Ultimate Edition (Switch) Review – Gamecritics.com (2024)

HIGH Frenetic and infectious shooting.

LOW The main story.

WTF Pen and Teller-spoofing characters?!

Although it might seem odd now, today’s heavily-populated looter-shooter genre didn’t really exist before 2009 — a mere 14 years ago. It was the firstBorderlandsthat introduced the joy of combining RPG skill trees with millions of guns featuring randomly generated stats, played from a first-person perspectiveandwith cell-shaded visuals to boot!

However, three more years had to pass before that concept came into its own, and for many, it wasBorderlands 2 that had the most impact by selling around 30 million copies in total and spawning dozens of DLCs and well-received spin-offs like theTales From the Borderlands series andTiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Another big part of what madeBorderlands 2such a smash was the writing. While it’s full of loud characters that vex the player with politically incorrect shout-outs, at the center lies a gem of a story with Handsome Jack, the antagonist, widely considered one of the best-characterized villains ever.As such,Borderlands 2continues to rock to this day.

After that triumph, it took seven years for Gearbox to prepare a full-on sequel (not countingBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel) and a proper continuation of the story. WhileBorderlands 3runs on a new engine and is wider in scope than the others, I ultimately feel that it does not live up to the legacy of its predecessor despite the fact that it introduces several welcome gameplay changes.

For one, now we can fast-travel from almost anywhere in the world, which addresses a recurring low point of the franchise — players left with nothing to do after finishing a side-quest in the semi-open world. Our traversal options have also evolved, allowing us to quickly vault over ledges, stomp the ground from mid-air, and slide for a few seconds if we press crouch while running, allowing us to quickly pepper any passerby with bullets from below.

Managing loot inBorderlands 3is a breeze, due to how items of the highest class are clearly marked on the mini-map as soon as they drop, making them impossible to miss. Plus, for the first time in aBorderlandstitle, there’s a way to safely deal with stationary explosive barrels thanks to how we can melee and displace them in a jiffy. Finally, the world status surrounding the player is easier to decipher in an instant thanks to a red hue communicating the “alert” status of nearby enemies.

Regarding gameplay,Borderlands 3doesn’t do anything substantially different — and that’s a good thing! The guns remain snappy, all of the four classes’ skill trees remain tantalizing to explore, and enemies can sport several types of shields and armor that we must methodically strip with the right kinds of weaponry. It’s all as engaging as ever, and my muscle memory kicked in within minutes.

On closer inspection, however, there are a few changes that might send returning players on a fruitless chase, so I’ll list a few of them here. For example, ‘slag’ as an element is completely absent inBorderlands 3, and so is ‘explosive’. In their stead, we have radiation (which can temporarily turn enemies against each other) and cold (capable of freezing enemies solid) as elements, alongside the returning fire, corrosive and shock damage types. Weapons that heal the player for a percentage of the damage done are also almost nowhere to be found, but this is mitigated by skill trees being more optimized toward solo play.

Another noteworthy change is that enemies now behave less erratically. Many foundBorderlands 2to be annoying due to foes’ tendency to dart behind cover while retaining dead-eye precision, leaving no way for the player to score a second-wind kill before they bled out. Moreover, flying enemies rarely appear inBorderlands 3,and when they do, they are far less vicious than anticipated.

With all that said, playingBorderlands 3is simply not as exciting as the others. Too many areas are filled with the same enemy types pulling the same tricks over and over again, and coupled with the too-generous rate at which rare loot drops, stomping through the main storyline is a less memorable, less challenging affair than I hoped.

The writing also takes a drop inBorderlands 3as well — it’s not exactly the same team as those who pennedB2and it shows.

While the story mode is meaty and framed as a globe-trotting adventure, I ended up waiting and waiting for it to serve up a long-overdue notable moment. To be fair,B3really,reallytries to tug at the heartstrings by setting up one tragic scenario after the other, but those attempts are simply not as good as what we got last time. The end result is a story that comes off as toothless overall, unable to leave a lasting mark, especially for returning fans of this franchise.

Regarding performance on the Switch, I’m glad to say that it isn’t an issue in the slightest. The game runs surprisingly smoothly, maintaining a 30 fps pace 90% of the time, and while the visuals are not on par with other versions, it’s forgivable since the Switch fits in a pocket. Regardless of my feelings about the content,Borderlands 3is another one of those ‘impossible’ Switch ports that shouldn’t work as well as it does!

All in all,Borderlands 3still delivers a looter-shooter from the studio that invented looting-shooting in the first place, and anyone hungry for frenetic combat and tons of guns will find plenty to love here. It may not have the same pull asBorderlands 2, but coming in second to one of the best that’s ever been is still a great place to be.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5, XBO/S/X, and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch Lite. Approximately 40 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.About 30 minutes were spent in co-op with other online players.NOTE: This version allows for only two players to share a session at one time.

Parents: This game has received an M rating from the ESRB and contains Strong Language, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Sexual Themes. The official summary reads: This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a Vault Hunter engaging in combat missions while traversing through planets on foot and in vehicles. Players explore new planets, interact with characters, and accept missions to kill specific enemies or obtain objects/information. Players use pistols, machine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, and explosives to kill enemies in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and frequent blood-splatter effects. Some weapons cause enemies to explode into blood sprays and body parts. Stylized environments depict further instances of violence and gore: severed heads on spikes; a human corpse on a spit fire; a giant grinder emitting body parts and blood; a birthday cake decorated with severed fingers. The game contains some sexual material, mostly in the dialogue (e.g., “Looks like someone won’t be getting a pre-coital foot rub”; “…I wasn’t always the smokin’ hot six-stroke sex engine I am today”; “I’m talkin’ sex stuff! Two rounds if I’ve got the juice.”). The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” appear in dialogue.

Colorblind Modes: There are a slew of options regarding the color of health bars, the reticle, the UI, etc. We can also alter the size and opacity of the dialogue boxes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers:Every line of dialogue is accompanied by written text, and I found the font size to be easily readable. I opted for semi-transparent text boxes, which seemed to work best for me, though several other options are available too. Sound is completely unimportant for playing and enjoying this game since there are no audio-only cues for incoming attacks.In my view, this is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls:This game offers a controller diagram and the controls are remappable. The default scheme is similar to the other looter shooters — the shoulder buttons and bumpers are for aiming, firing, throwing grenades and activating abilities. The face buttons are for crouching, jumping, switching weapons and interacting with the world. The sticks are for moving the character and camera.