This update will include fixes for issues that some 360 users have been experiencing.

Many issues have been addressed here, but we are continuing work on support updates for all platforms, and will deploy fixes for every version as soon as possible and continue to support all platforms. If you are experiencing an issue that has not been addressed, please post on our technical support forums and let us know!

Update notes:

* Fixed a bug which caused players and other things in the world to appear incorrectly on clients in networked games
* fixed a bug in which players gibbed in arena combat disappeared
* fixed a bug which caused the dollars counter to spin continuously
* fixed a bug that caused the digger elevator to be unusable after completing the Find Tannis mission
* Weapon mapping to the D-pad should no longer reverse left and right
* various localization and other text and tooltip corrections
* The introductory quests with CL4P-TP should now always progress properly all the time
* Lilith's Phase Strike ability now works as intended
* Load times have been improved

The Escapist has a review out on the Xbox 360 version of Borderlands. There's no score, but it is a slightly positive. They did not like the single-player portion of the game and felt to truly enjoy it you have to play it with a friend. Here is their summary:

Bottom Line: It's the core concept of Diablo and the setting of Fallout 3 mixed with the visual style of Team Fortress 2. Borderlands has great style and aesthetic, fun characters, and lots and lots of guns just waiting for someone to come along and loot them. It's great fun when with a companion or three (though system link or online play is preferred to the view-squashing split-screen), but solo players will probably find it hard to get into the bleak and unwelcoming world of Pandora.

Recommendation: If you like guns and the prospect of hidden treasure gets your blood a-pumping, give Borderlands a shot. But make sure to bring a friend when you do.

Games On Net has a two-reviewer format for their critique of Borderlands, with both scoring a modest 3.5/5 (although one says 4.5/5 on the X360).  Here's part of the criticism:

So far as the underlying mechanics go, I have two main criticisms. The first is something I mentioned to you while were playing: the fact that pretty much every upgrade in all character classes is some form of stat increase. Along with the thrill of finding rare loot discussed above, a big part of what makes games like Diablo and WoW so satisfyingly addictive is the wide selection of powers available for each class. When you hit level 20 as a Necromancer in Diablo II, you get to summon a fire golem. When you hit level 20 in Borderlands, you get to make one of your guns fire a bit faster. Gee. Awesome.

This leads to my second criticism: most of the skills are just flat out dull. Again, take Lilith as an example: there is so much Gearbox could've done with her Phasewalking ability - teleportation, enemy possession etc. - but as it is, it's just utterly unexciting. And broken too! Let's not forget that.

GameSpy weighs in on Borderlands with their "concensus" review.  I haven't noticed this format at GameSpy before, which includes their own commentary and then consolidates comments from IGN and GameSpot.  Here's the intro:

Though Borderlands impressed me when I saw it in the past, I never thought I'd enjoy it as much as I did when I finally got to play through the whole thing. It started off a little slow -- the first five levels or so were essentially a lengthy tutorial -- but it quickly became addictive, tapping into the same part of my psyche that gets looped into quest after quest in an MMORPG. But though I had a great time playing through Borderlands, that MMO-loving part of me felt a little disappointed about the relatively basic RPG elements involved in character customization. But despite the game's failure to push my min-maxing tendencies to their fullest, it stands as a fantastic achievement -- a lengthy, fun game with robust cooperative play, a large, developed world to explore, and a comparatively small amount of inhibitive quirks.

1up reports that there have been many threads at the Gearbox Forums indicating a problem with the online portion of the game. On all three platforms many players have had their skill points and weapons proficiencies wiped out completely. This leaves the player with zero skills and proficiencies. This has sometimes happened when a player joins or leaves an online match.

Gearbox employees acknowledge this bug and state that they are working on a fix for it. So far there is no way to recover the lost skills or proficiencies. 

Chris Taylor from Shacknews sat down with Mikey Neuman from Gearbox, the makers of Borderlands, and talked about downloadable content, items found in the game and community feedback. Here's a part of the interview:

To be specific, we are making DLC for all three platforms simultaneously. We don't want any customer to miss out. I will say that our first DLC is an additional story, it's a tight little story that's pretty cool, a whole new area with all-new monsters and all kinds of stuff. It's definitely something that people are going to want, because it's more of what they are going to want to do--explore more, find new stuff, meet people. That's all there.

Another review for Borderlands. This time it's at Eurogamer who gave it 8/10. Jim Rossingol liked it, but thought the story, role-playing elements and ending could have been better:

Borderlands is unusual, playable, and an artfully violent step in an interesting direction for Gearbox. The story aspect of the game could have been better - I'd love to have seen the role-playing influence extend beyond stats, levels and loot - and the ending is a disappointment. Even so, this should be a favourite game of the year for a huge number of people, since it plugs into gamer impulses at such a fundamental level. We blow things up and collect the goodies. That part, at least, Gearbox has nailed.

