The best and worst thing I can say about this game is it's another TellTale game. But one that returns to its humorous roots while also having a satisfying story too.


Let's not delude ourselves with modern TellTale games: ALL of your choices are cosmetic or result in having some characters around towards the end. Or they result in some small variation of the narrative.

Sure, you can influence some characters' later interactions. But the game is not about your choices and you should not buy this game expecting another choice-simulator. All your decisions are cosmetic (the money system, the dialogue, the characters' perception of your actions, and one ending with minor variations of all the above).

Another thing is that you will be watching and listening a lot more than playing the game. If you do not like the direction TellTale has been heading lately with less gameplay (no, QTEs are not a substitute for puzzles and exploration), then this game will not be for you.

If, however, you're looking for something different in recent TT games besides how you play, then this game might be for you. It does just enough to be interesting to TT fans and familiar to Borderlands players to enjoy the game as well.


Where as most TT games emphasize the outcomes of what you do in the game, Tales from the Borderlands emphasizes how you experience the game. The game does this through its two main protagonists--a con-artist and a salaryman shill who isn't above lying as well.

Having two main protagonists should be a dead-give away that your actions are not important. Actions for one character may not immediately agree with the other (especially when one person tells the story in their own flamboyant manner).

This aspect becomes important, for gameplay reasons, when you have one character telling the story of what had happened to the Stranger. Exageration of details is the narrative/gameplay strength of this TT game as you are in control of how much each character lies.

Each episode usually begins with a recap or The Stranger asking you to continue on with the story. The game fades in and out of the game's past and the present-time, and the lies influences what the other protagonist thinks of your decisions.

These options are not always open-ended. They are scripted, and after Ep 3 the exageration of the details and alternative angles of the story is dropped completely. (Again, very little choices in this game.) But the gimmick was interesting enough to change up the TT formula, even just a little.

It's the game's humor that seals the deal for why you should play this game.


If you are like me, I can barely stand the Borderlands' series memes humor and references. Thankfully under TellTale's division, the humor is given variation, as well as stupid jokes and gags that make me smile still.

You have self-aware comedy with wonderful timing. Cameos of characters. Jokes about tropes. In-game jokes, both that are so bad and so good. Smart jokes. Meta-jokes at TellTale's expense. Some dark comedy, some "oh god it's adorable" jokes.

There is so much more that I can't even begin to think of. It makes the jokes that I would otherwise despise tolerable. At a minimum, I cracked a smile at every joke. Sometimes I hated myself for smiling.

So many of the new characters that TellTale introduces integrate so perfectly with the Borderlands licence that I had a hard time seperating the characters that were simply cameos from fresh-faces. And not just the people you encounter, the robots too. (I will never look at Loader Bots the same way when I play BL 2.).

And with a licence like Borderlands and a world like Pandora, the combination of TellTale's best capabilities for storytelling and humor come together beautifully.

Most of the time.

Okay, so it's not all perfect.


Unfortunately, the game shifts in tone as much as its source material. For the middle of the game it stays on the serious spectrum of Borderlands than its humorous apperances.

Episodes 1 and 2 are really memorable with lots of characters, jokes and 4th Wall events to vary up your playthrough. Even when the game gets serious or stupidly violent, it's all with a quirky sense of self-awareness. Somewhere at the end of Ep 2 and the start of Ep 3, however, the game becomes a serious drama with some laughs in-between.

Episode 3 and 4, also, are much linear than the earlier episodes as well as being a mood-killer. The experience can possibly ruin the game for some people who wanted a good time throughout the whole game. It started to remind me of Walking Dead S2 and The Wolf Among Us.

However, Ep 5 returns to what makes Episode 1 and 2 special. Still, it's very linear in its storytelling.

The only problem I have with the finale is that it walks this awkward line between seriousness and humor that I don't think is smoothly executed. (I seem to be alone in this opinion if you check my thread post.)

But, thankfully, the game remembers to keep on smiling in the end, and for that I am happy. If you were worried that the game becomes too serious, worry not; TellTale will leave you smiling.


This game is a refreshing change, and for what it's worth you'll get around a 10 to 12 hour playthrough. (Especially if you like to wander around for all the extra lore bits.)

