Recent reviews by Erratic Static

just get it already! support this flawless masterpiece

(plus you get to pet the dogs)

delicious!

A cute little focus tool with multiple uses and plenty of options to customize your experience to your liking. It is full of helpful ways to assist neurodivergent people, people living with chronic pain or illness, students or business owners with a lot on their plate, creative types who need their progress on their latest work tracked, busy parents trying to keep their household chores done regularly, or really anyone who needs a boost of motivation or better organization to tackle their daily goals.

I especially like the various calming sound options, giving this utility as an aid for sleep, meditation, or relaxation. Some of the sounds are effective enough to trigger ASMR, though of course here your mileage may vary.

The spirit designs are charming, the simple UI is well-designed and unobtrusive, and the expansion options are fairly priced (and worth it)

I'm a longtime fan of the series, and I actually really loved Borderlands 3 (a game that was polarizing to say the least)

what do I think of Borderlands 4? well...

I'm not entirely sure the open world design was the way to go for Borderlands, but it's something that I don't exactly dislike? it's growing on me.

the game's issues include:
- far too much enemy repetition; there simply isn't enough variety. each region should at least have a few unique critters, not just the bosses. the enemy AI could use work as well, as all three main mob types (Order, Rippers, and wildlife) seem quite samey.
- most of the new NPCs are lackluster at best. I don't find any of them especially compelling or memorable (so far Levaine is the only exception)
- not enough returning faces. I'm especially bummed not to see any mention of FL4K, my fave vault hunter from BL3. also wondering where the hell Moze/Tannis/BALEX are, and even Ava should be here (unless she secretly grew up into her lookalike Vex and changed her name/identity to escape the hate she got from the fanbase). there are others as well, and I'm left wondering about their fate. I'm holding out hope for the DLCs to fix this as seems fairly likely with the upcoming Ellie DLC, but we'll see...
- the main villain barely has any sort of presence (threatening or otherwise) and he rarely interacts with you. he's just not very interesting. I think Gearbox decided to play it safe a bit too much after all the criticism they received for the story/humor/villains of BL3. I would honestly take the obnoxious Calypso twins over this guy.
- speaking of humor, it's so dull that sometimes it barely seems like Borderlands. I miss the crass and outlandish shenanigans the series is known for. on occasion it peeks through, but it's nothing like the older titles.
- the overall tone is all over the place
- this is a minor complaint, but it seems like elemental monster mobs don't visually stand out from standard versions like they did in earlier titles. for example, you can hardly tell a shock pangolin or corrosive kratch apart from normal members of their species unless you get real close or highlight them. it seems a bit lazy to me? I loved the colorful, glowing creatures in Borderlands 2 and 3. it added that cool visual flair that let you tell at a glance what element a given critter was.
- given how much more depth there is to the skill trees, the level cap should be at least 70-something instead of 50. I hope they update it soon.
- many of the Legendaries are underwhelming and even boring.
- the current endgame leaves a lot to be desired.
- way more bugs than expected. hopefully they'll be patched out soonish.
- why are there so few hitscan weapons this time around?

my many gripes with the game now out of the way, do I ultimately recommend it? YES! it's a lotta fun despite its flaws. the gunplay is the best it's ever been, and the enhanced mobility options are great. the result is that battles are way more fluid and dynamic now, with lots of wacky chaotic action. the vault hunters are all unique and fun to play as, and their skill trees provide for some stellar buildcrafting.

although it suffers from the typical open world pitfalls, the map design itself is mostly decent and even outstanding in some areas. I also appreciate being able to summon a vehicle anywhere instead of having to schlep to the Catch-a-Ride stations.

I'm having a good time shootin' and lootin' with this game but it does need work. I am looking forward to the DLCs. I just hope they will be of a similar quality to the amazing DLCs we got for the third entry, and not the nonsense they spit out for Wonderlands. we shall see.

Although forcing you to use the wonky Ubisoft launcher isn't ideal, the game itself is solid and provides plenty of fun for any South Park fan who likes turn-based RPGs. I loved Stick of Truth and this game is just as enjoyable. The mechanics are slightly more complex than in SoT and overall I'd say this is a polished experience.

eldritch goat lady is my jam

Most of the guns look so bland in this game compared to the many diverse and interesting weapon designs in Borderlands 3. There are also not enough Legendaries, especially ones worth using. However, the melee weapons look okay and the spells are varied and fun to use.

So far the guns looking lackluster is my only real gripe. The game is fun solo or with others, and I've enjoyed my time with it. The writing is amusing as well, poking fun at TTRPGs in a way fans of such games will appreciate. It's cerainly a better narrative experience than the Borderlands 3 base game (not counting the latter's amazing DLCs, all of which are way better than anything this one's DLCs have to offer)

The endgame (Chaos runs) is something I thought I wouldn't dig, but I'm having more fun with it than I expected. Overall a solid recommendation, especially if you're a fan of both Borderlands-style looter shooters and TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons.

The ultimate chillaxing experience and with plenty of secrets to find. Not so much a "game" as a digital toy and method of relaxation. If you love that sort of thing, you'll dig this.

I don't play any Borderlands game for the story, so this one's cast of cringeworthy characters in a wonky narrative didn't trouble me. This game is excellent where it counts: the gameplay. It's straight up FUN, and is a good time either solo or with a group of friends. The gunplay and overall mechanics (such as movement and helpful QOL changes) have been improved even more from the already great Borderlands 2 experience. Even the vehicular control is a bit less clunky this time, allowing for the brief driving bits to be enjoyable enough. The weapon designs look better than ever, and feature plenty of wacky ideas put to good use.

Yes the story is relatively weak, so if you care about that I suggest you skip this entry and wait for Borderlands 4 (or just play the DLCs). But I wouldn't say the story is terrible, moreso just not great. The new characters are a mixed bag: the Calypso twins and Ava are the worst offenders, all three being annoying at best. But most of the other NPCs are just fine and they did a good job adding in many returning faces from previous games in ways that make sense (except for Maya, they did her dirty). The hidden lore in the form of the eridian slabs is actually interesting and worth seeking out.

Mancubus and BALEX are my personal faves of the new characters. That trademark Borderlands sense of humor is on full display here, and many of the side missions are actually fun and change things around permanently, in minor yet noticeable ways. Your choices do matter.

Some people have complained that Legendary drops are too common in this game, and that makes them less meaningful or impactful. At first I agreed. But ultimately I think it's a positive change, as it allows you to have fun trying out various builds without too much grind. There are many hours of enjoyment to be had with this game, and don't miss the worthwhile DLCs.

Also a free tip that will save you lots of time-- once you've completed the game in normal mode, there's no need to do it all over again in TVHM unless you actually want to play through the game's story all over again. Just set it to M11 (M10 if you like even more challenge) and you're good to go for exploring all the DLCs and endgame stuff at maximum difficulty and best loot.

my childhood approves 💜