DLC Review Bundle: Borderlands

Borderlands changed the way that gamers all over the globe would play RPG / FPS forever, especially because Borderlands is the first ever RPG / FPS, so not the most competition (but it takes guts to try something new these days). Also, Gearbox, the company who made Borderlands, cares about the gamers enough to keep this game alive by maintaining a steady stream of DLC (Download Content).

Usually, download content released is *cough* lame *cough*. By lame, I mean map packs, in-game items / equipment, among other things that people would never plan their day around purchasing. But all the Borderlands content (aside from Moxxi) has been wonderful, whole new experiences that offer more to what the game is, rather than just adds to the game.

This DLC review bundle will focus on:
1) The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned
- released Nov 24, 2009 ($10)
2) Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot
- released Jan 7, 2010 ($10)
3) The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
- released Feb 23, 2010

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned starts vault hunters in the dark, post-apocalyptic Jakob's Cove, and as the name would imply, zombie killing ensues. This DLC included new weapons, new bad guys to kill (including brand new baddies and zombified versions of previous enemies), new quests, and a new Borderlands experience.

The new weapons aren't much to talk about because, heck, nobody has seen every weapon in the original game! But the new zombies are a nice touch, and might remind one of Left 4 Dead's brand of zombies. There is the basic grunt zombie, a Corrupter that spits on you and blurs your vision (as well as slows movement), a "Tankenstien"... You guessed it, a big guy that's hard to kill, among other zombified version of original enemies.

The new quests certainly deliver, even more so for only $10. New achievements go along with these quests rather well, and compliment the gameplay, so you'll never feel pressure to get achievements is you progress through the DLC at a normal pace. One quests in particular ("Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains") takes just about the whole playthrough to complete, and there is a satisfying achievement for it.

The story line is another interesting part of Zombie Island. Without revealing to many details, there is an island of zombies, and a guy named Dr. Ned is involved, and he is in fact related to Dr. Zed. The maps are large, but with no vehicles, and very few outposts, getting around takes a long time.

Although there is a wealth of new story based bosses, the boss battles still just feel like a very strong, fast enemy. Just shoot it a lot, and take a little more cover than you would normally and you'll be fine.

My rating for The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned:

- 4 out of 5

Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot

Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot sure offered a lot... Unfortunately, it wasn't a lot of what anybody wanted. Leveling up is taken out of the equation, and instead, a couple of skill points are awarded after a ridiculously long tournament with no breaks (roughly 2 hours per tournament). Mad Moxxi's offers no new weapons, and no new enemies. In fact, all the boss battles every 5 rounds are bosses you've already destroyed in your original playthrough of the game. The Underdome Riot however, does offer one exciting bank option. Finally, one can store some things they'd like to hold on to. And not to mention, one kicking soundtrack.

The Underdome Riot just doesn't deliver, with no new small perks to keep you going. The same tournaments get old after a while, and it just will never feel like the true Borderlands experience. But get 3 friends, and try to tackle this challenge together, it could be extremely fun for you.

But there are a few redeeming qualities for Mad Moxxi. Firstly, the music is extremely catchy and has a wonderful beat. Second, the banking option is actually very cool, except there is no option to store money, which would have been appreciated. And lastly, the extra skill points could always potentially go a long way, but the level cap should have been increased here, and we should be allowed to gain experience during the fights.

My rating for Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot:

- 1.5 out of 5

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx gives more of what we all wanted out of Borderlands DLC. New vehicles, weapons, enemies, maps, and a new story. Believe it or not, General Knoxx brings the story almost full circle, but not completely. There are some loose ends tied, and some secrets about the original game learned, which is really satisfying if you follow Borderlands completely.

There are a few new vehicles, and they are fantastic! One vehicle holds all four people in the game, another is a racer type vehicle, and of course, it goes extremely fast. The new vehicles are definitely a plus, and the new locations compliment the vehicles amazingly. The new maps are huge, and most always have quite a few vehicle outposts at your disposal.

The new weapons are a nice and noticeable touch. And the alien type weapons from the vault have made there way out I suppose, because I found two of them within 4 hours of playing (I personally never found a single one in the normal game). But new rare weapons that, to the most part, match your level are nice. The new weapons help destroy the new array of challenging enemies.

Whether it's surviving another assassin attack, or working your way through soldiers, the Secret Armory will test your skill. New enemy vehicles, as well as giant robots all add up for a real challenge, not even seen in the Underdome.

But with all the fun, there is one undeniable fact about the Secret Armory of General Knoxx... It's hard, plain and simple, if you're doing single player, you're in for (some would argue) to much of a challenge. General Knoxx might force some to come out of their shell and play online for this reason. And let's be honest, Borderlands is always more fun online! Oh, and of course, General Knoxx raised the level cap, by 11 levels!

My Rating for The Secret Armory of General Knoxx:

4.5 out of 5