Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

(Windows, OS X, Linux/Steam, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

MANY games boast near photo-realistic graphics these days.

They might throw you into a covert mission or a war zone with the idea that the added realism immerses you in the experience and makes you think that you are there. It is easier to suspend your disbelief.

But when one of the most appealing elements of modern gaming is escapism it is good to know that developers like 2K and Gearbox are willing to throw realism out of the window and take players on a flight of fancy.

This is the third game in the Borderlands series but its bright and colourful comic book style and trademark humour is just as refreshing as it was in 2009.

But the developers also seem to have adopted an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' ethos as the game's first person shooter gameplay in a role playing open world template feels just like it did five years ago.

The gloriously named 'Pre-Sequel' is so-called because it is set in between Borderlands 1 and 2 but, as ever, the surreal story is not really that important.

Knowledge of the Borderlands universe might make you appreciate the humour a little more but otherwise there are no barriers to entry for new players.

All you really need to know is that you can play as characters that have previously turned up in the series in one form or another.

You can chose between Athena 'the Gladiator', Nisha 'the Lawbringer', Wilhelm, 'the Enforcer' and Claptrap 'the Fragtrap' (your notorious companion from the first game) who each have their own unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses.

Weekend played as Wilhelm, a gruff engineer who can upgrade with robotic parts and can summon two drones, curiously named Wolf and Saint, to fight alongside him.

Most of the action takes place on Elpis, the moon of Pandora (the game's main setting) and that is where the 'Pre-Sequel' comes into its own.

The chaotic and frantic gameplay sees you take on foes in low gravity which offers up new tactics and abilities like ground slams.

You also need to be conscious of your oxygen tank which needs to be topped up to keep you alive but can also be used as a jet pack.

The cooperative gameplay is just as important as it was in the first two games too. Teaming up with friends always makes it more fun but the choice is yours.

You can play alone or tweak your online settings so other gamers can drop in and out of your session and you can complete missions in whatever order you choose.

There is a constant stream of upgrades and new skills to be earned for completing challenges and for levelling up and there must be hundreds of weapons and shields to customise as you go.

What also gives the 'Pre-Sequel' a bit of extra warmth and character is that there is a big nod to the team at 2K Australia who helped develop it.

Many of the characters you meet along the way have an Aussie accent while enemy bosses have names like 'Fair Dinkum'.

Destiny caught a lot of the headlines recently for combining first person shooter and role playing gameplay but really it owes a debt to Borderlands which is still going strong after five years.

DAVID MORGAN