Borderlands Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution DLC Reviews

The first two reviews of the Borderlands DLC Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution have hit the web and they’re pretty far apart in opinion on this title. Destructoid thinks it a steaming pile of sh*t, with a 3/10 score.

But the worst offense is Tannis’ collection quest. It’s one (in four parts) of around four collection-based sidequests which make up roughly a third of the DLC’s content and it’s exactly the same as T.K. Baha’s quest from The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. But instead of needing to collect 435 brains, you need to get 375 claptrap parts. Despite needing less items, it’s not even possible on a single run without grinding, whereas the Ned quest at least offered a combination of skill-oriented shooting with a sufficient number of enemies to get the job done without much fucking about.

And that’s the thing that’s the most insulting about Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution: the rehashing of that T.K. Baja quest. It clearly illustrates that this is just the same old Borderlands shit with Claptrap parts slapped in. The enemies are the same, except they have Claptrap parts (with the exception of midgets, which they removed entirely to make room for Claptraps). The missions are all the same. They just have Claptrap parts on them now. It’s abominable.

Then, to make it all worse, the achievement/trophy shit they have there isn’t even the slightest bit creative. It’s just collecting seemingly arbitrary quantities of low drop percentage items dropped by — you guessed it — Claptraps.

Game Informer thinks it another “great DLC” for Borderlands and gives it an 8/10.

Claptrap has always been the face of Borderlands, so it’s nice to see the demented little robot get his moment in the spotlight. From a gameplay perspective, his fellow robots aren’t very hard to kill; they will often stand completely motionless while they shoot at you, and their rectangular shape makes them easy targets. They can be overwhelming in numbers, however, and the exploding Kamikaze Claptraps killed me more than once. Even when they were trying to kill me, Claptrap’s brethren were so cute that I felt a little guilty shooting them. Luckily, there’s no shortage of other new enemies to kill, as all of Pandora’s previous inhabitants have been upgraded with cybernetic components, including bosses from the other DLC packs.

The new locations are also impressive, showing off Gearbox’s knack for making gigantic and detailed environments. I would have liked a little more variety in the scenery (it’s mostly desert expanses and junk heaps again), but the levels are sprinkled with plenty of treasure chests that invite exploration. If you’re looking for a reason to take your time, these hidden goodies (plus collection missions and bonuses for multiple playthroughs) will ensure you get your money’s worth.