zero hype this time

[verbrecher]

From a track record point of view, my expectation is that Gearboxes investment in gaming development will flop substantially. When we look back at Borderlands in five or ten months, it may look like a dying franchise and other, competitive looter shooters will be the games to play.

Source
my arse[imgur.com]

[your discord gf 💜]

unironically..
gearbox will be closed by embracer group in gabens lifetime

[Mike]

Its impossible for the be hype around the BL franchise after BL3 and Wonderlands imo. Most OG BL fans have been getting more and more sour on the franchise since 2 and unless gearbox can actually show they are listening to the OG players, no one is going to be hype about just a title reveal.

Also everyone and their momma already knew a BL4 was coming so the announcement without any gameplay or real details about the game hit like a wet noodle and people are really waiting on story details, writing, and gameplay.

For me personally I have low expectations regarding the writing/story because I know as long as a certain person is in charge of gearbox certain agendas will be forcefully shoved into their games.

I wish more studios would try to create a non-live service singleplayer/co-op looter shooter, because that is the only reason I have not 100% given up on this franchise. Once BL actually gets competition in the non live service side of AAA looter shooters the franchise will will not hold the same weight as it once did.

The biggest advantage BL has over similar games is that its STILL the only non-live service, non always online, singleplayer friendly AAA looter shooter franchise.

[ponury_indor]

Originally posted by Mike:

Its impossible for the be hype around the BL franchise after BL3 and Wonderlands (...)

Same.

[Master Blaster]

wrong...hype will grow in coming months whether you guys think so or not...especially if they release a dlc for 3 that was as good as they did for 2 right before 3 was launched

[Mike]

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

wrong...hype will grow in coming months whether you guys think so or not...especially if they release a dlc for 3 that was as good as they did for 2 right before 3 was launched

You mean the DLC that BL2 players mostly disliked because of the added even more bloat and power creep of an already content rich/complete game? I love BL2 but it almost has too much content for its own good.

Look I'm not saying BL4 is going to be a bad game because we don't know anything about it but I personally have no reason to get excited for it until they can prove they won't follow in the foot steps of BL3 and Wonderlands in terms of story/writing.

Even if the gameplay is top notch, which I believe it will be, I can't sit through anymore of that awful and forced writing/story like I had to with their past 2 games. I would still be grinding both BL3 and Wonderlands if their campaign was not so cringe and a chore to progress through.

[Master Blaster]

The only players that didn’t like the last DLC are the ones that didn’t get it free and then with the addition of pearlescent , it was one of the best DLC‘s out there…they only bombed it when they missed the free period and were mad lol

[Mike]

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

The only players that didn’t like the last DLC are the ones that didn’t get it free and then with the addition of pearlescent , it was one of the best DLC‘s out there…they only bombed it when they missed the free period and were mad lol

The Lilith DLC is not "bad" but many feel it was unnecessary and only added more bloat and power creep to a game that was filled with it already (its no where near the best). Also I'm pretty sure the unanimously favored DLC is the Tiny Tina one, which is why 2 completely separate spin off games were released from Gearbox (the standalone DLC, and Wonderlands) with that specific setting/world as the main aspect.

All I'm saying is BL3 (and wonderlands) was a great in the gameplay/build diversity department, but the forced political modern day writing they shoved down peoples throats, terrible story decisions, and character assassinations cannot be shoved into BL4 or it will utterly fail and it will be the last BL game we potentially see.

I don't even really care for the "woke" vs "anti woke" arguments but if sales for these moderns games have shown us anything is that the masses are tired of it being forced in their games, so BL4 will not be given a pass like BL3 was and will be utterly trashed on if it stays the course of the past 2 games.

You also have to take into account that the Borderlands Name is not in a very good light right now thanks to the trash movie, so any potential new players will have that on their mind when going into BL4, which is not a good look for the game.

