Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Release Details

Gearbox’s Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is the latest in a new kind of game purchase. Sure, developers are still creating new games from the ground up, but a few are going back into their vault of popular titles. Making older games available on the newest consoles gives users an easy way to experience them if they didn’t the first time, unbound from an older piece of hardware and hardware requirements.

Borderlands is a series ripe for the collection treatment were seeing more of these days. People love the Borderlands franchise for its sense of humor and – most importantly — its replay value. You shoot things and you take on the role of different beloved characters. Both are perfect for a game being released on newer consoles.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Includes 2 Games

If you remember considering a Borderlands purchase last year, it’s because you probably did. Just as the console and video game buying season was kicking off last year, Gearbox was releasing Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. In that game players focused on liberating Helios, a space station from the clutches of some unsavory characters. Borderlands has always given users a set of characters with different unique powers. The interesting thing with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was your band of heroes. Athena, Claptrap, Nisha and Wihlem hadn’t been characters users could play as before.

Borderlands 2 took the world by storm when it arrived back in 2012 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. In-game store purchases allow users to upgrade one of their characters, Brick, Roland, Lillth and Mordecai. The four of them are vault hunters, trying to gain wealth and power under the nose of the ruler of Pandora.

I mention both of those game’s plots because they’re both included in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. If you’ve already played the first in the series you’ll get to experience the other two easily. What’s more, you’ll be able to experience both Borderlands: 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel multiplayer.

Say you’ve already played those older versions of the game? You can take your save from the Xbox 360, PS3, and PS Vita versions of the game. This way you don’t have to completely start over during your first session.

We haven’t seen that many games that let two people play on the same screen on these latest-generation video game consoles. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection lets four people play on the same screen even as most games can’t even deliver split-screen co-op for just two players. Both games are running at 1080p and 60 frames per second for the best fidelity.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Comes with Everything You Need

There are two versions of Borderlands on the way for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 users to play. The first is the regular, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. The regular edition of the game costs $59.99 on both of the console it’s available on. Buying this version of the game gets you every add-on to ever make it to Borderlands 2. Campaign add-ons like Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage are inside at no additional charge. So are Challenge Arenas like Creature Slaughter. 31 packs for customizing your character in the game are also included.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel hasn’t been out that long, but has some downloadable content that users get free when they purchase Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. The Handsome Jack Dopplerganger is included along with the Ultimate vault Hunter Upgrade Pack and Shock Drop Slaughter Pit. There’s a single campaign add-on and another playable class coming too that Gearbox hasn’t talked about yet. When you buy Borderlands: The Handsome Collection you’ll get those free too.

$399 gets users the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition. Think of it as the edition meant for hardcore users. Inside is a rare remote control Claptrop robot. Users control that robot with a companion app for their iPhone or Android device. It even has a camera that allows users to see what it sees. All of the different Vault Hunters from Borderlands 2 have their own lithographs included with the robot.

There’s a steel case to house the physical version of the game itself, plus users get all the other downloadable content and yet-to-be-released content that buyers of the basic version get. Unfortunately, pre-orders of this version are mostly sold out. GameStop is at least offering to email users when they get more of the Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Release Deals

Typically, we see some kind of exclusive content for different retailers for big releases. That’s not what we’re seeing with Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. It doesn’t matter where you buy it, you’re getting the same game at every retailer.

That being said, we were able to track down a pretty interesting offer from anyone planning to buy their copy from online retailer Amazon. Amazon is selling Borderlands: The Handsome Collection  for the same $59 as everyone else. What’s different is they are including a copy of the original Borderlands for PC at no additional charge. This version includes all of its downloadable content too.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection launches on March 24th. If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet you can still do so at most gaming retailers like Best Buy and GameStop. Bother Microsoft and Sony are offering digital pre-orders of the game too.