Yes, yes, I know, what blasphemy, it's not Dragon Age

Dec 21, 2009 15:00 GMT  ·  By

When it comes to games and awards, I have a tradition of being Malkavian about it. I get a kick out of the big titles as much as anyone else, especially when there's something more about them than just hype. But, somewhere along the way, I've picked up the habit of completely ignoring the biggest gem in the treasure pile and look a little deeper just to make sure and have that feeling of satisfaction that this was my choice, and I didn't just pick the first thing I found.

So, while I'm completely blinded and starstruck by Dragon Age: Origins, I'm going to look past it out of principle. As much as I love BioWare, and I do, I'd make it bear my first child if it would hold still long enough, my role-playing game of the year is going somewhere else. DA scored high on every chart, but, most of all, as I said in my review, it had soul. It spite of its abundant humor, it was a deep, serious game, visceral at some points and even merciless when it came to story and the choices one could make. These are things that, without a shadow of a doubt, not only did I love about the game, but that I would genuinely like present in any story. Still, my choice is exactly at the opposite poll.

Without any further delay, I award my RPG of the Year award to Borderlands. The game is the carnival mirror of everything that is Dragon Age. There's barely any story in the main quest, the cartoonish graphics are as far from serious as they can be, and the big fab of RPG – character customization – is pretty much null. But, just like a carnival mirror should, it takes what could be a serious, somewhat grim world and turns it into a cavalcade of mindless fun.

Borderlands was addictive through pure gameplay. Nothing was forge-pressed into your head more than the next loot. Every creature you splattered against a rock had you on the edge of your seat, just dying, (or better said killing) to see what marvelous contraption the people from Gearbox Software had prepared for you. It could be a rocket shotgun, an acid SMG or a completely useless and ineffective rocket launcher that you simply had to keep in your inventory for the sheer awesomeness of it. I mean, a .50-cal lookalike sniper rifle is very cool, but one with a revolving barrel just blows your mind away.

The game thumped its chest, announcing that it was an “87 Bazillion guns,” and I swear to you, not only do I believe it, but I also believe that it actually has at least one developer that's bonkers enough to actually count them. The game set out right from the beginning to offer nothing but fun. There would be no drama, there would be no touching reunions, shattered hearts and driven passions. The title is nothing but a gaming fan service, a Serious Sam, where enemies have been replaced with guns, both in numbers as well as in strangeness. I mean, come on, you can heal your teammates by shooting them. Who needs a bandage when you've got a soldier's assault rifle to cauterize that skag bite.