I want BL4 to be good (I am rooting for it in fact) I really do but I have bought into Gearboxes last 2 big games (BL3 and Wonderlands) and I will not be fooled a 3rd time until I see they learned their lesson, or at least have seen why their past 2 games were not loved as much as BL2 and adapted BL4 to that knowledge.

[Uzkniso o.o]

I mean, of course. And it's their fault.

[Black Hole]

Yeah I doubt they will make a profit if they double down on the agenda.

[Malloc]

When did ever Borderlands feature any kind of good writing?
Gearbox conjured up that one tragic plot twist in BL2, and the slapstick comedy looter shooter instantly became some storytelling and worldbuilding powerhouse all of a sudden? Or is it Jack, a villain so too-good-for-the-rest-of-the-game, he almost feels like an accident? Being overused an revived in future games and even carrying his own Pre-Sequel - which had playable Jack Doppelganger btw - kinda drives this point home.
Come on people! There is nothing special about BL's writing - devs are just winging it, taking whatever is trending today, dialing it up to eleven and throwing it into the blender.

[Julius Seizure]

Originally posted by Malloc:

Or is it Jack, a villain so too-good-for-the-rest-of-the-game, he almost feels like an accident? Being overused an revived in future games and even carrying his own Pre-Sequel - which had playable Jack Doppelganger btw - kinda drives this point home.

Jack was an accident. His VA threw the script he was given into the trash where it belonged and improvised pretty much all of his lines. Jack being widely considered to be anything from the best character in the franchise to the sole well-written character in the franchise is a severe indictment against the writing team.

[Malloc]

Originally posted by Julius Seizure:

Originally posted by Malloc:

Or is it Jack, a villain so too-good-for-the-rest-of-the-game, he almost feels like an accident? Being overused an revived in future games and even carrying his own Pre-Sequel - which had playable Jack Doppelganger btw - kinda drives this point home.

Jack was an accident. His VA threw the script he was given into the trash where it belonged and improvised pretty much all of his lines. Jack being widely considered to be anything from the best character in the franchise to the sole well-written character in the franchise is a severe indictment against the writing team.

Exactly. Thank you.

[Black Hole]

They got lucky with bl2, but botched it a few games later.

[Weird Grim]

I will do the same as i did with pre-sequel, wait for the first sale, unless the gameplay and characters really knocks it out of the park.

[Spooky Cat 🐾💕]

Originally posted by Malloc:

Originally posted by Julius Seizure:

Jack was an accident. His VA threw the script he was given into the trash where it belonged and improvised pretty much all of his lines. Jack being widely considered to be anything from the best character in the franchise to the sole well-written character in the franchise is a severe indictment against the writing team.

Exactly. Thank you.

Jack and his story carried Borderlands 2 hard, to be completely honest. It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most well-written villains in media, by accident or not. The VA completely knocked the role out of the park. Without Jack, BL2 would've just been BL1 with slightly updated graphics. He's also the reason TPS didn't completely suck, because it focused on his downfall from a pretty standup guy to the monster he became.

For this reason BL3, while much better gameplay wise, feels stale and uninteresting, as the main "villains" are actual jokes. I think the sole remotely interesting plot point in BL3 was the story around Wainwright and Hammerlock. The DLCs were much better than the base game, I'll give 'em that, enjoyed those thoroughly.

I have serious doubts for Borderlands 4, considering the... "interesting" direction they chose to take the franchise with Tales 2 and the disaster of a movie. In all honesty I feel like the story has been told. Borderlands was by-and-large about the damage megacorps can sustain on people and the environment, and also about the megalomaniac monsters that run them, like Handsome Jack. But as we all know, his story is long over, so with it the franchise. They have to go all-in and bring more serious themes and villains in Borderlands 4 to make it interesting, otherwise I fear it will just be an even blander Borderlands 3 with a newer coat of paint, pretty much.

Personally, I really do think the franchise peaked with BL2 and we won't see another entry as good as it again. It's hard to believe it's been 12 years since it released.