We’re back with our “Let’s Talk About…” series! Check out the previous chats here.
Let’s Talk About…: Borderlands
Borderlands and all of its included titles is a series of first-person shooter games that I’ve avoided as I avoid most first-person games, with a few rare exceptions. However, one thing that strikes me as interesting about the series is Handsome Jack. For those who may not know, Handsome Jack is the antagonist of the series. He chats in the player’s ear (as far as I can tell) for most of the games, and is slightly insane. But through all of it, he’s convinced that he’s the hero, even if the playable character sees him (and the game describes him) as the villain.
What actually originally peaked my interest in this game – since I tend to dismiss titles as soon as I see they are first-person – was a Game Theory episode I saw describing Jack as the actual hero of the games – or at least as a tragic, misunderstood villain.
And you know how I am about villains being misunderstood…
It actually was a really interesting video, and even without knowing much about the games I thought it posed a solid argument for dear Handsome Jack being just an unfortunate character who wound up on the wrong side of the history books (stay tuned for more on that!).
I unfortunately don’t have much more to say on this game, being incredibly unfamiliar, but let’s revisit this game below!
Have you played Borderlands or any of the other games in the series? What did you think of them? Am I missing out? Is Jack as fascinating as he seems to be? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you soon!
~ Athena
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I don’t remember him, but then I did turn Borderlands 2 off after one day of play and never went back to it. The similarity to the first one and the increased focus on really cringey humor put me off.
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Really? Too bad, then. I had hopes it would have had a good story, at least!
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Handsome Jack is one of the most memorable characters in video games. I never felt sympathy for him, but he definitely styled himself as a savior of sorts – and of course protecting his psychic child in a machine that also allowed her to “coincidentally” help maintain his empire was kind of messed up.
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He seems pretty memorable, that’s for sure!
And man, you should come back Wednesday, then… 🙂
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I don’t know how you feel about Telltale, but they did a Borderlands game. I suppose you could get to experience a part of the story and the setting without having to play in first person. I haven’t played it yet, so I couldn’t recommend or advice against it, though.
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Cool! Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check it out!
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You’re welcome!
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I’d say it is the best Borderlands game going, which is funny because it is counter to all the gameplay mechanics of the core games.
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Aha! That’s a good thing then, because it will be my first foray into the Borderlands universe. 🙂
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Good luck! Let me know how it is! 🙂
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Borderlands is one of those many, many games I own, but haven’t played yet. Handsome Jack seems really fascinating though. It’ll have to wait until my BioWare binge is competed though, haha.
Oh and the song on one of the Borderlands commercials introduced me to a band I like – “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant.
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That’s a good song! I could definitely see it in a Borderlands commercial.
I also approve of the BioWare binge, and fully support you finishing that before starting on another series 😉 When you do get to play it, let me know what you think about the story and Handsome Jack!
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I only played the first Borderlands, and Handsome Jack doesn’t make an obvious presence in it, so I’ve missed out on his whole character. But Borderlands 2 was considered stronger, and Handsome Jack did show up there. Coincidence?
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I THINK NOT! haha
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never got far enough into borderlands 2 to really get to the meat of who Handsome Jack is all about. One day i’ll get there, but he definitely did stand out some how just hearing him talk.
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He definitely comes across as one-of-a-kind!
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