Borderlands 4 Becomes the Destiny 3 We Might Never See: Gearbox’s Brilliant Shift

Sure thing! Here’s the re-written article:

—

So, last night, just like a gazillion other people, I plopped myself in front of the screen for the Borderlands 4 State of Play. Wow, info overload! Seriously. It threw out vibes way more like the OG Borderlands than anything they’ve churned out recently. It’s funny, I kinda thought it was heading in a Destiny 3 direction? Go figure. But yeah, this gutsy new twist feels about right for Borderlands.

Okay, let’s unravel this. Borderlands has this double-edged sword of a reputation, right? Mostly, it’s killer FPS action. I mean, who doesn’t love a wild looter shooter or whatever we’re calling it today? Explosions everywhere! Guns that do the weirdest things… Man, that’s the bedrock of the whole series. Like, remember Borderlands 1? Seems pretty chill now, but that action? Still hooked us all.

Oh, quick sidebar: doing something here with cookies? No clue. Just click some privacy thingy I guess?

Anyway, where was I… ah yes. Humor. Or maybe not everyone’s cup of tea humor. Borderlands tries for this quirky contemporary shtick but, well, it’s hit or miss. Some folks literally live for Claptrap’s antics. Remember that freaky Spongebob thing in Borderlands 3? Not my scene, but hey. Now, it looks like Borderlands 4’s got a shake-up. Big time. Like, it might actually, dare I say, broaden the horizons?

Take the State of Play, for instance. I could tally up the jokes on one hand! By the end, I’m not even sure a ‘Sigma’ joke was in the cards. Go figure, right? And delightfully so. It’s almost a breath of fresh air.

Visually too, it’s a whole new dance. Still off-the-wall, just dialed back a notch. Not as loud visually? Less zany, maybe? It’s updating the good old formula. Vault hunting is getting a facelift, and honestly, it feels like something more Bungie-ish? Those world bosses popping out of nowhere—it’s chill, no harm done there. Vaults as dungeons? Whoa, living on the edge, Borderlands. Then there’s a drone pointing you places, vehicles at your beck and call… Am I playing Destiny 2? Madness, really.

And, timing’s wild. Bungie’s eyeballing Marathon now and Destiny 2’s just coasting on smaller nuggets of updates. Bungie seems stretched thin, ditching a ton of their Destiny peeps. So yeah, a big old AAA space needs filling.

Let’s not forget, Marathon’s getting a mixed bag of reviews from the Alpha crowd. It’s apparently lackluster or something. And here we thought Borderlands’ September 23 jump was cheeky. Now? It seems like a kindness. Like, imagine releasing alongside Marathon? Borderlands 4 could’ve been like, kaboom!

All these thoughts are just bouncing off my skull right now. Is this a killer shift for Borderlands 4? Maybe. Excitement might dwindle later, who knows. But for now, in this adrenaline-packed lead-up, it’s turned heads. Good move, I’d say.

—