BORDERLANDS - like Fallout 3 but with cars and MAXIMUM PWNAGE OMGWTFLOLNEWB FPS combat

I've played limited amounts of Borderlands, but Borderlands 2 is insanely fun, at the right difficulty level to challenge me without making me want to quit the game, and I am a person who generally abhors FPSs.

iirc correctly there is some talk itt about the spikiness of difficulty, which i agree with. there are definitely long stretches where you tear through it and then hit sudden roadblocks. i actually thought that worked out as a positive and there was a pretty good balance struck. the important point tho is that it is not a constant hard grind. i don't think most ppl should be put off from the BL games because of difficulty.

Sorry if I was unclear (work wreaks havoc on my writing abilities). I'm playing the first Borderlands currently but wondering if something like Demon's Souls would even be worth wasting my time on if I'm finding this tough. Prrrrobably should've posited the question in the Demon's Souls thread. But, yes, Borderlands has been a ton of fun nonetheless (except on the occasions when, despite full health and shields, I have been quickly and inexplicably killed by something I didn't even see).

I can't speak for Borderlands 1, but Borderlands 2 was really hard for me when I wasn't playing co-op, as someone who doesn't play many shooters. If you can do co-op I recommend it. But also, that game is set up so that if something is difficult you can put it off and do it a little bit later after you level up a bit on side missions. After that you'll probably not have as many issues. Do some side missions and come back.

Demon's Souls is really different in that the difficulty is more about recognizing patterns in a parry/move/thrust/judo-ish sorta way, whereas Borderlands is more about finding the enemy's critical spot and putting a million bullets in it.

Well the whole point of Demon's Souls is that dying is an integral part of the gameplay, so it seems like the games have completely different aims in mind with regards to what "difficulty" and dying mean to the player, so it's hard to compare. I never got far in Demon's Souls but that wasn't because I didn't love the game; I just ran out of free time to play it and never went back to it when I did get time.

Also I found it very helpful when I was playing single-player to be using a class that makes up for my lack of shooting skill. In Borderlands 2 there is the Commando class, which gives you a turret that can help give you some cover (akin to the Soldier class in B1), and the Siren class allowed me to freeze a particularly tough enemy so I could take a breath and focus on whatever side issue was distracting me or whatever. The Assassin and Berzerker classes were much harder for me to make progress with. I think those are better suited for more veteran shooters.

my only problem w/ the borderlands games is that they're clearly so much more fun multiplayer but the lives of myself + my friends are not conducive to regular mp gameplay.

I still haven't gotten around to B2, but I definitely remember B1 having stretches were you had to grind for a bit, killing enemies and doing side missions to get your character up to par with the regular story.

the lives of myself + my friends are not conducive to regular mp gameplay.

80% of the time I was playing with randoms and it wasn't too problematic for me. Sometimes they'd just be in a room or something shooting the shit with each other on mic instead of playing, but usually I was able to find some motivated players at my relative class level.

I think, because my gameplay is usually restricted to an hour or so after work and an hour or so before bed, the actual most frustrating part of the game thus far has been the autosaving. Which has been less than ideal. I sometimes can't get quite far enough to feel like I've made much progress before I have to go do something else. And then I come back and the save point seems almost arbitrary, except that it often entails a respawn of everything I thought I'd killed and the exact same depleted ammo I had previously. I've been playing as the sniper, though, so that's probably made for slower going.

I still have yet to do multiplayer on any PS3 game. Someday. Still a little bitter that the Bulletstorm server shutdown announcement was issued the day I got the game in the mail.

i got bored of this (BL1) right when car driving became a huge part of the story (dahl headlands)

my bud just got BL2 so I'm stoked to actually do multiplayer

I tried like twice and hated playing with randoms

I only know BL2 via multiplayer (hi dere jjj, EZSnappin) and it is just the best

i wish i had got into BL2 multiplayer with the ilx krew :/

same. i got lazy though

I eventually went beyond ps3 multiplayer with my pc character, just due to how every DLC got massively discounted thru a Steam sale.

I did not know they actually hired a cosplayer to portray an onscreen character, tho. That's an interesting twist.

Preordered the pre-sequel. I know I can save all the money if I wait a year for GOTY and I don't expect it to knock my socks off but I got more than my 20 bucks worth for BL2 GOTY so what the heck, take my money guys.

speaking of, if anyone on Mac/PC wants to go raiding in BL2 let's do it. I don't FPS without mouse and keyboard.

I'm the opposite. Won't play anything but Civ type games without a controller.

Really looking forward to the Pre-Sequel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnyeCZrRBt4

just means I'm old and cut my teeth on UT and Counter-Strike.

