It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay article! This is the series where we head backward in time to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of some of the most significant moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this September 13 edition of Retro Ad Replay, we’re traveling back two years in time to when Borderlands 3 first launched on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. That’s September 13, 2019. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, this sequel to one of the original loot shooters delivered even more loot-shootery action, alongside the over-the-top humor and shenanigans that fans of the franchise have come to love and expect.
GameRevolution awarded Borderlands 3 a 7/10 in our review, celebrating how the “gameplay feels great,” the “new secondary function on weapons adds a lot to gear versatility,” and how the “secondary characters are fun.”
Borderlands is all about guns, poop, and dick jokes, and you can look forward to a ton of all three of those things in Borderlands 3. Where many series seek to innovate, BORDERLANDS 3 delivers more of the same for better or worse. At least this time around you can get off the tan hell that is Pandora and visit some other planets.
I don’t mind a good loot shooter, but Borderlands 3 continues some design decisions that make the game incredibly frustrating to play. The gunplay is a bit tighter, and Gearbox added an item score, but the writing is atrocious, and the characters are unlikable and boring. Other than a chortle or a quick intake of air here and there I found the whole script to be on the verge of insufferable. But, there’s enough good gameplay here to salvage the experience, at least somewhat.
Check out the Borderlands 3: Director’s Cut official launch trailer embedded below:
