Welcome to the End of the World: Borderlands Legends HD – iPad App Review
By 
Borderlands 2 came out a short time before the most recent World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria, launched. The PC shooter game, in my opinion, is why none of my gaming friends were leveling up panda monks with me on Sept. 25. When news hit the street that Borderlands Legends for iOS was set to launch on Halloween, I was both excited and had trepidations. There have been so many games in the App Store that share the same name as originals but nothing else, that I was worried BL Legends would follow that path. I was right.
Before I go on, I’m going to address BL fans. You may not want this game. It is nothing like the PC version, other than the fact that the characters are the same. You can’t loot bodies or find awesome guns. This isn’t a first person, or really even third-person, shooter. It is a team up game where you control four BL characters as you take on waves of enemies. The only way to get better guns is to buy them in the vending machine.
Now, I’m going to address gamers who aren’t going to get hot under the collar just because Borderlands Legends HD isn’t exactly like the PC version.
As a team-up shooter game, it is entertaining, but not that exciting. Players control four BL characters. Each one has a special ability, like “tanking” or healing. Players are given missions to complete and are dropped into a battlefield where they wait for enemies to arrive.
To move a character, select one by touching him and than drag your finger where you want him to go. Characters will automatically shoot nearby enemies and even move closer to them without your help.
Just like the original game, players rejuvenate their teammates by healing them when they are down. However, all you have to do is make sure that one shooter is nearby in order to give a “second wind” to his downed teammate.
Once all waves of enemies have been killed, players move on to the next battlefield and the waves start again.
Unfortunately, this game is too easy. You can control where the characters go and which enemies they attack, but they shoot automatically. I accidentally left the game running when I kicked over a cup of coffee and when I came back to it a few minutes later, the battle was over and I won. I experimented with a few other battlefields and discovered that, most of the time, you don’t even have to touch the screen and you can win a battle. The “boss” levels are harder and require more interaction.
Overall, this game is somewhat disappointing on multiple levels. If you are a fan of Borderlands, then you will enjoy the characters, landscapes, and other similarities, but you won’t like how different the game is from the original.
If you have never played Borderlands, you’ll like the game because it is fun, but you’ll quickly realize that it isn’t very difficult to play. You can literally walk away from the action and come back to a winning game.
What I liked: The design and look of this game is a lot like Borderlands. You’ll see familiar enemies and recognize environments. The gun vending machine offers plenty of weapons that you don’t have to use real money to buy.
What I didn’t like: This game is just too easy for me. At $6.99, I want a game that keeps me engaged so that I at least have to pay attention to while I’m playing.
To buy or not to buy: If you like playing games that you can beat fairly easily, you’ll enjoy this one. Otherwise, its too expensive for not enough of a challenge.
- Name: Borderlands Legends HD
- Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
- Category: Games
- Developer: 2K Games
- Price: $6.99
- Score:
