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Borderlands Online confirmed for a Chinese release
Remember that crazy rumor from last week that Borderlands was going to be an MMO? It was so crazy and unbelievable you just had to laugh. It was also completely true, and it's now confirmed that Borderlands Online will be coming to China, published by Shanda Games and developed by Gearbox. There are no apparent plans to bring the game to the US. Four classes will be available in Borderlands Online: Warrior, Ranger, Wizard, and Berserker. The game is planned for a release in 2015; a mobile title is also in development, although it's unclear whether it will be a tie-in to the online game or a port of an existing title. So, yes, that crazy rumor was apparently right on the money.
Rumor: A Borderlands MMO might be in the works
Back in February this year, Randy Pitchford, CEO and president of Gearbox, specifically stated that the developer was not working on Borderlands 3. In fact, the most he'd say on the matter was that the team knew a sequel would have to be massive and impressive. All fairly standard interview stuff. Not too long ago, a Chinese site for publisher Shanda Games was discovered, with what certainly appears to be a silhouette of the franchise's iconic robot Claptrap. This would all seem completely unrelated if not for the fact that Pitchford had stressed both the need for a massive game and the possibility of making the next Borderlands title into something endless, akin to League of Legends. None of this serves as a single smoking gun, but if you look at all the evidence through the right lens, it does start to appear awfully gun-like. Then again, this is Borderlands; everything looks gun-like.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's fifth playable character is Jack
"That looks a lot like Handsome Jack," you might say to yourself as you look at the image above. You're right, but looks can be deceiving - Jack is the fifth playable character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but as his class (The Doppelganger) suggests, he's simply a look-alike body double. As was revealed by Gearbox Software at PAX Australia, Jack will be available on November 11 in the Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack, which is included in The Pre-Sequel's season pass or offered as a $9.99 standalone piece of DLC. Striking resemblance aside, Jack's Expendable Action skill spawns two Digi-Jacks, which fight to their very deaths before respawning beside Jack for as long as the skill is active. As is the Borderlands norm, his skill tree is split into three divisions; the tank and grenade-buffing "The Hero of this Story," the co-op and Fight for Your Life-focused "Greater Good," and "Free Enterprise," which grants buffs depending on your gun's manufacturer and encourages frequent weapon switchups. There are three remaining pieces of DLC still under wraps for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC's loot-n-shoot, but an additional character, a level cap boost and a new campaign are currently part of Gearbox and 2K Australia's future plans for The Pre-Sequel. In Senior Reporter Jess Conditt's recent review, she noted that while The Pre-Sequel "boasts the loot of a full Borderlands game, it's missing a touch of depth and a dash of polish." [Image: 2K Games]
The Borderlands timeline unfurled
With the recent release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Gearbox knows it may have some fans with questions on how the series' timeline is organized. That's understandable when your latest game is sub-titled "The Pre-Sequel." To bring order to the chaos, the series developer offered an "ultimate Borderlands timeline" on its blog late last week. The comic-style timeline divulges major plot points from before the original Borderlands through its direct sequel, Borderlands 2. Viewers beware: Gearbox didn't shy away from spoiling those major events in the timeline, including that of The Pre-Sequel. Our review of the latest game noted that the game is "missing just a bit of soul," but still "has the makings of a pretty great Borderlands game." The series' overarching story will continue with The Walking Dead developer Telltale's adventure game, Tales From the Borderlands, which is expected to launch this year. [Image: Gearbox Software]
Metareview: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
We recognized Borderland: The Pre-Sequel for what it is in our review: "It's to shoot a bunch of weird, wacky enemies in the face and to shovel as much loot into our packs as we can carry." Are you looking for more Borderlands? In that bizarre style you couldn't get enough of after going through all that content available in Borderlands 2? You've come to the right place, my friend. Handsome Jack has an adventure for you!
