Cracks in the armor

Borderlands is the only game I've been playing for the last few weeks, and I have to admit that I've been playing it more than I usually play video games. I have stated before about how much I am enjoying the game by myself, but I am starting to have a couple of problems.

The game did crash on me once while I was fighting in the "Circle of Death." I had been dying constantly and finally managed to outlast the enemies, but the game wouldn't end the mission after I had won, ensuring that I would have to start from scratch the next time. This is somewhat forgivable. If anyone is familiar with my feelings on Mass Effect they would know that a game crashing on me once in awhile isn't a big deal, just a game crashing on me constantly is (aaaaaaaaaaargh! Mass Effect!).

My biggest gripe isn't that, though. My biggest gripe with the game is that I found out that you cannot play split-screen over a LAN for four player co-op, even though the game allows two player split-screen for offline play. This is ridiculous. Halo 3 can do it, as can Left 4 Dead, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare 2, Rainbow Six Vegas, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and countless other shooters that allow split-screen play. Granted, most of these games don't have the loot-tracking that Borderlands provides, but it's not like Borderlands' engine is bogged down by particle physics, AI, or diverse textures. I simply don't see the excuse for not allowing four players to enjoy a two-Xbox 360 two-TV LAN party, especially since this is one of the major reasons I purchased the game in the first place. If I had the money to buy an Xbox Live Gold subscription I wouldn't mind as much, but unfortunately I don't.

It's still pretty fun, though it is starting to get a little tedious because the core gameplay doesn't change much, and the game is FREAKIN' HUUUUUUUUGE! Every time that I think I've uncovered the whole map I end up getting a mission to the arse-end of somewhere new. The only bad thing about that is that the enemies don't vary much outside of the few boss fights and you can't do much exploring on your own without finding the mission that lets you into a new area of the map, some of which you won't have cause to visit after you've killed the boss or harvested the elements. The only time I die anymore is when I'm ganked -- literally swarmed by too many enemies with far too powerful equipment for their level. It doesn't happen often, but it's nearly insurmountable when it does.

Anyway, it's still way more fun than the games I traded in for it. So I don't regret that one bit.