Apparently some retailers have broken the street date on the PC version of Borderlands - but they can't be activated.  Here's what 2K's Community Manager had to say:

Yesterday we learned that a fraction of the PC copies of Borderlands were accidentally sold to consumers in some countries but that gamers could not activate their copies yet. Since we learned of this problem, we have been looking into the issue to find the best possible solution for everyone.

I'm going to be completely honest with you guys right now. It is not possible for us to move the planned release date of the game forward. We could not possibly get the games into stores worldwide and out for digital distribution any earlier than planned. Less than 1% of all copies were sold, and if we unlocked the game today, illegal versions would most likely appear on torrents by the evening. I am sure all of you want our PC launch to be as successful as possible, and we simply won't be able to manage that any earlier than already planned.

I want to apologize for those of you who have gotten the game ahead of our release date, and ask for your patience and understanding. The game will be ready in the US and Canada at midnight eastern standard time on Monday, October 26th, and internationally by Friday, October 30th.

A blog called NoMoreGameBlogs has an interview with James Sander, the art lead for the game. Here's a small part of the interview: 

What was it like working on a game the combined two very different genres into one package? “It was exciting, because the systems fought against each other at first, then all of a sudden we realized, wow this is starting to be fun. Then pretty soon everyone was really passionate and enjoying it and it evolved into a game we were playing every day.”

Alrik sends us a German preview of Borderlands from Computerbild.de, which is titled Mad Max meets Diablo.

Joystiq and others are reporting shortages of the Borderlands console versions in various NA regions, so presumably the title is selling well.  Joystiq also quotes Steve Gibson from Gearbox as saying they are addressing the issue with production and distribution.

While we're on Borderlands, various sites have reported a PS3 glitch with the friend's list but That VideoGameBlog says the fix has been sent out automatically for all PSN users.

Thanks, Omega.

An interview that was recorded just before the launch of Borderlands featuring Randy Pitchford and Brian Martel can be found on cbs11tv.

Here is a fresh batch of Borderlands reviews:

IGN.AU: 8.8
With so much hoo-hah over the surprise redesign, it's funny to think that this little gem could've easily have slipped under the radar; the gameplay is identical, after all. As it stands, by emulating some RPG standards and reapplying them to the gorgeous setting, Borderlands actually manages to stand out.

Vandal Online: 8.6
It's in Spanish so no clip.

GameTrailers: 8.4
Borderlands is a bit of a grind-fest, but that’s part of the fun, as you take on tougher enemies and hunt for bigger and badder gear. The co-op play is integrated seamlessly, and there’s a huge world to explore with friends or on your own.

Official Xbox Magazine: 8.5
To get the most out of Borderlands’ coop, you need a group of committed players who show up every time and work together to stay at roughly the same level. While that’s a great thing if you can arrange it, it’s also a pretty severe limitation for many gamers.

Official Xbox Magazine UK: 8.0
Yes, Borderlands is much more than the sum of its parts, but unfortunately said parts are only an okay FPS and an okay RPG, both fairly no-frills and functional. It's a roast dinner without gravy followed by an apple pie without custard.

Gamespy: 4/5
The accessible nature of Borderlands -- with its relatively non-punitive deaths, constant checkpoints, and convenient fast-travel systems -- makes it a fantastic game for introducing FPS fans to some basic RPG tropes. And, most importantly, the killing and looting never ceases to be fun.

Gamespot: 8.5
Combat is satisfying, and upgrading your skills and equipment is engaging. The constant stream of loot and experience is rewarding, and sharing it with some friends makes the experience that much richer and more exciting. Despite its hostile (albeit stylish) environment, Pandora is a great planet to visit if you want to shoot some stuff. Just be sure to bring some friends along for the ride. (includes videos)

CVG: 8.5
But overlook-able faults aside, Gearbox has delivered one of meatiest, most wholly satisfying hybrids yet.

Gamasutra interviewed Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. The interview focuses on Borderlands. He talks about what how he tried to take what makes Diablo fun and turn that into a shooter. He also mentions Fallout 3 and how he hates dialogue trees and enemies that level up at the same time as your character.

Here is a snippet from the interview:

CR: Have you guys, either by way of that particular philosophy or other angles, looked at other games that have tried to employ this sort of Diablo-esque compulsion style? While Diablo and Diablo II are the reigning kings of that -- and I've certainly played hundreds of hours of Diablo II -- most games that try to do that end up failing.

RP: Borderlands is not Diablo. It's a totally different genre.

CR: I understand that. It's a shooter.

