Borderlands 4 Is Shaping Up to Be the Destiny 3 We Might Never See: Gearbox’s Best Move Yet

Guess what? I joined the crowd of folks tuning in to the Borderlands 4 State of Play. I mean, who could resist, right? It felt more like a wild Destiny 3 blend than the Borderlands 4 I was imagining. And yeah, that’s probably a good twist. Something fresh was definitely needed.

Let’s chat about Borderlands’ vibe. It’s two things: killer FPS action and a type of humor that, well, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. You’ve got these crazy weapons shooting who-knows-what, and it’s what we love. Despite Borderlands 1 feeling a bit old-school now, it laid those solid foundations.

But about that humor… Some love it, like the die-hard fans of Claptrap and the bizarre Spongebob showdown in the Borderlands 3 DLC. Yet, others? Not so much. It’s kind of love-it-or-hate-it. With this latest installment, Gearbox seized the moment to change things up significantly, and it shows.

Now, about the jokes—or, lack thereof! I could probably count them on one hand from the State of Play. No overdoing it with Sigma jokes or whatever. That’s surprisingly refreshing. It’s like they found the right balance, funny enough to not be annoying.

Graphics-wise, things are toned down a bit. Still wild but not in-your-face absurd. And they’re mixing it up with the gameplay format, more in line with what Bungie’s doing. World bosses, organic events—sounds fancy, right? Vaults shifting into dungeon-like experiences? That’s gutsy! Summoning vehicles on the fly? Destiny 2 vibes, anyone?

In some parallel universe, it might’ve seemed iffy. But given Bungie’s bouncing around with content in Destiny 2, Borderlands 4 is kind of stepping into a nice opportunity. While Bungie shifts focus to Marathon, which isn’t wowing everybody, Borderlands sneaks in… nice timing, huh?

Maybe Marathon could’ve overshadowed Borderlands if the release dates clashed. But now, it’s almost like Borderlands 4’s saving the day in some sense. All these ideas bouncing in my head just scream that this might be a thrilling new path for Borderlands. Sure, maybe the buzz will die down, but right now? It’s working. Got folks chatting again.

So, yeah, great move!