PlayStation Magazine UK - 12.2019

077

REVIEW

between abilities within each

tree mean you’re probably
better sticking with upgrading

one until it’s maxed out. So

really, you’re picking from one
of 12 possible characters. It

feels a little like turning up to

the world’s biggest all-you-
can-eat buffet equipped with

a single chopstick.

SQUAD GOALS

The solution to the skills
gap is co-op, where you band

together with three other

characters and see all their
powers in action. This dials

up the already chaotic combat

to near incomprehensibility,
which sounds like a negative

but Borderlands 3 somehow

makes it work. Wave after
wave of minions is fed into the

mincing machine that is your
current favourite gun. And

with every other kill you make,

the screen fills with an update
telling you this is your 60th

kill with a pistol, your 100th

headshot, your 1,000th bandit

exploded like a balloon filled

with raspberry jam.

The guns, for all their

variety, feel consistently good

in the hands. Before you can

get bored, there’s a new toy to

play with: an automatic pistol

with an underslung taser, a

Tediore SMG that sprouts

legs and chases enemies when

thrown aside, a sniper with

electrified ammo that shorts

out enemy shields, a rifle with

sticky rounds which embed in

your target and then explode...

In combat, in customisation,

in just about every aspect of

Borderlands 3 Gearbox throws

out conventional wisdom and

replaces it with its own maxim:

more ismore, duh.

VERDICT

THE OPM BREAKDOWN

Right You can
hijack any
vehicle in the
world and strip
it for parts.

Below This
is Vaughn,
a man in his
underpants.
Hilarious.

Above left The Sanctuary is the starship that ferries you from planet to planet.

More guns, more planets,

more skills, more... more. If you

liked the previous ones, this

gives you plenty of the same

to enjoy. Borderlands 3 is the

very definition of the bigger and

better sequel. Alex Spencer

10% Groaning

at yet another

joke about bums,

toilets, or some

combination

thereof.

28% Holding

down r to

hoover up loot

like some

gun-obsessed

Augustus Gloop.

17%Squinting at

two nigh-identical

guns trying to

choose one.

2%Trying to

decide if your

character can pull

off an enormous

bird mask.

WHAT YOU DO IN... BORDERLANDS 3

35%

Sending bad ’uns

flying with the

kickback of your

shotgun.

8% Blowing your

hard-earned cash

on a ridiculous

and enormous

bird mask.

FL

OR

ID

AM

AN

TROPHY CABINET

TTEG

GNI

A

IL

TT

LE

ON

TH

ES

IDE

ON

FL

EEK

BRONZE

The name? As in ‘Florida

Man Blows Up Self With

Own Grenade’. Y’know,

like the meme! The

meme from... 2013!

SILVER

Fill your inventory with

that purple-glowing

rare gear, and watch

your enemies quake

with fear.

GOLD

Complete every

side-mission. Fetch the

coffee, find a spork,

cook burgers. All of

which involve murder.

BOUNCING BACK

Brought low by enemy fire? No

bother – simply kill an enemy

before the timer runs out and

you’ll be right as rain again.

LOOT ADMIN

Your inventory fills up fast, and

giving guns the Marie Kondo

treatment only makes you realise

how many of them don’t spark joy.

LOVING/HATING

Southern belle, mechanic,

and part of a surprisingly

female-led cast.

A Vault Hunter from a

previous game who

returns as an NPC.

Big Bad, one half of the

Calypso Twins, and...

successful streamer?

FRIENDS & ENEMIES

ELL

IE MAYA

TY

REE

N

STAT PACK

Pets FL4K can

choose between.

One of them is a

pistol-wielding

cyberpunk

monkey.

An (apparently

conservative)

estimate of the

number of unique

guns on offer in

the game.

Number of

Sirens that can

exist at one time.

In Borderlands 3

you meet most

of them.

256 10

9

36

Weeks between

the last

Borderlands

game (The

Pre-Sequel)

and this one.