videogamescritic
← all games
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition

Take-Two Interactive · released Apr 3, 2019

FPSPCPlayStation 3, PlayStation 4Xbox 360, Xbox OneNintendo Switch

Borderlands is an RPG sci-fi shooter that features four player online co-op.

72
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence
76%
Press
72%
Player sentiment
71%
Backloggd
74%
Xbox store
5,435
Ratings

Screenshots & trailers

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)7620
All-time Steam reviews0
Metacritic user ratings7378
Backloggd ratings71750
Xbox store ratings74750
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)0
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (10)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 70
    trust 69Apr 4, 2019

    Between Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition and the updates to the Handsome Collection, Borderlands is back in a big way, and that’s to say nothing of the main attraction coming in September. Unlike more recent entries in this space, Borderlands doesn’t hinge on fragile in-game economies or being stingy with loot. Instead, it's a game that just wants to have fun, silly, brash, play-it-with-friends kind of fun. Welcome back old friend, you have been missed.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 64Apr 2, 2019

    Not a game that particularly needed a remaster but that in itself speaks to the quality of the original and the potential of the new sequel.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 61Apr 8, 2019

    A fun looter shooter that needed a more polished remaster.

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    trust 57Apr 18, 2019

    Gearbox's release of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition brings the missing piece of the franchise to current generation consoles. Mechanical and visual improvements solidify Borderlands has always been a fun, beautiful game that was quite forward-thinking despite some things not aging well.

    read full review ↗
  • 84
    trust 57Apr 4, 2019

    Even ten years after its original release, Borderlands is still a great co-op experience, which looks great thanks to its "cel-shading" graphics (4k resolution in PS4 PRO and Xbox One X).

    read full review ↗
  • 58
    trust 57Apr 24, 2019

    A mixed bag. It’s fun to revisit one of the first “looter shooters” for consoles again, and the mix of run, gun, and loot still holds up well despite its age. But this is hardly a perfect port/remaster of that game, and because of that, it’s difficult to really suggest picking it up.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 52Apr 15, 2019

    Despite a few technical issues, Borderlands: Game of the Year is an amazing looter shooter remaster, and when played with a group of friends, is still one of the most enjoyable titles of the last decade.

    read full review ↗
  • 83
    trust 50Apr 4, 2019

    Quotation forthcoming.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 49Apr 15, 2019

    Having already seen Borderlands 2 squeezed into the PlayStation Vita (with, admittedly, ropey results), it’s a surprise this version of the first game isn’t also coming out on Nintendo Switch, but that’s an issue for another day. For many though, having an excuse to replay Borderlands 1 on the same console as the Handsome Collection is good enough. Definitely worth a play if you’ve never done so before, but perhaps not all that essential anymore.

    read full review ↗
  • 82
    trust 48Apr 8, 2019

    Quotation forthcoming.

    read full review ↗