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Borderlands 3 Finally Announced With First Trailer At PAX East
Gearbox Software has officially confirmed Borderlands 3, as part of what it is calling The Year of Borderlands. The third mainline entry in the series was revealed at the developer’s PAX East panel, where it showed off a rather meaty gameplay trailer. It begins with a shot of the iconic Psycho mask and pans up to reveal that the wasteland is as desolate and full of mayhem as when we last saw it.
A Children of the Vault camp is one of the first things we see and next to the entrance there are signs referring to Calypso. One message reads, “Answer Calypso’s call,” while another invites people to “Meet Calypso.” This enigmatic figure is introduced in the very next scene and from her wry grin, overconfident swagger, and snarling sidekick, it’s a pretty safe bet to say she’ll be one of the key villains of Borderlands 3. For those that know their greek mythology, Calypso is the daughter of the titan, Atlas. It just so happens that Atlas is also the name of one of the big corporate entities on Pandora, where the Borderland games primarily take place.
In the next shot we’re re-introduced to Lilith, who made her debut as a playable character in the first Borderlands title. She’s a key figure in the mythos of Borderlands, being a Siren–incredibly powerful women that have mysterious backgrounds. It is believed that only six Sirens can exist at any one time and, to date, three have appeared in the games. While it doesn’t seem like Lilith will be playable, she will no doubt play a huge part in the events of Borderlands 3.
From there, we’re introduced to four characters. These are likely the Vault Hunters players will get to control. As of yet, it’s unclear what classes they correspond to. The Borderlands games tend to have a mixture of traditional archetypes like Beserker, Hunter, and Soldier, but also throw some unexpected ones into the mix too, like Siren and Mechromancer. At one point the female Vault Hunter, who looks to be melee-focused, given her ripped physique and knuckle duster, summons multiple ethereal arms like a Bodhisattva.
The trailer quickly rolls on to quick cuts of action, with the four Vault Hunters cruising around in vehicles, firing all manner of strange weaponry–including a battle mech–and taking on vicious looking monsters. At one point Borderlands 2’s Maya, who also happens to be a Siren, makes an appearance, though with much longer hair now.
One of the key new features for Borderlands 3 is revealed when the words “Explore the Worlds!” appear on screen. This indicates that the game is going to be much bigger than the previous two entries, offering players a variety of different worlds to scavenge for loot and hunt down mythical treasure in. The trailer showcases some of these, with a neon city that has towering skyscrapers and overgrown swamplands, alongside the traditional Mad Max-like desert terrain.
There’s a brief intermission in the trailer for Brick to lay down a sax solo that, frankly, is quite good, before we get to the Borderlands series’ biggest claim to fame: guns. This time around Gearbox is claiming that Borderlands 3 will have “one billion guns,” one of which is an assault rifle with little robot legs that is skipping along while firing of shots. Basically, the trailer shows off pretty much exactly what most Borderlands fans want from a sequel.
Gearbox has said more information for Borderlands 3 will be revealed on April 3. The Year of Borderlands will also give fans of the series the opportunity to play a Game of the Year version of the first Borderlands, complete with new weapons and other improvements. Additionally, the Borderlands Handsome Collection on consoles is getting a graphical improvements by way of a free Ultra HD Texture Pack. This will also be available for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Borderlands 2 on PC. Finally, all Borderlands 2’s DLC will be added to Borderlands 2 for PlayStation VR this summer.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-3-finally-announced-with-first-trailer/1100-6465879/
Bulletstorm Is Coming To Switch, And Duke Nukem Will Be Included
During Gearbox’s PAX East keynote presentation, the company revealed Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition, a Switch port of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition that also includes the Duke Nukem DLC. This way, you can play the game with original protagonist Grayson Hunt or the titular protagonist of the Duke Nukem franchise.
Releasing in 2011, Bulletstorm is a first-person shooter that focuses on rewarding players for killing enemies in the most creative way possible. A remaster for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, titled Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, released in April 2017, adding the option of playing as Duke Nukem–who fits in perfectly with the game’s rather crass humor. The Switch port is scheduled for Summer 2019.
