This game was / is shown at E3 2009.
Gearbox Software has just released Borderlands on PC through Steam direct download this past Monday, October 26th. Impressions thus far are mixed, especially when it comes to the "exciting" gameplay that has been boasted for the past several weeks. But before we get into opinions about Borderlands one thing is for certain...you'll want to play this one with friends.
Just like Valve's Game of The Year horror shooter Left 4 Dead, the real enjoyment of a game like Borderlands comes from the cooperative gameplay. This comes as a bit of a disappointment because as an RPG, we had hoped that Borderlands would be as addictive as Fallout 3, despite the crippling loneliness and isolation. Borderlands definitely branches into the potentially more exciting FPS genre, but it quickly falls victim to absent combat and long walks on the beach. We expected a frantic pace of competent enemies, but for the most part have been faced with fighting off pattern-driven monsters and stupid footmen that are easily dispelled by duck-and-cover tactics. This amateur approach to PvE, which is acceptable in more traditional RPGs, is hurt by the nature of the first-person-shooter focus. Popular fps games, such as the Unreal Tournament series, were capable of integrating RPG mods without hurting their frantic gameplay, so Borderlands can hopefully work its way towards more middle grounds.
These points will be of varying disappointment to each player that enters into Borderlands, so we don't intend to ruin the experience for anyone. In fact, as we mentioned, playing with friends is really where Borderlands becomes a fun and replayable experience. Joining with other player types will add the variety and firepower you won't get by flying solo. It also makes the tougher side missions achievable with less headache. It's still early to tell just how much replay value Borderlands will offer its fanbase, especially in light of Valve's upcoming Left 4 Dead 2, which promises to follow in the footsteps of its hellaciously paced predecessor. But, for now, be assured that Borderlands will no doubt provide that lawlessly vendable destruction that we all so desperately crave.