Gearbox Software's new FPS/RPG hybrid is an interesting game to say the least. As a new IP (intellectual property), an undertaking like this is a huge challenge for any developer. But 'Borderlands' seeks to go even above and beyond that.

Quickly swinging by the Megarom stand at rAge 2009, we were treated to a variety of great games, but it was clear which game looked to be star of the show: yes, 'Borderlands'. And so we decided to commandeer a PC to check it out.

'Borderlands' initial realistic graphical style was replaced by a cartoony, cell-shaded style. This drew the ire of many fans, but we can now safely say that the game carries this look very well.

The demo starts you off in a little town of sorts, with you being tasked to kill five little critters, eight bandits and collect a few items before been given your first mission. 'Borderlands' instantly drew comparisons to 'Fallout 3' from many in attendance but the game has more tricks up its sleeve than what meets the eye...

The first and unarguably the most important feature is the weapon generation system used in the game, capable of generating millions of guns — in fact, during his presentation, Take 2 representative David Halse claimed that 'Borderlands' contains over 16-million weapons!

Lock 'n load baby!

The weapon generation system resulted in wildly different weapons being found during our demo — from a pistol that deals out an incredible amount of melee damage to a shotgun with a revolver-style reloading mechanism. A MegaRom representative informed us that guns would be generated randomly for the most part but would also take into account your weapon preferences. Weapons are also categorised according to their rarity, with guns highlighted white being the most common and orange the rarest.

Of course, all the weapons in the world wouldn't be fun without enemies to fire them at and Borderlands does not disappoint. The area just outside the little town was home to a group of little critters and it's here that we found ourselves checking out the combat system for the first time.

With zoom/aiming-down-the-sights assigned to the left trigger, it's clear that 'Borderlands' is all about the shooting.

"Where you aim is where you shoot" as Hels said during the presentation — and it works well. With the monsters jumping for us, spectacular mid-air shots were a certainty. Every enemy in the game has a weak spot to exploit and these little creatures were no exception. We quickly learned that waiting for them to open their mouths was the easiest way to killing them. But a few minutes later we encountered the bandits.

Making use of cover and running away when hurt, these guys are a refreshing change from the thick AI associated with other games. The bandits will often attempt to charge your position if it appears that you are hiding away.

Harrr!

Another important feature in 'Borderlands' is the looting system in place, drawing on the best parts of Diablo to make killing creatures even more fun. During our playthrough, we often encountered the usual machine gun rounds and repeater rounds but weapons, shield packs and medical packs were also picked up.

Just like 'Diablo', looting with other players equals lots of fun and this is where 'Borderlands' excels in. With four player co-op in the story it becomes mayhem, with no lag and more enemies around. This also saw some frantic moments, with one player backpedalling to avoid an enemy while another runs behind the enemy, blasting away at it.

'Borderlands' seems to have all the key elements down and then some, with tight controls, stylish graphics, co-op both online and off, and awesome weapons. We can't wait to get our hands on a review copy come 23 October!

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