RP: It's a shooter. It's a first-person shooter. So, the real bet is... Because when you really break down Diablo, all of the value is in that compulsion. All of the value is in the growth, choice, and discovery. There's some like fantasy fulfillment, I guess, like, "Oh, I'm becoming a wizard", or "I'm becoming a warrior", or whatever. But from a game design point of view, where we're only breaking down the game design, it's the growth, discovery, and choice that that's all about.

Shacknews has reviewed Borderlands. They like it and think it is worth playing.

Above all else, Borderlands really nails the feeling of character progression, of ever-increasing power. It feels like every quest, from gunning down an enemy to gathering the scattered pieces of a revolver, actually matters. Each action, each experience point, brings players one step closer to the next level, to being able to afford that nice rocket launcher sitting in the vending machine. And there's nothing quite like waltzing through an area five levels later and mowing through once-troublesome foes with a shot or two.

Here are three Borderland videos. The first video shos the first 10 minutes of gameplay.

The second does a head 2 head platform comparison between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

The third one is a GamesTrailer review, ranking the game with a score of 8.4.

The following reviews of Borderlands made their appearance:

GameInformer: 9.25/10
Borderlands attempts many things, which in this medium can often end with a laundry list of features but no fully-developed ones. This is one of the rare occasions where all of the new experiences a game brings to the table work out splendidly, especially when viewed as an entire package.

TeamXbox: 9/10
No, Borderlands isn't perfect, but it's one of those games that transcends most of its faults.

GamePro: 4.5/5
Borderlands is an absolute blast that I'll go back to again and again, even if my friends aren't around to help out. Considering how great of a time I had in Pandora, though, I expect they'll be around for a while too.

IGN: 8.8/10
Gearbox's Borderlands is without a doubt a slick, satisfying hybrid title for those who know what to expect. Includes a review video.

3DJuegos: 8.7/10
Don't have a clue what they are saying in the article it's Spanish :)

Planet Xbox: 8.6/10
Borderlands is now in stores around the world with additional downloadable content already announced. Whether you're a FPS, RPG or racing fan, this is a must-play game and with multiple different gameplay types, it's guaranteed to keep you busy for an endless number of hours.

Games Radar: 8/10
Borderlands is a very entertaining shooter and a rather bland RPG. It rewards dedication with new guns and new things to shoot at, which is all kinds of fun for players who enjoy MMO-style progression. But if its charm and depth hadn’t been abandoned so quickly, it may have been absolutely brilliant.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun: All thumbs up
Their review is in the form of a discussion between 4 reviewers.

Thanks to GameCritics and Omega for providing the links.

The floodgates are opening on the Borderlands reviews - 1UP's  Thierry Nguyen gives the rpg-shooter a B+ rating.

In fact, the great multiplayer smoothes over some of the biggest irritations with single-player; playing Borderlands alone is an invitation for occasional aggravation and boredom. The enemy A.I. is simply dumb for the most part. Most enemies follow the "run straight at the player" tactic, with only the Crimson Lance (end-game baddies) utilizing any actual tactics. Fine for when baddies swarm you and your buddies, but dreadfully uninteresting when playing alone. The additional enemy types added for multiplayer help with the variety problem; alone, you face hundreds upon hundreds of the same bandits and skags. With friends, at the very least, more interesting variants of those same foes show up.

The death mechanic gives you a chance to kill an enemy while bleeding to "get a second wind," and prevent actual dying and respawn. This, plus the ability for players to revive each other, is great for multiplayer. It's the right balance of tension, risk, and reward. It's not as interesting alone; it downright sucks such as in situations for when you get taken down but there's no one to fight, and you're forced to pay the respawn fee.

We'll see a few Borderlands reviews over the next weeks but for the moment, here's one at Kotaku.  There's no score as usual for them but the text is very positive provided you are playing for the coop.  AI, a lack of minimap and walking are criticised.  Here's a snip:

Borderlands gets a lot of things right, in particular the balance between being a first-person shooter and being a role-playing game. The shooting mechanics are sound, as are many of the role-playing aspects, save for a few design quirks. Growing and customizing my level 35 Siren was a great deal of fun, when the tedium of all that walking around didn't spoil it. But where Borderlands excels is in offering a functional four-player cooperative loot-hoarding experience, with gorgeous environments to adventure in and smartly crafted items to collect or covet.

The game has a few faults, including its traveling inefficiencies—a weak map combined with plenty of long-range fetch quests—and its easily forgettable story line, but it's still relatively easy to recommend, provided you can tap into the best portions of Borderlands, its cooperative multiplayer modes.

First review I've seen of Borderlands is up at Giant Bomb, with some questions regarding the enemy AI yet recieving a decent 4/5 score.

