 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Borderlands
- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: First Person Shooter
Common Sense Media says
Stylish but super-gory shooter where you kill with abandon.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Borderlands is a very gruesome first-person shooter meant for adults only. Besides using strong language and mature humor, the game is quite violent. Players amass a large collection of weapons which they use to kill humans and creatures native to the planet they're visiting. When enemies are killed, blood often shoots in the air. In some cases, limbs fly off bodies and heads can be decapitated. Prepare for plenty of blood and gore. The game is also playable online, a feature Common Sense Media does not recommend for children under the age of 12.
What's it about?
Borderlands follows four mercenaries -- Brick the Berserker, Lilith the Siren, Mordecai the Hunter, and Roland the Soldier -- as they visit the planet of Pandora in search of a legendary alien vault believed to contain rare technology and infinite wealth. Guided by a guardian angel and the inhabitants of Pandora, players choose a character and begin their journey. The game is best described as a first-person shooter with some role-playing elements, such as gathering experience points and boosting specific combat skills. The story is open, so players can choose to take on quests linked to the main adventure or accept side quests to earn cash or experience. Players can tackle the adventure solo, with another player in split-screen mode, or in four-player cooperative action online.
Is it any good?
Borderlands' big draw is its huge arsenal, which consists of thousands of guns randomly generated throughout its environments. The weapons feel quite different compared to other shooters and are really fun to use. Ammo contains elemental properties that can add acid, fire or electric damage. The urge to test out newly discovered firearms is often enough incentive to march through the lengthy campaign.
Complementing the unique arsenal is a vibrant world that employs a cel-shaded animation reminiscent of a comic book. The game features a wide variety of enemies, both big and small. They're not always very smart, however. While you would expect animals to run toward you without a thought, it's hard to watch human enemies present themselves as such easy targets. The game also includes an impressive, seamless online experience where up to three players can join your game at any time. Alternatively, you can join anyone else's game. Groups of players can also enter arenas for four-player competitive multiplayer, making it very easy to get lost in the world of Borderlands.
Online interaction: Players can join others games at any time in cooperative and competitive play, and the game includes open chat with others. That means the range of language and ideas (good or bad) that could be encountered online is unknowable.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the game's artistic style, which gives it the appearance of a moving comic book. Do you think it enhances the experience? Do you wish other games used similar graphics?
Do you think the game's comic book aesthetic alters the depiction of violence in any significant way? Does it make the violence seem more cartoonish, and hence more tolerable? Or is it just as intense as the violence found in games striving for a more realistic look and feel?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Perfect for ages 12+
My son bought Borderlands the other day because all his friends had it. So while he was at school, i played it to see what it was about. Then i found that it is about 4 people who try to find gold and technolgy. I can't really find a fault in the game except that your child might play it alot but, hey thats normal.
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AGE
ok
This gae is fine for mature 13-14 year olds to play. sure their is a little violence, but it isn't like these kids are now going to grow up and be mass terrorists when they grow up. hopefully this helps strict parents let their kids have a life and play vidio games.
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AGE
i love the exploding sniper rifle my favorite weapon
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AGE
perfect for tweens who love comic book games
it is a great game and is appropriate for all ages 13 or older
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AGE
Great game fine for 12 and up!!!!!!!
In the beggining i didnt want to let my 12 year old son have this but i tried it with him and it wasnt bad mainly because it was cartoon violence and it has a good plot not a lot of cussing would not recommend for 10 and under or kids who get really scared because it can get scary at some parts.
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AGE
NO KIDS
The Game With All Guns
The game is fun to play but is incredibly gruesome and bloodthirsty.
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AGE
Borderlands a great FPS and RPG. Violence, OK the violence is a little rough. you can blow off bandits heads,cut mutated dogs with a machete. but its not something that will gross you out and not anything like Fallout 3. Language, There are are some F*** but not alot, the P**** word is really only used by Brick the huge one. and the are other words like D*** and S*** that are used throughout the game. nothing you dont hear on TV or at work/school. Really its a great game and not too bad for teens in my opinion.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 12, 2011
AGE
ONE OF THE WORST GAMES ON XBOX360 HISTORY
Ok, I played Borderlands for about 5 minutes and I'm already bored. It has EXTREAMLY TERRIBLE CONTROLS and LAME gameplay. I don't have much to say about this game. And the suprising thing is, is that it is one of XBOX's TOP GAMES!!!
There is either BUY, RENT, or PASS
Borderlands and a... PASS.
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AGE
this game is the best but it is not for kids 9 and under
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AGE
Violent, but in a tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, cartoonish, and silly way
I think the game is quite good, harking on many of the fun and rewarding game elements that I loved in the Diablo games back in the day, or that many people find in the World of Warcraft game, only with less online exposure.
The game does have a bit of language, but nothing shocking or outrageous that a kid in their teens wouldn't face exposure to anywhere else. A curse here or there, nothing more.
The violence, with decapitations, and body parts, and burning death screams, does sound quite gruesome on paper, but in practice, the caricature-ish manner in which the whole game, including the violence, is handled definitely reduces the impact. Even the human characters in the game are non-realistic enough to easily separate any tie to reality. I find Call of Duty to be much more suggestive in terms of violence.
I wouldn't give this game to a kid under 10 or maybe 12, but any child in their teens, with enough supervision, should find a lot of safe enjoyment with Borderlands.
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | First Person Shooter |
| Developer: | 2K Games |
| Release date: | October 20, 2009 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language |
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