Pre-Sequel First Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

[Alkymist96]

So I just finished my first 4 hours into the new game and, if it wasn't for the fact that I need to sleep and get to work tomorrow, I'd still be playing...

The game intro sets up the scenario for the game nicely, and the story so far is pretty good. There are some things in the dialogue that would leave you scratching your head if you hadn't played either of the first two games, especially if you hadn't gone hunting for all the back-story echo log recordings. If you have BL1 or BL2 saves on disk when you launch the game, you also get a "thank you" bonus in-grame (actually several, and they're not tied to any specific level, much like the Skyrocket grenade in BL2).

The low gravity environment "feels" right as far as motion and the controls are concerned, and adds a dynamic to combat you didn't get too often in the first games (unless you were in the habit of jumping off cliffs and buildings!) I wasn't to sure about the oxygen kits after seeing the promo trailers - it seemed a bit gimicky - but so far it seems well thought-out and implemented, and I only ran out of O2 once. The maps are interesting, with varied terrain and multi-level structures.

In terms of difficulty level, I've not had much of a problem, although I've completed UVHM in BL2 with several characters now so I should know what I'm doing in a Borderlands game by now! The next mission will technically be 3 levels above my character, so we'll see how that goes. So far, I've only done one relatively short side-quest, but there are already quite a few available.

If you're playing and you have thoughts, please add them, but keep this thread at least spoiler-free please!

 

[Theleb_Kaarna]

Well stated, and very much appreciate the anti-spoiler intentions.

 

[KLGChaos]

I've only played a couple hours due to work, but I've really enjoyed what I've played so far. Playing as Claptrap is a blast, even though I'm playing solo (and still going down the "I Love You Guys" tree).

I'm not sure how much I'll like playing the other characters while having to worry about oxygen, though.

 

[Alkymist96]

So part 2 is "Don't Worry About the Oxygen!"

Relics have gone through a process of evolution: in BL1, they simply added elemental damage to your action skill (turret, Bloodwing, phase blast); in BL2, they applied to the character, giving a range of action skill, damage, shielding, etc. boosts. In TPS, they are now Oz Kits, providing the same range of character boosts supplemented by your oxygen supply and the ability to both boost the height and/or distance of your jumps and power-drive into the ground (the "butt slam").

When I started (playing as Athena BTW) I was somewhat concerned about how much time I'd spend managing oxygen reserves, but 2K Aus have done a good job of providing plenty of ways in which you can replenish your supplies.

• Oxygen vents scattered around the moon's surface, indicated on your mini-map by pale blue dots
• Oxygen stations, indicated by a blue beam into the sky and an audible beep when you are close by; activating them creates an oxygen dome in a reasonable area around the station
• Plenty of buildings with rooms having permanent oxygen atmospheres
• Vehicles have an unlimited supply (along with unlimited ammo)
  
• Oxygen bottle loot items - these have a blue loot spike and card, and can drop from human and animal enemies, as well as popping out of lootable rocks, boxes, crates, etc.

The oxygen duration (card number in seconds) increases with the level and rarity of the Oz kit and, even when it hits zero, you still have a few seconds to get to one of these sources. So far, I have not died once from a lack of oxygen (but plenty of times from falling off the map or failing to make a jump!)

While on the subject of Oz kits, the slam manoeuvre deserves some mention. Basically, you jump (and boost if you're initially on the same level as your enemy rather than above them already), then press and hold (B) (XBox) to power into them. Oz kits can add elemental damage to the slam as an area of effect + damage over time, meaning you can ignite, corrode, explode, or freeze them. The last exploits the new cryo elemental damage: not only do they freeze solid, they take DoT and, if you knock their health down, literally shatter into pieces. Even if an enemy isn't close enough to the point of impact to be frozen (or whatever), they can receive a hefty knock-back and won't be firing at you as they fly through the air.

This is a really cool game mechanic for dealing with mobs, particularly on the moon or in the low gravity sections of the space station, since the maps always have multiple levels available to you anyway. There are times when you can't get any height even by boosting: usually when there is something close overhead, but occasionally on certain sections of floor which seem to be magnetic (not sure if this is an intended feature or a glitch in the game textures; either way, it's a thing!) That said, there are numerous challenges associated with being in the air while shooting and punching your way through enemies, and IMO it's a welcome addition to the game play.

Finally, I'd like to reiterate the vertical nature of this game: there are multiple levels on every map, places you can get to only by boost-jumping, jump pads, elevators, and shafts. You need to think 3D rather than simply running over the surface shooting at things at eye-level, but that just makes the game more immersing.

 

[veggienator]

I would tend to agree with everything you said. The platformer feel added to an already well mixed rpg- shooter adds an interesting new angle. I have been enjoying it.

 

[Theleb_Kaarna]

OP, again, very well stated. If I may, why not incorporate your thoughts/experiences into building-up the TPS Wiki?

I've contributed there myself. Please help-out.

