Fans of Borderlands rejoice; the game’s third downloadable content package, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, delivers more of what you’ve come to know and love from this sleeper hit. With new areas to explore, new foes to fight and (even more exciting) a new level cap, what’s not to love about this expansion?
Read the HOTs and NOTs to decide for yourself.
HOTs
Fresh Content, Familiar Game Play
This is really the epitome of what we’ve come to expect from solid downloadable content; while staying true to what made Borderlands a blast in the first place, Secret Armory expands the game beyond the main storyline, offers multiple new areas and foes, and makes the game feel new again. You’ll start in T-Bone Junction with the task of preventing the Crimson Lances, which are looters from the Atlas Corporation, from taking over the planet and sucking it dry. The new enemies are tough; don’t think for a second that you’ll breeze through The Secret Armory untouched. The new environments, while staying true to the unique visual style of the original, are fresh and interesting. The highway system connecting them will become familiar territory as you traverse through the wild, killing hoards of enemies along the way.
Experience Matters
Anytime a game focuses on looting and level grinding, there’s always the dreaded level cap looming in the future. Including an increased Level Cap in The Secret Armory (you can now battle your way to Level 61) was detrimental to this content being extraordinary. Seeing all the little XP counters falling off of the baddies is so much more satisfying when it actually counts.
NOTs
Driving Me Crazy
With only a few precious save points littered throughout the new area, you’ll definitely become accustomed to driving at length on the long stretches of highways connecting the game. Although this definitely fresh and novel at first, it becomes incredibly tedious as time goes on, especially considering the driving controls are sub-par. However, this is a minor hiccup and doesn’t detract from the entertainment value of the package as a whole.
VERDICT
At 800 MS Points ($10), this is a must buy for any Borderlands fan. A level cap, new enemies and areas, and all the level-grinding, carcass looting action you can handle means The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is a sure bet. When a franchise offers consistent, good quality downloads for their games, it certainly extends the life span of the game and gives the consumer more than what simply came in the original box. When the content is this good, it’s even sweeter.
[Editor’s Note: Borderlands DLC: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx was reviewed on a Xbox 360 platform. The DLC was supplied to us by the publisher.]