The structure of Borderlands makes it feel like an MMO game that doesn't require you to rely on groups of other players to enjoy. Though it's probably better when you're playing online with friends, playing alone is still perfectly fine. It's also one of those games that's so strong in parts that its shortcomings become almost glaring by comparison. As such, the game's barebones story, lackluster AI, and insufficient player trading options are real disappointments that prevent the game from reaching its full potential. But when you're frantically trying to stay alive while getting swarmed by an angry horde of gigantic spiderants, chances are you won't care much about that other stuff. Borderlands strongly succeeds where plenty of other Diablo-inspired games have failed miserably.

Update: There's a host of new videos at Game Trailers to peruse.

This preview of Borderlands at Eurogamer describes frantic combat and MMORPG-like quests:

The fact the game favours the FPS side of its split personality is revealed in the early missions you are charged with, which are generally thinly-veiled fetch-quests, often for mundane objects: collect eight flowers from this canyon, defeat eight skags (the aforementioned mutant hyenas, whose mouths flap open like lewd flesh envelopes) in that one. Conversely, the combat is furious and exciting, adopting Call of Duty's control set-up and exhibiting all the pace and spectacle of Fallout 3's shootouts, albeit with battle outcomes decided by physics calculations rather than a series of concealed dice throws.

Zombies appear to be the fad of the games industry atm and Gearbox doesn't seem to want to be left out. It does, at least, sound somewhat more substantial than most DLC content. Cheers to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the announcement.

2K Games announced today that the first piece of downloadable content for Borderlands™, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, is planned for release later this year for all available platforms for $9.99. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is in development at Gearbox Software and is the first in a series of downloadable expansions that will enhance the Borderlands mayhem in fun and exciting ways.

Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned (who is not related to Dr. Zed from Fyrestone) does his job a little too well, creating zombies and other abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on a quest to cure the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this full-fledged expansion filled with new enemies, new quests and rare loot drops.

The GB guys play four player co-op and some single player for 30+ mins.

The Borderlands site has kicked up a skill calculator thingy for four characters.  Rock, Paper, Shotgun has an article on this, which also gives further background and information.  A snip with the links:

Here’s sneaky-lady Lilith , heavy-frenzied mouthbreather Brick, camping-bastard Mordecai and the hilariously inappropriately named Roland. And some further explanation follows…

Firstly, it’s worth noting this isn’t the whole of character development. You also have skills in individual weaponry, which increase through just use. Concentrate on a single weapon and you’ll increase its skill further, at the expense of flexibility. Secondly, there’s also quite a lot of equipment-based character specialization. As well as things like choosing weapons appropriate for your abilities, you get to plug in fancier ability sets which give you boosts in area. For example, increasing the amount of ammo of a certain gun sort you can carry. And extra slots for carrying weapons and equipment open up as you progress.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun gets some time with Borderlands:

Playing the single-player version of Borderlands causes one single game feature to stand out. When you are reduced to zero health you have some time in which you bleed to death. This gives you a chance to revive yourself with a “second wind” by getting a kill. In the co-op part of the game this makes perfect sense, as it’s also an opportunity for your buddies to run over to you and help you up. In the single player game, however, there are times when there is nothing to kill, and no buddy to help you. You simply kneel there, bleeding to death. And it’s kind of heart-breaking.

This feature alone, I feel, demonstrates how Borderlands is meant to played with friends. Once router port-fiddling is defeated that’s easily done online by making your normal game an internet game, playing your own campaign, and then inviting chums when they’re available. We’ve had a chance to do that, and we’ve just finished the opening section of the game known as “Arid Badlands”, by playing through as a team.

Borderlands has gone Gold and will be released on consoles on October 20th in NA and October 23 in Europe, with the PC versions following a week later:

Gearbox Software Announces Borderlands™ has Gone Gold


Gearbox Software is proud to announce that its highly anticipated game, Borderlands™, has gone to "gold master" for the Xbox 360™, the PlayStation 3 and the PC.  Published by 2K Games, Borderlands will be available in North America on October 20, 2009 on consoles and October 26, 2009 on PC and in Europe beginning October 23, 2009 for consoles and October 30th on PC.

In Borderlands, players step into the shoes of a Vault Hunter!  Rumors whisper of a Vault of alien technology hidden on the remote wasteland planet Pandora, that it holds immeasurable wealth for whoever finds it.  Can you survive to discover if the Vault is real?

 

• RPS (Role-Playing Shooter):  Fast-paced shooter action (no dice rolling!) combined with character development and growth, choice, and tons of loot!
• Four Classes: Level up as one of four distinct characters, with their own unique skills and abilities.
• Dangerous World: Fight your way through vicious alien wildlife, marauding gangs of bandits, and their leaders – and that’s just the easy stuff!
• Loot: Borderlands generates millions of guns, grenade mods, energy shields, artifacts, and more!  Find the perfect gun!
• Play Your Way: Online, offline, singleplayer, or up to 4-player co-op (or 2-player splitscreen), you play Borderlands your way!
• Persistent Character: Level up and take your character to other players’ games, or have them join yours in drop-in, drop-out co-op!  Keep your progress, experience, and equipment between games!
• Huge Game: Explore, gather loot, complete tons of side quests and challenges, finish the main story and continue on to a second playthrough (with tougher enemies and better loot), or even challenge your friends to combat!

