Alright, so I watched Borderlands 4 State of Play last night, just like, I dunno, a gazillion others. What a wild ride. Loads of new gameplay bits and twists that feel like someone dug back to the OG Borderlands instead of the fresh, shiny stuff. Honestly, I was thinking Borderlands 4 would be its own beast, but here we are, and it’s giving me more of a Destiny 3 vibe. Crazy, right? But hey, it’s probably just what the series needed.
So, Borderlands, yeah? Known for two things mainly. First up, the guns blazing, FPS chaos. Schlooter—I chuckle every time I say it— just crammed with guns doing bonkers things. It’s fantastic! Seriously, even with Borderlands 1, which feels like a salmon swimming upstream compared to the hyper sequels, this was the big pull.
But then there’s this “contemporary humor” shtick. You know the deal—Claptrap jokes and all that. Some love it; some, not so much. Like, sure, some folks probably loved taking down that whacky Spongebob-esque boss dude in Borderlands 3, but others were just rolling their eyes. I guess for Borderlands 4, Gearbox went, “Let’s shake things up a bit,” and boom, new era incoming!
Let’s chat about the tone now. I could count the giggles tossed around in the Borderlands 4 showcase on one hand, no kidding. Jokes didn’t hang around like uninvited guests at a party. Just a quip, a bizarre enemy name, and bam, onto the next. Was half-expecting an awkward ‘Sigma’ joke, but now? Who knows. Feels refreshingly different!
And visually? Still wacky, but thank heavens less like a cartoon binge. Weird, yes. Absurd? Not so much. It’s shaking up and leaning into Bungie’s style—bosses and pop-up events, you know? Vaults behaving more like dungeons now? Woah, bold move! Drones pointing directions, instant-vehicle summons—Destiny 2 vibes galore! It’s like blending Destiny’s modern tweaks with that quirky Gearbox flair.
Somewhere else, who knows, this might seem a bit… odd? But as Destiny 2 sits back with smaller updates and Marathon gets mixed reviews from the lucky alpha crowd, Borderlands swoops in. Bungie’s shakin’ things up, letting staff go—ouch, right? So yeah, this could fill that gaping AAA game void pretty neatly.
Marathon’s not quite hitting those high notes yet. If Borderlands 4 came out the same day, man, Marathon might’ve been blown outta the water. Can’t help thinking it as a sneaky but sweet move. Borderlands 4’s timing, buzzing with pre-launch chatter—kinda genius, if we’re being real. Maybe down the line, the buzz will chill, but for now? It’s definitely turned heads back to Borderlands. Epic move!
