A First Look at Borderlands: A Roleplaying Shooter?
Borderlands is, according to the developing studio behind it, an RPS. In other words, it is a roleplaying shooter, which is a fairly new thing. Actually, the term “RPS” was originally coined by developer Blizzard back when Warcraft III: Reign Of Choas was announced. They called it a “Role Playing Strategy”. But I guess that is of little consequence. Anyway, while there have been many elements of roleplaying in shooting games before, such as the weapon leveling system in Ratchet & Clank and the ranking system in the multiplayer component of Call Of Duty 4, such examples are very unlike Borderlands’ knack for exploration, collecting of equipment and weaponry, and the drive to level up and gain new abilities. In this way, it’s much like a shooting-game take on Diablo.
Borderlands takes place on an alien planet called Pandora, a harsh place of deadly weather, dangerous wildlife, and continuous conflict over extremely limited resources. Those with the most gas and guns tend to be those that survive. Sound like a fun place to visit? Obviously not, but at the same time many travelers have come to Pandora, time and time again, and all in search of a famed vault said to contain vast treasures. According to many people on the planet, the vault doesn’t exist, but it doesn’t stop people from staking their lives on it, and traveling to the most risky section of Pandora; the Borderlands. Where you as the player come in is a dark alien threat has emerged from hibernation and you are being sent to the planet to eliminate it.
As you embark on your adventure you can choose between one of three characters: the soldier, the hunter, and the siren. As for the differences between each character class, everything been under wraps leading up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo conference, but we do know there are significant differences in abilities and gameplay styles. For example, the soldier automatically generates ammunition in his pack, so for him ammo is not an issue. Right from the beginning Borderlands has been developed with a cooperative play focus, so co-op is a neat feature in addition to the singleplayer mode, and is available for up to three players online.
The idea is that Borderlands will be released later in the year on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. More information concerning the game should be available once the E3 conference takes place in June.
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