When Halo came out I messed with it a little and was like I guess this is okay for a console shooter. I understand the world has changed a bit since then...

I hear ya. Being a long time Apple guy I gave up on shooters after Marathon. Not that I really had a choice. But by the time I went back a few years ago I was past readjusting.

This is the first shooter I've liked/played extensively since Goldeneye

Heh. The reason I was late enough to grab BL2 GOTY for 20 bucks was I finally replaced my old laptop and the new one can handle it.

Still nothing like a mouse for sniping imo

hey roger, friend me on steam. i'll get around to BL2 on my Mac.. someday
http://steamcommunity.com/id/nhex

strong avatar

i'll play bl2 w/ anyone! i have a char and i've been wanting to get back.
my steam name is mshinefi

ok ok i'll make an effort this week to start it up and get my settings working, make sure my pad works

i am grbchv

presequel is super fun so far. my expectations were low and i am pleasantly surprised.

Forgot how lonely this game can get by yourself. Pretty funny so far though! Msg me if you see me playing

out of town for a few days but back on next week

is it up there with the first two? can't work out if it's a proper full BL game or just a pumped-up dlc

imo this would be best addressed in a separate, heavily-traffiAsk Imago for Relationship Advice thread

is it up there with the first two? can't work out if it's a proper full BL game or just a pumped-up dlc

not sure where the line is after Tiny Tina tbh

Rather than rush to the finish I've solo'd the first act a few times with different characters so I don't know yet how big the world will get.

The new game mechanics, associated focus on 3D map design, plus new weapon classes and grinder addition make it a bit more than a pumped-up DLC imo but I reserve the right to change my mind if it turns out I've already seen most of the environments.

Also the customization of character dialogue and interactions turns out to be a double-edged sword. e.g. Wilhelm is the best-balanced for solo play but a colossal bore to be around.

looool zing touch

oh man that has bitten me multiple times

Wilhelm btw is a fantastic character, I look forward to buffing the shit out of his drones

I look forward to gaining robot legs so I can strafe while sprinting but I wince every time he speaks.

I get around that by not paying any attention to the music and/or dialogue while I'm playing, so he hasn't gotten on my nerves yet

Claptrap is also great, I love that the game makes you confirm three times before letting you play him

I play on mute. Problem solved.

finally have hit my groove with whatshername the lawbringer, first 6 levels were a chore, but once you figure out how to use her special (and break my eternal urge to just be a shotgun nightmare) shes great. def going to go through several runs with the different characters on this one - i think they finally figured out how to nail non traditional multibuilds on the presequel. in the last one, the interesting playstyle characters were the add-ons (mechromancer and psycho), both of which forced you into playing the game very differently. this time around it feels like that was applied to all 4 of the main character options. there really isnt a tank/sniper/support healer/soldiermerc split, which is awesome.

not totally convinced wrt the oz kit thing. obv its just a relic replacement mainly, but i dont think the need for airvents really is doing anything significant other than being sometimes annoying and forcing backtracking or limiting exploration.

That's why Claptrap rules. Fuck oxygen.

I haven't felt limited yet, largely because they space air vents and bubbles out really well. About 80% of the times I've backtracked, it's because I didn't bother to look on the map and see the vent 50 yards ahead to the right or I forgot I was standing next to an oxygenated room. I also like that the butt slam and double-jump mechanics are limited by how much air you have left, making you think a little more about when you use them.

Wilhelm's drones are kind of the best things in the world btw

I'm not sold on Athena. Mainly because she doesn't fit my standard "hang back and snipe and never change guns" play style. I think once I get the right elemental SMG/shotgun combo and a good shield I'll like her more.

athena's pretty close to a trad tank style. damage soaking and can be built up w/BLOODSHED as a melee monster.

def not naturally suited to sniping, but very good fit when JJJ wants to go full shotgun.

i should probably solo athena for the first 5 levels and see what i think. after bashing through BL2 as the psycho i don't think any other melee based character will satisfy me at this point though.

Wilhelm's drones are kind of the best things in the world btw

I've totally come around on Wilhelm btw. Finding his dialogue hilarious now and will finish with him first.

I've never been enamored with tank builds or FPS melee, so she's an awkward fit. I'm going to see how the elemental effects tree works.

thing is my play style really isn't quite tanky? like i def end up charging in like a maniac, but i feel like the shield thing is so far from my approach that i cant quite wrap my head around it. im more bad decision aggro than well thought out bullet sponge.

But whether I love the character or not the game is fun. Though the maps sometimes seem way too big.

Check out her Xiphos skill path. Tailor-made for for fools rush in style.

borderlandsthegame.com/skilltrees/Athena.html

clarity of purpose>omega-senshu>rend>bloodlust>you've got red on you>blood rush