CLAPTRAP: THE STAR OF ‘BORDERLANDS’

I am having mixed emotions right now. The ‘Claptrap’ series of documentaries developed by GearBox Software is quite honestly, one of the most humorous game marketing campaigns I have ever seen. But it’s starting to bother me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this kind of marketing and I encourage all developers to do something ‘out of the box’ like this, but I find it troubling that they are relying so heavily on these videos to promote the game.

Shouldn’t a game speak for itself? Shouldn’t the gameplay shut up all doubters who say this game will suck? That’s what I am looking for. I want to see more of the game. Even though I haven’t seen much yet, from what I have seen from their trailers, I want to buy this game. It’s funny. The art style looks amazing. The amount of weapons you can use is astounding. And the dialogue seems interesting enough to carry the story and humor throughout the entire game.

But will it be fun? And more importantly, are these types of marketing videos meant to hide the fact that the developers made a crappy game? I am a skeptic, and I feel like we are being fooled here. Game videos and trailers, much like movies and ‘behind the scenes’ footage, tend to show a different picture of what you’ll actually be getting in the final product. Like a movie trailer that shows absolutely every funny part in the movie, so when you go see the movie, those parts aren’t even funny anymore. Or when a movie trailer shows you barely anything, and when you go see the movie, it’s the complete opposite of what you thought you were in for.

That’s what I am starting to think with Borderlands. I have been waiting with high anticipation for this game to be released. I have even chosen to skip buying Halo 3: ODST because I felt Borderlands had so much more potential. And maybe it still does. But what I saw of a multiplayer gameplay video last night, I was truly disappointed. This isn’t the video I saw, but just an example. (No worries, you’re not going deaf. The video has no sound.)

What’s with the damage numbers coming off of the enemy bodies when you shoot them? They’re bleeding numbers, and it’s not very subtle. The movement seems slow, reloading slow, the weapons seem ineffective and the AI void of any intelligence at all. I am really hoping Gearbox didn’t rely so heavily on the art direction and forgot all about the gameplay. If the multiplayer sucks as much as I thought it sucked in that video last night (most commenter’s did not like what they saw either) then Borderlands better have one stellar of a Campaign.

Then again, if Claptrap is in every scene of the game running his profane mouth off like this, how bad could it be?

Update: Whoa! Looks like Gearbox developers have the same thoughts I do.

Excerpt from Cinemablend:

“We’ve been trying really hard to hold things back and not reveal too much and spoil most of the game,” said Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford in a statement sent out last night (thanks, Giant Bomb). “Yes, it has been mentioned that Borderlands has other environments in the game like snowy mountaintops and the military installations, but we aren’t showing it! Remember all of those movie trailers you’ve seen that give away all the best stuff and the whole damn story before you’re even at the theater? Yeah, we think that sucks too.”

OK, I’m still interested.. but we’ll have to wait and see if this all lives up to the hype.