Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Reviews

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2014

Borderlands the Pre-Sequel is everything you should expect from a Borderlands game. While the gameplay additions mix it up slightly, it often feels like a huge expansion rather than a stand-alone release. The quality is fantastic, the comedy is hilarious. There's more loot than you can wave a Dahl shotgun at, plus all the pulse-pounding bullet-spewing carnage you could hope for, but 2K Australia pulls back at the precipice of brilliance.

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Oct 20, 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel leaves us wanting, due to its overt familiarity. It's a decent game overall, but fails in its attempt at being something great.

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ACG
Top Critic
Wait for Sale
Oct 14, 2014
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6.5 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2014

It's another wacky, wonderful adventure in the world of Borderlands, and though this title may take us to somewhere new and unseen, there are still a few sights that may be a bit familiar to fans — though don't let that stop you from taking a trip to the moon.

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Oct 21, 2014

The more we played The Pre-Sequel, the more dubious we became as to whether it warranted a standalone release. Oxygen consumption and verticality were the only fresh elements in the level designs. The new weapons classes—cryo and laser weapons—felt like additions to our arsenal that we could take or leave. The writing was full of references to the previous two games.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2014

So what kind of a game is the Pre-Sequel then? If you said 'more Borderlands', you wouldn't be far off. But it is a Borderlands game that feels revitalised thanks to the new gameplay mechanics, enemies, humour and weapons. It plays out like a massive expansion pack, one filled to the brim with more secrets, ideas and a familiar gear-grind for better loot. And more Borderlands is actually a fun idea after all.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 15, 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a solid addition to the Borderlands franchise that brings refreshing gameplay and new characters to the table. While not reinventing the wheel, it still manages to keep you entertained for hours on end—an experience that is all the more enjoyable when played in co-op mode.

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Oct 13, 2014

Borderlands is a game of deadly math, but the numbers don't quite add up in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

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EGM
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a worthwhile entry in the series that will provide more of what fans expect while fleshing out some of the narrative gaps between the first two titles. And while the addition of low gravity and a few new guns might not change things forever, their presence is far from a hindrance and fits into the Borderlands formula fine, although unremarkably.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 4, 2014

For the most part, though, crazy-fun skill trees, generous loot, solid gameplay and excellent graphics on previous-gen consoles make the game quite entertaining. If you thoroughly enjoyed Borderlands 2 and it left you clamoring for more, you'll want to give Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel a shot, jack.

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5 / 5.0
Oct 21, 2014

While I admit I had many reservations about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, I'm very, very pleased with the end result. While there are still some glitches — we had a boss get stuck in the open, unmoving and invulnerable to attack, and some odd interactions with plot NPCs holding quest items out into walls and Fast Travel stations, for instance — it's well-polished, and the errors don't crop up enough to really be a bother.

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Oct 23, 2014

The essential gameplay can be reduced to a series of shoot-'em-up fetch quests through hazardous landscapes, but even veterans will have to adapt their FPS techniques to make it through.

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PCMag
Top Critic
Dec 10, 2014

Though low gravity makes combat more interesting, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's missions and story feel like straight-up filler. This Pre-Sequel is strictly for devoted Vault Hunters.

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80 / 100
Oct 13, 2014

While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is tweaked sufficiently to warrant being its own entity. The oxygen, new classes, and gravity mechanics make gameplay feel fresh, while the story provides enough of a thread to tie things together. Sure, the missions and environments are repetitive and there are some technical hiccups, but The Pre-Sequel is fun to play, and well worth a look for fans of loot and/or shooting.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 12, 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel isn't without its issues, but it's still a fun game.  Mostly everything about Borderlands 2 is present in The Pre-Sequel with a few changes, some good and some bad.  Overall though, with the excellent gameplay, somewhat higher difficulty and challenge, and the excellent dialogue and narrative by characters both old and new, fans of Borderlands 2 will likely get the same amount of enjoyment out of The Pre-Sequel.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2014

Fans of Borderlands should really check this out, even if it is against your "better judgment." There's still some fun stuff to be had in this series.

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Oct 12, 2014

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a funny cartoon shooter that compels you to keep playing and score more guns. Just like the last two. Laser weapons and moon bouncing add a little extra flavor, but if you don't like Borderlands by now, this won't change things.

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Oct 24, 2014

'Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel' offers more story for hardcore fans but plays like a dated clone of the older games, trading polish for gimmicks.

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75 / 100
Oct 13, 2014

Though opinions varied, we all agreed that while this is a good Borderlands game, it lacks the polish and innovation to stand on its own legs. While it probably should've been DLC, it's still more Borderlands fun for anyone starving for more Vault hunting action.

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Unscored
Oct 28, 2014
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