The Jon Venture

Leave it to Borderlands to show up fashionably late to the fps party, with its fly down, and still garner the attention of one of the cool kids. 2K Games and Gearbox Software’s role playing shooter Borderlands stood out in 2009 with its tight controls, accessible role-playing elements, and unique style and humor, but was noticeably lacking in end-game content and a competitive co-op mode. The first attempt at making amends with fans of the new IP was The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Borderlands’ inaugural set of downloadable content that played like an abridged director’s cut of the original game; nothing new was really added to the mix beyond an extended narrative and zombified re-skinning of existing enemies. The second set of downloadable content, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, does a much better job of listening to the fans that were already looking for the next flight off of Pandora.

Released on December 29^th 2009 on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot bypasses a progressive storyline in favor of horde-mode style based gameplay where groups of enemies charge from all sides. Mercenaries who were already growing weary of countless runs through the Eridian Promontory on Playthrough 2.5 should be pleased to know that the challenge level has been ratcheted up quite a bit. Beginning with the small tournaments, groups of up to four mercenaries must survive five rounds of five waves of enemies- 25 waves of enemies consisting of many variations of skags, bandits, badasses, and bosses. The larger tournaments consist of 20 rounds of five waves… 100 waves of enemies in a row. Gamers gain access to The Underdome by using the fast travel network, where a centralized lobby will serve as a hub for the three arenas. Hell-Burbia takes its visual cues and layout from the Pandoran town of Old Haven, a multi-leveled urban environment favoring a close-quarters combat style that allows for few mistakes. The Angelic Ruins look very similar to the snowy hills and jutting rock structures of the Eridian Promontory, and you can count on an appearance from the Eridians themselves. The third arena, The Gully, resembles the rocky terrain of Skag Gully and has a few open areas where Pandora’s puppies could easily run you down.

Speaking of puppies, the Underdome is hosted by the titular Mad Moxxi, whose lust for attention is nearly as strong as the lust that otakus will undoubtedly have for her. Beyond her busty appearance, gamers will love Mad Moxxi for the other upgrade she has brought to Borderlands- the storage bank. If you’re looking for just a few more spaces where you could store some legendary weapons or particularly effective class mods, the new upgradable storage bank allows for a total of 42 extra slots to store items. The upgrades can be purchased out of the vending machines in the lobby, where the normal array of weapons/ammo/ med kits can be found as well. Packrats are not the only ones who will be using up nearly every slot in both their backpacks and storage bank, because a twist on the standard horde mode in Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot will force gamers to change their arsenal on the fly.

Moxxi’s Maxims are new combat rules announced between waves of enemies that force new strategies to be used to stay alive. Between waves of enemies Moxxi could announce a Shotgun Challenge rule, for example, that adds bonus damage to shotguns and lowers the effectiveness of all other weapon types. Others, such as Dodgeball rule, increases the chance enemies will dodge your attacks, and the Body Shot rule lowers critical hit damage. A favorite rule of mine is the Naked rule, which removes shields and causes even experiences mercenaries to run for cover. Towards the end of the 20 round waves in the larger tournaments up to four of Moxxi’s Maxims begin stacking, making for intense rounds and an absolute blast with friends. Combine the Naked rule described earlier with the Dead Aim rule that increases enemy accuracy, the Spastic rule that causes enemies to move and reload faster, and the Kick Ass rule that enables enemies to deal bonus damage, and every rookie bandit on Pandora can potentially pose a major threat.

Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot definitely justifies its 800 Microsoft Point price tag with the new features it brings to Borderlands. The Underdome’s 125 Achievement Points are satisfying to earn albeit time consuming, a pair of skill points can be earned to power up your abilities, and the storage bank allows for more items to be stored for later use. In terms of actual gameplay time, expect to spend at least two hours for each of the three larger tournaments and around the same time for your first venture into the smaller tournament taking place in all three arenas. PlayStation 3 gamers will not have to wait for long to enjoy Mad Moxxi’s Underdome riot, as it will be available for download on PSN January 7^th, 2010 for $10 (a release date has yet been confirmed for PC). While Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot does not bring any new weapons into the mix, increase the level cap, or provide a method to transfer items between your characters, it will definitely provide a fun experience for legit Borderlands players. So long as you’re not equipping game-breaking modified weapons, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot can be an intense challenge and is a great step forward for Borderlands that shows Gearbox Software’s commitment to fans.

Eager to try my hand at the indie games my editor constantly raves about, I was given a code for Sidehill Gouger, the new puzzle game from developers Canned Games. Based out of Jacksonville, New Brunswick, this family founded studio has figured out the formula for success with their very first outing by combining engaging gameplay with beautifully illustrated artwork and that youthful curiosity that usually gets you in trouble. In Sidehill Gouger, gamers wander the wilderness as young Andrew, a boy whose imagination was sparked with Grampy’s tales of mythical creatures. With only his favorite fishing hat and slingshot, Andrew explores a series of maps in a top-down view to make his way to the fishing creek. The goal of each stage is quite simple; find the Sidehill Gouger and knock him out with your slingshot in order to advance.

Almost discerningly so, the easygoing nature of Sidehill Gouger hides the addictive puzzle elements that turn a purchase of 80 Microsoft Points (a steal, by the way) into a truly fun experience. By recognizing clues in any of the 36 randomly generated stages that hint the Gouger’s whereabouts, you will quickly begin hunting rather than avoiding him. Your tracking skills will come into play by noticing loose dirt and avoiding the Gouger holes that are nearby, as well as critter blood that indicates the Gouger is close. Winding paths, flying Treesqueaks, and frightening Hidebehinds all factor in as well, turning an independent game on Xbox Live Arcade into a series of logic problems that has made me late for work… again.