 

[BeAlone]

[URL='http://www.ign.com/boards/members/alkymist96.4303612/']@Alkymist96[/URL]

I haven't brought the game yet, but I got a gift card from Best Buy. I was thinking of buying the pre-sequel instead of Destiny. Should I buy the game ASAP, or should I just wait until the price goes down?

 

[Alkymist96]

[URL='http://www.ign.com/boards/members/alkymist96.4303612/'][URL='http://www.ign.com/boards/members/alkymist96.4303612/']@Alkymist96[/URL][/URL]

I haven't brought the game yet, but I got a gift card from Best Buy. I was thinking of buying the pre-sequel instead of Destiny. Should I buy the game ASAP, or should I just wait until the price goes down?

Good question and, to be honest, I'm not sure what to advise. I've now finished my first play-through with one character (Athena) and started TVHM, as well as starting off a second character (Willhelm). I really enjoyed NVHM with Athena, and Willhelm is also proving to be fun to play. My initial experience in TVHM has not been as good, however. There is, at a fairly critical and early juncture in the game, one boss you have to get past to unlock almost all of the moon maps. I steamrollered him first time with Athena, struggled a little with Willhelm, and am stuck on TVHM with Athena.

It seems that many people get stuck at the same point, the primary issue being getting appropriate levelled shock weapons: this is pretty hard since you have only two maps open to you, and the fast-travel station is locked until you defeat this guy. So, I went and tore a bunch of stuff up with Salvador in BL2, because Gunzerking! After that, it was a little difficult to get back into the game (although Willhelm is shaping up to be the Salvador of the new game.)

Overall, TPS is still a good game: there is much fun to be had, much background to be revealed, and some interesting new weapons and dynamics. There are some progress-stopping glitches that have been addressed using the hotfix system, but it's not clear when they'll become part of a permanent game patch. I'm not convinced that Destiny would be my thing, so I'll probably stick to alternating between BL2 and TPS. If you're initial choice was Destiny, though, and you haven't felt like playing BL1 and/or 2 much recently, I'd probably suggest taking that first.

 

[-Mitsurules-]

TPS has been a fun game to play. There's a lot of new maps to explore, new story to unfold, additions to combat to expand gameplay (i.e. air boost, gravity slam) and new characters- both playable and NPCs. Those are refreshing experiences.

Unfortunately those few new spins on the game can only take you so far. I actually went to try to play the game this afternoon, and before I inserted the disc, I found myself thinking, "What am I going to do?" I'll preface my following comment by mentioning I'm currently unemployed and don't really have any other hobbies, but I've already gotten the original four Vault Hunters to level 50. Haven't started a Jack yet, but he'll get there soon enough. Now with BL1 & 2 it took me a much longer time to get all the characters to max level. This was due to there being a lot more to do at end game. TPS has very little to offer, mainly because a lot of the bosses you should be able to farm for rare gear do not re-spawn. This is a huge oversight by Gearbox & 2K Australia to have this happen.

Sticking to the loot topic, it's a bit more difficult to get excited about loot when the system layout is the same as BL2 with the some minor tweaks/additions. Lasers beams are admittedly awesome (though I actually prefer Tediore Splitters), Cryo was a long overdue element and one I hope becomes a mainstay in the series. But aside from those there's nothing for this game to differentiate itself from BL2. In fact, some of the returning legendary weapons are more restrictive due to either having a locked set of parts, only having one element, or both. This damages the collection aspect of the game, like trying to get multiple elements of the Bitch/Fatale isn't possible due to it being exclusively Cryo. Some weapons were just left out completely and not given replacements (i.e. Infinity, Madhous!, Slagga [no slag obviously, but could have had something], Thunderball Fists, Bunny, Deliverance). The other blue rarity uniques are underwhelming too.

I spent a lot of time on loot, but that's because that's the meat & potatoes of the Borderlands series IMO. Since Gearbox & 2KA did little to nothing to provide new/unique loot, I have to say I'm already running out of things to be excited for. Obviously there's more content on the horizon, but we shouldn't have to rely on post-campaign DLC to keep up the replay value. Sticking to mainly what offered outside of DLC, it's not enough.

I wondered before the release of the game if TPS would be worth the $60 price tag. Even beforehand I kept hoping the game would be priced $40 initially. I maintain that the game IS NOT worth $60, especially if you are familiar with the Borderlands series. Gearbox stated the game was shorter than BL2 but longer than BL1. In terms of being longer than BL1 I have to agree, but not for a good reason- a lot of the game is stretched out by story dialogue. You take that out and the story is actually pretty short.


I'm rambling, but yeah I'm a bit disappointed with TPS in the end game content, but majorly let down with the loot system. Since this feels like BL2.5 I doubt I'll get as much replayability out of it. Maybe that will change.

P.S. Destiny doesn't appeal to me. Too demanding in terms of grinding to make meaningful progress. This is the same reason why I avoid MMORPGs like the plague.