Tales from the Borderlands is coming this month

I've spent quite a bit of time playing Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel since its release, but i'm not here to tell you about that today. Check back in a few days though if you do want to hear more about it. 

Today I'm sharing with you the most recent trailer for Tales from the Borderlands. 

As the timeline from the video (also below) explains, the 'Tales' from the Borderlands are set after the events of Borderlands 2. For those up to date with events of Borderlands 2, it hasn't yet been explained how Handsome Jack is able to narrate the trailer for Tales just yet (SPOILER: Jack dies in Borderlands 2), but I'm sure that that will be explained in the first episode. Given Telltales' success with The Walking Dead series, the possibility of Handsome Jack coming back a zombie can't be ruled out, but it is more likely that Handsome Jack left various ECHO recordings, or hologram messages to be found by the player, which would explain how he is able to communicate with the player from beyond the grave.

In addition to Handsome Jack, former vault hunter Zer0 also makes an appearance in the trailer. He is definitely still alive, and seemingly responsible for rescuing Fiona, Rhys, and Vaughn from a bunch of bandits. It'll be interesting to see how that interaction plays out in the first episode of Tales, as well the rest of the season.

I'm a big fan of the artistic style used in the Borderlands and The Walking Dead franchises, and I'm an even bigger fan of the stories from the Borderlands universe. While I'm really excited to see in which direction Telltale take the Borderlands story, I'm not as excited about the episodic nature of the release. I'll likely wait for the five episodes of Tales to be released on a single disc.

That's what I thought I'd do with The Walking Dead game too, but then my brother ended up getting it for Xbox 360. I figured that instead of buying the same release, I would rather save my money, and simply TWD in successive visits home. Instead during my last visit my brother and I ended up playing couch co-op. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Ironically RoS is a game we both have, and technically I have two copies of the base game.

Tales from the Borderlands will be available on old and new gen. consoles, PC, Mac, and iOS devices, with "other platforms to be announced." If you're intending on getting this for PC, then Steam is currently offering 10% off the regular price of US$24.99. I don't know if that is the price for episode one only, or the entire series, but the description leads me to believe it's the former. I could be wrong. Steam's 'pre-order special' is only valid until 25 November which could mean that that is the release date for Tales.

The only things still to be announced by Telltale is what bonuses will be made available to folks who purchase Tales, and have also purchased Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel? Could Tales hold the key to the hidden Baroness character?

Will you be buying Tales from the Borderlands digitally on day one, or will you be waiting for the compiled edition on a disc?

Build your vault hunter here!

With the release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel less than a month away, 2K Australia has released a neat little widget that allows you to experiment with the skill trees of the four new vault hunters.

Despite the lack of a collector's edition including a replica psycho mask and season pass I'm actually still quite looking forward to the release of this title. It looks as though the developers have tried to make this title stand out from previous Borderlands offerings, but stayed true to the 'shoot 'n loot' co-op gameplay that has made the series so popular. I'm hoping that the Pre-Sequel will contain some well thought out, and interesting back-stories, and not just be some drivel story slapped together to try cash in on the 'old gen.' one last time. Hell, cynicism aside, I'll probably end up pre-ordering the 'Pre-Sequel' in order to get the bonus challenge map, as well as having another title to tide me over until Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition hits South African shores.

'Shock Drop Slaughter Pit' challenge map video

Here's a video from 2K giving us a quick look at the challenge map that is available when pre-ordering Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Since the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit challenge map isn't included in the season pass, but will be available for a price at a later date, it's important to remember the Hyperion Company's motto, "Give us all your money right now, or we won't give you any of the cool stuff we make." Wait, I'm not sure Handsome Jack is quoting the right company.

I'm still deciding whether this is worth the pre-order, or whether to wait for the inevitable Game of the Year Edition. That said, I'm still waiting for the Borderlands 2: GotY to show up on local listings. Maybe an announcement of a collector's edition that includes a season pass, and some additional "cool stuff" (like a physical Psycho mask) could sway my decision.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel to get a season pass

In a recent post I mentioned that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is one of the few games coming out towards the end of the year that I have considered pre-ordering. One of the reasons I haven't placed a pre-order just yet is because I'm waiting to see if there are any collector's editions announced that may contain physical content. The reason I've been considering pre-ordering the game is for the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit challenge map incentive.

