Title : Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Available on : Xbox 360 (version tested), PlayStation 3, and PC

Publisher : 2K Games

Release Date : October 18, 2014

This is not quite Borderlands 3.

It is important to make that clear from the outset because if you pop in the disc expecting otherwise then you’ll be disappointed.

The Pre-Sequel is set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2 and co-developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Australia.

You'll play as four new characters classes fighting alongside Handsome Jack, witnessing his transformation into the ruthless tyrant you loved to hate in Borderlands 2.

But what is it that sets Borderlands apart from the endless list first-person shooters available on the market?

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

There remains an emphasis on four-player cooperative play and a shoot-and-loot style that takes inspiration from the hugely successful Diablo series.

Borderlands’ trademark humour is also still here and something which makes the game truly unique when placed alongside alternative FPS titles.

Featuring four new playable character classes armed with powerful laser and icy Cryo weapons, players will battle against an array of new enemies.

Athena, the Gladiator, Wilhelm, the Enforcer, Nisha, the Lawbringer, and my personal favourite, Claptrap, the Fragtrap.

And all this takes place on Pandora’s moon, Elpis, a new setting for the Pre-Sequel.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Given that setting on the moon, the Borderlands series expands with the addition of low-gravity and oxygen-powered jetpack combat.

Once you run out of oxygen, your health starts to rapidly deplete and a clever new feature sees the screen become darker, echoing your character’s plight.

The maps in the Pre-Sequel are certainly the game’s major weakness. Poorly designed, these make certain missions more difficult than they would otherwise be.

In terms of the storyline, everything is told in a flashback and it is decent enough but not exactly spectacular.

You get enough enjoyment from simply blowing stuff up on the lunar landscape though, and that’s what this game is all about - fun - it’s an entertaining game.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

No it is not the entirely new installment Borderlands fans are foaming at the mouth for, this is something of a stop-gap game, but it’s still Borderlands.

Take the Alan Partridge or Simpsons movies for example.

Would we rather have had a new series of Partridge than a film? Would we rather have had the Simpsons TV series back to its brilliant best? Yes, is the answer to both.

But would you turn your nose up at more of a great product? Of course not.

If you’re a Boderlands fan then this is essential gaming. Even if you’re not a veteran of the series there’s plenty of rip-roaring fun to be had with the Pre-Sequel.