Borderlands Game of the Year

Item: Borderlands Game of the Year
Rating: 79
Author: VaporLens

Last updated: 2025-07-13

Summary

Engaging, fun FPS RPG looter-shooter gameplay
Excellent co-op experience, vast content
Genre-defining classic, series foundation
Unique, timeless art style, dark humor
Buggy, dated, unplayable for some
Repetitive missions, limited enemy variety

Emotions

Satisfaction31%Frustration13%Disappointment11%Joy9%Excitement6%

Reviews (sample size): 1768
Helpful reviews: 30%
Unhelpful reviews: 53%
Protest reviews: 17%

79%
Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
21%
Helpful reviews with negative sentiment

Positive points: 1832
Negative points: 979
Gameplay points: 876
Perf. points: 33
Rec. points: 336
Misc points: 354

Point	Description	Importance
Engaging & Fun Gameplay Description The game offers a highly enjoyable and engaging gameplay experience, particularly noted for its fun gunplay, effective looting mechanics, and overall solid performance on modern systems despite its age. Players consistently find the core loop entertaining and replayable. Importance 97%	The game offers a highly enjoyable and engaging gameplay experience, particularly noted for its fun gunplay, effective looting mechanics, and overall solid performance on modern systems despite its age. Players consistently find the core loop entertaining and replayable.	97%
Excellent Co-op Experience Description The cooperative multiplayer mode is a significant highlight, enhancing the game's fun and replayability. Playing with friends transforms the experience into a chaotic, humorous, and memorable adventure, making it a standout feature of the Borderlands franchise. Importance 68%	The cooperative multiplayer mode is a significant highlight, enhancing the game's fun and replayability. Playing with friends transforms the experience into a chaotic, humorous, and memorable adventure, making it a standout feature of the Borderlands franchise.	68%
Genre-Defining Classic Description The game is recognized as a timeless classic and a foundational title that revolutionized the looter-shooter genre. Its innovative blend of FPS and RPG elements, unique art style, and overall quality laid the groundwork for a successful franchise and continues to hold up well years after its release. Importance 47%	The game is recognized as a timeless classic and a foundational title that revolutionized the looter-shooter genre. Its innovative blend of FPS and RPG elements, unique art style, and overall quality laid the groundwork for a successful franchise and continues to hold up well years after its release.	47%
Vast Content & Addictive Loot Description The game provides extensive content, including a vast open world, numerous story and side missions, and deep RPG elements like varied character classes and skill trees. The addictive loot system, with its constant flow of new and unique gear, keeps players engaged for hundreds of hours. Importance 37%	The game provides extensive content, including a vast open world, numerous story and side missions, and deep RPG elements like varied character classes and skill trees. The addictive loot system, with its constant flow of new and unique gear, keeps players engaged for hundreds of hours.	37%
Unique & Timeless Art Style Description The game's distinctive cel-shaded art style is highly praised for its timeless appeal and unique comic-book aesthetic. This visual approach, combined with a fitting soundtrack and quirky character designs, creates a vibrant and immersive world that sets it apart from other shooters. Importance 31%	The game's distinctive cel-shaded art style is highly praised for its timeless appeal and unique comic-book aesthetic. This visual approach, combined with a fitting soundtrack and quirky character designs, creates a vibrant and immersive world that sets it apart from other shooters.	31%
Engaging Story & Humor Description The story is engaging and filled with memorable, charismatic characters and sharp, dark humor. The narrative, while not always complex, is consistently entertaining and contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere and charm. Importance 28%	The story is engaging and filled with memorable, charismatic characters and sharp, dark humor. The narrative, while not always complex, is consistently entertaining and contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere and charm.	28%
Excellent & Humorous DLCs Description The game's DLCs, particularly 'Claptrap's New Robot Revolution' and 'The Secret Armory of General Knoxx', are highly regarded for their engaging content, humorous writing, and additional gameplay hours. Claptrap, in particular, is highlighted as a beloved and iconic character. Importance 27%	The game's DLCs, particularly 'Claptrap's New Robot Revolution' and 'The Secret Armory of General Knoxx', are highly regarded for their engaging content, humorous writing, and additional gameplay hours. Claptrap, in particular, is highlighted as a beloved and iconic character.	27%
Balanced Difficulty & Accessibility Description The game offers a balanced difficulty level that is accessible to most players, with options for both casual enjoyment and challenging content for completionists. The progression system allows players to overcome challenges through leveling, making it approachable for various skill levels. Importance 14%	The game offers a balanced difficulty level that is accessible to most players, with options for both casual enjoyment and challenging content for completionists. The progression system allows players to overcome challenges through leveling, making it approachable for various skill levels.	14%