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Above: The two new main characters, Rhys (left) and Fiona (right). Photo credit: www.gamerassaultweekly.com
What comes to mind when you hear Borderlands? Funny? Badass? Claptrap? The first thing that actually comes to my mind is “extensive”. Borderlands and Borderlands 2 offered not only long, enjoyable campaigns you and or your friends (co-op) could venture through, but a great amount of DLC to explore as well. These additional stories with their own perks were not rushed through and botched in my opinion and had a lot to offer. That is why I am glad to hear that the newest adventure, Tales From the Borderlands, is going to be an episodic experience. A great scenario to let the creators take time between each release to make sure the game is in tip-top shape come the release date.
The game will focus on Fiona, a supposed local to Sanctuary and Rhys, a worker of Hyperion. They will each have stories to tell which both take place after the events of Borderlands 2. The trailer revealed both characters looks and supposed motives for the upcoming series of games, which will be depicted mostly in flashbacks. Questions were left unanswered until days ago when the Telltale Games team sat down at SXSW and talked more about the game without revealing all the details. They are known for their work with The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us series. So if you have played those games you should know they aren’t exactly based on their continuous shooting, looting and joking. On the other hand Borderlands is famous for that, and then some. Telltale does have plans to bring back the humor along with the help of both Gearbox Software and 2K Games. Telltale didn’t seem to fail before when they became well-known for the Sam & Max series so don’t expect humor to fall short.
It is a great relief to see this game installment appear so soon after Borderlands 2 hit the shelf in September 2012, with the latest DLC being released only months ago. Borderlands 2 was released a month shy of 3 years after the first and although it wasn’t forever, this new set of tales is going to shoot for a December 2014 release. Only a year sooner than the previous game had between the pilot game, but sooner is what I like to hear. However, that could change if the new ideas Telltale Games have in mind don’t appeal to the current fan-base (myself included, of course) and they feel the project was rushed. I will keep an open-mind and close attention to updates on the progress.
The big piece that I am curious of is how many episodes they plan to create for this new title. Only time can tell and with a solid resume to support them, Telltale looks to please the fans with a great set of games. Other things that cross my mind is if they will add new elements to weapons and weaponry to the vehicles. The skill tree was expanded in the previous sequel so it will be interesting to see if it is tinkered with. Patience is virtue and I, as well as the rest of the Borderlands admirers, will have to stand by for more news.
In the meantime, if you would like to check out the video of the SXSW panel, check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxzE9k1CzUw
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