When it comes to review scores, a certain line of thinking always holds true, regardless of the media the review is for: “Just because someone liked it or disliked it, doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same way.” Even reviews for video games that have been called “incredible titles” and were “GOTY nominees” at times haven’t always been matched by gamers when they actually played them. However, for games like Borderlands 4, hearing that reviewers liked it, when the previous entry wasn’t exactly beloved by most, is a sign that things are actually “getting back to normal.” You know, whatever “normal” means for this series.
Gearbox Software has been making plenty of statements about how Borderlands 4 is them “getting back to what made the series fun” and trying to do big and bold things to excite gamers and have them want to play the franchise again. Over on Metacritic, the game’s review score currently stands at 84. That means it’s within the top 3 of the franchise based on review scores. And yes, it’s got a higher score than the previous entry, which had an 81.
However, as always, it’s not always about the score, but what’s said about it that counts. So, what are reviewers saying about the game? First and foremost, there were a few perfect scores, and those three reviews praised Gearbox Software for not only “perfecting the formula” but giving the reviewers a fun time as they went through the game. You can take or leave the score element, but hearing things like that is what most want to hear about their titles.
As you get to the slightly lower scores, you see reviewers praising the game’s new world, the characters that fill it, the story that ties everything together, and the bombastic gameplay that’ll keep you shooting from one moment to the next. Multiple reviewers thanked Gearbox for “listening to fans” and making adjustments to get back to how previous entries worked before the company’s “misstep.”
Shifting over now to what the complaints were, reviewers did notice some technical issues with the title. Furthermore, despite Gearbox trying to make it “more easily replayable,” many noted that eventually, you will “get bored” with things and not want to start over until the post-launch content comes. Also, the game lacks certain things to truly take it “to the next step.”
Either way, they did praise the game, so if you were hesitating on getting it when it drops tonight/tomorrow, maybe this will be the final push you need to purchase.
