Hybrid. When I think of the word hybrid as describing a video game, my inner “Crap Alarm” goes off. When I’m told that a game is a “something” with certain “something” aspects, I run the other way. Why, because that usually means that a game will try to do a couple of things, but end up doing none of them well.

That said, I received a review copy of Borderlands from 2K Games last week and after spending a good 25 hours with the game, I think I’m ready to give it a review.

Let’s talk about hybrids, MMO’s and Call of Duty 4, after the jump!

First off, lets try to describe this game. I think Borderlands could best be described as Fallout 3, if Fallout 3 was an MMO, but with better gunplay, gorgeous cell shaded graphics, but without Fallout 3′s excellent story elements. The game can also be played with up to three other friends, on the couch split screen, or all by yourself.  You’re also restricted to playing as one of four pre-set characters.

Did I lose you yet?

Well, Borderlands is just not easy to pin down. Sure, there’s RPG elements. As you level up, you get one skill point to upgrade yourself with. Sure, there’s MMO style quests where you party up with friends and tackle missions and occasional monsters/bosses.  Sure, there’s the excellent gun play. When you combine them all together you get a RPG/MMO/FPS genre bending hybrid that, by all accounts, should fail.

It does not fail.

In fact, Borderlands is an excellent game. Starting off, you’ll get four “character types” to choose from at the beginning, which represent your basic MMO/RPG archetypes: The Soldier (Soldier class), the Tank (Berzerker class), the Ranged fighter(Sniper class) and the Mage (the Siren). Each do their typical “things” well, with the notable exception being the Siren class. She has a unique ability to turn invisible and run really fast for short durations. This power can be changed up a bit to be used to heal yourself, or inflict damage as you run past enemies, which is different from the standard abilities of the Soldier (auto turret), Berzerker (invincible charge attack) and Sniper (attack bird).

In my playthroughs, I’ve spent a lot of time with the Soldier, an all around stout fighter and the Siren, who uses sub machine guns and her phase walk to attack in unconventional ways. The real star of the show in a game like this, however, is the loot.

In RPG’s and MMO’s loot is king. Good loot can make or break a game of this genre excellent and Borderlands does not disappoint. With about a bazillion different types of guns to find, as they are mostly randomly generated, you could conceivably play this game a bazillion times and not experience all the loot the game has to offer. This is a good thing. The weapons in Borderlands are as refreshingly diverse in their type, look and use. It’s the loot in Borderlands that keeps me coming back for more, re-opening chests every time I resume the previous day’s play session and seeking out “just one more quest” at 3 in the morning. The loot in Borderlands can be addictive.

Loot is only half the battle though. Once you’ve acquired your desired bullet hose of death, Borderlands does an excellent job of using their loot. The gunplay in the game is very good. It doesn’t hurt that the default control scheme is identical to Call of Duty 4, which I now beg for more games to adopt. The immediate muscle memory triggered by the set up gives you one less thing to worry about as your sort your quests, deliberate over which weapon to use and how to deal with your immediate threats. Borderlands uses an excellent control scheme to reward skilled gunplay in the form of critical hits, which become more and more, well, critical, as the game progresses and you fight more difficult enemies, which is something I’ve never seen in a game of this kind. Because of the excellent gunplay, the game feels much more like a shooter than anything, and I for one welcome this hybrid to my catalog.

All that said, there are a few issues with the game. The story is extremely weak, to the point that you really stop caring about any of the context or story elements of the game and begin playing for the loot. On the other hand, the game’s setting, characters and architecture exude personality and charm. Second, there is an argument to be made against the repetitive “fetch” type missions you’ll receive, although I didn’t really feel that “repetitiveness” during my time with the game, as Borderlands does an  excellent job of dressing up the same old thing and keeps each mission feeling somewhat fresh. Third, you’d better be playing with people you know, because Borderlands does nothing to foster a cooperative spirit of play. If anything, Borderlands  rewards selfish, backstabbing play as all the loot is first come, first serve and does not distinguish between class.  If you want to play as a soldier with a kick ass sniper rifle, well, all you have to do is get to that weapon first.

In the end, Borderlands is a must buy for any shooter fan. Borderlands is a must buy for any MMO fan. If you’re an “RPG only” kind of guy, with an occasional sprinkle of FPS, this may not be your cup of tea, as the game’s story leaves a lot to be desired and the “rpg” elements are fairly basic.

So, if you’re so inclined, I definitely suggest taking this hybrid out for a spin, it might just be the best game you’ve played all year.

Borderlands gets a “must buy” recommendation of two out of two stars.