Genre: First-person
shooter, Action, Adventure, Humor, Science Fiction
Reading level/
interest age: 17+
Plot summary:
Borderlands is a
first-person shooter that was released in 2009. Players are able to choose from
four unique characters. Brick focuses on hand-to-hand combat and specializes in
heavy weapons. Lilith is a magic-based character suited for sniping. Roland is
well-rounded and serves best as support. Lastly, Mordecai’s abilities focus on
technology and upgrades.
Borderlands is set on the mineral-rich desert planet of Pandora. Entrepreneurs interested in mining were drawn to the surface and decided to set up shop. The planet quickly drew a large crowd and colonies began to form. The largest company, Atlas Corporation, searched for a vault rumored to contain great riches. During the hunt, Atlas accidentally encountered an alien species. Before fleeing the planet, the company loosed Pandora’s prisoners who took over once the world was abandoned.
Vault Hunters are a band of misfits undaunted by Atlas' failures and eager to find treasure. The unknown alien race appears to be mostly dormant for the time being
leaving treasure seekers free to search for the vault once more. However,
winter is coming and the amount of alien sightings is increasing. Find the
vault and make it off the planet before Pandora decides your fate.
Reader’s annotation:
Welcome Vault Hunter! Choose your character wisely to make
way across the desert in search of treasure. Oh, and watch out for Skagzilla…
Information about the
author:
“Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive
entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and
personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered
through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming
services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including
shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family
entertainment.
“The 2K label has some of the most talented development
studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts,
Irrational Games, 2K Marin, 2K Australia, 2K Czech, Cat Daddy Games and 2K
China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed
BioShock®, Borderlands™ and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization
series, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling
basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a
wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.” (2K Games, 2013).
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1.
What is your favorite character to play and why?
2.
What did you think about the game’s ending?
Critical evaluation:
Amazing and fun game-play. The characters are wild, the guns
are huge, and the achievements legendary. Though the storyline is
insignificant, players are kept entertained with ever-increasingly difficult
bosses. Downloadable content includes an all-out zombie slaughter at Dr. Ned’s
Island and Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot provides a challenging, endless wave of
bad guys to pump bullets into. The art style is different from other games but
the feel and movement of game-play are familiar to those who have gone through
other 2K Games like Bioshock.
However, the non-playable character (NPC) Claptrap quickly becomes
annoying. Players cannot kill off this never-ending stream of dialogue. The game also promises great riches but the end vault is virtually empty. This is
greatly disappointing but is more than made up for with special abilities,
over-powered guns, and interesting enemies. The game also recently released a
sequel that is no less entertaining. Players should look forward to having fun and do not have to pay attention to the storyline.
Challenge issues:
·
Violence
·
Language
Defensive Maneuvers:
·
Have the library’s collection development policy
memorized and on hand in case a situation arises.
·
Keep positive reviews on hand to refer to or
hand out when needed.
·
If the book has won any awards, mention them to
the patron and briefly explain the award.
·
Listen to the patron and practice good customer
service skills when communicating. Let the customer know where or if he/she can
escalate his/her complaint.
·
When necessary, cite sections of the ALA’s
Library Bill of Rights or refer to the ALA's
Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included:
Borderlands is
funny and amusing and serves no real purpose other than entertainment. I think
that many teens would enjoy playing such a game.
Reference:
2K Games. (2013). About
Us. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from https://www.2k.com/aboutus
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