If you have ever wandered your backyard looking for monsters as a kid, then Sidehill Gouger is a game worth playing. The simple yet fun logic puzzles are hidden behind great artwork and a soothing soundtrack that lulls you to drop your guard until the Gouger pops up and sends Andrew running back to Grampy’s. I can’t stress this enough, for its mere 80 Microsoft Point price tag, this venture is well worth your time and is much more enjoyable than a trinket for your avatar. Support independent developers and Canned Games by playing Sidehill Gouger on Xbox Live Arcade. Soon enough, you too will be walking outside your home and looking upwards to avoid Treesqueaks… those little buggers.

Vengeance is a hell of a motivator. Dark as it may seem, the teeth-clenching wish to seek out justice against those who have done you wrong can bring about extraordinary results. Just look what it did for the likes of Batman and John McClane, they’re both kicking ass and raking in millions. EA and Pandemic Studios are hoping Sean Devlin will do the same for them in The Saboteur, the new action/adventure game for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC set in Nazi-occupied Paris released on December 4th. As Pandemic’s last title before EA shut them down and laid off 228 of their employees, they definitely went out with a bang. That’s no pun, that’s the resonating sound of vengeance with a sledgehammer.

(Wait, you never saw the NSFW Pandemic ‘Office Space’ Farewell video?)

Back to the matter at hand, The Saboteur is a sandbox-style game in the vein of GTA that also implements third-person shooter elements with stealth gameplay. Gamers take up arms as Sean Devlin, an Irish racecar driver whose best friend was murdered by the Nazis. Rather than going against the Third Reich head-on, Devlin sneaks around snapping necks and setting up bombs to bring forth the will to fight of the local citizens. This “Will to Fight” is represented by the bleeding in of color in The Saboteur’s black-and-white environments after an area has been inspired and nearby Nazis weakened. If sniping and playing a pseudo spy isn’t your idea of a good time, you can always run in with guns blazing and pray for the best when completing quests. This freedom is reminiscent of Pandemic’s Mercenaries series, but without Mattias “Techno Viking” Nilsson marching down the street.

Aside from the Midnight Show dlc that removes nipple pasties from some of the finest ladies in Paris, the hybrid sandbox gameplay is the reason to pick up The Saboteur. The optional Midnight Show dlc, coincidentally, is also the reason The Saboteur wasn’t readily available to rent at my local video emporium, at least that’s what the clerk had speculated as he fumbled on his computer. So shooting an airport full of civilians is acceptable… but nipple pasties cross the line? I don’t see the big deal, but then again I am also not the parent of a minor who should be versed in terrorism but shielded from even the slightest image of female sexuality.

Once you get past the initial shock factor, The Saboteur is a worthwhile addition to the myriad of World War 2 games mainly because it is unlike any of the ones released before. The story is engaging, the setting is colorful (eventually), and Sean Devlin has an attitude that could easily earn him a spot under the command of 1st Lieutenant Aldo Raine. Rather than the traditional item collection mechanics found in other sandbox games, The Saboteur employs its namesake and directs gamers to destroy structures with the bombs Sean acquires- and there are plenty of those white dots on your map to keep busy and explore the landscape. The Saboteur definitely lived up to the enthusiasm of Lead Designer Tom French, but the untimely events surrounding the game’s developer may have shortchanged the end product. Certain liberties were taken with historical accuracy, and The Saboteur could have benefitted from more time in development to add a bit of polish, but I think the polish was already packed with the rest of Pandemic’s office supplies before the game shipped.

The next time you travel to Pandora, you might find a few things different with your experience. Some of those glitchy annoyances pestering gamers have been patched in this first update for 2K Games and Gearbox Software’s wildly popular RPS Borderlands. Of note, achievements that were not properly unlocking or awarding points were fixed, external manipulation of backpack and character levels have been “addressed”, and a few character skills have been adjusted. Also worth noting is that PS3 and PC users will be late to this party as they have yet to receive this update. Direct from Ennui, Community Manager for Gearbox Software, here are her notes on all the changes made in this first update for Borderlands on the Xbox 360:

Here are the notes for the update automatically provided on 12/11:

- Characters that have lost skill points will have them returned the next time they are loaded
- Most instances involving character data loss when playing online should no longer occur
- Item cards now display the intended five lines of text
- Achievements should now unlock properly. Players should automatically receive achievements that did not unlock correctly
- Fixed a progression issue in the Find Steele mission – characters affected by this issue should now be able to continue progressing
- Some issues involving external data manipulation of the backpack and character level have been addressed
- The auto-aim option should now fully disable auto-aim properly
- Fixed a bug that kept challenges and achievements from unlocking for the rest of a session after visiting arenas
- Fixed some formatting issues with the server list screen.
- Fixed an issue causing servers to report the incorrect plot mission.
- Proficiency progress to the next level should no longer be lost when leaving a multiplayer game as a client
- Lilith’s “Silent Resolve” skill now works as intended
- Fixed a bug that allowed Mordecai to spawn multiple Bloodwings
- Mordecai’s “Loaded” skill now increases mag capacity by 20%
- Roland’s “Scattershot” skill has had its spread adjustment corrected, and damage now increases at +5 per level

Think these patches are helpful for the community, gamers, or has your level 29546 Hunter with a 1,000+ backpack and infinite Bloodwing pets finally been nerfed? What, super haxxors are already working on a way around that fix you say? Avoid them if their 1337 6UN2 are lagging your game into submission. Ain’t no rest for the wicked, indeed.