RCtoaster Borderlands 4 Review

I always go a little overboard when writing reviews for games I've spent a lot of time with, so I'll try to be brief. In a nutshell, I think Borderlands 4 is painfully inconsistent in it's quality. I've been a fan of the series since 2014 or so, playing borderlands 2 on the PS3. I've racked up hundreds of hours on BL2 and 3, including dlc. There are significant problems in all the games, but there's always room for improvement in updates and sequels. Unfortunately Borderlands 4 seems to improve on only about half of what the community has been clamoring for. Some longstanding issues have greatly improved or eliminated entirely, some have improved very little, and a baffling amount have been made worse. Some well known and hated features and mistakes from previous titles have literally been unchanged, worsened or brought back after their removal. And yes, the performance is abysmal. I struggle to think of a game that runs worse. For some perspective, it runs worse than Alan Wake 2 and Hellblade 2. Unless you have a 4070 or better (which will still need frame gen for 60+fps on medium at any resolution), you're gonna have a very rocky time on pc. From what I've heard, consoles barely average 45 fps. If you only plan on playing through to the end on one character, you'll probably only be moderately annoyed by the downsides. If you've played a lot of the series, are planning to sink over 100 hours here, and are hoping for improvements from 3, then I honestly can't imagine you'll be anything but at most disappointed. I don't think it's worth at least $70. With all the current issues, I'd put it at $30 or less. The good thing is that it's still a Borderlands game. That identity remains fairly strong here. Loot, endgame, goofy side missions, gunplay, etc. The big main stuff is all still here. It'll feel familiar while taking awhile to adjust to the new stuff. It's just such a mixed and frustrating experience that I can't recommend it, nor give it higher than this score.