Borderlands is here...without the hard cel

Without almost any fanfare whatsoever, first person shooter Borderlands snuck its way onto the shop shelves the other day. A few months ago this game was heralded as one of the hottest prospects for game of the year... but with Forza 3 and Unchartered 2 making their heavily-hyped appearance at the same time, and pre-orders for Modern Warfare 2 coming in thick and fast, you could almost be forgiven for forgetting about Gearbox's latest effort.


I must admit that some of my enthusiasm had waned a little for this. I'd been tempted by all those screenshots a little while back and been positively salivating at the prospect of four player co-op, numerous online modes, a healthy quota of weaponary, and the customisable characters and vehicles... Sadly - but all too inevitably - it just can't compete with the other big releases right now.



Saying that though, I could have told you before it achieved a pretty decent score on review aggregating website Metacritic that it was going to be well received!

How could I possibly know that you ask?? Simple. Cel-shading...

Borderlands showcases the much-loved graphical style that almost without exception seems to be warmly received by gamers. Cel-shading really makes a game stand out from the crowd, with the graphics rendered in such a way as to make them look almost cartoonlike - an interactive comic book if you will.

Remember PaRappa The Rapper way back in the day? Kick, punch, it's all in the mind... this was the forerunner to the dance mat revolution, and today's flood of Guitar Hero-type games.

And how about Jet Set Radio Future - the 2002 Xbox sequel to the Dreamcast's Jet Set Radio?

or the fantastic looking XIII? How on earth did this never get a sequel?

Good old Wikipedia has handily listed a few others too - but these three are the cel-shaded titles that have cemented themselves into my gaming memories. Question is, will Borderlands be joining them? I reckon so!

(Photo credit: Psycho Al)