Anyone who played Gearbox’s loot and shoot classic Borderlands last year knows that in an entire game full of crazy characters none stood out more than the Claptraps. These chatty, dance happy robots were easily the breakout stars of the game and they’re being rewarded with a starring role in the newest Borderlands DLC “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution”. A campy sendup from start to finish, “Robot Revolution” introduces new areas, brings back some old foes in new clothes, and makes for an enjoyable return to the Borderlands universe.
The story in CNRR revolves around a rogue Claptrap assimilating with everything on the planet, and you’re tasked with stopping him and his growing army. You’ll be confronted with plenty of “Trap” versions of normal enemies (in Cyber-zombie form) as well as fan favorite boss characters making triumphant returns from the dead. My favorite enemies are the titular stars, however. The enemy Claptraps come in various forms including Stabby, Samurai, and Kamikaze. As should be expected from this game, the story is even more ridiculous than advertised and filled with a fantastic cast of characters. From the sleazy CEO of Hyperion, to the random propaganda broadcasted by the rogue Claptrap, you’ll be chuckling along to a ton of pop-culture and gaming related references.
The game features a decent amount of content for the price, especially in the somewhat lengthy main quest. Unfortunately, many of the side quests (one large series in particular) are mostly standard MMO style fetch quests. While disappointingly sparse, these sidequests do provide an entertaining distraction in addition to the main crux of the game. There are some great little surprises in this package though, especially for big fans of the game and previous DLC. Some of the enemies (including the toe to head shield wielding Hyperion Sentries) are very tough, and the DLC overall has a good balance between challenging content and less demanding fare.
Launching on Oct. 12 is a patch for the game, increasing the level cap of the game by 8 to 58 (or 69 if you own the previously released “Secret Armory of General Knoxx” DLC. So even if you’re a hardcore Borderlands player with a maxed out character you’ll be able to pick up some skills in “Robot Revolution” in a couple days.
All in All, “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution” is a great excuse to dive back into the Borderlands universe. With a ridiculous and genuinely funny storyline, some challenging enemies, and a brand new set of environments to roam in, players will find plenty of new content to sink their teeth (or more accurately, a crap-ton of bullets) into.
Review copy provided by publisher.