Despite how much I love this game, I think this is the last TT game I'll purchase for some time.

TellTale has burnt me with its continued scarcity of gameplay mechanics, and the only reason I, and probably you, buy their titles now is because of the source material, not for creating new adventure game experiences in a modern age.

I bought this game because I thought the humor and the storytelling variation might change things up for TellTale, but I don't see anything in their future to top what they've achieved here.

Here's hoping that I'm proven wrong. I was already wrong once for thinking TellTale couldn't make a Borderlands game.

Pros:

• Takes the memes galore humor of Borderlands and gives it more variety of humor. Some smart, some dumb, some absurd, some self-deprication (even at TT themselves).
  
• TONS of lore from all the games, and even cameos of a lot of the series' characters.
  
• Lots of action scenes to keep you engaged with the story.
  
• Exaggerated story-telling.
  
• New characters that fit well into the established lore.
  
• Loader Bot, Dumpy & Gortys, the best robots ever.
  
• The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ added to the Pre-Sequel.
  
• NO... Wait.... What? It can't be... Noooooooooooooooooo! Spoiler

Cons:

• It's a Tell-Tale game, for good and for bad.
  
• Pseudo-cinematic experience: You wanna grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride, but then you have to keep touching your remote with greasy fingers.
  
• Pointless cosmetic choices; money system, weapon options and inconsequential outcomes.
  
• Exaggeration can get old after a while. You wonder why the Stranger doesn't cap someone's kneecaps to knock it off.
  
• Some characters feel like they overstay their welcome.
  
• Plot feels too much like, "Oh, we need to go venture over there to find X", ambush, fight sequence, then go off to find another area that we'll set up to do the same thing for the next episode.
  
• Epsidoes 3 and 4 are HEAVILY plot-focused/serious, while Episode 5 tries to bring in the humorous charm of the first two episodes.

