I *love* borderlands.
I *hate* Gearbox and its owner.
This is the advantage of *not* being a fanboy. I can hold rational fact based positions.
But others here- programmed by big business and big media and big government propagandists (who are advised by the best psychologists)- think being a 'fanboy' is an essential part of life. The whole reason organised sports exist
Team sports with big fanbases are a British invention when the embyo Bitish Empire started using mercenaries and foreign troops and no longer wanted the plebs in Britain 'armed' and 'dangerous'. Before this time, plebs were forced to give up part of their week training as 'archers'. Then the British Deep State began the process of de-arming Brits. Something else had to take the place of weekly paramilitary training. So locally supported team sports were promoted instead- based on old traditions of early violent no-rules football games between rival villages.
Britain 2- known more commonly as the USA- really latched onto this idea bigtime. While Americans were not disarmed, they were also distracted away from being members of local militias by organised sports.
The *greatest* fear in any modern democracy is a revolt by the people- so the people must have no real means to challenge their 'masters'.
And as a consequence of people being brought up in this brave new world, we have *fanboys*- idiots who think loyaly to a brand or corporation makes sense beyond buying a thing on its merits.
So idiots defend the Epic Store cos they like the Unreal Engine, or defend Randy and/or Gearbox cos they like some of their older games. *Fanboys*- or more correctly the weaponised unthinking mob.
PS it is apparent none of the original genius that lay behind the original Borderlands games is behind Borderlands 3. The turn-over at most game developers is very high, cos the talent who really matter almost never get paid what they are worth. If they are an essential part of the design process of a smash hit- well watching the owner take all the profits is a primary incentive to leave and work elsewhere. The mediocre non-talent stays.
Level designers gone. Lead artists gone. Lead low level coders gone. The voice actors you loved gone. Its just Randy, a bunch of new cheap hires, and a lot of money sunk into a cynical loveless sequel.
The big gameplay reveal for Borderlands 3 really saddened me. I saw none of the original Borderlands magic in this new game- but I did see all the thick-headed hopeless DNA from the giant flop that Gearbox gave the world after Borderlands 2. Even when I hate a company etc, I hope their new product might be great. But bad owners/controlling managers ruin even good teams.
Claptrap was the face of Borderlands. Many times Hollywood has often had to swallow down its bile, and re-employ an actor who is the face of a current IP even when that actor 'dares' to screw the producers - but Hollywood is all grown up. Big Gaming is still at the toddler phase. So the astonishingly important voice of Claptrap is told to get bent- cos gamers are so 'thick', a cheap-n-nasty replacement is 'just as good'. Or at least that's what Randy tells you. As he screams his hatred of steam, cos Steam is where customers are given a say.
I say give back to Randy exactly what Randy deserves.