YouTube’s ‘NeoGamer’ has shared a video showing a really early version of the first Borderlands game. What’s really cool here however is that the video features footage from when Gearbox was making a realistic, non cartoon-ish, version of the game.
Of course this isn’t the first time we hear about this early version of Borderlands. Back in 2012, we shared some screenshots from this “realistic” version. However, this is perhaps the first time we get to see that version in action (yes the original video is old but we never really shared it soooooooo…).
Now I don’t know if I’m the only one here but at the 4:10 mark I got some Doom 3 vibes from this version of Borderlands. Of course these two titles have nothing in common, however the visuals in that particular area reminded me of id Software’s horror take on the Doom franchise.
I also believe that it was a wise decision to change Borderlands’ art style to its cartoon-ish/cel-shaded looks. Yes, I’d love to play that realistic version of the game but it wouldn’t age well (at least from what I’m seeing here). This is beta footage so things – visually – could get further improved but again, it was a clever decision to completely change the art style.
Enjoy!
![Borderlands - Realistic Prototype [2008 Beta Gameplay and Trailer]](https://www.dsogaming.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FhjFO3jrQcDo%2F0.jpg)
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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Personally I prefer this dark gritty realistic look over what we got. But I think most people prefer the cartoony look over realistic.
You may already know of this site but I always check it to see how long a game is generally. howlongtobeat. Copy/paste that in Google to get to the site if you want. I get impatient to finish a game too sometimes with some games that are long. When I have an idea how long a game is beforehand then sometimes I plan a break at the halfway point and switch to a different game and then come back to it later.
I’ve found that by doing this I don’t get in such a big hurry to finish a game that I already know is longer than average to begin with.
Usually it’s just a week or two that I’m playing a different game before coming back to finish the long game.
The only game that I want to see the realistic version is “Killer is Dead”,wish someone can mod it..
As long as fckn Anthony Burch with his rubbish meme humour isn’t writing Borderlands 3, I am looking forward to it. Hate Borderlands 2, infact I despise it. Really like Borderlands 1 though.
looking generic is better than looking like dog shet.
no one cares.
I care.
you care about what?
Never liked borderlands. Gunplay feels terrible, garbage story. It’s not even an online game to make me care about the loot.
Do you like destiny?
Yeah. Don’t say it’s like borderlands because it’s not.
Guess not everyone likes the same things.
I always wondered if the change of art style was due to fears of not being able to compete with Rage on a graphics level. Turns out Borderlands was a better game than Rage anyway.
At first I was disappointed with the art style change but it gradually grew on me. Now I’m glad they went that direction since it seems all “realistic” games are starting to look the same.
I for one am glad they went cell shaded
Thats because you are a teenager.
thanks for letting me know that, because adults don’t like cell shaded games…
Most of us dont.
lol
idiot..
Kid.
I thought the cell shading made the game very unique and gave it a great artistic style. This “realistic” version just makes it look like another cheap generic shooter that blends in and disappears among all the others. Boring AF.
Gearbox couldnt release this until they could tick off that last box on their dev checklist, that being, rip off 100% of someone elses art and claim it as their own …aaand Check.
That opening cutscene was really cool. I remember getting excited when I first saw that. Then they showed gameplay and I went straight to “meh” city. Then they changed the style to match that animated video of some guy (stole the exact art style) and tons of numbers flew all over the place. I stopped paying attention. Moral of the story: Gearbox were hacks then, too.
The idiotic cartooney graphics is the reason why i will never play this trash, and I was excited for the original.
100%