As you may or may not know, Gearbox announced a new Borderlands game not too long ago that will have the usual Vault Hunter characters sitting on the sidelines. Filling in in their place are four "new-ish" characters, familiar to most Borderlands fans, but perhaps not to all.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a bit different, in that the game will tell the story of the rise of Borderlands 2's main antagonist, head of Hyperion and Pandora's preening dictator Handsome Jack. But instead of players controlling the would be despot, they'll instead choose from a number of Jack's lieutenants, all of whom have appeared in a variety of Borderlands' collected adventures. We'll start with the more recent characters first:
* Willhelm the Enforcer - Willhelm, the half-human half-mech monstrosity appeared in Borderlands 2 as one of the game's first major bosses. There was a lot of build-up for the eventual fight against the part Hyperion Loader, and hearing his various war crimes and massacres made him sound a bit intimidating, but a decent corrosive weapon made him easy enough to put down. It's interesting to note that player perspectives change from character to character in The Pre-Sequel, so Willhelm's mechanical legs could give him a great view for players to enjoy on high. But from what we've seen from his design so far and how it differs from his appearance in Borderlands 2, we can't be certain of this.
* Nisha the Sheriff - Even if you played Borderlands 2, there's a chance you might not have encountered Nisha, as she was an optional boss in the old west styled town of Lynchwood. Still, she was a little more fleshed out than Willhelm, no pun intended. At the time of Borderlands 2, she happens to be the romantic interest of Jack, which should say something about her character flaws. Perhaps we'll see how their romance blossoms in The Pre-Sequel.
We're going to have to go back a little further here, as the next two characters made their debut in the first Borderlands game, and only in DLC.
* Athena The Gladiator - Athena made her debut in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx as a renegade from the Crimson Lance, the Atlas Corporation's private army. Her inclusion into Jack's ranks is something of a surprise, as she might be the only character with a conscience. The only worthwhile conclusion for her helping Jack is because his employer, the Hyperion Corporation, is a direct competitor of the Atlas Corporation. It's also of note that the unique weapon Athena will offer players at the end of the General Knoxx DLC, "Athena's Wisdom," was manufactured by Hyperion.
Of the four characters, she's the only one to be seen without a firearm, instead arming herself with a sword and shield, traditional weapons of her class. Perhaps a sign that Gearbox is trying something different than its usual bazillions of guns approach.
* Finally, Claptrap the Fragtrap - Not the humble yellow scooter with a hatred of stairs, this is the militarized Claptrap that featured as the fiendish pile of plastic and chips in Claptrap's New Robot Revolution DLC, perhaps better known as the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap. The A.I.'s inclusion is the best indicator for when exactly The Pre-Sequel takes place. Bear with me for just a moment on this one. Players first encountered Claptrap in Fyrestone in the first Borderlands game. After the game's close, that same Claptrap is reprogrammed to take out the original Vault Hunters. It's likely right around this point that The Pre-Sequel will take place, as if Claptrap is working with Jack, it obviously hasn't tried to destroy all humanity on Pandora. At least that's my theory...
So there you have the familiar faces, some more so than others, coming in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Any other things that we might expect? In all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw:
Mad Moxxi - the busty bar maiden is something of a business mogul on Pandora with her Red Light bar and Underdome coliseum in Deep Fathoms, as well as bars in Sanctuary and the Badass Crater of Badassitude. So why not its moon as well? And Handsome Jack was one of the many relationships she's had over the years, at least until he blew up her Underdome. No pun intended.
Angel - Handsome Jack's siren daughter. If The Pre-Sequel is the story of Jack's rise to power, then you can bet she'll be involved in some way, as Jack used her as the guiding voice for the Vault Hunters in both Borderlands games. It's possible that the artifact Jack is searching for in The Pre-Sequel could have something to do with the Hyperion satellite, but we'll have to wait on Gearbox to confirm that.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is set to release this Fall for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC. Expect more information at this year's E3.