Think you'll be the one to find the Vault?  Grab your friends, your FPS skills, and guns (lots of them) and get ready to level up and find out in Borderlands!  For more information, visit http://www.borderlandsthegame.com.

Swiss site Gbase droopped us a line to point out their hands-on preview of Borderlands for our German readers.

Several sites such as VoodooExtreme have news of a one-week delay for Borderlands PC for additional optimisation:

The PC version is sliding back from its original release date of October 20 in North America to October 26. The international version of the PC game will slide back further to October 30. The North American PS3 and 360 versions of the game will be unaffected, and the international versions for the PS3 and 360 will still ship on October 23.

...and MTV has some brief comments about the gameplay and length after spending six hours with a press build:

I've spent around 5 or 6 hours with the preview build of "Borderlands." The only reason I haven't spent more time is because the preview build ends. You basically stop getting new quests and can't progress into new zones, as everything's locked off. It's for the best, but the fact that I've played through all that content several times over with different classes is a testament to how much I've enjoy myself. It undoubtedly hits that "Diablo" nerve that makes you not want to put the controller down.

Updated hands-on impressions of Borderlands are up at GameSpot, particularly covering "shooting, gaining levels, and exploring the wasteland".  On some of the RPG elements:

The game seems to have a rewarding loot system. Your enemies will often drop piles of loot, and you'll be encouraged to be a pack rat by pawing through every last little box and crate for a wad of cash, an extra pack of bullets, or the odd randomly generated weapon. These can include submachine guns, pistols, rifles, and grenades. Loot is color coded according to its rank with five levels, and the more difficult a mission or boss is, the better the reward. Bosses tend to drop the best weapons, so it's definitely worth grabbing them once the coast is clear.

At the beginning of the game, you can equip only two different weapons, though you can later unlock four different weapon slots. However, you can only carry so many weapons in total, so it's a good idea to keep the best and sell any weaker weapons you find to the local arms dealer for some cash. Fortunately, buying and selling is a breeze because there are conveniently located vendor kiosks (which look like oversized vending machines) in Fyrestone, around key locations, and near boss battles. So you can buy any needed supplies, sell off your unneeded loot, and even purchase a randomly generated "special" item from the kiosks, which are available only for a limited time. Over the course of the game, you'll find weapons and items with all sorts of different abilities, such as energy shields that also heal damage to your character's health; weapon mods that cause your grenades to split into multiple projectiles; and guns that shoot rounds that deal fire, electricity, or corrosion-based damage.

Meanwhile, MTV looks at the Hunter class in the first of a series of class guides:

The Hunter is your typical range-focused character. His specialties are Sniper Rifles and Pistols, with many of his skills increasing accuracy and damage with those weapons. His special ability calls out a killer bird that can swoop down and attack nearby foes. One of the skill tree branches for the Hunter, Rogue, increases the effectiveness of your bird, dealing more damage and even stealing items away from enemies.

Based on my experience with the Hunter, he's an ideal choice if you're not the run-and-gun type. A little tough to solo with, but paired with one of the other classes in co-op he can be absolutely devastating.

GameRevolution is the latest to test drive the PC version of the FPS/RPG hybrid from Gearbox, Borderlands, with references to graphics improvements and the shooter aspects. Here's a sample:

Really, the theme of being the Anti-Fallout 3 seems to run through the whole game. It’s the FPS-RPG for folks who don’t like to waste time on all the in-between B.S. and get straight to the action. You’ve come to the appropriately named planet of Pandora to seek out the legendary Vault, as opposed to trying to escape from one and find your long lost father. The two games meet in the middle when it comes to exploring your story in a vast wasteland...

Conclusion:

...we only had about half an hour in single- and multiplayer co-op, and there was no way I was going to see everything Borderlands had to offer in that short amount of time. But what I did see was good enough to make me feel that this is going to be the FPS-RPG for the person who doesn’t want to schlep their gear around a wasteland for hours on end. A game of casual depth if you will...

Joystiq has hands-on previews of both the single-player and coop mode for Borderlands.  Just in case you're in doubt about the type of FPS/RPG hybrid it actually is, here's the intro:

"Shoot first. Ask questions later." Essentially, that's what sums up the Borderlands experience.

