Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

The Borderlands series is notable for its dark, crude humor and futuristic space-Western setting. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! doesn't deviate from this atmosphere. In this game players will take on the role of of one of four pre-determined characters whose mission is to stop the Dahl corporation from using a giant laser to destroy the moon, Elpis.

The Borderlands games take place in the distant future, after humanity has traveled to a system that's supposed to be rich in mineral resources, like a futuristic gold rush. After living on there for a few years, however, it becomes clear that there isn't much to be mined. The corporations that had set up mining operations abandon the surface of the planet; they also release the unpaid prisoners they had employed, leaving them to wreck havoc on the population. Complicating the problem is that the seasons roll over, and with spring comes a surge of alien activity no one knew was in hibernation. The long-extinct aliens that had once lived there did leave artifacts, however, locked in mysterious vaults, and the contents of these vaults may be the saving grace for humanity on Pandora.

In the opening scene, Handsome Jack, the antagonist from Borderlands 2 (which takes place after the events of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel), is shown to be far less insane and without his trademark mask in the opening to the game. He is an employee of Hyperion, a weapons manufacturer of nebulous morals, whereas in Borderlands 2 he has risen in the ranks and declared himself dictator. One of the main themes of the game is finding out what happened to make Jack the way he is.

Jack directs the player in their quest to stop Dahl from destroying Elpis. He had intended to open a Vault on the moon, and had not anticipated the backlash from Dahl. However, as the game progresses, it becomes clear that Jack--while acting heroically--is willing to sacrifice much to obtain his goals, including the violent re-writing of the personalities of robot and AI friends. In the end he succeeds in his initial mission to open the Vault. An object within shows Jack visions that evidently result in his final decline into madness, despite all attempts by other characters to stop him from gaining more power. Lilith, a character from the previous game, destroys the object (and Jack's face, as a result) bringing him to the point he's at in Borderlands 2--insane, power-hungry, and bent on revenge.

The game has savepoints where characters will also respawn (come back to life) if they die. These can be few and far between.

Up to four players can play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! at a time online. The game also supports two-player co-op locally (on the same console).

• Is it hard to watch Jack's descent from hero to villain? Does it make him a more interesting character?
• Does Jack's storyline make it make more sense that people might follow him and look to him for leadership? Is it more likely for people who are intensely charismatic, despite major character flaws, to become supervillains or dictators?
• The re-writing of robot and AI personalities is treated as an intensely violent experience in this game. Do you think AI should be afforded the same rights as humans? At what point does a program become an individual?