Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Box Art

System: PS4*, Xbox One
Dev: Gearbox
Pub: 2K Games
Release: March 24, 2015
Players: 1-4
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore Intense Violence Language Sexual Themes Use of Alcohol

The overall game is really the same, though. Sure, if you’ve never played the series this is a great way to jump in and experience what you’ve been missing. However, if you played, got the season pass, and bought all of the DLC, there’s not a lot here you haven’t already done before. Having access to all of the DLC right from the get go is really nice, but if you are smart you won’t go venturing to those storylines until you’ve had the opportunity to level up some. After all, taking on a level 30 villain when you're only level 10 will only increase your difficulty to frustrating degrees. Still, it is a nice option to have right at the outset of the game so you can jump in whenever you're ready.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Screenshot

Just like the content is the same, the voice acting is still as fresh and engaging as it was before. This is one of the other main reasons Borderlands took a foothold on the industry and reliving some of those moments in this collection really helped remind me of the quality of the voice acting and narrative of the story. It's a true treat for all newcomers to the franchise, and it’s no wonder the fine folks at TellTale are currently having great success with their Borderlands spin-off. They had a great foundation to work with.

That’s really the golden thing about Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. It’s just a great package. For newcomers to the franchise, as I said earlier, this is a great jumping on point. For the older fans of series this is not much beyond what you already know, but it is definitely worth a look simply because of the graphic upgrades and the new four player split-screen option. If this is not a reason to get a remastered version, I’m not sure what is. Just in case, though, remember you are getting two great games with an enormous amount of DLC. We're all hungry for more Borderlands, but until a new game comes along, Handsome Jack is happy to provide this quality interlude.

By
Matt Walker
Editor-in-Chief
Date: March 24, 2015

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.5

Graphics
The graphic update has really helped me spend hours with it.

4.5

Control
The controls are as smooth as you remember.

4.5

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The same greatness from their previous gen versions.

5.0

Play Value
There is so much to do, you will quit your job.

4.5

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Two critically acclaimed Borderlands games in one package - experience Handsome Jack's rise to power in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and his reign as maniacal Hyperion CEO in Borderlands 2.

Over $100 in value and hundreds of hours of gameplay: includes all campaign add-ons, playable character packs, level cap upgrades, and assorted combat arenas previously released as downloadable content for both titles, plus dozens of additional character customizations.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection supports four different players on a SINGLE split screen - next generation power fully utilized!

Pick up right where you left off! Transfer your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PS Vita save files onto next-gen with cross-save.

Explore the mayhem-filled world of Pandora and its moon in amazing high definition with smooth high performance frame rates never before seen in Borderlands on consoles.

With over 55 editorial awards, enjoy the most critically acclaimed franchise to ever include butt-slamming and a diamond pony.