Borderlands
Ari: Compared to its successors, the game that started it all is, in hindsight, kinda skeletal. The marriage of FPS gameplay with Diablo-style looting was a fun gimmick, and the creative decision to pivot from realism to cel-shaded visuals cemented out an art style that’s proven to stand the test of time. But it lacks the grand vision and overarching narrative—the unassailable feeling that what you’re playing is part of something bigger—of its sequels. Solid foundation, though!
Zack: This might not be the best one in the series, for the reasons laid out by Ari above, but it probably has the best intro of all of the Borderlands games. I’d also recommend folks check out the fantastic PS4/Xbox One port of the original looter-shooter that started it all as it helps clean up some of the rough edges and packages all the DLC together into a nice, complete game.