Borderlands touts itself as a revolutionary combination of the FPS and RPG genres. However, our time with the first hour of the game reaffirms that it's a shooter first, RPG second. In many ways, that's a good thing. One simply has to think back to last year's big first-person RPG, Fallout 3, to recall how poor the shooter elements of that game were. Aiming and movement felt clunky, and forced players to use the game's VATS targeting system. Borderlands, reassuringly, gets the basics of first-person movement right.

Eurogamer have a video Q&A with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford, and two hands-on articles have emerged: again at Eurogamer and another at Gamespot. Examples from both articles below starting with EG:

Raise a glass, then, to creative bravery and publisher balls (don't go delaying it now and making me look stupid, 2K). But before we get too intoxicated, what of this "risky" endeavour?

Set on the remote planet of Pandora, Borderlands thematically blends the lawless wild west and Mad Max-esque industrial desolation with alien technology and creatures. And structurally, it seeks to merge the intensity of a first-person shooter with the customisable depth of an RPG and the exploratory freedom of an open-world adventure. Add to that random weapon generation (with hundreds of thousands of possible combinations), and you not only have an awful lot to get right, but also a fair amount that could go wrong. So, yeah. Risky.

and from Gamespot:

To do this, the team at Gearbox has taken features normally found in dungeon crawlers and massively multiplayer online games--notably the scale of the world and the desire to clamber for loot--and thrown them into the mix with tried-and-true shooter mechanics. Though the game's stylized visuals will certainly catch your eye, digging a little deeper reveals multiple character classes, carefully tweaked skill trees, and guns. Lots of guns. We recently had the chance to take the game for a spin and get hands-on with a work-in-progress build of the single-player and multiplayer modes on the Xbox 360 and found that this is no ordinary run-and-gun game.

Edit: And! Alec Meer at RPS writes his hands-on:

It’s like Fallout 3. No, wait, it’s like Hellgate. No, wait, it’s like Doom.

Well… it has some of the core values of all of those, but a very different implementation. It’s an RPG-FPS, fundamentally. But unlike Fallout 3 and Mass Effect and Hellgate, this isn’t a first-person targeting reticule built awkwardly on top of dice-rolls and statistics. It’s statistics and dice-rolls built on top of a first-person shooter. That simple inversion is key to why Borderlands works – this is an action game first and foremost. You won’t find yourself lost eight phrases deep in a dialogue tree. You won’t find a precisely-targeted headshot failing to hit because of some invisible maths, and you won’t find that aiming somewhere within a 20-foot radius of someone automagically punches a bullet through their ches. You will find that hiding behind a rock or running away stops you from getting shot. As does shooting first, and accurately.

There's a summary of the recent press tour here at Gearboxity.

As JDR13 pointed out in the forum Gearbox have a new gameplay trailer out for Borderlands.

There's an interview with publisher president Christoph Hartmann on the title at Gamespot.

2K Games has sent out a press release announcing October 23rd as the street date for Borderlands in the UK, while GameSpot notes October 20th for North America:

2K Games and Gearbox Software pioneer an electrifying new video game genre - Role-Playing Shooter (RPS)


July 23, 2009 – 2K Games announced today that Borderlands™, the innovative role-playing shooter (RPS), will explode into UK shops on October 23rd 2009. Coming to PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows-based PC, Borderlands will provide a strong blend of first-person shooter combat with an arresting art style, co-operative gameplay and character progression to deliver an incredibly unique and innovative title this holiday season..

ShackNews talks with Gearbox's Mikey Neumann in a rather tongue-in-cheek Q & A from E3, mostly about a new art style for the  post-apocalyptic fps/rpg  Borderlands, slated for October release.

Here's a bit on shifting the art emphasis away from 'dark and gritty':

Shack:  One of the things that really grabbed me was the use of brighter colors in Borderlands...That dark and gritty style can be kinda depressing--I'm not always drawn to it when I want to relax after work.

Mikey Neumann: ... Last time we were here, it was dark and gritty. Those games are fun to play, I have nothing against them, but I think as you play them, you start getting a little more depressed. You don't have the same kind of fun [as] when the game is laughing with you, if that makes any sense. Borderlands is definitely a game we want to laugh with you. We want you to enjoy the same things that we thought were funny and fun and different and new.

The art style, again, is the glue to everything. It allows us to embrace what our game actually is, and man, when we had that epiphany, when it all came together, we were like, "...that's what this game is, this game is about having fun."

Really, as developers, when you have an epiphany that the game's supposed to be fun, you simultaneously feel like the biggest genius in the world and biggest idiot that has ever existed. Like, how did we forget this? How did we forget games are supposed to be fun? And we do! Walk the show floor! We forget!

Gamebanshee posts links to a pair of previews for 2KGames' and Gearbox's action fps/rpg post-apocalyptic title, Borderlands.

