Handsome Jack is back, and this time he is insulting you in 1080p at 60fps. Which looks absolutely amazing, by the way, if you don’t mind the occasional frame rate issue.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection brings you everything that makes up Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. And we mean EVERYTHING. All the DLC that came to both games has been cramped onto one joyous disc, adding countless hours of exploration, looting, and shooting everything with a pulse. And shooting it until it doesn’t. Have a pulse. Because you shot it. Until it died. Good times!
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All the DLC adds to well-over $100 USD additionally in value. SO MUCH MORE LOOTING AND KILLING THINGS!
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Whether you owned the game before on a previous generation console or on PC, BTHC is easily one of the better games out right now. GearBox’s sense of style is timeless, both in the ways of humorous dialogue, to droves of psychotic nearly unpredictable enemy encounters, all the way to the vast and extensive landscapes that beg your attention in every nook and cranny.
VISUALS
The visuals have all been pumped up to 1080p, so this time around, the game looks fantastic, though the PC version had texture upgrades that from a certain view, look just as good as Handsome Collection, though there is a bit of lag in the frame rate department, which is the biggest gripe I have with the game, among a very short list.
Often, the game takes a second to gather its visual bearings. When entering a new area that had a previous load screen or if you enter the visible area too quickly, the textures look like un-sculpted clay, raw and soft to the touch before catching up to itself and adding life to the surroundings. Grass sometimes appears and disappears, and stone walls look non-existent, but this is only for a moment or two while the game renders the visuals before your eyes. Zooming in on things semi-close to your perspective also have a tendency to look choppy and unpolished.
Though the above sounds annoying, and it can be, the frame rate issue in no way disrupts gameplay and is only even noticeable for a brief moment. The finer bits of lack-in-detail only seem to be visible when you are really look for it, ie zooming in on a dead enemy with a sniper rifle at point-blank range.
SOUND
Being harassed by enemies, especially Handsome Jack himself, is a good portion of the fun. Though at times, I was too focused on taking down as many enemies as possible with a headshot to really listen to the dialogue. Of course, I went ahead and turned the music volume down just to make sure I could hear Jack swearing to bring death upon me and everyone I knew while I took down dozens of bandits and bullymongs at a time. The soundtrack is stupendous as well, on both games for that matter. Jesper Kyd is at the top of his game, though the guy never seems to be any lower.
Dragon Ball Z fans will recognize voice actors Chris Rager (Hercule Satan) as many background enemies constantly yelling and trying to kill you, and Dameon Clarke (Cell), who voices Handsome Jack in both games, respectively. Clarke actually happens to look a lot like Handsome Jack, minus the face mask and bolts and… you get the point.
Did you ever think THIS guy would be the voice of Cell? AND Handsome Jack… Hubba Hubba.
CONTROLS
Not much new in the ways of controls, save the for the touchpad on the PS4, which acts as your inventory menu and backpack of awesome death tools. The controls are far more comfortable on the PS4 than the PS3, mainly due to the larger DualShock controller the PS4 is equipped with. The Xbox One controller too felt better, though not much of an offering in terms of additional functionality.
REPLAY VALUE
With all the DLC added to both games, you will be playing a single run-through for hours, guaranteed. That said, the different characters you control truly do impact the experience significantly. From the Siren to the Ninja Assassin, to the Gunzerker, to a common Psycho, each characters plays so differently, you will likely be old and gray before completing everything with everyone in all this game(s) has to offer, and that does not include playing with up to 3 other players online or in local split-screen for 4-way multiplayer mayhem.
Playing as Handsome Jack is a load of fun as well, though you are technically not the REAL Jack, but instead a Doppelganger who can call on duplicates he refers to as “Digi Jacks” that aid him in a scuffle. Claptrap too is available to play as, and is also rather entertaining. And annoying.
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BOTTOM LINE
If you do not already own Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, you will want to do so if you are looking for a laugh while slaughtering enemies in hilarious ways with whatever character(s) showcase your play style best. Whether you have beaten the game in some fashion or not, there is always something missed, and always better loot to hoard yourself. Plus, all the DLC make for one hell of an amazing deal in price.
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FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5
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