In our Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition review, Scott Butterworth gave the game an 8/10, writing, “For longtime fans, Full Clip Edition doesn’t offer much to be excited about. Additions like Overkill Mode and the upgraded visuals are certainly welcome, but fundamentally, this is the same game they already played in 2011. That said, the experience absolutely holds up: the skillshot system remains wildly fun and inventive, the weapons are still a gruesome joy, and the writing…well, it’s as distinctive as ever. If you missed Bulletstorm when it originally released–and based on sales numbers, you probably did–now’s the time to treat yourself to a clever if cringe-worthy blockbuster.”
Gearbox made several other announcements during its keynote presentation. We Happy Few is getting a new DLC, titled They Came From Below, that will launch next week as a part of the game’s season pass. TinyBuild also has a new horror game coming out on May 23 called Pathologic 2.
Further details about the upcoming Borderlands game was announced as well, but there wasn’t anything new revealed (yet anyway, as the keynote is still going). Gearbox confirmed the identities of some of the characters included in the teaser trailer for the new game, including an older Tiny Tina, Hammerlock, Ellie, and Marcus.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bulletstorm-is-coming-to-switch-and-duke-nukem-wil/1100-6465895/
Borderlands Remaster Adds More Weapons, Improvements To GotY Edition
In the lead up to PAX East, Gearbox teased that we’d potentially see multiple new games unveiled. Despite some technical issues hampering the reveal during the panel, One of those has turned out to be an enhanced re-release of an existing game, Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. This version of the original game in the Borderlands series is seeing a new release on current-gen platforms, but it’s not a mere port–it also packs in new content, including more weapons, in addition to a variety of other improvements, and it releases next week. You can see a trailer above and check out some screenshots below.
This is described as the “brand-new definitive version.” It’s set for release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and features the same basic content as the original game, complete with all four of its DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution.
The Game of the Year Edition will feature visual improvements suited to the new platforms. Gearbox boasts that PS4 and Xbox One X players (and presumably those with adequate PC hardware) can play in 4K and HDR, but all platforms will include “improved lighting, textures, and character models.”
Beyond visual changes, there are quality-of-life improvements and changes coming to impact gameplay, too. An optional minimap similar to the one found in Borderlands 2 is being introduced, while inventory management will be overhauled. You’ll now be able to lock weapons that you want to ensure stay safe, while those you don’t care about can be labeled as junk to make disposing of them more straightforward. Similarly, you’ll no longer have to worry about picking up ammo, money, and health, as that will now be done automatically.
A handful of new guns are being added. Six “named, custom-skinned” Legendary-tier weapons will be available as drops from bosses or through the use of Golden Keys. Those keys tie into the Shift rewards system, which lets you cash in keys for “special in-game items and rewards” similar to later games in the series. If you’ve played Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel on PS4, Xbox One, or PC, you’ll be entitled to 75 Golden Keys for free here, as well as two “randomly selected” new weapons.
Another new element is the ability to customize your character. Whereas the game previously only allowed you to select colors, you can now choose one of five different head options for each of the four characters.
And finally, Gearbox says it’s heeding complaints from fans and will update the campaign’s final boss. It should now be “more engaging, challenging, and rewarding.”
Game of the Year Edition is coming quite soon–it releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 3, which is just a few days away. It will be available physically and digitally on console, while the PC version is digital only. However, if you already own Borderlands on Steam, PC players will get this updated version for free.
Alongside this, Gearbox shared a variety of other news. Regarding Borderlands specifically, it confirmed Borderlands 3 and announced visual improvements coming to Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
The Game of the Year Edition news doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as a ratings board listing last year suggested just such a re-release was coming. However, it is encouraging to see this is more than just a mere port. Alongside this, Gearbox also finally announced Borderlands 3, along with free visual improvements coming to Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel.
Borderlands was originally released in 2009, so this announcement comes just ahead of the series’ 10-year anniversary. The Game of the Year version followed that in 2010, bundling the base game with its four DLC packs.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-remaster-adds-more-weapons-improvement/1100-6465878/
