The state of the Borderlands

Never mess with accountants- you can always count on us, out numbering you.

Hey there kiddo, are you still up? I just wanted to touch base for a bit about this whole 'Borderlands' thing that's going on. Do you think you're good to talk about it? Why don't we start with how the series is right now, then we can go onto where it's going. How's that sound? Have I sufficiently made you uncomfortable enough with that intro yet? Good, because we're going to be talking about a series that is increasingly making me more comfortable for the direction that's it's going, the attention that it's receiving and the company who is making it. Okay, I don't really care about the company, but it's CEO, Randy, is sufficiently creepy enough to set off anyone's alarm bells by my estimation. And the reason I pick this up is because I'm confused about Borderlands. Where it is, where it's going, and most importantly of all how I feel about all of it, so let us explore.

Borderlands 3 was the last game out of the series and it was by most metrics a resounding success, improving on every aspect of the last game aside from the character writing (but that was an impossible task anyway, lets be fair) Borderlands 3 scored well and sold better, proving to the many doubtful that Borderlands is indeed back. And that's the point I want to harp on because it really does seem like Gearbox are doubling down to ensure this series never goes quiet again, and as much as I love being smothered in more of what I love; I think we're all well aware of the dangers of oversaturation and too much of a good thing. Sometimes it helps to have a series cool down for a bit before we pick things back up when they're steel burning red-hot. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. 

For it's time, Borderlands 2 was pretty much a landmark release dominating the gaming cultural zeitgeist of 2012. And that was a packed year, let me tell you; Far Cry 3, ACIII, Mass Effect 3, Diablo... 3, (What's with all the 3's) Max Payne 3, (Okay seriously, what the heck?) Halo 4 (Oh thank god.) and Dishonoured. But even with that competition Borderlands 2 practically soared with a dedicated community, unending hype and chatter, and a fanbase so hungry for more that they went out and willing bought 'The Pre-Sequel' two years later. (That takes some serious brain washing.) But after that considerably less fun half-sequel, and the incredible TellTale game, Tales from the Borderlands, the series went utterly quite for nearly half a decade! For a series that now seems such an integral part of Gearbox's identity, it seems nigh on unbelievable that they went so long without chirping about it, but think about what that silence allowed for.

Speculations built on rumors, built on hopes, for years on end as aspiring Vault Hunters waxed and waned for years guessing and second guessing when their favourite cell-shaded looter was going to come soaring over that sand dune in one of Scooters beat-up buggies again. (All the while hoping that very pointed final line of Borderlands 2's main story wasn't alluding to an upcoming MMO, as that's what it really sounded like.) Time away gave the creators space to settle down and evaluate exactly the gameplay mechanics which made Borderlands 2 so successful and work at expanding or even subverting them for something superior. And that was time they really needed, because we know that when you rush the team they end up spewing out headscratchingly dumb ideas like "Let's take away the gravity, add in an oxygen gauge and make traversal a needless obtuse nightmare". (Sorry, Pre-Sequel: I just... really don't like you.)

But we're not getting that space this time around, and right on cue it's leading to just terrible ideas. The Borderlands Movie; why? I'm not saying that a comedic action-fuelled romp starring lovable and silly character's can't be fun, but why does it have to be Borderlands? A series who's identity, aside from jokes, is great gunplay, addictive looting spirals, superbosses and a whole bunch more interactive elements. Now I'll be the first to admit that Tales from the Borderlands was fantastic, but then Tales from the Borderlands was allowed to be it's own thing with it's own characters who could be built for the very purpose of being weedy quip-firing non-combatants in a world owned by violence. Their being out of place in a savage world was the crux of the premise. But this movie? I don't know if it understands that. We're getting the Borderlands 1 crew as the stars, and already the casting feels... off. Okay, I'm signalling in on Kevin Hart as the Lovable, even tempered leader, Roland. Aside from being Black, which at least they remembered to nail that, how does any of Kevin Hart's acting prowess line up with the Roland we know? And if this is 'a different take on the character', then why does it feel like he's going to be so 'different' that he'll essentially be a whole new character? The whole project just feels off to me.

And then there's the Tiny Tina swords and sorcery spin-off title which is coming out at some point, I can't remember. It seems like they've been teasing the thing for years at this point, and it's only been about 10 or so months. This one I find interesting, because unlike the movie I think it's a really cool idea. Tiny Tina's DnD themed DLC for Borderlands 2 was a fan favourite and it almost seemed like a given she'd get another go for Borderlands 3. But expanding that into a full blow spin-off game with Fantasy elements, new characters and apparently there's a whole new class of Melee weapon too. I say 'apparently' because in a stupid amount of publicity since the announcement I haven't seen a single clip of a melee weapon in extended use. Thus I can assume that it's an incredibly rudimentary Oblivion-style chop-stick melee system that the team are too embarrassed to tout.

With all this I have to wonder, where exactly are we going with Borderlands? Because it's no longer a fun little romp we visit every now and then to see what's up in the world of these silly desert outlaws, now there's a movie in the works and more games and probably even more stuff beyond that we haven't even heard about yet, this is feeling like a syndicated series. Now I know that Gearbox are much bigger than they once were, so taking on more frequent and/or bigger projects is all part of the territory which comes with this sort of expansion, but I wonder about what it would be like if Borderlands eventually became a series as overproliferated as, say, Assassin's Creed. With it's books, it's awful move, it's secret TV-show in the works, and endless copy-paste games. Will the special spark of this Looter that shows other looters how it's done be lost? Will, most importantly, the spark of ingenuity that feeds the creatives grow dim from exhaustion? Will future Borderlands slip from exception into average?

It's seems like more the job of soothsayers to judge the changing of the seasons on innocuous winds, but I never think it's premature or unfair to stop and take stock of where we are and where it seems to be heading. It's clear that Gearbox wants to become a bigger company, and it if it does that Borderlands will become it's flagship series, (or rather, it will continue to be) and I think it's only right we prepare for the consequences of that. I love Borderlands and the base monkey-instinct inme  makes me hungry for as much of the series as I can shove down my throat, but the cautious Ape-instinct side of me knows that overfeeding makes the pastures run dry. I'm glad to see the series looking healthy, I just hope it continues to play out in a healthy fashion for the series in the transitory years to come.