The first is from Strategy Informer:

Borderlands is different [from Fallout 3] in many, many respects. First, it's an FPS/RPG that only gives you one mode, first person. It takes place in "Pandora", a wasteland that is literally as the game's title implies, on the border, nearly deserted, with little to do or seek. Except that players are fortune hunters, and that fortune hunters always know where to look to find that special something.

That said, everything in Borderlands is playable. There are no fake backdrops, no inaccessible areas (that aren't fifty miles up); everything is there for your sandbox entertainment. This ties in perfectly with setting, no real cities or laws, just a long road of desert, hidden treasures, and insufferable people who still live in the barren Pandora.

The second is from VideoGamer:

The game itself appears to be a similar mix of familiar elements and ingredients being put to work in unusual ways. Borderlands is primarly a first-person shooter, a co-op action game with support for up to four players, but underneath that there are several RPG-like qualities. For a start, the game is class based, offering a quartet of diverse characters who can be further customised via branching skill trees...All of these skills and abilities will be fuelled by experience points, so expect a cheery little XP score to pop up every time you blow away a critter or marauding gunman.

Armchair Empire posts a preview of Borderlands, the upcoming fps/rpg title from Gearbox and 2KGames. Here's a snip on the rpg aspects of the game:

Borderland’s RPG element has an almost Diablo-like quality.  This is from the game having a mountain of loot for players to find.  This largely comes from the huge inventory of guns that Gearbox is including in the game via a complex content generation system.  There are a number of weapon manufacturers in the game, with each gun type having unique specs, as well as players having the ability to augment their weapons.  Loot treadmills are very good for getting players to return to a game long after it has been released, just look at the Diablo series and World of Warcraft.  It wouldn't come as a surprise to see the same thing happen here.  One thing that we’re not sure of yet is if this is the extent of the RPG elements in Borderlands.  Will there be an experience point system?  We don’t know.

The E3 trailer for Borderlands is up if you'd like to check some FPS-y action with a truckload of weapons and some RPG elements.

A couple of new Borderlands screens can be found at Worthplaying.

Gearbox' Randy Pitchford has been interviewed pre-E3 over at IGN.  On the RPG elements in Borderzone:

IGN: As for the RPG elements, how deep is the character upgrade system? What sorts of things can you improve?

Randy Pitchford: We've linked the characters in the game to the classes because the characters are really cool, but you'll name your own character and pick your favorite colors for them and all that. As you play, your character will get tougher and more skilled. You'll level up and get stronger in the usual ways and in some ways that are unique to Borderlands. Each character also has a skill tree where you can develop your character in unique ways to make them more powerful with the play style you prefer. It astonishingly robust for a first person shooter, but we've made sure to make it super accessible and not too complicated. It won't slow anyone down – just add value to the growth experience.

Alec Meer discusses the new look of Borderlands.

It’s fascinating to compare it to the gallery of BL’s original look we ran about 18 months ago. Some of the character and monster designs are shared, but the old style looks so plain and generic against the hyper-stylisation of the new look. And a couple of these shots really nail the Mad Max vibe - a far punkier, spunkier take on post-apocalyptic than Fallout 3, no?

UDM writes that one official screen has been released to show Borderlands new art style.  It may not technically be "cel-shaded" but it's certainly headed in that direction.

Also at Kotaku is news the RPG-shooter Borderlands has switched to cel-shaded graphics.  Changing the style well into development sounds like a dangerous proposition to me but here's what Gearbox has to say:

Though there's always the chance some people could be turned off by the style, it was decided that, overall, it fits the game and creates a more visually interesting experience. Our concept art had this incredible, distinctive style and feel that fit so perfectly - the game has not become less detailed or washed out at all. Rather, it retains the detail and style that's often lost when we move from concept art to 3D. It stands out, and makes the gray-and-brown bleak landscapes, while still bleak and inhospitable, memorable and recognizable. The entire world has life to it, from the creatures to the very rocks and dirty walls. The game world is no less gritty, dirty, or harsh - all of the detail is there, and the environments have even more atmosphere. We solicited feedback from our focus testing initiative, which consists entirely of a very large pool of gamers from all walks of life, and in the end, the choice was clear for us.

[Update] Not cel-shaded apparently but a change in art direction.  Northreign points out this update:

No, Borderlands is not cel-shaded — it's a gritty and serious world after all," Pitchford told Kotaku via email. "But since the game was first unveiled we have made big advancements with the art direction and the technology to support the art and have produced some pretty impressive, even shocking results.

Apparently, the media blackout will end soon and we'll see for ourselves.

Self-described "role-playing shooter" Borderlands has been previewed at Hooked Gamers.  Here's a sample:

One of Borderlands often discussed features is its ability to self-generate large numbers of unique weapons. Gearbox estimates that each time the game starts, it has the potential to generate over half a million unique weapons and a similar amount of different items and armor. Fortunately it will be fairly straightforward to figure out if a weapon is worth keeping or not. The various different attributes of each weapon are shown as stats as soon as you approach a weapon so you can quickly determine to pick it up, or leave it where it is.

