Summary
It’s been years since a mainlineBorderlandsgame and a sequel announcement could happen at any time now. But that isn’t doing anything to stop fans’ voracious hunger for more of the king of the looter-shooter genre. As of now, the most recent release for the franchise isTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a fantasy-tinged spin-off that, while a very enjoyable experience, didn’t scratch the same itch a full-blownBorderlandsgame can. While there’s no telling exactly when the long-awaited follow-up toBorderlands 3will come out, there’s something very simple Gearbox can do to keep its flagship title top of mind and top of sales charts.
For a series that still leans heavily on its original characters likeBrick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Tannis, the game they come from hasn’t aged particularly well. The originalBorderlandswas a smash hit when it came onto the scene back in 2009, but players revisiting it nearly 15 years later will inevitably start seeing the title’s age. But while it’s putting the finishing touches on the next installment of the series, Gearbox can take home a slam-dunk victory by remaking the vault hunt that started it all.
Gearbox Should Give the Classic Borderlands Its Overdue Remake
The originalBorderlandsis over a decade old, and it’s obvious that it suffers graphically compared to its later sequels. That said, theseries' unique, cel-shaded art directionhas always helped its graphics age very gracefully.Borderlands 2is pushing 12 years old itself and still looks fantastic due to its bright colors and stylish, almost comic book-like aesthetic. And while the style has helped the series overall, the originalBorderlandshas aged slightly less gracefully than its sequels.
Borderlandsreceived a remaster of its Game of the Year edition in 2019 that touched up its visuals, but not to the same degree a full-blown remake could.
The first game, while also having the cel-shaded art direction, was still very much finding its footing visually. This resulted in a muddier, less refined style that has aged pretty poorly compared to other entries in the series. A full-blown remake can improve on theoriginalBorderlandsbeyond what its remaster was capable ofand artistically bring it up to par with the other games' brighter, more comic book-like look.
The other place whereBorderlandshas aged for the worst is its control scheme. Coming out in 2009, the original title was one of the last games to come outbefore the standard FPS control scheme became codifiedand mostly consistent across games. This makes it very jarring to return to after playing the later games that stuck to the more modern control scheme.
A Borderlands Remake Is an Easy Hype Builder for Borderlands 4
Borderlandsmay be pushing 15 years old, but now is the best time for Gearbox to revisit the title as a means togenerate easy hype forBorderlands 4.WithBorderlands 4years away at a minimum, remaking the game that started it all would be a relatively easy way for the company to keep the franchise buzz high and satiate the fanbase while the fourth entry gets finished.
Going back to revitalize the original game can help the studio remind fans of where the saga began as a nice refresherbefore whateverBorderlands 4may bring. This can be especially helpful if the next entry in the franchise has any meaningful callbacks to the original title. Instead of half the player base scratching their heads wondering who T.K. Baha is supposed to be, they’ll recognize him from the remake they played the previous year.
Borderlands
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover the co-op shooter-looter that started it all, crammed with content and enhancements! Equip bazillions of guns as one of four trigger-happy mercenaries, each with unique RPG skills. Take on the lawless desolate planet Pandora in pursuit of powerful alien technology: The Vault. With new weapons, visual upgrades, all 4 add-on packs and more, enjoy the highly acclaimed FPS/RPG solo or in 4-player split screen co-op!Bazillions of Guns: Rocket-launching shotguns, enemy-torching revolvers, SMGs that fire lightning rounds, and tons more.Radical Art Style: Traditional rendering techniques combined with hand-drawn textures give Borderlands its iconic style.Intense Vehicular Combat: Behind the wheel, engage in frenetic vehicle-to-vehicle combat.Co-op Frenzy: Whether online or together on the couch, tear through the opposition as a crew of up to 4.VISUALLY STUNNING: With improved character models, environments, weapons, and textures, Borderlands paired with a 4K display never looked so good.NEW WEAPONS: There are already too many to count so we added more.NEW CHARACTER HEADS: Be as beautiful as mom says you are.NEW GOLD CHESTS AND KEYS: More loot!