Now with the recent announcement of four DLC packs, and a season pass for the game, as well as the news that the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit will be "available for purchase at a later date," according to 2K, there is less motivation pre-order the game. Yes, pre-ordering will save me a few bucks, but nor pre-ordering will allow me to see some reviews before parting with my cash. 

Furthermore, it seems that there will be additional content available through playing Tales from the Borderlands, which is being developed by Telltale Games. So to get the maximum experience out of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, one actually needs to purchase the base game, the season pass, and a game from another development studio. 

On the plus side, it was also announced that the once "old gen. exclusive," may well get a current gen. release if there is enough of a demand for it. So while Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is being developed for older systems, there is some thought going into the process of making the jump to newer hardware.

I'm still pretty excited about the game, but I'm beginning to get a little less excited about the idea of pre-ordering it. Most of the DLC from the previous Borderlands titles has been incredible, but I still don't like the idea of a season pass, whereby you pay for something that hasn't even been fully thought out.

Which game(s) are you looking forward to the most?

On the bus this morning, I figured it would be a good idea to create a poll relating to the updated list of games to be released towards the end of the year. For now the list only contains the games that I'm interested in, and the new generation console titles Assassin's Creed: Unity, and Destiny. I'll add any suggestions posted in the comments below. The poll will run up until 6 October,  the day before the earliest release date of a title on the list.

Q3-4 gaming release update. Now with pre-order details!

Since the news of the delay in release of Evolve, announcement of the development of the "old gen." exclusive, Assassin's Creed Rogue, and details emerging regarding various special editions of gaming releases I was already following, here's an updated list of gaming releases I'm looking forward to;

1. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (30 September) - pre-order exclusive: Dark Ranger skin
2. Alien: Isolation (07 October 2014) - Nostromo, and Ripley Editions
3. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (14/ 17 October 2014) - pre-order exclusive: Shock Drop Slaughter Pit challenge map
4. The Evil Within (21 October 2014) - pre-order exclusive: The Fighting Chance Pack
5. Assassin's Creed: Rogue (11 November 2014) - pre-order exclusives: The Ultimate Hunter Pack, and The Siege of Fortde Sable mission, as well as a Collector's Edition
6. Far Cry 4 (18 November 2014) - Limited, Kyrat, and Ultimate Kyrat Editions

I'm already starting to whittle down the list of titles I intend to purchase on, or near the release date. For now these are Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Far Cry 4: Kyrat Edition.* I'm still interested in the other titles, but the pre-order exclusives, or contents of the special editions, at present do not interest me. Now if either the Nostromo or Ripley Editions of Alien Isolation came with a replica Nostromo or Ripley, then I'd be interested. 

The Assassin's Creed: Rogue 'Ultimate Hunter Pack' content does look cool, but will the exclusive black Templar sails really change my gaming experience? I think not, although the additional mission may add an additional few hours of gameplay, so that could make pre-ordering Rogue at least a little more worthwhile than picking it up later. I'll continue to keep an eye on which content the various local retailers will be offering, as I have also seen a 'Commander Pack,' and 'Templar Pack' advertised locally, both of which share items with The Ultimate Hunter Pack. Sadly the Collector's Edition of Rogue does not include a figure of Shay Patrick Cormac, nor does it appear to include any of the item packs, but it does include physical copies of the official soundtrack, an art book, some lithographs, and a fancy box to keep it all in. Oh, and an additional single player mission entitled 'The Armor of Sir Gunn Quest.' I'm not sure these are enough to warrant an additional R300 for the Collector's Edition.

Guess my wallet isn't going to take quite as hard a knock, come October, as I had initially anticipated. Of the four games listed above with October release dates, I'm only actually interested in pre-ordering Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. The others can wait until they receive a price drop, or a 'Game of the Year' edition is announced. This will also mean others will have had time to review these games, allowing me to re-assess if whether I really need them in my collection. This pertains to Alien: Isolation particularly, as even though the information released looks very promising, there is still the abomination that was Aliens: Colonial Marine lurking in the back of many people's memories. 

This leaves only the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remake, and Far Cry 4, which I'm not even sure will offer the same experience on older consoles. Perhaps I'll wait until after I've gotten my hands on Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel to decide whether to purchase them, as by then  there should be more than enough fresh information available to help me decide the pros and cons of these releases. 

