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There was no game called The Border Lands. It was not released in 1989.
But the press pack that arrived with journalists today does a fantastic job of creating the authentic ‘80s gaming flavour.
The Border Lands – a fantastic Borderlands 2 promo – claims to be a highly collectible exclusive re-issue of the 1989, 16-bit original”. And as the hundreds of journalists who spent the morning Googling ‘The Border Lands’ can attest, there was no such release.
(If you still don’t believe us take a close look at the barcode on the side of the box).
It was sent out to the press in an authentic oversized PC games box and comes on a floppy disk! Which is potentially problematic as only the MD’s office computer still has a floppy drive.
Not that it matters, as also included in the box is a USB floppy disk drive! But even better, all of you can play the game right now by visiting wubwub.eu.
The Border Lands plays a bit like Smash TV and does a great job of combining the popular Borderlands IP with the recognisable 8-bit trappings of the 1980s. An added layer of strategy emerges when players hold the shoot button (space or z), which locks your player’s shooting direction while allowing them to move freely. There are four playable characters, an assortment of weapons (we still can’t figure out the acid gun?) and some catchy chip tunes.
All in all it’s a great lunchtime diversion. And we just love playing with floppy disks.
Borderlands 2 will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on September 21st.
