GameSpot gave Borderlands 4 a 7/10 for being 'mechanically sound.' Weeks later GameSpot reported its own Steam revolt.
The Original Review
“To its detriment, Borderlands 4 feels like a direct response to Borderlands 3.”
First of all — a review titled 'Too Much Of An Overcorrection' that still lands on a comfortable 7/10 is customer service language wearing a critic's badge. Jordan Ramée sat down, declared Borderlands 4 'the most mechanically sound Borderlands game to date,' and moved on, like a hotel inspector who fluffs the pillows and signs the form while the sprinkler system is actively flooding the lobby behind him.
Second, and I need someone to explain this to me directly: where in this review is the part where I hand over $70 — or the $80 Randy Pitchford floated for 'real fans' — and the frame rate can't clear a PowerPoint slide? The review flags weak storytelling and combat that 'drags,' fine, real complaints, but somehow tiptoes past the fact the PC version needed its own apology tour before launch week was over. That's a restaurant inspector who spends four paragraphs on the wallpaper and never once checks if the stove turns on.
And here's the part that really gets me: GameSpot — same outlet, same masthead, same login — turned around and published an entire article titled 'Borderlands 4 Is Getting Clobbered On Steam With Negative Reviews.' That's not journalism, that's filing a warranty claim against your own toaster. First you sign the sticker that says it's fine, then you write the follow-up piece about the kitchen fire.
But does it actually WORK? That's the only question a review exists to answer, and the 7/10 answered a different one — does it feel mechanically satisfying in a fantasy world where your graphics card doesn't exist? Meanwhile the guy running the studio told his own paying customers to go request a refund and informed them Borderlands 4 was 'a premium game made for premium gamers,' which is executive for 'your PC isn't rich enough to complain.' A glowing score and a CEO gaslighting the install base in the same news cycle. Receipts don't lie, Jordan, even when the rubric conveniently does.
