A Borderlands game taking place between the first and second game is rumored to be released later in 2014 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

 

The rumor, reported by GamePointsNow, says that the game takes place before the events of Borderlands 2. In contrast to the other two games, this installment doesn’t focus on Vault Hunters or even take place on Pandora.

 

Instead, the rumored game is set to focus on Handsome Jack, the antagonist of Borderlands 2, before he becomes the infamous Hyperion dictator hunting an alien artifact. The player would choose one of four of his lieutenants: Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer, and Fragtrap. Fragtrap is a Claptrap unit that has been outfitted for the military. Wilhelm would be able shoot shoulder-mounted rockets and call in drones, and Athena would have more of a melee focus and have a shield.

 

The rumor also states that the game takes place on Pandora’s moon Elpis and on the Hyperion’s base. Because Elpis has less of a gravitational pull, the game would have jetpacks and the ability to put bandits into orbit. Laser weapons would be alongside the other tons of weapons available in the game, and a new type of weapon known as Cryo could freeze enemies before shattering them into a million pieces.

 

Another mechanic available in the rumored game is oxygen. Players would have to manage their oxygen levels using OX-kits while being able to bash the helmets of enemies in order to kill them another way.

 

The rumor states that the game will be available later in 2014 and only for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The game is also supposed to be developed by 2K Australia. Oddly, there were reports of Gearbox working on a next-gen title, which is assumed to be Borderlands, even though it would not be Borderlands 3. With Tales of the Borderlands also coming out this year, it seems that 2014 will have no shortage of Borderlands fun.

 

My Opinion

 

First of all, THIS IS A RUMOR. I don’t trust rumors, and this one gets on my nerves mostly because there is so much innovation. This innovation is really cool and something that I want to see, but I am wary of it, especially with it only coming to last-gen consoles. [On a personal note, it is still weird to call the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation “last-gen”.] Until I hear something from 2K, I am just going to wait for Tales from the Borderlands to get my Borderlands fix.

 

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Shawn Richards studies games to understand how they work. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.