Borderlands games reload with updated art and features
Re-re-wind
There ain't no rest for the wicked, a video game once told me, and Gearbox Software certainly have been busy. Today they launched remastered versions of Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, coming to PC as free updates. They're all prettied-up a bit, while the first game also now includes all the DLC as well as features borrowed from later games in the looter-shooter series. These updates are probably more for the benefit of the latest consoles, jazzing 'em up for a fresh audience before Borderlands 3 hits in September, but hey we benefit too. Thanks, Ian Microsoft and Ian Sony!
The updated 'Borderlands Game Of The Year Enhanced' edition on Steam is prettied-up and, just as importantly, fixed-up a little. It brings "quality of life" changes including an optional on-screen minimap, the ability to lock items or mark them as junk, and auto-pickup for ammo, money, and health. It reworks the final boss battle to be, Gearbox say, "more engaging, challenging, and rewarding." It introduces different head options to customise your character. Oh, and it adds the 'Shift Key' code system Gearbox use to give away free in-game goodies. That's some handy Borderlands 2-y stuff there.
Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel just get the prettying-up. While Borderlands GOTY is an upgrade, these come as optional additional downloads - available here and here.
The prettification process for all these includes, according to Gearbox:
• Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxes
• Remastered 4K characters and vehicles
• Remastered 4K weapon meshes and textures
• Improved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation
o This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character models
• Higher Resolution Dynamic Shadows
o Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movement
•Improved Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
o An improved SSAO method for more realistic ambient lighting
How flexible the term "4K" is these days.
That's some good stuff for free updates - the improvements and bonuses for the first game especially.