The physical content of the Kyrat Edition does look pretty sweet though,* and I did have a lot of fun playing Black Flag, so the decision between the two titles will definitely require some thought. Maybe I can use the money I save in October to buy both.

--
* I'm a sucker for collector's editions that include replicas of props from within the game, hence these purchases.

Q3-4 2014 gaming releases

There are quite a few games to be released during the second half of this year, that I'm really looking forward to playing. There are so many in fact that I've forgotten which is coming out when, so I decided to put together this list of release dates for the titles I'm most interested in.

1. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition (19 August 2014)
2. Alien: Isolation (07 October 2014)
3. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (07 October 2014)
4. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (14/ 17 October 2014)
5. Evolve (21 October 2014) (Delayed till February 2015)
6. The Evil Within (21 October 2014)
7. Far Cry 4 (18 November 2014)

My wallet is probably going to take quite a knock in October, although I may pre-order either Alien: Isolation, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, or Evolve a month or two earlier, depending on whether or not there are collector's editions announced. At present Alien: Isolation is the only one of those three titles that does not have some sort of DLC attached to pre-ordering the title.

It will also be interesting to see how the sales of Alien: Isolation/ Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Evolve/ The Evil Within will differ from one another as they are being released on the same dates. Given the number of accolades Evolve received at E3 last month, I don't think sales of The Evil Within will be particularly record breaking, despite the two being games in vastly different genres. Evolve's multiplayer aspect will probably be a much bigger draw card than any of single player campaigns of the other games on this list.

At the moment I'm leaning towards getting Alien: Isolation over Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Evolve over The Evil Within. This could however change depending how each of these handles on 'old-gen.' consoles, with the exception of Evolve which isn't getting an 'old gen.' release. 

My prediction for how I'll spend the rest of my gaming year is thus;

Today - 19 Aug.: Deadpool, Diablo III, and Rage

20 Aug. - 07 Oct.: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition and Rage

08 Oct. - 17 Oct.: Alien: Isolation

18 Oct. - 21 Oct.: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

22 Oct. - 18 Nov.: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Evolve

19 Nov. - 31 Dec.: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Evolve, and Far Cry 4

Who am I kidding, there is no way I am going to be able to get this much gaming time before the end of the year. With the exception of Deadpool, any one of these games could keep me busy for the rest of the year after its release. At this stage I'd be content with having just enough time to finish the storyline of Diablo III, and possibly the Reaper of Souls expansion too, before the October releases start pouring in. Fitting a weekend in before the end of the month to do nothing but play Deadpool and eat chimichangas, would be nice too.

--Updated 09 August 2014--

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

The creators behind the Borderlands franchise have officially announced the third game in the series. While most thought Borderlands 3, would be the next title, instead we'll be getting Borderlands: The pre-sequel. As the name suggests, the story's timeline will take place between the events of the first and second instalments of the game, essentially making this 'Borderlands 1.5.' 

Borderlands: The pre-sequel will be set on one of Pandora's moons, meaning that a new resource has been added to the gameplay dynamic, Oxygen. According to press releases, the game will also be somewhere between games one and two in terms of the story length. This is really good news. I've invested many days in Borderlands and its four DLCs, and I still have a way to go before I unlock the platinum trophy. Every time I return to the game (like a few weeks ago to grab the viral-type trophy "And They'll Tell Two Friends" before the servers get shut down), I am re-inspired by the graphics, gameplay, and the need to find better loot.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about this release, while still holding out for the local release of the Game of the Year edition of Borderlands 2. Even though I've seen the non-GotY version on sale at quite a few retailers, I'd prefer to get the GotY bundle. This now begs the question; will Borderlands 2: GotY see a local release before Borderlands: The pre-sequel? And, should these two games be played in order of release, or in chronological order? It'll also be interesting to see how the story from Telltale Games own project, Tales from the Borderlands, fits into the Borderlands story-arc, and timeline. 

Lastly, Borderlands: The pre-sequel wont be getting a fancy 'next-generation' console release, instead the developers have decided to focus on the already pretty well established fan base on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. There is always the possibility that it will be released on 'next-gen' consoles at a later date though, pending initial response to the release.