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Tales from the Borderlands Episode 5 (Finale) - Review Thread

B

bananafactory

Banned
It's the final episode of the series so I figured it deserved a thread now that you can buy and play through the entire story. Sounds like Telltale really delivered.

Also, episode one is FREE right now on pretty much all platforms (Except PC), so check it out if you haven't!

Reviews

Gamesbeat: 95/100

http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/20/tales-from-the-borderlands-episode-5-review/

I wasn’t sure anything could surpass The Wolf Among Us as Telltale’s most engaging series, but Tales from the Borderlands has outdone it with its sharp writing, exciting gameplay, and gallons of personality. And blood. And bullets, if we can measure those in gallons.
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NZ Gamer: 9.8/10

http://nzgamer.com/reviews/2355/tales-from-the-borderlands-episode-5-the-vault-of-the-traveler.html

As it stands now, I can’t recommend Tales from the Borderlands highly enough. It’s a masterpiece of the same calibre as The Walking Dead, it’s one of the best games I’ve played all year (also, one of the best games I’ve played ever), and it might just be Telltale’s magnum opus.
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The Jimquisition: 9.5/10

http://www.thejimquisition.com/2015...pisode-five-the-vault-of-the-traveler-review/

I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, moreso perhaps than I have with any mainstay Borderlands game, and I can’t wait to return.
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IGN: 9.0/10

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/10/...ds-episode-5-the-vault-of-the-traveler-review

Episode 5: The Vault of the Traveler finishes off Rhys and Fiona’s journey in impeccable fashion. From heartbreak to hilarity, it runs the gamut of emotions in some really effective ways.
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Gamespot: 9/10

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tales-from-the-borderlands-episode-five-the-vault-/1900-6416283/

In addition to its satisfying emotional arcs, dark humor and semi-insulting banter are the other major hallmarks of Tales from the Borderlands. This finale, written in collaboration with longtime Borderlands writer Anthony Burch, is the funniest episode in the series. One minute you're on the verge of tears as the characters spiral into despair, and the next a character speaks a line or an event occurs that brings you right back up to a side-splitting high. In my time with the episode, I alternated between wildly upset and laughing hard enough to choke.
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Shacknews: 9/10

http://www.shacknews.com/article/91...s-review-a-definitive-end-and-a-new-beginning

As a story-based game, it features some of Telltale's best writing to date and its humor separates it from the developer's more recent efforts. It also features a shocking amount of replay value and actually made me want to play the finale more than once to see the various character interactions, as well as find any little things I might have missed.
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God is a Geek: 9.5/10

http://www.godisageek.com/reviews/tales-from-the-borderlands-episode-5-review/

Quite frankly, Telltale has knocked it out of the park, and if there’s ever to be a Borderlands 3 from Gearbox, it’d be an utter travesty to not see Telltale’s characters appear somehow in that game – that’s how fantastic this is.
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Attack of the Fanboy: 5/5

http://attackofthefanboy.com/review...s-episode-5-the-vault-of-the-traveler-review/

Episode 5 perfectly concludes the adventures of Fiona and Rhys, and their gang of friends. This episode easily cements the series as one of Telltale's best, and one of the best games this year. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll wanna do it all over again just to see how your choices change things.
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Destructoid: 9/10

http://www.destructoid.com/review-tales-from-the-borderlands-the-vault-of-the-traveler-316225.phtml

This last episode maintains the action, drama, and comedy present throughout the series. It ties up all the major loose ends while leaving just a hint of room for more to come. Most of all, it solidifies Tales from the Borderlands as Telltale's best series to date, a pinnacle of modern adventure gaming.
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Gamesradar: 5/5

http://www.gamesradar.com/tales-from-borderlands-review/

Tales from the Borderlands is a must-play game that sets a new standard for comedy games to come.
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Hardcore Gamer: 4.5/5

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/1...s-episode-5-the-vault-of-the-traveler/172914/

If you have someone who you’ve always wanted to experience video games with but never could convince them to play, give Tales from the Borderlands a shot. This story, these characters and this product are simply too good for only a small segment of the population to enjoy.
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K

KZXcellent

Member
Looking good so far. Wanted to wait until it was completely out before I considered buying it. Good to hear it had a strong ending!
 
L

Lionheart

Member
Great reviews! Already bought it in a sale before, but hadn't started playing it. Will start soon, really looking forward to it, TWAU was amazing!
 
D

Death Metalist

Member
This is one of those games where you think it's just a fucking bad idea all around but then you finish episode 1 and you thank the heavens it got made the way it did. Been waiting since then for all of the episodes to release so I could play them without waiting for the next episode.


YaglXIX.gif
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
Death Metalist said:
This is one of those games where you think it's just a fucking bad idea all around but then you finish episode 1 and you thank the heavens it got made the way it did. Been waiting since then for all of the episodes to release so I could play them without waiting for the next episode.


YaglXIX.gif
Click to expand...

Yeah, basically. I got it with TellTale's Game of Thrones largely because they were tied together for a discount and ended up being blown away by Tales From the Borderlands. It shattered my expectations, without a doubt one of TellTale's best adventure games.

