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.