Gearbox Software’sBorderlands 4is still a few months away from itsrelease date in September, and a Steam sale is making a compelling argument for picking up the rest of the series to play until then. The fourth mainline entry is coming well after 2019’sBorderlands 3, marking the fifth regular installment when countingBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel. A couple ofTalesfrom the Borderlandsgames andTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsfill out the franchise, and steep discounts on some of the games make it a great time to catch up beforeBorderlands 4.
Borderlandshas been a dominant name in the looter shooter genre since the first game debuted in 2009.It’s famous for giving players quite literally millions of guns to choose fromalongside its trademark irreverent humor and engaging character building. EachBorderlandsgame is largely self-contained, though many narrative beats land much better with previous experience in the series.Borderlands 4is shaping up to bethe series' best game yet, and I urge anyone with even a passing interest to tryBorderlandswhile its games can be gotten for cheap.
Steam Sale Offers Major Discounts On Borderlands Games
Up To 95% Off
There’s a steep sale onBorderlandsgames onSteam, but you’ll have to act fast – the sale ends midday on June 19. Most incredibly,Borderlands 3is 95% off, purchasable for $2.99. It will be the best primer forBorderlands 4, but its main story is fairly derided, with the writing for its dual antagonists taking the brunt of the game’s criticisms. In terms of gameplay, though,Borderlands 3is the most modern, and is a blast to play.
Borderlands 2is also at a steep discount of 75% off, making its current price $4.99.It’s generally considered the best game in the series– a major gameplay step up from the original, with anow-iconic villain in Handsome Jack. It’s also notable for bringing significant environmental variety to the series. The originalBorderlandssingularly featured desert environments, the initial vision for the planet Pandora, but its sequel brings much more intrigue by taking players through a wide range of biomes. The first game can also be found for just under $10 asBorderlands Game of the Year Enhanced.
If you’re really looking to delve into the series at large, there are two collections also on sale.The Handsome Collectionis an odd place to start, since it includesBorderlands 2andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel(set between the original andBL2), butit will feel more modern than starting with the first game, and tells the full story of Handsome Jack. Plus,Borderlands 2does a great job utilizing the first game’s characters while not necessarily relying on its story.The Handsome Collectionis 43% off, going for $14.52.
The other bundle isBorderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box, which includes all three mainline entries,The Pre-Sequel,Tales from the Borderlands, andNew Tales from the Borderlands. The latter two are interactive narratives, with the firstTalesbeing developed by Telltale Games.Pandora’s Boxincludes all the DLCs for every game included –a truly astounding amount of content for the sale price of $36.17. If you already own some of the games included, it’ll be even further discounted.
The Perfect Way To Prepare For Borderlands 4
Get Started Looting & Shooting Early
Borderlandsis an easy series to hop into. It’s gameplay-forward and spends most of its runtime cracking jokes, so it’s easy to just pick a game and start playing. However,some familiarity with the world and its characters will help you prepare forBorderlands 4. Every subsequent game in the series features recurring characters, so some have many games' worth of background info. Playing through them all before September is a tall order, but with such a steep discount, there isn’t really a better time to at least test the waters.
Please Play Borderlands
An Incredible Co-Op Experience
WhileBorderlands' looter shooter gameplay has many merits,I highly recommend checking out the series because of its cooperative multiplayer. All three mainline games andThe Pre-Sequelcan be played with up to four players, and I think it’s the definitive way to experience the series.Borderlands' wacky guns and player-character abilities bring a lot of chaos to the battlefield, and part of the appeal is finding great synergies as you’re constantly swapping your inventory for better guns you come across.
They’re also great games to play when you just want to hang out virtually with your friends. Some of the writing inBorderlands 2is great, but the series can also serve well as games where you turn your brain off and chat. They’re not especially difficult, so you get to run and drive around, shoot a bunch of eccentric guns, and laugh at dumb jokes with your buddies. At such a low price, it shouldn’t be a problem convincing someone to grab one of the games to play together beforeBorderlands 4arrives later this year.
Source:Steam
Borderlands 4
InBorderlands 4, players assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter, exploring a new planet in search of secret alien treasures.