VideoGamer takes a look at Borderlands from a viewing at Leipzig:

Being an FPS crossed with an RPG Borderlands features levelling, so as you progress through the game you'll increase your stats as you would in an RPG like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy. After taking out the Scags our Gearbox reps each levelled up. Throughout the game you'll also come across upgrade skill stations, allowing you to upgrade your skills. We've only seen a tiny portion of what the game has to offer, but it certainly seems like it'll appeal to FPS and RPG fans alike. For example, the guns in the game are generated using some tech Gearbox developed effectively giving the game hundreds of thousands of gun types. So, as the guys pointed out as they took down bandits in the Iridium Mines, you'll pick up different dropped weapons during your game than a friend will in his. Weapons vary from region to region, so you'll get hold of similar makes, but exact stats and abilities will vary.

Hooked Gamers has a preview of the scifi "roleplaying shooter", Borderlands.  Here's a bit on the classes and co-op focus:

Soon after we jumped into the game it was clear that the gameplay is just begging for one or more of your friends to fight along side of you. At this time, the game has three classes. Players can chose to play as soldier Roland who functions as an assault trooper skilled in short-range arms such as shotguns and SMGs. Hunter Mordecai specializes in long ranged attacks, favoring sniper rifles. Siren Lilith is not quite human and brings magical powers to the table. Apart from the obvious skills related to their class, each character will also have a unique ability. While Lilith and Mordecai’s special abilities have yet to be revealed, Gearbox was willing to share that Roland will be able to generate new ammo for both himself and those in his party. While there is no official confirmation, additional characters are being considered. It seems to me that Gearbox will have to add at least one more before we can play four player co-op.

Simon Hurley interview on RPS, talks about exploration, story, loot, co-op and non-linearity. Words by Jim Rossignol.

From what we’ve seen so far, however, the story is one of the least interesting aspects of the game. What’s rather more enticing is the fact that Borderlands seems to be a remarkably open ended shooter with vehicles, bandit-dudes, wide-open environments, dungeons, and gigantic, roaming monsters. It’s ripe for that kind of wandering and poking about in virtuality that we love so dearly. So are we actually looking at it being a large, explorable game like Stalker or Oblivion? What kind of story should we expect? Something wide open and sandbox, or fairly linear? “The game can be played both ways”, says Hurley. “There is a main mission storyline that advances the story and the game, and there are large, open environments in Borderlands that are ripe for exploration.” Ah, sweet exploration, how we savour it in our games. It is too rare a commodity in these modern times.

Hurley continued: “You will come across all sorts of enemies, loot, and gameplay experiences along the way. We also have several vehicles to help you get around (in addition to doing crazy vehicle combat with) so you won’t be slogging along on foot all the time. Because of both the dynamic nature of the game, the size of the world, the randomization of certain aspects of gameplay, and game adjusting itself based on the number and experience level of the players, it’s a different gameplay experience every time you go through it. If you just want to go exploring, there is always new stuff to find and new enemies to fight.”

We haven't previously been covering this post-apoc title from Gearbox, but after some discussion feel it may have elements of interest as a hybrid between the FPS and RPG genres.

Eurogamer has a preview up and gives a look at some of the game's aspects here:

In light of every developer ever's recent decision to set their game in the aftermath of a fictional apocalypse, it's easy to assume Borderlands is much the same. It's got barren, desolate plains, the locals are dressed up in rags and desert goggles, and all the jibber-jabber's about settlements and bandits.

...however, that's not the case. This is actually a distant planet called Pandora, where failed colonisation has left disparate groups of maladjusted individuals to fight over the scraps on barren, desolate plains in rags and desert goggles while talking about settlements and bandits. Completely different, see?

If you can get past the theme though, you may be richly rewarded, because Borderlands is an interesting-looking cross between first-person shooter and role-player. You take on one of three roles (two of which we see during our demo), each with unique skills, abilities and backgrounds, and developer Gearbox Software is pushing the RPG angle heavily.

For starters there's an experience-points bar at the bottom of the screen, and as you level up you get to make decisions about how to develop your abilities (using a software interface to hack into your existing hardware augmentations), and improve your proficiency with specific weapons based on their use. Shotgun-lovers may learn to absorb recoil and get better results at range, for instance.

Your character is also persistent across different game sessions, which brings us to the co-operative angle. Gearbox demos the game in co-op and says it's meant to be played that way, and in order to promote and encourage that you will be able to take your character - whatever his current level, equipment and abilities - into another player's game, however much progress he or she has made. Any progress you make there and any items you collect can then be transported back to your single-player game, or indeed taken to another friend's co-op game.