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel hitting Mac Oct 14, same day at consoles and PC
Developer Aspyr has announced that it will release the highly anticipated Mac version of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on Oct 14th, the same day the title hits PCs and consoles. More importantly, the Mac version will launch with all of the same features as the PC, including DLC updates and cross-platform multiplayer. The team worked hard with Gearbox and 2K in order to ensure each version of the game would be available for launch on the same day. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place between the previous Borderlands games, and tells the story of Handsome Jack's rise to power. It also features the first time in the game's history that fan favorite Claptrap will be a playable character. You can pre-order the game currently through GameAgent, though the title will become available on the Mac App Store on October 16. The game requires a Mac running OS X 10.9.4 (Mavericks) or later and at least a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, and 13GB of hard drive space. Supported video cards include NVIDIA GeForce 8800, ATI Radeon HD 2600, or Intel HD 3000 with 256 MB of Video Memory. You can view a trailer for the title here.
Borderlands reclaims its online co-op prowess via Steamworks
With just weeks to go before Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! brings people back to the Skag-infested wastes of Pandora, now's the perfect time to revisit the original Borderlands. Thanks to a fresh migration to Steamworks servers, PC players can actually get the full four-player co-operative Borderlands experience again. Borderlands was in danger of going offline earlier this year when Glu Mobile announced that it would be closing GameSpy's online gaming services once and for all. 2K Games had a sizable catalog of online games that were scheduled to shut down alongside GameSpy in May 2014, but Borderlands was one of the few that 2K planned to salvage and migrate to a new platform by Summer 2014. With less than a week left in the summer, 2K announced that Borderlands is now playable online via Steamworks. Borderlands has been updated for Steam in a number of ways, small and large. In addition to a news ticker offering updates on tweaks to Steamworks support for the game, SecuROM copy protection has been removed. Support for retail disc versions of the game meanwhile has been added, so anyone with an actual physical copy won't be left out. [Images: 2K Games]
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel season pass, pre-order Slaughter Pit announced
In case you were worried about running out of loot to hoard in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a $30 season pass has been announced for Gearbox and 2K Australia's upcoming shootout on Pandora's moon. The pass will last for four additional content packs, which a related press release notes will include "new characters, missions and experiences." Vault hunters wary of preemptive bulk DLC purchases will still be able to pick up the packs individually as they release for $9.99 apiece. As is the modern custom, bonus content called the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit can also be earned by pre-ordering The Pre-Sequel from select retailers. Those waiting on holiday sales to stock up on this year's remaining games won't miss out on the Slaughter Pit though, as the press release adds it will be available for purchase later on. [Image: 2K Games]
Borderlands 2 shoots through 10 million copies shipped
Publisher 2K has shipped more than 10 million copies of Borderlands 2, maintaining its spot as the highest-selling game in the company's history, a spokesperson tells Joystiq. Overall, 2K has shipped more than 18 million copies within the Borderlands franchise. During today's Take-Two financial call, President Karl Slatoff addressed the viability of series developer Gearbox's next installment, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, when it's launching exclusively on current-gen consoles and PC: "Our view is that if you give consumers what they want, they come out for it. Our catalog sales have done very well – as we announced in this quarter, it's one of the key reasons we were able to beat in the quarter. We have a lot of faith in the Borderlands franchise. There's still a huge install base of consumers; Borderlands is beloved .... We have very high hopes for The Pre-Sequel for current-gen platforms and PC, indeed. But it will be reliant on quality, and we expect to deliver a really high-quality game." Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel launches on October 14 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – we'll see how many more copies 2K's tower of 18 million can handle. [Image: 2K Games]
These Borderlands: Pre-Sequel tips came from the moon
Want advice on surviving Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's treacherous lunar landscapes? Let the galaxy's most dashing rogue tell you how it's done; Handsome Jack is here to help you study for the Pre-Sequel's deadly tests with an overview of the game's features. Test date: October 14. [Image: Gearbox]
Telltale tells the tale of two tales in Tales from the Borderlands
Telltale's The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us have much in common. They're both based on comic books, they both feature some fairly bleak situations, and they both start with "The." Tales From the Borderlands, on the other hand, is based on an established video game series, is quite funny, and ... ok, it also has a "the," but it's near the end. It also has two playable characters: Rhys, the tech-using Hyperion employee, and Fiona, the steampunky grifter. After watching the first 30 minutes or so of the first of Tales' five episodes, I talked to Telltale's Richard Iggo about what else is different this time around. (Spoiler: Loot. Lots of loot.)
