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What happens when you combine two of the most popular gaming genres, first person shooters and role playing games into one action packed, stats building, loot filled, guns blazing hybrid? According to Gearbox Software you would have a created a "Role Playing Shooter", or more specifically, you would have their newest offering, the stylized post apocalyptic atmosphere Borderlands. With so many sequels on the horizon and a multitude of games that are churned out ready made to be tagged as more of the same, it is refreshing to see a company take an independent approach to delivering the adrenaline pumping carnage that gamers crave.

Borderlands utilizes the Unreal Tournament 3 engine to deliver its visuals, which provided a stable and attractive canvas to work from. Not content with the initial look of the game even though it was obtaining strong previews, Gearbox overhauled the visuals providing a more gritty cell shaded appearance. Though not everyone was thrilled with the new direction, the general consensus is that it works very well with the intended feel of the game, and especially so when seen in motion. Though a cross platform title that is available on the PS3 and Xbox 360, side by side comparisons have shown the PC version to be noticeably superior, which was confirmed by Gearbox Softwares own Randy Pitchford when he was quoted as saying that it "destroys" the console iterations graphically.

Though focusing on delivering a solid single player experience, one of the developers goals in the creation of Borderlands was to create a cohesive multiplayer experience, one which scaled based on the number of players to the max of 4 and one which in addition to the increased challenge would offer increased reward. With 4 different base characters to choose from with individual strengths and weaknesses and the ability to customize each with different statistical builds, an almost endless variety of teams can be assembled. Gearbox has stated that though the game does have these RPG elements, that they are more enhancements and not game breakers, so that hopefully no build will be considered useless and players can experiment with where they spend their points without being limited to just a single cookie cutter build or two. At its core, Borderlands remains a twitchy first person shooter, packed with enemies and a treasure trove of item drops, with tons of upgrades and reports of up to a couple million possibilities of gun builds, enough to satisfy even the most discriminating loot whore.

In addition to the huge selection of weapons and mods, Borderlands gives a different take on the player and his/her duel with impending death. Second Wind is what lets the player keep firing at their attacker with their last breaths. If you can slay your killer before your vision darkens as you drift off into deaths embrace, you will regain a fraction of your life and overall shields. This adds to the game in giving the player a chance to fight back in a last ditch effort and enhances the already frantic feel that combat conveys. The maps are large and generally are well done, thought at times, at least in single player where you are traveling them alone, covering large areas of ground you have already trodden can become a bit repetitive. This isn't a huge negative and the draw of completing the next quest or killing the next wave of enemies for more goodies to horde will quickly overpower any nagging irritations one might encounter in your travels.
Borderlands may not reinvent the wheel, but it does manage to take two of the most popular gametypes and successfully merge them in an ambitious package that delivers on its promise of a fun filled, edgy fragfest. See you on the plains of Pandora.