As you gun down waves of enemies, they drop randomised weapons and gear. In a lot of shooters the gameplay can eventually get stuck in a rut, with the player eventually settling on one or two weapons that suit their playstyle, to the exclusion of all else. But in Borderlands the constant supply of absurd weapons can keep the gameplay fresh.

Maybe right now you're really attached to a shotgun that shoots explosive rounds, but an hour from now you'll find a pistol that sets people on fire and allows you to throw unused bullets like grenades if you reload prematurely. After that you might fall in love with an assault rifle that can melt through enemy armour with corrosive damage and has a scope attachment that allows you to use it like a sniper rifle.

They follow the traditional coloured rarity tiers of Diablo II, with some of the legendary weapons having more exotic abilities. The variations in recoil, damage output, reload speed, magazine size, accuracy, and fire rate are endless, so that every gun feels unique. On top of this, the player levels up on a regular basis, which means they're always gradually out-levelling their guns and thus need to be on the lookout for replacement gear of higher levels.

While the comedy and art style give Borderlands its unique personality, the gameplay is what sets the series apart and keeps players interested for hundreds of hours. The Borderlands formula is a marriage of two vastly different genres that combine to become more than the sum of their parts.

Half of Borderlands is derived from the loot-driven Action RPGs like Diablo, where the player cuts through waves of foes in search of rare items. Most of the game is spent furiously clicking on monsters, with the player stopping only to sort through their loot, look for interesting items, and sell off the rest in town.