Borderlands Xbox One X Preview

April 15, 2019 at 3:26am

To quickly clarify, this is going over details regarding the Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Xbox One X enhancement. This is not to be confused with what might actually be an interesting possible enhancement to the original Xbox Backwards Compatible title. Which is something I doubt will happen due to this release. While the boost in resolution would be similar, the selection of upgrades makes this remaster compelling.

I also consider the price point; which I normally disregard when it comes to review setups, to be of great value here. Prior to moving onto the actual improvements and how they effect gameplay. I will mention that using the backwards compatible version to export and then import my old characters into this version was really appreciated. It's a nice touch and just a nice extra bonus to have available as an option for playing the game again.

It's great to revisit this game, and to see the cel-shaded art style hold up so well. Presenting games with that particular art style has yielded great results with even just a basic resolution boost. I use the original Crackdown as an example. That game looks great with the enhancement, despite the mechanics perhaps feeling aged as it wasn't remastered. I'd say that generally with Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, that even the gameplay mechanics hold up well.

It obviously feels a tad aged in comparison to Borderlands 2 and the enhancement that game received, but it's still generally awesome. Aside from getting a 4k resolution the character models; environments, weapons, and textures have also been touched up. It also has been presented with HDR support and a smooth 60fps which makes a world of difference. With that, there are some performance dips in areas.

I've noticed it more when in vehicles, or during online play. It really hasn't been a common occurrence when playing by myself, but it is occasionally noticeable. It's not at all bad, but something I've observed. There are also some screen tears as well with this issue, those are minimal and seem to blend fairly well though so you might not even notice. The issue regarding textures loading in that's present on the second game and the Pre-Sequel, is luckily not something that has shown up here. Borderlands Xbox One X
I'll give a mention to the support for four player splitscreen locally, I know many will enjoy that. Great to have the option for those that desire to play locally together. Weapons have also been added, along with heads and gold chests/keys to use. All of the DLC is included which adds some quality extra time to the core package, and some distinct new areas to visit. The visuals really do hold up in this and it was great to revisit this excellent title.

The lighting is excellent, and the locations have never looked so good. The blood really pops now, as do certain elemental factors when they're unleashed against others. I was re-acquainted with the gun I reload by throwing it. So that was definitely magical for me. I loved what they did with this game to keep it updated for the modern platform.

I would have desired a perfect performance with this, but I didn't let any problems get in the way of enjoying it once again. I personally don't think this aspect is a huge issue, but the problems are worth noting for those that might want to know prior to hopping back into this game. That's it for now on this game, check out our review of the Handsome Collection or the general franchise hub for additional coverage below.

Read our Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Review
View our Borderlands Hub

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner