Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a must-buy for any Borderlands fan

As a big fans of the Borderlands series, I was really happy to find out that there was a way to experience the series on the PS4. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection features a ton of content for the price of a regular game (and I found it on Amazon for a slight discount of $50 instead of $60). It includes Borderlands 2, all the DLC as well as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, which follows events happening between the first and second Borderlands game from the perspective of Vault Hunters in the employ of Handsome Jack himself.

Granted, it’s not entirely new content some of it was new to me, and considering all the content included, buying it was an easy choice. In addition to all the Borderlands 2 DLC you’re also able to access the Pre-Sequel DLC “Claptastic Voyage.” That DLC pack isn’t included on disc but is a free download as it was released the same day as The Handsome Collection. But Borderlands 2 features extensive DLC, which includes “Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty,” “Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage,” “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt,” “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep,” “T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest,” “The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler,” “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day,” “Mad Moxxi and the Wedding Day Massacre,” “Sir Hammerlock vs. The Son of Crawmerax,” as well as the Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack which adds the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, a new-game plus mode which increases difficulty as well as increases the level cap from 50 to 61. And though I haven’t started Borderlands 2 on PS4 yet, the description does say “all DLC,” so I’m assuming that also means the two extra playable characters, Gaige the Mechromancer and Krieg the Psycho.

The Handsome Collection is a remastered version of Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel and can run at 1080p resolution at 60 frames a second when playing with one or two players locally. It is also capable of allowing four players to play split-screen at once, rather than two as on PS3 or Xbox 360. Though playing with more than two players reduces the frame rate to 30 frames per second. Also, I believe you’re able to have play online with two players playing locally, though I’m not sure if it supports more than that.

Save data from previous games can be retrieved on the same console type – PS3 to PS4 and Xbox 360 to Xbox One. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the original Borderlands game, though Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has stated that if The Handsome Collection is “wildly popular” they would consider remastering the original for next gen consoles.

Like I mentioned earlier, I haven’t started a new game of Borderlands 2 yet (because I had a 360 and so can’t transfer my old character), I’ve take the opportunity to play the Pre-Sequel because I never got around to playing it when it was originally released.

The Pre-Sequel takes place in between the first and second Borderlands games and is from the perspective of Vault Hunters hired by Handsome Jack to help him open a Vault on Elpis, a moon of the planet Pandora. Things go wrong quickly for Jack and the hunters but this game is unique in that it tells the story more from Jack’s point of view. I haven’t played too much but early on in the game, Jack seems like a much more sympathetic character so I’m wondering if that is because it is being told through the eyes of his associates or if it’s because something happens to Jack later on that causes him to become the massive jerk that you first meet in Borderlands 2.

The Pre-Sequel also introduces many new elements to the gameplay. The biggest is the O2 meter. Since most of the game takes place on a moon with no atmosphere, you’ll need special equipment to keep your oxygen meter topped off (which is constantly draining, though there is ample opportunity to refill it). Also, this equipment often offers special traits in the same vein as shield generators or grenade mods.

Also because you’re on a moon, there is reduced gravity which affects your jump speed and height and allows you to use your O2 stores to hover slightly as well as perform the new ground pound maneuver, where you can smash into enemies below at the cost of some oxygen.

There are several other new additions like jump pads and new elemental properties which can be applied to your weapons but overall, the Pre-Sequel doesn’t change up the Borderlands formula too much. There are still millions of gun variants and there are still lots of crazy enemies and monsters to kill on Elpis. You’ll meet several familiar faces along the way and the game is still replete with trademark humor you’ve come to expect from Borderlands.

Additionally, there are other new elements to the Pre-Sequel I haven’t encountered yet like laser guns, a new vehicle and a new “Grinder” machine where players can deposit two weapons and receive a new one of higher quality.

I also really like that instead of relying on the same playable character type that were featured in Borderlands 1 and 2, the Pre-Sequel offers characters with new action skills and skill trees. You can even play as a Claptrap unit or as a Handsome Jack clone.

Since it was made by 2K Australia, almost everyone in Pre-Sequel has an Australian accent which is kinda weird at first but you’ll get used to it over time. Also, being that it takes place entirely on a moon (well, as far as I know right now), the environments of Pre-Sequel are kind of dull. There are towns and scavenger outposts littered about Elpis but for the most part, it’s just been the game grey boring rocks. I’m hoping that there will be more interesting environments once I get deeper into the game. But being that it’s a moon and not a planet, I’m not entirely sure there will be.

 Considering that this title offers two games for the price of one, The Handsome Collection is already a pretty good deal. But when you throw in all the DLC, improved visuals, improved online abilities and cross-platform save retrieval, The Handsome Collection becomes an amazing value. The Handsome Collection is a must for any fan of the Borderlands series and would be a great addition to the library of an first-person shooter fan.

CM Punk WILL be in WWE 2K15, new details on 2K Showcase

Last week on Grizzly Gaming, I detailed a lot of the new features of the upcoming WWE 2K15 video game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and today there is some exciting new information about the 2K Showcase, one of the single player modes in the game which will detail some of the most prominent feuds in the history of WWE.

Perhaps the biggest and most surprising news is that former WWE Superstar CM Punk WILL be featured in WWE 2K15 as part of the 2K Showcase for his 2011-2013 feud with John Cena. The 2002-2004 feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels was also unveiled recently. In all there will be 33 matches featured in the 2K Showcase but additional feuds will be added as DLC after the game hits shelves on October 28.

It should also be noted that the CM Punk vs John Cena feud will be playable at Gamescom in Germany and at the SummerSlam event this weekend in Los Angeles. Much like the “Attitude Era” mode and “30 Years of Wrestlemania” in the past two WWE games, completing the 2K Showcase will unlock new wrestlers, attires, arenas and more.

Regardless of how you feel about CM Punk’s sudden departure from the company, it’s pretty cool we’ll get at least one next-generation wrestling game with CM Punk in it. I also suppose that this means that CM Punk will be a playable character outside of the 2K Showcase, though none of the articles I’ve read make specific reference to that. It would be odd to include Punk and not allow him to be used outside of the 2K Showcase but considering the way he left WWE, I was a little surprised to see him included at all.

Everything known about new modes and special edition of WWE 2K15

The first screen of WWE 2K15, tweeted recently by John Cena. The level of detail is astounding.
This is allegedly an in-game screenshot too and not from a pre-rendered cinematic.

With its impending release on October 28, lots of interesting information has been made known recently about WWE 2K15. In addition to new modes and technical specs, info about a special edition of WWE 2K15 was recently released.

The Hulkamania special collector’s edition of WWE 2K15 feature several exclusive in-game characters such as unique Hulk Hogan, Hollywood Hulk Hogan as well as two versions of Sting (blonde, flat-top Sting and “Crow” Sting). I believe that these characters, at least the Sting characters, will be available with a pre-order of the standard game.

However, the Hulkamania edition will net you several other cool extras. Those who purchase the $100 special edition will also receive an art card signed by Hulk Hogan, a piece of the canvas from Monday Night Raw on March 10, 2014 in Memphis TN, as well as a special edition Hollywood Hulk Hogan vinyl figure by Funko. Only 25,000 copies of this special edition will be produced so if you really want one, better pre-order early. This special edition will only be available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

Randy Orton's signature pose recreated in WWE 2K15

There’s a lot of new information about the actual gameplay and modes of WWE 2K15 known now too. This is the second WWE game published by 2K, though WWE 2K14 was largely produced by THQ and only finished and distributed by 2K. WWE 2K15 on the other hand was created from the ground up by 2K, Yuke’s and Visual Concepts and promises to give the series an entirely new look and feel. Compared to the previous title, there has been over five times the amount of animation data recorded for 2K15 which will allow give the Superstars more lifelike movements than ever before. Additionally, over four times the amount of dialogue has been recorded for commentary which should hopefully alleviate hearing the same phrases too often, which has been an issue in the past.

The past two WWE games had introduced spectacular new single player modes – one following the Attitude Era and one highlighting huge matches from each of the 30 Wrestlemania shows. WWE2K15 will have its own such mode, the 2K Showcase, which will focus on popular past rivalries. No rivalries in specific have been mentioned but one could speculate all day that we could see rivalries like Hulk Hogan/Sergeant Slaughter, Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels, Triple H/Rock highlighted in the 2K Showcase. It’s said that the mode will give in-depth details about each rivalry, treating each almost like a mini-documentary.

In addition to the 2K Showcase, a mode called My Career will also be included, which will be exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Not much has been made known about this mode, except that it will allow you follow the career of a user created Superstar through his career in WWE. A mode like this hasn’t been included in a WWE game for several years and it will be interesting to see how the developers plan on implementing methods to keep this mode fresh and interesting to extend replayability. Several articles have compared it to the similar career mode in NBA 2K14, though I couldn’t say how accurate that is, having never played it. No word yet on if Universe mode will return.

I’m pretty excited for WWE 2K15. The series had gotten a bit stale under THQ and it seems like 2K is really trying to inject a lot of life and new ideas with this title. The few released screen shots (posted above) are very impressive and I can’t wait to actually see this game in action. I just hope this title also allows for the ability to upload/download created wrestlers so I can see all my favorite indy stars in glorious high definition competing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.