As a general point of reference, it could easily stand its own against the Walking Dead, compared episode-to-episode. If it can match TWD's Ep 5 then it may even surpass it overall.

CloudWolf said:
What a difference with the GoT game, which is easily one of TellTale's worst.
Click to expand...

It commits the worst crime of all: boredom.
 
F

Floody

Member
By the sounds of it, this will probably be my favourite game from them, by far, Ep1 -4 have all been great, so bring on ep5. I'm sorry I laugh and thought this would be awful when it got announced.
 
M

Maximo

Member
Only finished episode 1 and by the sounds of it the entire series is pretty good, worth giving the rest a go?
 
R

Redrum_82

Member
The Humble Store had a "build your own bundle" deal a few weeks ago and I managed to get it together with TWD Season 2 and Game of Thrones for 15€.

I was waiting for the season to end before starting it, but it sounds like it was a great deal.
 
S

SchrodingerC

Member
Napalm_Frank said:
So the first episode is free, is there any sense in trying it out if I haven't played any of the Borderlands games?
Click to expand...


Technically the game is confined in its little corner of the Borderlands universe and the beginning of episode 1 does a decent job summarizing the previous game, so you should be fine.
 
Y

Yabberwocky

Member
Wonderful reviews, can't wait. Telltale, you big meanies, making EU wait for the finale along with everyone else! I'd been spoiled by the earlier EU PSN releases in the last few episodes. Waiting is haaard.
 
Z

zulux21

Member
writeandwrong said:
Absolutely. I've never played Borderlands and I absolutely love this series.
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while you can play it without having played the games, tales from the borderlands is also loaded with references to the games and some scenes will not have as much impact if you haven't played the games.

Episode 4 spoilers.

For example Scooter is a character that has been part of the series since the first game, and his catch phrase "catch a ride" sticks with you through out the game. Since he is introduced in this series as well I am sure the major scene with him in episode 4 still had some impact, but it has far more impact if you have been there since the start since you get to know quite a bit about scooter between the two games and thus it was actually pretty big that he died since he played a decent sized role in both games.

also the joke about the diamond pony bleeding is just odd if you haven't played borderlands 2
 
T

Triscuitable

Member
fidelio_forte said:
Burch wrote on other episodes as well, so if you've enjoyed the series thus far there's nothing to worry about. His work on the
Jack-a-pedia has been one of my favourite parts of Tales
.
Click to expand...

Gosh that stuff is so great. I'm really happy Burch was involved with Tales; he's such a great dude.
 
ryanofcall

ryanofcall

Member
So I played Borderlands 1
Wasn't really that much captured by the story...
Should I give Tales of the Borderlands a go? It's currently 9.99$ on PSN and I'm usually into these kind of games (Wolf Among Us, TWD, Life is Strange)
 
C

Carl

Member
ryanofcall said:
So I played Borderlands 1
Wasn't really that much captured by the story...
Should I give Tales of the Borderlands a go? It's currently 9.99$ on PSN and I'm usually into these kind of games (Wolf Among Us, TWD, Life is Strange)
Click to expand...

Yep. You don't need to know any Borderlands backstory, really. The story in this is so much better than the proper Borderlands games so don't worry about that. It's also funny and very touching. One of TT's best, right up there with TWAU
 
JohnnyFootball

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Death Metalist said:
This is one of those games where you think it's just a fucking bad idea all around but then you finish episode 1 and you thank the heavens it got made the way it did. Been waiting since then for all of the episodes to release so I could play them without waiting for the next episode.


YaglXIX.gif
Click to expand...

Really? When it was first announced I felt it could be outstanding.

So far it has been.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
ryanofcall said:
So I played Borderlands 1
Wasn't really that much captured by the story...
Should I give Tales of the Borderlands a go? It's currently 9.99$ on PSN and I'm usually into these kind of games (Wolf Among Us, TWD, Life is Strange)
Click to expand...
YES.

The actual Borderlands games have, I feel, very VERY poor story telling. I was not at all into the characters or dialog in those games.

Tales from the Borderlands, though? It captivated me in ways that original games never could. In fact, it kind of makes me really disappointed that none of those games attempted to tell a story of this quality. I think they could learn some lessons from this in making another Borderlands FPS game.
 
ryanofcall

ryanofcall

Member
dark10x said:
YES.

The actual Borderlands games have, I feel, very VERY poor story telling. I was not at all into the characters or dialog in those games.

Tales from the Borderlands, though? It captivated me in ways that original games never could. In fact, it kind of makes me really disappointed that none of those games attempted to tell a story of this quality. I think they could learn some lessons from this in making another Borderlands FPS game.
Click to expand...

Carl said:
Yep. You don't need to know any Borderlands backstory, really. The story in this is so much better than the proper Borderlands games so don't worry about that. It's also funny and very touching. One of TT's best, right up there with TWAU
Click to expand...

Allright allright! I will definitely give it a go then. Thanks guys :D

edit: It's downloading.
 
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