Genre: Graphic Adventure
Year: 2014
Developed by: Telltale Games
Published by: Telltale Games
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX One, OS X, iOS, Android, Switch
#99
Feeling Like: Going back to the top
Top 100, here we go.
Well, technically we’re at 99, but the way I divided up the entries I feel like this is the more meaningful milestone. We’re at Approaching the Stars, which means I’m out of the triple digits and into hallowed double digit territory. I’ll do my proper website update in late November, but already 2023 is my most productive year in terms of entries, by far.
I needed to step it up. I only managed a paltry 16 posts in 2021 and a barely acceptable 26 in 2022. At that pace, I wouldn’t finish the 500 for another decade. Once I started quantifying my activity, that really gave me a shot in the arm and my discipline went through the roof. I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say? Who cares, put SOMETHING down. Craft your thoughts. Recall a memory. Talk about the gameplay. Why is it on the list in the first place? Type now, edit later. Anything is better than a blank page.
And it worked. I’m at 135 posts for 2023 and with 65 days left on the Calendar, I can easily hit another few dozen before I start getting into the Top 10 for 2023. That typically halts my progress, understandable, but I’m also auditioning for a play next week. If I get the part, you can guess how that will impact my writing output.
Still, I’m on a roll and I plan to let it ride as long as I can.
I’m still tempted to re-organize the rest of the list. I told myself I wouldn’t do it, at some point I’ve got to lock it in. I still have time to adjust the best of the best, but concerning the rest I’ve gotta get a move on. So. Tales from the Borderlands.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for narrative focused games, or point and click adventures, whatever you want to call them. Every site I visited proclaimed them as “Graphic Adventures” so we’ll go with that even though I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single person describe them as such.
I like them. I like them a whole lot. I like how they’re not overly challenging. I like how I can sit back and soak in the characters and dialogue. I like the quick time events even, since they’ve evolved beyond being obnoxious and tricky. It’s a relic in terms of gameplay, sure, but it’s comforting. Once in a while, I don’t want to have to learn overly complex systems, or calculate an intimidating boss’ attack pattern, or manage an inventory, or look up on YouTube “Tips on what the fuck do I do in Brand New 80 Hour RPG in a Franchise You’ve Never Played Before”.
They’re a breeze to get through. They’re dramatic. They’re funny. They’re not for everybody, but they’re absolutely for me. Tales from the Borderlands is one of the best of them.
I was already a fan of every Borderlands game, so the announcement of this one certainly piqued my interest. It was an odd choice, since the other games involve shooting an impossible amount of guns at various bandits and monsters. There’s shooting here, but the weapons of choice are your hands. This scene is so heavily ingrained in my brain that it’s one of the few things I actively remember. It’s so hilarious and outlandish, yet it fits the Borderlands universe like a glove. I loved it. Laughed the entire time. The fact that you do the quick time actions the same as you would in a legitimate gun fight is the icing on the cake.
The journey is great, I loved the four principle characters and the various robots they welcome into their inner circle. There are the usual outlandish villains, and typical Borderlands irreverence to death and destruction. Scooter’s death made me surprisingly sad. You catch a ride to heaven, buddy!
But what really launches Tales from the Borderlands is the soundtrack and if you’ve been keeping up with all my entries, you’re probably getting sick of me saying that. Since I’m wading into “amazing games” territory, you should probably back out now if you’re tired of me gushing about video game music. Some of the games to come may not be on the 500 at all without their superlative sounds.
The ambient music in the game is solid, but it’s the pop songs that open and close each chapter that are beyond memorable. Some are songs that have since been used for commercials or repeated on the radio. The real-life radio, where non-video game people listen in. They’re that legitimate.
“Busy Earnin” by Jungle is phenomenal, and look at that choreography in the music video! I’m barely cool enough to watch this.
“Kiss the Sky” by Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra (ft. Nino Mochella) makes me move my head in eight directions at once.
My absolute favorite of the bunch. “To the Top” by Twin Shadow. Gun to my head, if I had to pick my absolute favorite video game songs out of the tens of thousands I’ve listened to, this one sneaks into the Top 10.
And then the End Credits theme by First Aid Kit – “My Silver Lining” fits the Borderlands vibe perfectly.
Combine these incredible song choices with an All-Star (and I do mean All-Star) voice cast, improved cel-shaded graphics and deep world building and you’ve got one hell of a tale to tell.
The 500 