play station official magazine

096

REVIEW

INFO

FORMATPS VR

ETAOUT NOW

PUB2K GAMES

DEVGEARBOX

SOFTWARE

BORDERLANDS 2 VR

Has Gearbox hit the Handsome Jackpot?

T

aking a game that’s over six years old

(and ultimately intended as a four-

player co-op experience) and turning

it into a single-player PS VR adventure

might sound like an odd decision, like serving

up a stale BLT without the B. In virtual reality.

Anyway, the idea of being immersed in an FPS

in this way is an appealing one; and clearly

harder to implement than you might think...

Although there have been some necessary

tweaks and additions, this is mostly the same

Borderlands 2 we awarded 9/10 when it released

on PS3 back in 2012. A quick look at the score

on this page will confirm that things aren’t

quite that straightforward, though, and not only

because this is now a solo experience.

This is a story-heavy FPS with dozens of

hours of gameplay, something that already gifts

it flashing neon trousers in the VR arena. It has

a strong sense of humour, and the jokes work

as well today as they did back then. The core

gameplay hook is a borderline-obsessive loot

mechanic. Defeated enemies drop items, but

most of your pickups will come from ransacking

countless crates and containers like the heroic

kleptomaniac you are. Most

interesting of all, the game

contains a crazy amount of

procedurally generated weapon

types, often incorporating

elemental damage. There’s a

“squee!” moment whenever you

stumble upon a particularly

powerful gun.

GUN FISHING

With the game transferred to

PS VR, we need to consider the

fundamentals. To Gearbox’s

credit, there’s lots to tinker

with in the menu regarding

comfort settings, although

finding a good balance between

smooth controls, decent field of

view, and VR comfort is tricky.

This is a non-VR peg that

doesn’t quite fit the VR hole.

You can play with a

DualShock, which is the best

option for ease of movement.

The game makes you aim with

your head however, which

A) contributes significantly to

the risk of motion sickness

given all the movement

necessary during combat, and

B) makes opening containers

• most of which are at or

below waist level – awkward.

Dual PS Move controllers work

better. Mastering movement

with this control scheme takes

longer, but the payoff is more

enjoyable shootouts and a

smoother experience overall.

Teleportation is always an

option, but not a great one,

especially in the middle of

combat. The PS Aim controller

would offer the best of both

control schemes... but isn’t

supported. D’oh!

The addition of a “BAMF

Time” ability, which temporarily

slows down the action, feels

like an apology for the slight

awkwardness that even the best

control setup offers. Certainly,

you’ll probably use it more to

get your bearings than for any

tactical reasons. Persevere, and

this is great fun, but not as

much fun as the original.

LOAD OF CLAPTRAP

VERDICT

Not as pretty in VR as

you might expect, but

the graphics do the job.

What we have here is a

beloved, fun game battling an

ill-advised move into virtual

reality. The fun game wins the

fight at the end of the day – just

about. Luke Kemp

“THIS IS A NON-VR PEG THAT

DOESN’T QUITE FIT THE

VIRTUAL REALITY HOLE.”

@Jim_Crikey

PS VR REVIEW