The best and worst thing I can say about this game is it's another TellTale game. But one that returns to its humorous roots while also having a satisfying story too. [h1]The Tell-Tales of A Tell-Tale[/h1] Let's not delude ourselves with modern TellTale games: ALL of your choices are cosmetic or result in having some characters around towards the end. Or they result in some small variation of the narrative. Sure, you can influence some characters' later interactions. But the game is not about your choices and you should not buy this game expecting another choice-simulator. All your decisions are cosmetic (the money system, the dialogue, the characters' perception of your actions, and one ending with minor variations of all the above). Another thing is that you will be watching and listening a lot more than playing the game. If you do not like the direction TellTale has been heading lately with less gameplay (no, QTEs are not a substitute for puzzles and exploration), then this game will not be for you. If, however, you're looking for something different in recent TT games besides how you play, then this game might be for you. It does just enough to be interesting to TT fans and familiar to Borderlands players to enjoy the game as well. [h1]"Smile, What's the Use in Crying?"[/h1] Where as most TT games emphasize the outcomes of what you do in the game, Tales from the Borderlands emphasizes how you experience the game. The game does this through its two main protagonists--a con-artist and a salaryman shill who isn't above lying as well. Having two main protagonists should be a dead-give away that your actions are not important. Actions for one character may not immediately agree with the other (especially when one person tells the story in their own flamboyant manner). This aspect becomes important, for gameplay reasons, when you have one character telling the story of what had happened to the Stranger. Exageration of details is the narrative/gameplay strength of this TT game as you are in control of how much each character lies. Each episode usually begins with a recap or The Stranger asking you to continue on with the story. The game fades in and out of the game's past and the present-time, and the lies influences what the other protagonist thinks of your decisions. These options are not always open-ended. They are scripted, and after Ep 3 the exageration of the details and alternative angles of the story is dropped completely. (Again, very little choices in this game.) But the gimmick was interesting enough to change up the TT formula, even just a little. It's the game's humor that seals the deal for why you should play this game. [h1]It's Not Memes, Not Everything[/h1] If you are like me, I can barely stand the Borderlands' series memes humor and references. Thankfully under TellTale's division, the humor is given variation, as well as stupid jokes and gags that make me smile still. You have self-aware comedy with wonderful timing. Cameos of characters. Jokes about tropes. In-game jokes, both that are so bad and so good. Smart jokes. Meta-jokes at TellTale's expense. Some dark comedy, some "oh god it's adorable" jokes. There is so much more that I can't even begin to think of. It makes the jokes that I would otherwise despise tolerable. At a minimum, I cracked a smile at every joke. Sometimes I hated myself for smiling. So many of the new characters that TellTale introduces integrate so perfectly with the Borderlands licence that I had a hard time seperating the characters that were simply cameos from fresh-faces. And not just the people you encounter, the robots too. (I will never look at Loader Bots the same way when I play BL 2.). And with a licence like Borderlands and a world like Pandora, the combination of TellTale's best capabilities for storytelling and humor come together beautifully. Most of the time. Okay, so it's not all perfect. [h1]Midgame Crisis[/h1] Unfortunately, the game shifts in tone as much as its source material. For the middle of the game it stays on the serious spectrum of Borderlands than its humorous apperances. Episodes 1 and 2 are really memorable with lots of characters, jokes and 4th Wall events to vary up your playthrough. Even when the game gets serious or stupidly violent, it's all with a quirky sense of self-awareness. Somewhere at the end of Ep 2 and the start of Ep 3, however, the game becomes a serious drama with some laughs in-between. Episode 3 and 4, also, are much linear than the earlier episodes as well as being a mood-killer. The experience can possibly ruin the game for some people who wanted a good time throughout the whole game. It started to remind me of Walking Dead S2 and The Wolf Among Us. However, Ep 5 returns to what makes Episode 1 and 2 special. Still, it's very linear in its storytelling. The only problem I have with the finale is that it walks this awkward line between seriousness and humor that I don't think is smoothly executed. (I seem to be alone in this opinion if you check my thread post.) But, thankfully, the game remembers to keep on smiling in the end, and for that I am happy. If you were worried that the game becomes too serious, worry not; TellTale will leave you smiling. [h1]A Tale of Two Con-Jobs and All Smiles[/h1] This game is a refreshing change, and for what it's worth you'll get around a 10 to 12 hour playthrough. (Especially if you like to wander around for all the extra lore bits.) Despite how much I love this game, I think this is the last TT game I'll purchase for some time. TellTale has burnt me with its continued scarcity of gameplay mechanics, and the only reason I, and probably you, buy their titles now is because of the source material, not for creating new adventure game experiences in a modern age. I bought this game because I thought the humor and the storytelling variation might change things up for TellTale, but I don't see anything in their future to top what they've achieved here. Here's hoping that I'm proven wrong. I was already wrong once for thinking TellTale couldn't make a Borderlands game. [b]Pros:[/b] [list] [*] Takes the memes galore humor of Borderlands and gives it more variety of humor. Some smart, some dumb, some absurd, some self-deprication (even at TT themselves). [*] TONS of lore from all the games, and even cameos of a lot of the series' characters. [*] Lots of action scenes to keep you engaged with the story. [*] Exaggerated story-telling. [*] New characters that fit well into the established lore. [*] Loader Bot, Dumpy & Gortys, the best robots ever. [*] The free skins added to the Pre-Sequel. [*] [i]NO... Wait.... What? It can't be... Noooooooooooooooooo![/i] [spoiler]Spoiler[/spoiler] [/list] [b]Cons:[/b] [list] [*] It's a Tell-Tale game, for good and for bad. [*] Pseudo-cinematic experience: You wanna grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride, but then you have to keep touching your remote with greasy fingers. [*] Pointless cosmetic choices; money system, weapon options and inconsequential outcomes. [*] Exaggeration can get old after a while. You wonder why the Stranger doesn't cap someone's kneecaps to knock it off. [*] Some characters feel like they overstay their welcome. [*] Plot feels too much like, "Oh, we need to go venture over there to find X", ambush, fight sequence, then go off to find another area that we'll set up to do the same thing for the next episode. [*]Epsidoes 3 and 4 are HEAVILY plot-focused/serious, while Episode 5 tries to bring in the humorous charm of the first two episodes.