Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (Xbox One)
Format:
Category: Adventure > Free Roaming
Released: 27/03/2015
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At a Glance
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection packs in Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (plus all DLC) and serves them up on the new generation of games consoles for the first time.
Borderlands 2
Welcome back to Pandora! No, not the Pandora with the really tall aliens running around a la James Cameron's Avatar. Nope, this is the mineral-rich Pandora in which players run around with anarchic glee, shooting everything in site and gathering as much loot as possible.
So, what's new? For starters, Gearbox added a number of gameplay features that can help you out in a pinch - the most direct one being a special perk that can be activated by hitting the trigger buttons.
When you’re not pumping lead, your ammo is replenished over time too, allowing you to go on a proper killing frenzy when you’re nearly down and out. Insta-Health vials will only go so far this time around.
What changes the game - in a good way - is the introduction of Badass ranks. While characters still have a level cap of 50, Badass ranks don’t have such a limit. When you level up in this manner, you earn a Badass token, which can be used to spend on increasing a number of base statistics. The genius here is that tokens spent to increase stats are applied to every single character you have on your profile. Add the mystery of golden chests, and the secret golden keys that require special actions to obtain, and you have a sequel that puts a lot of emphasis on the RPG side of things.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
In a world of endless sequels, reboots and prequels, Gearbox Software has something new for us - the pre-sequel. Set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel gives fans the chance to step back into the world of Pandora. This entry to the series follows Handsome Jack, the maniacal baddy everyone loved to hate in Borderlands 2.
The game comes with four new playable characters, each bringing their own abilities to the table. Wilhelm has his pair of drones - one for bombing enemies, one for healing himself. Nisha... well, Nisha's basically an unstoppable slaughter machine, filling the screen with hot lead. Athena has a shield that absorbs incoming damage, turning it to energy that can be turned back on enemies. Then there's Claptrap - yes, the goofy robot from Borderlands 2 - whose abilities are unpredictable on account of them changing depending on the situation. What's more, the skill tree is chock full of crazy abilities to win. Want to turn into a walking nuclear bomb? Sure, why not...?
New tweaks have been made to gameplay, too. Low gravity combat means you can leap away from enemies (or anywhere you want, really) in a single bound, while new gear means you can freeze enemies solid or fry them to a crisp with laser-class weapons.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers new goodies without ever straying too far from the shoot 'n' loot gameplay and anarchic sensibility gamers first fell in love with it for.
Borderlands 2
Welcome back to Pandora! No, not the Pandora with the really tall aliens running around a la James Cameron's Avatar. Nope, this is the mineral-rich Pandora in which players run around with anarchic glee, shooting everything in site and gathering as much loot as possible.
So, what's new? For starters, Gearbox added a number of gameplay features that can help you out in a pinch - the most direct one being a special perk that can be activated by hitting the trigger buttons.
When you’re not pumping lead, your ammo is replenished over time too, allowing you to go on a proper killing frenzy when you’re nearly down and out. Insta-Health vials will only go so far this time around.
What changes the game - in a good way - is the introduction of Badass ranks. While characters still have a level cap of 50, Badass ranks don’t have such a limit. When you level up in this manner, you earn a Badass token, which can be used to spend on increasing a number of base statistics. The genius here is that tokens spent to increase stats are applied to every single character you have on your profile. Add the mystery of golden chests, and the secret golden keys that require special actions to obtain, and you have a sequel that puts a lot of emphasis on the RPG side of things.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
In a world of endless sequels, reboots and prequels, Gearbox Software has something new for us - the pre-sequel. Set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel gives fans the chance to step back into the world of Pandora. This entry to the series follows Handsome Jack, the maniacal baddy everyone loved to hate in Borderlands 2.
The game comes with four new playable characters, each bringing their own abilities to the table. Wilhelm has his pair of drones - one for bombing enemies, one for healing himself. Nisha... well, Nisha's basically an unstoppable slaughter machine, filling the screen with hot lead. Athena has a shield that absorbs incoming damage, turning it to energy that can be turned back on enemies. Then there's Claptrap - yes, the goofy robot from Borderlands 2 - whose abilities are unpredictable on account of them changing depending on the situation. What's more, the skill tree is chock full of crazy abilities to win. Want to turn into a walking nuclear bomb? Sure, why not...?
New tweaks have been made to gameplay, too. Low gravity combat means you can leap away from enemies (or anywhere you want, really) in a single bound, while new gear means you can freeze enemies solid or fry them to a crisp with laser-class weapons.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers new goodies without ever straying too far from the shoot 'n' loot gameplay and anarchic sensibility gamers first fell in love with it for.