Absolutely absurdly ambitious. Probably the three words that best describe the next project from Brothers in Arms coders Gearbox. Trading the muddy fields of war-torn Holland for the depths of space, Borderlands is a genre hybrid that defies categorisation. With fully implemented vehicular action, open world exploration, super-slick first-person shooting, an online co-op, a smattering of role-playing and even - shock horror! - some decent acting, its kitchen sink approach promises to deliver big-style. Oh, and so do its 500,000 weapons.
Yep, you'll need every one of those half million procedurally (ie randomly) generated weapons as you roam Pandora (a desert shathole languishing in the deepest recesses of the galaxy) playing a bounty hunter contending with bandits and a vicious alien scourge.
Human vs human combat looks fairly generic at this stage, it has to be said, but pretty much everything else we saw threatens to be stand-out. Especially neat was whopping extraterrestrial horror in the shape of epic, multi-layered boss fights to rival God of War, and fantastic driving segments, which see you haring across salt lakes at insane-o-speeds, with a compadre riding shotgun and bandits giving chase. The best bit? Unlike, say, Tomb Raider: Legend this feels fully fledged, with amazing suspension effects and an aesthetic not unlike MotorStorm.
The way in which Borderlands effortlessly flits between a single and multiplayer experience completely dazzles, meaning you can either mill around in your own unique world or - if the mood takes you - invite up to three bounty hunting buddies to help kick some Skag butt. It's all about choices in our early tip for one of the games of 2008.
I see they have no publisher yet which also could indicate this game is a long way off from a final version. As long as someone like EA don't pick it up and rush it's development this game should be a cracker.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