2K Games tries to save Civilization, Borderlands from GameSpy server shutdown
Gamespy's impending server shut-down might be cutting off Wii and DS multiplayer at the head, but not all games have to suffer this fate: PC publishers are starting to migrate their multiplayer servers to new platforms. Three of EA's Battlefield games are already slated for transition, and now, so are two of 2K Games' biggest franchises: Civilization and Borderlands. On May 31st, Civilization III, IV (and their expansions) and the PC version of Borderlands will all begin transitioning to Steamworks, temporarily disrupting online services for a few days.
Borderlands, Civilization 4 facing service interruptions due to GameSpy closure
With the impending closure of GameSpy online services on May 31, publisher 2K Games says players should expect a temporary outage of multiplayer modes for a number of its titles as it switches to a new online platform. The original Borderlands, Civilization 3 and Civilization 4, along with expansions for both Sid Meier titles, will be affected by the transition to the Steamworks platform, 2K Games said in a release today. The publisher did not detail a timetable for the migration to Steam. A handful of legacy PC titles, including Stronghold 2 and Close Combat First to Fight, will lose online functionality when GameSpy discontinues its online services and will not be transitioned to Steam, 2K Games added. A number of legacy titles across handheld and console platforms will also abandon online features, including NHL 2K10 on Wii and Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution on DS. A complete list of titles affected by GameSpy's closure can be found in the press release after the break. [Image: Gearbox, GameSpy]
Joystiq Weekly: PAX East, The Last Of Us: Remastered, Super Smash Bros. and more
This week's reveal of Charizard in Super Smash Bros.' roster is a bit of a blow to our argument that Squirtle is the best starter from Pokemon Red/Blue. Yes, both pocket monsters were in the Pokemon Trainer's arsenal in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but Charizard flying solo is a whole different level of awesome, one that's left us Squirtle enthusiasts drowning in envy. Playground rivalries aside, there's a lot more going on this week beyond Pokefeuds. Sony admitted that The Last Of Us is coming to the PS4, Borderlands fans are finally going to be able to play as Claptrap in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and we've got a faint glimmer of hope for the Xbox One to eventually be backwards compatible. This is also the weekend of PAX East, which you can treat as a source of news or, if you're attending, a giant game of "Where's Waldo?" Track down Joystiq's away team and say hi! Provided you can catch them between appointments, panels and the lone meal of their day, that is.
Bizarrely, the next Borderlands game is for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
The hugely popular first-person shooter series Borderlands is getting a new entry in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a game set between the story of previous two games. Not exactly shocking, but neat nonetheless. What's shocking is where we'll play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel when it arrives this fall: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Despite the Xbox One and PlayStation 4... ya know, existing, the next major Borderlands game apparently isn't headed their way. That said, there's one other platform that fans can snag it on: PC. And given the PC-like architecture of the new consoles, you'll forgive us if we don't feign surprise when the game eventually arrives on newer platforms. The game's development is being handled by both the series creators at Gearbox Software and 2K's Australian arm. Thus far, the only footage available is pre-Alpha (read: early), but, well, it looks an awful lot like the Borderlands games you already know and love. Perhaps you don't already know and love the series? We've got a trailer below the break that'll help get you up to speed.
Tales From The Borderlands first details emerge from SXSW vault
A panel at the SXSW festival has shed new light on Tales From The Borderlands, the story-driven adventure game collaboration between Telltale and Gearbox. Polygon reports that the two main characters, Rhys and Fiona, will narrate the story from a future perspective - in other words, what you play is what the characters say happened. Telltale President Kevin Bruner told the panel's audience, "You never really play what actually happened, you're playing this Big Fish version of what happened." Given that Rhys works for megacorporation Hyperion (which is led by Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack) and that Fiona is a con artist, that's shaky ground to stand on. The characters' backgrounds also means that they won't be world-saving heroes; these are people motivated primarily by greed. Unlike Telltale's The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, which often force players to choose between bad and worse, Tales From The Borderlands will present players with two extremely desirable options. The game's tone will also set it apart, as it will be a lighter, more humorous affair than Clementine or Bigby's misadventures. Tales From The Borderlands is due later this year. [Image: Telltale Games/Gearbox Software]
PSA: Holiday-themed DLC hits Borderlands 2
Tis' the season to blow aliens to pieces, and to aid in that effort developer Gearbox has unleashed the third entry in its Headhunter DLC series, aptly dubbed "How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day." Not quite a full-fledged DLC offering, How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day will only set you back $3. As we reported earlier, the adventure is holiday-themed, pitting players against arctic temperatures and an eventual battle with the Abominable Mister Tinder Snowflake, a character whose adorable name belies the posse of killers he's employed to protect his grim winter wonderland. Kill Snowflake, and you'll be rewarded with a custom snowman head for your character, almost daring snipers to aim for the huge white blob attached to your skull. This latest Headhunter DLC joins Thanksgiving- and Halloween-themed DLC with similar bonus prizes.
Spike VGX round-up: Telltale's new projects, Cranky Kong, No Man's Sky and more
Despite ending with musical performances that closely resembled a form of torture, the Spike VGX show packed some decent surprises! Joel McHale and Geoff Keighley endured four three hours of nonstop programming, and they only seemed to want to murder each other a handful of times. Let's recap everything that was shown: Telltale Games' success with the first season of The Walking Dead seems to have granted them a Golden Key to any partnership they desire. Naturally, they've revealed Tales From The Borderlands, a collaboration with Gearbox Software that will be set in the Borderlands universe. They've also started work on a Game of Thrones series, which will be based off the HBO show. Both projects are slated for 2014. Cranky Kong has had it with these youngsters and their rambunctious romps through jungles, so much so that he's decided to chase them all as the fourth playable character in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Cranky must have gotten a few good strikes in with his cane for that delay, too, because the Kong family has settled on braving the Wii U's incoming frost on February 21. Titanfall had already shown a decent arsenal for blowing up buildings with, but in case you doubted its capabilities, Respawn Entertainment debuted two new mech types tonight. Aside from the Titans, Ogre and Stryder mechs will spread destruction across Titanfall's cityscapes. Ogres will be slow, clunky and powerful, while Stryders will focus on outrunning everyone on the field. Hello Games, the developer of the Joe Danger series, brought along the show's biggest surprise - No Man's Sky is a procedurally generated, exploration-focused sci-fi game planned for 2014. The game's trailer showcased vivid landscapes before blasting its way through asteroids in spacecrafts.
Tales From The Borderlands is a Telltale, Gearbox crossover project in the Borderlands universe
Telltale is working on a crossover project with Gearbox Software that takes place in the Borderlands universe. Like other Telltale games, this will be an episodic series where the storyline is defined by player choices. Gearbox is providing assets, but the development is all Telltale. Telltale has created new characters for this game; they're not quite Vault Hunters, and a male character shown bares more than a passing resemblance to Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack. Coincidence? We'll find out in 2014.
2K offering three-game Holiday Bundles for $30 each
If you want to surprise your loved ones with a generous and value-conscious bouquet of shooters and strategy games on Christmas morning, 2K Games has you covered with its newly announced lineup of $29.99 Holiday Bundles for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Players who missed out on some of this generation's best first-person shooters (and who aren't averse to the occasional tactical strategy game) may enjoy 2K's Essentials Collection, which includes the original BioShock, Borderlands, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The Rogues and Outlaws Collection is an obvious choice for any rogues and outlaws in your immediate family, serving up copies of Borderlands 2, Spec Ops: The Line and Mafia 2. Finally, those who enjoy games with the number "2" in the title will love the 2K Power Pack, which offers BioShock 2, Mafia 2, and The Darkness 2. 2K is also offering a Definitive Strategy Collection, which includes the PC versions of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Sid Meier's Civilization V. All bundles (except for the Rogues and Outlaws Collection, which is a Walmart exclusive) are available at Amazon, GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy.
